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COMMENTARY
Oct 2, 1999

Blair touts 'the vision thing'

LONDON -- Watching British Prime Minister Tony Blair is like watching a religious phenomenon. He has stepped off his platform on the backs of members of the Labor Party and has ascended into the clouds, where he hopes to be borne along by the rushing winds of the future. As he lifts off, he kicks away...
CULTURE / Art
Oct 2, 1999

The duality of light and shadow at the crossing of diverging roads

At first glance, the photographs of Ralph Gibson and those of Robert Mapplethorpe appear to have little in common. Gibson (b. 1939) is a graduate of the school of "straight photography" (the term applies to a classic approach, not one's sexual orientation, although further differences between the two...
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 2, 1999

Dancing in the footsteps of Ailey

Alvin Ailey was an American choreographer with a seismic impact on modern dance in this century. He revolutionized the way African-American rituals, experiences, music and literature were presented through dance and carved a niche for the voice of that community that continues through his company 10...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 1999

More reform needed to underpin Japan's economic recovery

Japan has made important progress in recent years in the area of regulatory and other structural reforms, but there is an urgent need for further and more rapid progress to strengthen future Japanese growth and prosperity.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 1999

Aum cultist given death sentence for part in subway attack

A senior Aum Shinrikyo member was sentenced to death Thursday for releasing deadly nerve gas on the Tokyo subway system in March 1995 and for illegally manufacturing a rifle.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 1999

Obuchi cancels Cabinet reshuffle

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi decided to delay the reshuffling of his Cabinet on Thursday due to the unfolding nuclear crisis in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, although most of his picks were to be appointed today.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 1999

Washington consensus cracks, but what is next?

WASHINGTON -- Is the so-called Washington consensus coming to an end?
JAPAN
Sep 30, 1999

Japan to tighten ties with Libya, send ambassador

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 29, 1999

Aum followers held in raid; confinements alleged

A current and former member of Aum Shinrikyo were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of detaining a female follower who attempted to escape from a cult facility in Kiso-Fukushima, Nagano Prefecture, police said.
JAPAN
Sep 29, 1999

Miyazawa defends use of public funds in LTCB sale

Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa on Wednesday defended the planned use of additional public funds to sell Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan to a consortium led by Ripplewood Holdings L.L.C. of the United States, calling the burden nothing new.
CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD
Sep 28, 1999

Afrobeat lights up the dance floors

Strange how music trends seem to go around in circles. Since spearheading the world music boom at the end of the '80s, African music sales have been on a downward spiral for much of this decade. Now in the form of Afrobeat, the music is making a strong comeback and sweeping dance floors around the world....
JAPAN
Sep 27, 1999

Japan, Laos to sign aid agreement

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 27, 1999

Storm-delayed MOX ship docks amid tight security

Staff writer
JAPAN
Sep 24, 1999

Dioxin study predictable but surprising

In the first national study of dioxin levels in multiple mediums, the Environment Agency found generally average contamination levels, but also a few surprises, the agency said Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 1999

Yugoslavian ambassador slams NATO

Yugoslav Ambassador Radoslav Bulajic said Friday that the 79-day NATO bombing campaign against his country was a serious crime against the civilian population, international law, peace and humanity.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 1999

Finance officials, entrepreneurs hit it off in rare meeting

It could have been an odd combination: Financial Ministry officials -- who are often criticized for mismanaged economic policy -- and the nation's leading entrepreneurs like Softbank Corp.'s Masayoshi Son -- who don't want government intervention.
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Sep 23, 1999

Osaka still has reasons to be proud of its brewing culture

Osaka has long been a great center of commerce and activity, but likely doesn't stand out as a major brewing center in the minds of most people. True, it has never been nearly as significant as its Kansai cousins -- Kyoto, Hyogo and Nara -- but the sake brewing culture was, and still is, strong there....
COMMUNITY
Sep 23, 1999

A woman on the narrow road

One might not imagine that Lesley Downer -- author of books on Basho's travels, Japan's richest family and now geisha -- started out in the culinary arena.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 1999

Alleged Aum driver faces life for role in subway gassing

Prosecutors demanded a life sentence Wednesday for former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Kiyotaka Tonozaki, who is charged with driving a getaway car for one of the cultists accused of releasing sarin in the March 1995 Tokyo subway nerve gas attack.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 1999

Court rejects Chinese war victims' damages case

The Tokyo District Court on Wednesday dismissed claims from 10 Chinese demanding a formal apology and 100 million yen from the state over suffering they endured due to Japan's wartime activities in China.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 1999

Typhoon-triggered landslide kills two

A landslide triggered by heavy rain killed two people Wednesday morning in the city of Oita as a major typhoon headed north-northeast over the sea southwest of Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, hitting Okinawa's main island with wind up to 90 kph.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 1999

The Asahara Trial: Guru speaks, blames cultists for attack

Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara on Wednesday blamed senior cultists for the deadly March 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system, saying he never discussed it with anyone.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Sep 22, 1999

Qualified clarification

Today's column attempts to clarify some common questions about Japanese health insurance. First it is necessary to understand the differences between the two types. Shakai Hoken (SH), or Employees Health Insurance, covers employees/dependents of companies that subscribe to some health insurance plan....
LIFE / Travel
Sep 22, 1999

Good things come in Iki packages

Iki Island, administratively part of Nagasaki Prefecture but located in the straits between Fukuoka and Korea, has some of the finest white sand beaches in Kyushu.
EDITORIALS
Sep 21, 1999

When the whole world is watching

What can we do when faced with atrocities being committed on a monstrous scale? It is an old question, but it has taken on a renewed urgency with the advent of new communications technologies and mass media eager to exploit them in the competition for viewers. Being blind to distant injustices is a luxury...
CULTURE / Books
Sep 21, 1999

Does the American Dream beat Hong Kong custard?

PAPER DAUGHTER: A Memoir, by M. Elaine Mar. HarperFlamingo, New York, 1999, 240 pp., $23. "From Hong Kong to Harvard" proclaims the publicity cover letter accompanying M. Elaine Mar's first book. As a memoir, it is but one drop in the growing flood of reminiscences engulfing publishing houses, and Mar's...
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 21, 1999

The sorrow and the pity: fateful meetings at Kabukiza

Through the month of September, the Kabukiza Theater in Ginza is offering an excellent selection of historical and realistic plays and a dance number for the afternoon and evening, starring Uzaemon Ichimura, Kichiemon Nakamura, Tomijuro Nakamura and Baigyoku Nakamura. Participating also in the current...
JAPAN
Sep 20, 1999

Obuchi certain to win re-election to LDP presidency

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi is almost certain to win re-election as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, easily defeating rivals Koichi Kato and Taku Yamasaki, in a vote by party members today.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 1999

Obuchi, Chretien strengthen bilateral ties

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and his visiting Canadian counterpart Jean Chretien reaffirmed Friday that Japan and Canada will further strengthen their partnership for the 21st century not only in bilateral areas but on the global stage as well.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 1999

Ministry grants couple refugee status

The Justice Ministry said Friday that it has granted refugee status to two people, bringing to 11 the total number of refugees recognized this year.

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