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COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2000

Ambivalence, hope greet Korean summit

YANJI, China -- When Eun-byol crossed the Tumen River from North Korea into China three years ago, she was nearly bald from malnutrition after subsisting on a diet of grass and bark mixed with an occasional spoonful of rice.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
May 18, 2000

'Sports executive' a misnomer in Japan

I don't know if it's just my imagination but in recent weeks the incompetence of Japan's alleged "sports executives" seems to have reached an all-time low.
BUSINESS
May 18, 2000

Europeans showing concern about ill euro

In an apparent departure from a policy of benign neglect, European monetary authorities have openly begun expressing concern about the ailing euro.
JAPAN
May 17, 2000

4,500 mourn at Obuchi's private funeral

Some 4,500 mourners paid their respects Tuesday at a private funeral for former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, who died Sunday at a Tokyo hospital six weeks after he suffered a stroke and fell into a coma.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2000

Pakistan peace initiative just a first step

ISLAMABAD -- The empty trailers along the road from the Afghan capital of Kabul to the border with neighboring Pakistan serve as powerful reminders of what Afghanistan's Islamic rulers -- the Taliban -- have achieved in the four years since they took control of most of their Central Asian country's territory....
JAPAN
May 17, 2000

Mori's 'divine nation' remark spurs outrage

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on Tuesday moved to contain potential political damage after saying Monday that Japan is a "divine nation centering on the Emperor," a sentiment some compared to the nationalist fervor stoked before and during World War II.
LIFE / Digital
May 17, 2000

Webby winners for 2000

SFMOMA Webby Prizefor Excellence in Online Art Entropy8Zuper (www.entropy8zuper.org)
BUSINESS
May 17, 2000

IT-friendly business environment urged by APEC

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum must prepare a business environment that will foster e-commerce in the region, according to participants in the two-day APEC/E-Commerce Convention that ended Tuesday in Tokyo.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
May 17, 2000

Street entertainment

Honoring Golden Week, Omotesando lined its streetside with wondrous bamboo sculptures. I recognized the deft hand of flower master Hiroshi Teshigahara; he had once filled his Sogetsu headquarters building with similar fanciful forms, a display that visitors could walk among, and those of us who did will...
LIFE / Digital
May 17, 2000

In.five.words.or.less

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Webbys may bill themselves as the antidote to the Academy Awards, but the truth is that this Internet awards gala has a severe case of Oscar envy.
EDITORIALS
May 16, 2000

Rockets under review

There is no humor to be found in Japan's recent disappointing -- and expensive -- rocket failures. Nevertheless, the news that the spectacular crash of an H-II rocket last November may have been caused by design and planning errors does more than suggest that the nation's rocket scientists should go...
JAPAN
May 16, 2000

Obuchi's death is mourned

Some 3,000 mourners paid their respects Monday to former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, who died Sunday at a Tokyo hospital six weeks after suffering a stroke and lapsing into a coma.
JAPAN
May 16, 2000

Mori hails new defense headquarters

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said Monday that the completion of the Defense Agency's new headquarters presented a good opportunity for him as chief commander of the Self-Defense Forces to talk about the nation's defense policies.
CULTURE / Books
May 16, 2000

Asia's storm clouds haven't dispersed

ASIAN STORM: The Economic Crisis Examined, by Philippe Ries. Translated by Peter Starr. Tokyo: Tuttle, 2000, 2,800 yen. The economic typhoons that swept though Asia in 1997 capsized regional economies, sent the misery index skyrocketing, wiped out colossal amounts of wealth, swept away an aging dictator...
BUSINESS
May 16, 2000

APEC urged to promote e-commerce

Member countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum must endeavor to promote cross-border e-commerce and solve problems such as infringement of Internet security, International Trade and Industry Minister Takashi Fukaya said Monday.
JAPAN
May 15, 2000

Probe demanded of Korean activist's killing

OSAKA -- A Japan-based citizens' group that aids North Koreans is demanding a full police investigation into the slaying of a 51-year-old Korean activist for human rights in North Korea at his home in Hyogo Prefecture, the group said Sunday.
BUSINESS
May 15, 2000

Constructive advice for launching multilateral talks with the WTO

the summit of major industrialized countries kicks off in July, one of the things the world will be waiting to see is whether the leaders of these nations will be able to launch a new round of multilateral trade liberalization talks under the World Trade Organization.
EDITORIALS
May 14, 2000

The rites of spring

Anyone poking about in newspapers or on the Internet lately might have come across a couple of essays expressing a view that seems to pop up seductively in public discourse whenever the weather turns warm. Like a view of cool woods from the window of a stuffy classroom in spring, this idea offers the...
CULTURE / Art
May 14, 2000

Triumph or disaster in Trafalgar Square

LONDON -- The jury for Trafalgar Square was still out when Prue Leith got stuck in her traffic jam. The debate had shifted elsewhere, to other public art projects that had similarly raised hackles or won praise, like Anthony Gormley's "Angel of the North." This 20-meter-high statue erected in 1997 above...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
May 14, 2000

Adjusting traditions

Before we get too far from the holidays, I wonder how many of you were aware of yet another dilemma for Japanese trying to follow traditions in a world where they no longer fit. Among the most spectacular sights of Golden Week that we are suppose to see are the carp streamers hoisted on long poles and...
COMMUNITY
May 14, 2000

Ex-garbage man bags career as pro caddie

If Jeff Mulberry has any aspirations beyond the odd hole in one, it is to lead as uncomplicated a life as possible. His needs are modest and his interests narrowing down as he focuses on pro golf. Not that he has his eye set on being a winning player, but rather on being the best caddie that friendship,...
EDITORIALS
May 13, 2000

A first step in electoral reform

With the passage of a bill amending the flawed Public Offices Election Law, the next Lower House election -- which most likely will be held late in June -- promises to be a fairer one. The current system, which was used for the first time in the 1996 Lower House election, is a combination of single-member...
JAPAN
May 13, 2000

Yearlong campaign to showcase Italy

Hoping to increase awareness that Italy is more than just a tourist destination, a yearlong promotion comprising various exhibitions across Japan will be launched next March, the promoters announced Friday.
JAPAN
May 13, 2000

Plan sets 15-minute limit to report atomic incident

The government plans to oblige nuclear plant workers to report accidents above certain levels within 15 minutes to bodies including the Prime Minister's Office and the Science and Technology Agency, it was announced Friday.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan