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JAPAN
Apr 27, 2002

Koizumi determined to push four postal bills through Diet

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed his strong determination Friday to clear all four bills on postal services deregulation in the current Diet session, braving fierce opposition from both the ruling and opposition blocs.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 27, 2002

When a contract contracts, and what comes after

Visitors to Hakone last autumn are most probably still talking about it. How they were in a cable car and saw a Japanese man in another car, traveling in the opposite direction, standing on his head and swiveling his hips 180 degrees with legs splayed open.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2002

Revulsion grows toward Vajpayee's party

NEW DELHI -- India's secularism is in flames. The western Indian state of Gujarat, perhaps the most economically prosperous region in the entire country, has been in the midst of communal carnage for many weeks now. The majority Hindu population there has been systematically butchering members of the...
LIFE / Language / KANJI CLINIC
Apr 26, 2002

Forget the textbooks and discover the pleasure of real books

At the start of each new school year, I would confidently advise my university students: "Becoming a fluent reader in English is like learning to play the piano -- it requires constant practice.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 25, 2002

Time to engage, not bully, North Korea

CAMBRIDGE, England -- Since January 2001, relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have been tense. The various confidence-building measures agreed to at the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung in June 2000 came to a halt after newly elected U.S. President...
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2002

Master exchange plan eyed for Japanese culture

An education ministry advisory panel on Wednesday recommended a set of measures to promote Japanese culture overseas by drawing up an international cultural exchange master plan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI BEAT
Apr 25, 2002

Marist Brothers school hits 50 years in Kobe, regains its prequake stride

KOBE -- Marist Brothers International School in Suma Ward here celebrates its 50th anniversary this month.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2002

Computer tests were inadequate: Mizuho

The president of Mizuho Holdings Inc. admitted Wednesday that more thorough tests before the integration of the banking group's computer systems would have helped prevent the glitches that are now threatening to delay month-end salary payments and holiday transactions.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2002

Osaka-Pusan ferry service begins

OSAKA -- A new ferry service connecting Osaka with Pusan, South Korea, went into service Wednesday.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 25, 2002

Lie detection infiltrating everyday life

When Bill Clinton first said, "I never had sexual relations with that woman . . ." back in 1998, a report flushed that a new Israeli lie detector figured he was being truthful.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2002

Le Pen's shocking win shakes France to the core

PARIS -- France's presidential election system is meant to ensure both a maximum of democracy and the emergence of a strong national leadership at the end of the two rounds of voting. That was the model set by Gen. Charles de Gaulle when he established the Fifth Republic four decades ago.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2002

Colleges now cast as economic saviors

The government is turning its eye to the nation's universities in a bid to uncover a potential gold mine in venture business ideas and help lift the economy out of its prolonged slump.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

Arrest warrants issued; mobster held over fake bills

A 39-year-old gangster was arrested Tuesday in Shizuoka on suspicion of passing fake 10,000 yen bank notes in Tokyo, according to police sources.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Apr 24, 2002

Bobby McFerrin: 'Beyond Words'

Singer Bobby McFerrin knows the mixed blessing of a hit song. His 1988 pop hit "Don't Worry, Be Happy" earned him sales that most jazz vocalists would kill for, but, somehow, people missed the irony. They also failed to realize that the full sound of the song came from his voice -- and his voice only...
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2002

'Spirited Away' boosts Toho profits

Film producer and distributor Toho Co. said Tuesday it posted record group revenue and pretax and net profits on the success of its box-office hit "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" ("Spirited Away").
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Apr 24, 2002

Two men and a poor baby

I have a thang, as Isaac Hayes would say, for Yuki Koyanagi. Maybe it's her sultry pout. Maybe it's her bleached-blonde hair. Or it could be her gloriously trashy fashion sense.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

Time features living Asian heroes

A special issue of Time magazine to be published Monday highlights 25 living Asian heroes, including Japanese sports stars Ichiro Suzuki and Hidetoshi Nakata, who are featured on the cover.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 24, 2002

Kinnie Starr: from strength to strength

Kinnie Starr has a voice that sometimes purrs and sometimes snarls, but either way it is virtually unknown in Japan. That may be changing, though, as she is spending the better part of this month touring the country, both on her own and in the coveted opening slot for the hugely popular Speech, formerly...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 24, 2002

Rage against the machine: anti-tech art

"The First Move," a showcase of finalists for the 2002 Philip Morris Art Award, opens this Saturday at Tokyo International Forum. On display until May 6, the exhibition includes paintings, photographs, 3-D pieces, videos, installations and computer-generated work by 57 young artists selected from more...
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2002

Police urged to be more vigilant

Prefectural police officials got a pep talk Tuesday from the National Police Agency chief, who urged that they be on guard for terrorist attacks and cyber-terrorism, and to generally bolster their activities, including neighborhood patrols.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 24, 2002

Fashion's painful pursuit of beauty

When did French women first coin the phrase, "Il faut suffrir pour être belle (One must suffer to be beautiful)"? Judging by the historic costumes and illustrations on display at the Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum, it could have been any time in the last three centuries. Here are fashions that demand (literally)...
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2002

Let firms police selves, panel says

An advisory panel to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday suggested that companies enter into covenants with their customers regarding product quality and safety.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2002

Japan Prize laureates hope technologies will be used for good

Three scientists who won the 2002 Japan Prize expressed hopes Monday that their achievements will be utilized to enhance the welfare of people the world over.
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2002

Japan's deflation a puzzling issue for Europeans

BRUSSELS -- Viewed from Europe, there are some signs that the Japanese economy might be starting to emerge from its 10-year slumber, but it remains essential that Tokyo focus on far-reaching structural reforms and antideflation measures rather than short-term policy lurches if the economy is to avoid...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2002

Koizumi trade pitch misses

CAMBRIDGE, England -- At the Baoa Forum for Asia that met on Hainan Island in China earlier this month, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made yet another proposal for a greater economic cooperation agreement for East Asia. This time Japan's focus is on an ASEAN-plus-five formula, as announced...
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2002

Kids start 'Saturday school' due to five-day-week worries

A number of education boards began preparatory classes Saturday out of concern that children's education may suffer as a result of the introduction of the five-day school week later this month.

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