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COMMENTARY
Aug 3, 2002

Flaws mar proposed reforms

LONDON -- The Japanese Foreign Ministry has been much criticized over the last year. Reforms have been made and more changes are likely. Some of the criticism has been justified, but much is misplaced and some of the proposals for changes are mistaken.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2002

Kokubunji snubs state resident registry

The western Tokyo suburb of Kokubunji on Friday became the latest municipality to refuse to take part in a national resident registry network that the central government plans to launch Monday, saying it will not join the system until a law to protect personal information is enacted.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 3, 2002

I'm a carefree street food vendor, baby!

You know what I like about Japan? The mobile food. And I'm not talking about going to the drive-through at McDonald's for takeout. Albeit a dying tradition, in Japan you can still get some food such as noodles, octopus balls and "yaki imo" from street vendors who cruise the neighborhoods. If you have...
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2002

Report cites 'age of anxiety' triggered by Sept. 11 attacks

In response to last year's terrorist attacks against the United States, the government's annual defense white paper, released Friday, emphasizes the unstable international security situation and the importance of the Self-Defense Forces in dealing with new types of threats.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Aug 3, 2002

Solstice weekend under the fog; Camping with the aliens

I knew it was going to be an interesting weekend the moment my press armband arrived in the mail marked No. 13, though I'm not superstitious enough to turn my back on an event like the Solstice Music Festival.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 3, 2002

Keeping up with family weddings around world

Betty Glover from Perth, Australia, cannot walk too easily these days. This does not stop her from traveling however. Assisted by daughter Mo (Maureen) and son-in-law Deg (Derek), she is just coming to the end of a two-month trip to the U.K. and -- a bit of a surprise this one! -- Japan.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2002

Capricorns luck out on lottery (again)

People born in winter and spring were the most numerous lottery winners in Japan for a second straight year, Mizuho Bank said Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2002

Disclaimers cause waves in scuba business

Recreational scuba divers in Japan are subject to a long-standing, and contentious, industry policy -- signing a waiver to accept all responsibility for whatever happens when they take the plunge.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

Koizumi censure motion voted down

The House of Councilors voted down a nonbinding censure motion against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday during the final throes of the six-month Diet session that ended later in the day.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

Exec admits paying off officials

The founder of a Tokyo consulting firm pleaded guilty Wednesday to paying 13.34 million yen in bribes to a Tokushima governor and two Ibaraki mayors between 1997 and 2000 for information or favors related to local public works projects.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

U.N. official seeks debt forgiveness, more aid for poorest African nations

While Japan is striving to reduce its official development assistance budget, it should channel more aid resources toward least developed countries in Africa, according to a high-ranking U.N. official.
COMMENTARY
Jul 31, 2002

The U.S.-Japan management roundabout

What goes round, comes round. In the 1950s and '60s, U.S. experts warned Japanese businessmen that they had to get rid of their feudalistic management systems if they were to go ahead.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2002

Nissan launches new model of Fairlady Z sports car

In the latest attempt to revive its name, Nissan Motor Co. on Tuesday launched the new version of its flagship Fairlady Z sports car -- two years after production of the vehicle was terminated.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Street performers audition for metropolitan licenses

Street performers auditioned Tuesday in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku to receive local government licenses to perform in public places.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Attack-response law dead in the water?

When the government submitted a set of emergency-response bills to the Diet in April, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was breaking a decades-long taboo under the war-renouncing Constitution.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Osaka honors four World Cup players for Japan

OSAKA -- Osaka Gov. Fusae Ohta conferred certificates of achievement on four Japanese soccer players Tuesday for their role in this year's World Cup finals.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jul 31, 2002

Tabla Beat Science: "Live in San Francisco"

On Aug. 12, 2001, Tabla Beat Science, a multinational collective of forward-thinking musicians founded by the tabla player Zakir Hussein and the bass player and producer Bill Laswell, played a free show in the Stern Grove section of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. For many of the 12,000 people who...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2002

Of chicken legs and trash

CAMBRIDGE, England -- There has been much talk in China recently about hegemony. Some of it has been about denying that China has hegemonic interests in East Asia. But most of it has related to the United States. One wonders if everyone in China understands what is being complained about. I have this...
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2002

Tokyo-area highway toll hike to 800 yen in the pipeline

Metropolitan Expressway Public Corp. said Monday it may hike expressway tolls in the Tokyo area by about 100 yen to 800 yen as early as December.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ARCHIPELA-GO
Jul 30, 2002

Going slow and easy in a land of plenty

In vino veritas. In wine there is truth. And in Hokkaido there is wine. Living in Hokkaido has its perks, and I set out recently seeking my truth on a long-weekend getaway with my family in central Hokkaido's wine region.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2002

Osaka phone service disrupted

OSAKA -- NTT West Corp. said Monday that phone services were temporarily disrupted after a massive number of calls were placed by a firm suspected of operating a "wangiri" callback scam.
JAPAN
Jul 29, 2002

Kawaguchi keen to face Pyongyang's Paek

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Sunday that she hopes Tokyo-Pyongyang talks on normalizing bilateral ties will resume, referring to her scheduled meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun on Wednesday in Brunei.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 28, 2002

A mother lode of beauty and horror

THE STONE OF HEAVEN: The Secret History of Imperial Green Jade, by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark. Orion, 2002, 352 pp., 8.99 British pounds (paper) This book is one of a newly emerging genre: history told from the viewpoint of a single item. Other studies have already looked at subjects that ranged...

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go