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COMMENTARY
May 2, 2001

An end to hopes of change?

The surprising triumph of maverick reformer Junichiro Koizumi as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party and prime minister of Japan could ironically wind up sabotaging hopes for periodic changes in the nation's government.
CULTURE / Art
May 2, 2001

Art stripped bare: The Minimalist aesthetic

Minimalism emerged in the United States in the late 1950s, in a reaction to the emotiveness of Abstract Expressionism. Minimalist artists stressed bare geometric form, stripping away colors and textures, and leaving only shapes and lines to create an aesthetic that is still influential today, particularly...
CULTURE / Art
May 2, 2001

'Girly photographer' charts her own course

It is has been about a decade since the debut of the onnanoko shashinka, an immensely popular group of young Japanese female photographers whose work was largely characterized by simple subjects reflecting their everyday life, captured with a point-and-shoot aesthetic. Initially, the best known of the...
CULTURE / Art
May 2, 2001

Hitchcock and human nature

Alfred Hitchcock is an icon of the film world, like the Beatles are to rock and pop. Often referred to as the greatest director of all time, the English filmmaker produced art for the masses, using avant-garde techniques and character psychology with universal relevance.
MORE SPORTS
May 1, 2001

Kiwi Sevens rally to beat Australia

New Zealand won the Japan Sevens final 26-12 against Australia at a soggy Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium on Monday. Trailing 12-7 at halftime with a player in the sin bin for violent conduct, New Zealand rallied in the second half scoring three unanswered tries to come away with the victory.
JAPAN
May 1, 2001

'Rose of Versailles' comic to be made an Italian opera

A hit 1970s comic book about tragic love in 18th-century France that spawned its own musical is to become an opera, the author of "Berusaiyu no Bara" ("The Rose of Versailles") said in a recent interview with Kyodo News.
LIFE / Travel
May 1, 2001

'Talking rot and taking the bull by the horns'

The events of June 1855 at Speakers' Corner inspired Karl Marx to declare that the English proletariat had begun their inexorable rise and that social revolution leading to a communist state was under way.
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
May 1, 2001

Devolution from concrete to marshland

For years it was a concrete reservoir in Barnes, southwest London. The kind of concrete reservoir that accumulates stolen supermarket trolleys, rusting oil drums, glue sniffers and dead cats.
MORE SPORTS
May 1, 2001

Team Japan starting to gel

Kuwabara is the captain of Japan's national ice hockey team currently playing at the Pool A World Championships in Germany. Kuwabara, a Japanese-Canadian who was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens and now stars for Japan Ice Hockey League champion Kokudo, has agreed to keep a journal chronicling some...
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2001

Official Yasukuni visit requires coalition approval: Yamasaki

The No. 2 leader of the Liberal Democratic Party on Sunday said the agreement of the LDP and its two coalition partners is required before new Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi can visit Yasukuni Shrine, which honors about 2.5 million Japanese who have died in wars since the mid-19th century.
BUSINESS
Apr 30, 2001

Monetary policies may collide as globalized economy emerges

As the globalization of the world's economies goes on, it will become natural for the monetary policies of one major country to affect the policies of others. After all, money flows across national borders.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2001

Myanmar's Shan State: a complex tragedy

THAI-MYANMAR BORDER -- Mae Sai is the end of the road in northern Thailand. This is not to suggest that the lackluster town is undeveloped: It does a roaring trade in gemstones (both real and fake), tourist trinkets, snacks and all kinds of contraband. It's literal. The main street, Pahonyotin, runs...
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2001

Yamasaki eyes draft to revise Article 9

Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Taku Yamasaki has drawn up a tentative draft for constitutional revisions that include changing the wording of Article 9 to clarify that Japan will maintain land, sea and air forces and has the right to self-defense, political sources said Sunday.
COMMENTARY
Apr 30, 2001

A real chance for change?

LONDON -- Is Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi so different from other Japanese politicians that he can succeed in enforcing radical change in the political and economic system of the country?
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2001

New Defense Agency chief seeks clarification of Article 9

Newly appointed Defense Agency chief Gen Nakatani on Friday expressed opposition to reinterpreting the war-renouncing Constitution to allow Japan to engage in collective defense.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2001

Japan and ASEAN mull free trade pact

Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will next week set up a study group on the conclusion of a free trade agreement in a bid to compete with emerging powerhouse China and growing trade blocs in Europe, as well as both North America and Latin America, government sources said Saturday....
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2001

Foreign minister vows to improve strained Japan-China relationship

New Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka vowed Friday to study past developments in Japan-China ties and talk to Chinese officials directly to improve Tokyo's strained relations with Beijing.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2001

Hiranuma reiterates themes toward economic revitalization

Reappointed Economy Minister Takeo Hiranuma said a comprehensive approach of combining the disposal of problem loans and assets, creating new businesses and implementing regulatory reforms is needed to revitalize the economy.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Apr 28, 2001

Masumi Muramatsu

"Aka M.M.," laughed Masumi Muramatsu. In no time at all he introduces a lighthearted note into conversation.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2001

Kan urges removal of war criminals from shrine

Naoto Kan, secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, said Friday that Class-A war criminals enshrined at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which is dedicated to Japan's war dead, should be enshrined at a different location.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2001

Japanese firm helping detect mines, restore villages

A Tokyo-based venture has played a key role in creating a new device to detect land mines that will soon be used on the Thai-Cambodia border.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2001

North Korea seeks 4 billion yen for its atomic bomb survivors

North Korea has asked Japan for 4 billion yen in compensation for victims of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, government sources said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2001

Saitama to get cheap, fast Internet service on May 25

SpeedNet Inc. announced Thursday that it will start offering a high-speed wireless Internet service based on Tokyo Power Electric Co.'s optical fiber networks in parts of Saitama Prefecture on May 25.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2001

Tanaka outlines foreign policy goals in maiden speech

Newly appointed Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Thursday that Tokyo should avoid actions that could lead to a deterioration in ties between Taiwan and China, an apparent refernce to Tokyo's approval of a visit by former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2001

DoCoMo to commence 3G service in October

NTT DoCoMo Inc. officially delayed the launch of its next-generation cellular service from May 30 to Oct. 1 but refused to call it a postponement.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Apr 27, 2001

New York upturn positive news for Japan

The recent upturn in New York share prices could presage a more stable market in Japan, too.
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Apr 27, 2001

I know! Let's put on a show in the barn!

Peals of laughter erupt in the audience as the performers onstage go through their routines. It's not every day that the residents of Kitagawa, a village outside of Kochi, have the opportunity to see a musical performed entirely in the local Tosa dialect, and they're relishing every minute of it -- especially...

Longform

The building of new high-rise residential buildings has some alarmed that they could empty and fall into disrepair as Japan's population shrinks.
The high cost of letting Japan's condos crumble