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COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2001

Russia can teach California a few things about blackouts

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia -- When blackouts hit the residential districts of Russia's largest Pacific seaport, as they have for up to 20 hours a day and even more this week, people learn to cope.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2001

Split in Russia caused summit delay

A tug of war between Russian government officials has led Moscow to seek a monthlong postponement of the planned summit in Siberia between Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL
Jan 24, 2001

See where the apricot (or is it plum) blossoms

Kairakuen Garden in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, is one of the three most celebrated gardens in Japan, located a very short distance from the city center.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2001

Release of human genome thesis criticized

The Science Council of Japan has complained to the U.S. journal Science about its decision to print a U.S. biotech company's thesis about the human genome, saying the company has not shared its data with international researchers.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2001

Hokkaido retiree gets new start as teacher

As a boy, Ichio Yachimukai wanted to become a teacher out of gratitude for the kindness of his junior high school teacher, but he never imagined that he would one day venture to Vietnam to realize his ambition.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2001

Give aid to China, but remain vigilant

The 21st Century Committee for Japan-China Friendship held its 14th meeting on China's Hainan Island Dec. 24-25, and I was among those present. Former Chinese Ambassador to Japan Yang Zhenya, the conference chairman, said he was pleased that the Chinese and Japanese governments were promoting regional...
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2001

Japan's conformist culture attacked

Hayao Kawai, one of Japan's leading clinical psychologists and the former head of a government advisory panel, emphasized the importance of fostering individuality among Japanese while admitting it is a difficult task in light of the nation's conformist culture.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 23, 2001

Gender, identity, plain old eros

MALE HOMOSEXUALITY IN MODERN JAPAN: Cultural Myths and Social Realities, by Mark J. McLelland. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon Press, 2000, 268 pp., b/w plates 17, 15.99 British pounds (paper). Mark McLelland begins this pioneering study by quoting Alfred Kinsey to the effect that nature rarely deals with...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2001

The clock is ticking for Gen. Musharraf

ISLAMABAD -- Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military ruler, has vowed to give Pakistanis a new life through the establishment a new political order. This promise will be put to test in the next few months.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2001

Mori calls for stronger Japanese-U.S. ties

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori released a statement early Sunday calling for a closer alliance between Japan and the United States under the administration of newly inaugurated U.S. President George W. Bush.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2001

Osaka homeless find they must help selves

OSAKA -- Visit Yoshisune Nagamine at his office beside Osaka Castle and you're in for a surprise.
EDITORIALS
Jan 21, 2001

Mr. Estrada calls it quits

Philippine President Joseph Estrada has resigned. His term in office has been a continuous trial for the country. His decision to step down is correct, if not overdue. His successor, former Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, must now clean up the mess Mr. Estrada has left for the Philippines.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 21, 2001

Spring camps staying local

The 12 Japanese pro baseball teams open spring training camps for the 2001 season on Feb. 1, just 11 days from now, and fan David Craft sent an e-mail asking if any of the Central or Pacific League clubs will be taking S.T. outside of Japan; specifically Hawaii.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 21, 2001

Almost like a mouthful of Momma's tasty tofu

If you're a foreigner in Japan, Japanese people will always ask you, "Why are you in Japan?" If you're a foreigner who has been in Japan a awhile, Japanese people will always ask you, "Why are you still in Japan?"
CULTURE / Books / POETRY MIGNETTE
Jan 21, 2001

A little home for poetry in Shinagawa

Keiyudoh is a book store specializing in rare art books, with a small gallery in the back. Currently the gallery features an exhibition of calligraphy by Sueo Akiyama, a self-taught artist, whose works have received cultural awards in Poland and France recently. Keiyudoh also publishes the journal Le...
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2001

Japan, Britain sign e-commerce pact

Japan and Britain agreed Friday to work together to promote e-commerce worldwide, Japanese and British officials said.
EDITORIALS
Jan 19, 2001

No mileage in banana peels

A case came to court in Sunderland, England, earlier this week, that caused, or reflected, quite a stir -- such a stir, in fact, that its ripples have been felt far beyond England. Why is this?
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Million yen prize offered for Todai's first paper

The editorial staff of the University of Tokyo's campus newspaper is offering 1 million yen to anyone who can supply them with a copy of the journal's first issue, published 80 years ago.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2001

Mori-Putin talks pushed back a month

Russia has asked to postpone until March a summit between Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Russian President Vladimir Putin that had been set for late February, Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2001

Japan tries to get economic ball rolling without U.S.

Japan is taking its first specific initiative in getting a still embryonic -- but potentially gargantuan -- economic forum of East Asian and Latin American countries grow smoothly.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Firms unite on Net voice access

IBM Japan Ltd., Oki Electric Industry Co. and Hitachi Ltd. plan to set up in April a Japanese unit of the VoiceXML Forum, an international group that promotes open standards on voice access technologies for the Internet, company officials said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Amway Japan chief looks to raise firm's public profile, sales

In an effort to combat a decline in sales amid stagnant consumer spending, Amway Japan Ltd. President Stephen A. Robbins is determined to raise the direct selling firm's public profile by forming alliances with major Japanese companies.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Seirai, Horie win Akutagawa Prize

Yuichi Seirai and Toshiyuki Horie were chosen Tuesday evening as winners of the 124th Akutagawa Prize, one of Japan's most prestigious literary prizes, while the Naoki Prize for popular fiction went to Kiyoshi Shigematsu and Fumio Yamamoto.
LIFE / Digital
Jan 17, 2001

The Library of Congress streams

www.loc.gov This short URL brings you to a rather unremarkable home page, that of the U.S. Library of Congress. Click behind the facade and you're on an elegant bridge to America's past. There's no map, but don't worry. You want to get lost among the millions of pieces on display -- manuscripts, streaming...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jan 17, 2001

Prospective grooms: get your head X-rayed

I know several people who claim they should have had their head X-rayed before ever stumbling into an international marriage. It's a statement I can never make.

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