Search - 2002

 
 
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 18, 2003

Taking issue with a visa 'investigation'

"Dear Lifelines; I am a Hong Kong citizen with a British passport. I married a Japanese national in 1992 in Hong Kong. Three years ago, my husband was transferred back to Tokyo and so I came to Japan on a spouse visa, which is valid for three years.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2003

Water forum under way as war concerns mount

KYOTO -- With war in Iraq possibly only days away, a leading delegate to the Third World Water Forum declared at the opening session that providing clean water is more important than the looming conflict.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 16, 2003

Forget about soccer -- baseball No. 1

The 2002 World Cup had limited effect on boosting the popularity of soccer in baseball-mad Japan, according to a survey by Japan's largest newspaper.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2003

U.S. risks danger of 'global overstretch'

SINGAPORE -- Although U.S. President George W. Bush appears determined to rid Iraq of President Saddam Hussein, the world is deeply divided. On one hand, Hussein has been ruthless, even with his own people, and may have hidden weapons of mass destruction and sponsored al-Qaeda terrorists. On the other...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 16, 2003

Modern-day swordsmith forges perfection

Yoshindo Yoshihara is not looking forward to his trip to the United States this month. Ever since Sept. 11, Yoshihara, a master swordsmith, has had difficulty checking his baggage through U.S. airports. For security reasons, United Airlines has insisted that his chest of four swords, each one worth about...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 16, 2003

Style police

The advertising executive for a multinational soft-drinks company gasps in horror as the gorgeous celebrity he has hired as the face of his multimillion ad campaign turns up for the photo shoot in a ketchup-stained T-shirt and jeans. No panic, though, because he's hired someone who earns a living making...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 16, 2003

Hard-hitting Bangkok PI knows how to Thai one on

ASIA HAND, 1992, 277 pp.; COLD HIT, 1999, 330 pp.; MINOR WIFE, 2002, 297 pp.; by Christopher G. Moore. Heaven Lake Press, Bangkok (all three books priced at $11.95) Canadian novelist Christopher G. Moore, a former law instructor from British Columbia, has been described as "The Hemingway of Bangkok."...
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 15, 2003

J2 teams get ready for action

Seeking two tickets to join the nation's top flight in a year's time, a total of 12 teams across the nation will launch their Division Two campaigns Saturday.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2003

Bill aimed at Net dating sites OK'd

A bill that would ban the use of Internet dating sites to solicit sex or dates with people under 18 years old was endorsed by the government Friday.
BUSINESS / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Mar 15, 2003

Multilateral alliance good for ANA, but JAL isn't convinced

All Nippon Airways Co. President Yoji Ohashi could hardly contain his joy last month when he witnessed the entry of Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's No. 2 carrier, into Star Alliance, the world's largest airline coalition.
COMMENTARY
Mar 15, 2003

U.S., ROK narrow the gap

HONOLULU -- Debates are raging among the security policy communities in the U.S. and South Korea over North Korean motives and intentions and how best to deal with Pyongyang. There seems to be only one point upon which all agree: no solution to the current standoff is practical unless Washington and...
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2003

Refugees' families no longer welcome

Refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos will no longer be permitted to bring their family members to Japan after March 31, 2004, the government decided at Friday's Cabinet meeting.
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2003

MMC, Nissan forge Minicab deal

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will supply its Minicab commercial vehicle to Nissan Motor Co. on an original equipment manufacturing basis, the firms said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 14, 2003

How the U.S. piqued Pyongyang

CAMBRIDGE, England -- If it weren't for the fact that the lives of several million people are at stake it could be fun watching the game of diplomatic poker being played by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and U.S. President George W. Bush. Those lives are at stake, however, as is the future stability...
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2003

Seiko hopes to double its net profit

Watch maker Seiko Corp. said Wednesday its group net profit will more than double over the next three years under a new business plan through March 2006. By then, Seiko expects a group net profit of 8.5 billion yen, up from an estimated 3.5 billion yen profit for fiscal 2002.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2003

Debts, loan sharks and culture of shame a recipe for suicide

Yuki Saito should have known something was wrong when his dad quietly walked into their steaming home tub that night -- they hadn't taken a bath together in years, although it is the Japanese custom to do so.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 13, 2003

Developing toward 'living democracy'

When she was a child, environmental activist Vandana Shiva spent her free time walking in the Himalayan forests of northern India. Much later, before going to do her doctorate at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, she returned there to one of her favorite places. "There was a beautiful...
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2003

'Happoshu' claims big market share

"Happoshu," a low-malt beverage, grabbed a 46.4 percent share of the beer market in February, its largest share ever, according to data released Wednesday by the nation's five major brewers.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2003

Three-year plan boosts JAL outlook

Japan Airlines System Corp. is expecting a group net profit of 35 billion yen for the business year through March 2006, up from 8 billion yen estimated for 2002.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2003

Shops go against the grain to sell U.S. rice

U.S. rice farmers have found an unlikely ally in their endeavor to penetrate Japan's heavily protected rice market -- owners of mom-and-pop rice shops who themselves are bearing the brunt of the nation's market-opening reforms.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2003

Ando to inject Hazama with 1 billion yen

Midsize general contractor Ando Corp. said Monday it has agreed to forge a capital tieup with Hazama Corp., seeking to inject the troubled builder with 1 billion yen through the purchase of preferred shares.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2003

Japanese fear more for economy, society

Japanese people are becoming more pessimistic about the troubled economy and more worried that their society is becoming increasingly unstable, according to a survey released Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 9, 2003

Sandwich bars spread thick and fast

Can two slices of bread with a filling in between take on a box full of bite-size eats?
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 9, 2003

Dropping out and tuning in to the rhythm of nature

SANTOKA: Grass and Tree Cairn, translated by Hiroaki Sato. Vermont: Red Moon Press, 2002, 74 pp., $14.95 (paper) No matter how deep one's faith or religion is, one may experience feelings of resignation and defeat as well as the loss of compassion for others and oneself.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 9, 2003

All eyes on Russia's Far East

RUSSIA'S FAR EAST: A Region at Risk, edited by Judith Thornton and Charles E. Ziegler. Seattle: National Bureau of Asian Research, University of Washington Press, 2002, 498 pp. (paper). The Russian Far East is a land of contradictions. It is a vast territory of 6.2 million sq. km., roughly one-third...
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2003

Bribe-taking mayor gets suspended term

Yoshishiro Kimura, a former mayor of Ishioka, Ibaraki Prefecture, was sentenced Friday to a suspended prison term for taking 2 million yen in bribes in 1999 while he was still in office.
COMMENTARY
Mar 8, 2003

Japan's oil diplomacy is dead

LOS ANGELES -- Since September 2001, Tokyo has come a long way toward redefining its international security interests. One significant result of this is that should any American hostages be taken in the war with Iraq or anywhere else in the Middle East, the Japanese are not likely to be indifferent to...
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

Toshiba to focus on digital, electronic devices

Toshiba Corp. said Friday it will spin off some of its operations so it can concentrate its resources on semiconductor and digital products.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2003

'Blue book' draft seeks global unity

Japan will call for international unity in dealing with growing security concerns, including the crisis in Iraq and North Korea's nuclear weapons program, says the Foreign Ministry's annual "blue book" draft, which was submitted to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday for endorsement.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?