Search - 2002

 
 
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2002

Merrill Lynch to ax 20 branches

Merrill Lynch Japan Securities Co. said Wednesday it will drastically reduce its retail brokerage business in Japan, closing 20 of its 28 branches.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 10, 2002

Eco-tour program puts priority on people

First of two parts Stefan Ottomanski is a rare educator: He thrives on uncertainty and views obstacles as opportunities to teach both his students and himself lessons that were never part of the curriculum.
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2002

State appeals ruling on A-bomb survivor

The welfare ministry filed an appeal Tuesday against a Nagasaki District Court ruling that ordered the state to compensate a South Korean survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing for health-care benefits he was denied.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 9, 2002

Tokyo Kandenchi putting a little spark back into the Bard

For my first theater outing of 2002, I went to see "A Midsummer-Night's Dream" by Tokyo Kandenchi (Tokyo Dry Battery). In this -- their 25th anniversary performance, but their first-ever brush with the Bard of Avon -- the company made no pretense of striving to scale great literary heights, but instead...
MORE SPORTS
Jan 9, 2002

Harada to be named captain of Olympic team

Olympic ski jumping gold medalist Masahiko Harada will later this week be named captain of the Japan team for the 2002 Winter Olympics at a Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) directors meeting, sources said Monday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 9, 2002

Assisting artists to enrich the spirit

Despite the relentless advance of the global economy, the cliche of the starving artist or student has not completely lost its currency. Younger artists seeking to establish themselves, or scholars wishing to devote more time to their studies, are generally in for a belt-tightening experience.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jan 9, 2002

Two looks back and three worth looking forward to

Akemashite, etc. . . . Before I do anything else, I'd like to thank NHK for providing me with my yearly dose of enka on the 2001 edition of "Kohaku Utagassen (Red and White Song Contest)."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jan 9, 2002

The next best thing

Happy New Year to one and all. I'm just back in Tokyo after spending the holidays in Bangkok, where, you might be interested to know, Project 304, About Art Space and the city's four or five other contemporary-art players got together to celebrate the finale of a successful video and film program that...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2002

Architect blames Japan cityscapes on obsession with wealth

Japan's cities have been criticized for lacking the harmony and consistence felt in other countries, especially in Europe. But that's not a result of poor city planning; the disarray of structures in Tokyo and Osaka simply mirror the country's postwar obsession with material wealth, according to architect...
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2002

State bonds to be sold via Internet

The Ministry of Finance plans to directly sell 10-year government bonds to individuals through the Internet from as early as fiscal 2003, which begins in March next year, ministry officials said Saturday.
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Jan 6, 2002

Uncorking the bubbly, Nihon-style

Happy New Year to all Japan Times readers. May 2002 be a year of health and prosperity for all.
EDITORIALS
Jan 6, 2002

Back to work, back to 'normal'

On the one hand, 2001 zoomed by, didn't it? It seems just an eye-blink since we were last cleaning up after New Year's feasts and fireworks, sitting in traffic jams to get back home and gearing up for the Monday-after return to work. It is a well-established fact that the older we get, the more often...
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2002

Koizumi hints at more public funds for banks

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has pledged to take every possible step to avert financial crisis, hinting at yet another injection of public money into banks suffering from bad loans.
LIFE / Language
Jan 6, 2002

Kids: They've got it figured out

The year's end is a natural time for reflection. Every December, I take a break from the hectic activity of the season and sit down for a quiet cup of tea. I look back at the year passed and reflect on the year to come.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 6, 2002

Oh, what will they think of next?

It's never a good idea to start a new year by looking over your shoulder. But there's no harm in saluting the trends that have emerged over the past 12 months, especially if they represent a significant slippage in the gourmet zeitgeist. After all, yesterday's dabblings by the food fashionistas become...
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

JET Program doing its job but in need of reform: expert

The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program has improved English education in Japan and has promoted mutual cultural understanding between Japanese and people from other countries since its inception in 1987, according to the chairman of the program's evaluation committee.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2002

TSE has positive start

The Tokyo Stock Exchange kicked off 2002 on an upbeat note Friday, with share prices forging ahead along a broad front during the half-day session.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 4, 2002

Town ties fate to remnants of an industry

KUSHIRO, Hokkaido -- Although the new year was just around the corner, there was little joy to be seen in the southeast end of this port city.
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 3, 2002

JFA search is on

The Japan Football Association is unlikely to retain the services of national coach Philippe Troussier after his contract expires at the end of the 2002 World Cup finals, soccer sources said Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2002

This summer it's Sydney's turn 'to sizzle'

SYDNEY -- At times like these, Australians are wondering whether they really do live upside down. While the Northern Hemisphere, shivering in the cold, was welcoming in 2002 with hot drinks, Australia has been battling bush fires.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 3, 2002

S-Pulse kicks off new year by winning Emperor's Cup

For Shimizu S-Pulse, Tuesday's Emperor's Cup final was a chance to make it third-time lucky after losing two finals in the past three years. For Cerezo Osaka, it was a chance to finish off a miserable season with a trophy and the opportunity to start the year with a boost as the team attempts to return...
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jan 3, 2002

A changed U.S. greets 2002

WASHINGTON -- Welcome to Year One of the time thereafter. If there is a constant in the commentaries on Sept. 11, it is that it was a day whose events changed the way we will live forever.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 3, 2002

Death of domestic coal leaves legacy for future

Four decades of protection for the domestic coal mining industry are nearly at an end as the government moves to procure stable and more economical supplies from abroad.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2002

Euro faces economic snags

LONDON -- The introduction on Jan. 1 of the euro currency into everyday use across 12 countries in one of the world's big three economic zones marks the accomplishment of a 50-year-old project to bring the continent together in partnership and mutual well-being as an alternative to the past periodic...
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2002

Koizumi-Kim TV gambit starts big exchange year

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung will broadcast televised messages to each other's nations today, kick-starting a yearlong series of events aimed at boosting bilateral ties.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2002

Estrada the 'Most Abject,' Koizumi-Putin the 'Boldest'

HONG KONG -- The prize for the "Most Abject Politician of the Year" clearly goes to former Philippine President Joseph Estrada. His hang-dog expression, as numerous court cases went against him in his protracted legal battle against corruption charges, vividly illustrated the fall of the former matinee...
SOCCER / J. League / ON THE BALL
Jan 1, 2002

Troussier hoping for successful swan song

This year will be a crucial period for Japanese soccer, particularly when the national team plays in the World Cup finals from May 31-June 30 in front of its home fans.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2002

Emperor confident better times are ahead

Emperor Akihito expressed confidence in his New Year's address that the Japanese people will overcome their hardships in 2002 and move toward a brighter future.
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2002

Economy to be severe in first half: BOJ

The state of the nation's economy will likely remain severe in the first half of 2002 as a result of the Prime Minister's ongoing structural reforms, according to the chief of the central bank.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.