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BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2000

Full-scale Vietnam talks near

After nearly two years of preparatory talks, Japan and Vietnam are expected to launch full-scale negotiations early next year on an investment protection pact to encourage Japanese companies to invest in the potentially lucrative, communist-ruled Southeast Asian market.
COMMUNITY
Dec 28, 2000

Down's diagnoses defied

Hope was not in the prognosis that doctors gave to Chie Myo, after examining her first son, Shunsuke, at the age of 3 months. They diagnosed the baby as having been born with Mongolism, a derogatory term previously used for Down syndrome, and predicted that he would not live long, saying a mere cold...
EDITORIALS
Dec 27, 2000

Learning the wrong lessons

Japan's basic law on education, enacted after the end of World War II to replace the Imperial Rescript, should be reviewed -- that is a key recommendation from Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's advisory panel. The final report, released last week, calls for a set of reforms. The report is in marked contrast...
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2000

Education panel hits individuality, stresses Japanese-language focus

An Education Ministry advisory panel is calling for increased Japanese-language study and reading opportunities for children, saying a good command of the language provides a solid platform for education and cultural literacy.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2000

Japan falling; U.S. slipping; euro on a roll

Worries linger over slowing U.S. economic growth.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2000

New framework for economic ties with U.S. eyed

With the launch of the new U.S. administration coming next month, Japan is considering introducing a new framework for bilateral economic talks, which would include the participation of experts from the private sector.
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL
Dec 27, 2000

The many moods of Koko-en

Any time of the year is ideal to visit Koko-en, next door to Himeji Castle, a World Heritage Site.
LIFE / Travel
Dec 27, 2000

Hot springs by the Vienna Woods

BADEN, Austria -- More than most European capitals, Vienna, which bears a rich legacy as the one-time heart of the old Austro-Hungarian empire, has enough monuments and museums (not to mention restaurants and coffee houses) to keep you hopping from morning until night.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 26, 2000

Music for the eyes and ears

TRADITIONAL JAPANESE MUSIC AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, by William P. Malm. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2000, 354 pp., with 89 b/w photos and CD of musical examples, 5,000 yen. This is the new, revised and updated edition of the book that has been the standard text on traditional Japanese music and...
MORE SPORTS
Dec 26, 2000

Minori GC takes some of the frustration out of golf

Looking forward to a round of golf over the holidays? Or are you dreading another six-hour slog around the links?
CULTURE / Books
Dec 26, 2000

A moral beacon in Japan's darkest days

YANAIHARA TADAO AND JAPANESE COLONIAL EMPIRE: Redeeming Empire, by Susan C. Townsend. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon, 2000, 296 pp., 50 British pounds (cloth). Scholarship can be a dangerous vocation. The ideological witch-hunt against Tadao Yanaihara, holder of the prewar chair of colonial policy at Tokyo...
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2000

Budget does Japan a disservice

The Finance Ministry's budget for fiscal 2001, which was announced last week, falls far short of expectations, particularly because it does not lay out a road map for fiscal reform. It seems as if the ministry is marking time along with the stagnant economy. Critical issues, such as spending cuts, deficit...
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2000

Defense buildup to include F-2s, tanks, anti-sub planes

The government on Sunday approved a defense buildup program for fiscal 2001 that includes the development of several tanks, jet fighters, and advanced antisubmarine patrol planes, Defense Agency chief Toshitsugu Saito said.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2000

Mild Tokyo winters reflect global warming

In Tokyo the average number of days with sub-freezing temperatures decreased by 95 percent over the course of the 20th century, reflecting the advance of global warming, according to the Meteorological Agency.
BUSINESS
Dec 25, 2000

Demise of IT bubble compares with '80s Japan

Signs of a slowdown in the U.S. economy are growing, and the most symbolic of them is the decline of the technology-laden Nasdaq index. The Nasdaq composite index, which stood at 3,700 points at the end of last year, shot up into the 5,000 range in May. But its plunge has also been quick, and it recently...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Dec 25, 2000

Emotion trumps logic in whaling debate

Over a sushi lunch with Scott Latham, I mention "whaling," and Scott, my trade-consultant friend, doesn't miss a beat: "The Whaling Wall."
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2000

Flexibility the key to success of alliance

Foreign policy focuses on change. New leaders, new technologies, new conditions -- all create the need for new policies. Experts are always planning for contingencies -- the crisis to come -- and when they hit it's usually because governments failed to recognize the new realities that created them. ...
COMMENTARY
Dec 25, 2000

Judicial reform falls short

A government panel on judiciary reform produced an interim report in November that called for specific measures, such as creating law schools and tripling the annual crop of legal experts-to-be (those who pass the state law exam) to 3,000.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2000

Emperor celebrates 67th birthday with family

The Emperor marked his 67th birthday Saturday by greeting public well-wishers at the Imperial Palace together with members of the Imperial family.
CULTURE / Books
Dec 24, 2000

Palestinian families at a scholarly remove

POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND THE PALESTINIAN FAMILY: Implications for Mental Health and Well-Being, by Vivian Khamis, Haworth Press, 144 pp., $20. The appearance of a book on the impact of political violence on Palestinian families could hardly be timelier. Deaths caused by the present unrest in Israel and...
CULTURE / Art
Dec 24, 2000

Rene Lalique: the magic of design

"Siren and Frogs" carafe by Rene Lalique Some of the best window shopping this Christmas season is being enjoyed at an exhibition of jewelry and glassware by Rene Lalique (1860-1945), currently on display at Tokyo's most elegant art gallery, the Teien. Held in the Art Deco building that was once the...
EDITORIALS
Dec 23, 2000

Another round in Kashmir

It is difficult to get excited about talk of peace in Kashmir. India and Pakistan, the two main parties to the conflict in that troubled region, have tried and abandoned a series of initiatives in recent years. Indeed, India refuses to involve Islamabad in any discussions, and this is despite the fact,...
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2000

Nine WTO members file complaint

GENEVA -- Nine World Trade Organization members led by Japan and the European Union on Thursday filed a complaint with the WTO's dispute-settlement body over a new U.S. antidumping law that many say violates international trade pacts.
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2000

Mother's death stands out in Emperor's remembrance

The Emperor said he was greatly supported by the Empress during the "busy and heavy-hearted days" after his mother died in June.
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2000

World's stock markets battling pessimism

Pessimism abounds in stock markets worldwide. New York share prices have taken a beating amid concern over corporate earnings and economic prospects. The tumble in New York quickly spilled over to Tokyo, sending key market gauges to their year-to-date lows.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2000

Japan to give tsunami info to neighbors

Japan will start in January providing South Korea, North Korea and Russia with information on tsunamis originating in the Sea of Japan, the Meteorological Agency said.

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