Search - 2000

 
 
EDITORIALS
Jul 21, 2000

Make the summit a success

The world's attention is focused on Okinawa, as heads of the eight leading industrialized nations kick off their 26th annual summit. Japan, the chair of this year's meeting, has invested heavily in the get-together. The 81 billion yen that the government has spent on the summit indicates the significance...
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2000

Next-generation TVs set to bring interactive future

Following NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s success in turning cellular phones into gateways to the Internet, Japanese electronics makers are putting their efforts into making TV sets the next doorway to cyberspace.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2000

Stimulus policy should continue: Imai

While acknowledging that the much-anticipated economic recovery has become more evident, Takashi Imai, chairman of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren), is emphasizing that the government should continue its current stimulus-oriented fiscal and monetary policies for the foreseeable...
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Jul 21, 2000

Just say yes! yes! yes! to Seagulls' 'No! No! No!'

Negative charisma has been a staple of rock from Jerry Lee Lewis to Courtney Love. With its latest album "No! No! No!" (Trattoria), Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her takes it to a whole new level.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2000

NTT structure new focus of debate

With the trade dispute between the United States and Japan over connection fees charged by NTT Corp. resolved, focus has now shifted to how the nation's telecom giant should be structured in the long term.
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2000

The Tax Commission falls short

In light of the crushing public-debt burden and the rapid aging of the population, there is no question that Japan's tax system badly needs an overhaul. The government's Tax Commission, however, has failed to send a strong message that taxes will have to be raised. The impression is that it is unwilling,...
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2000

Rich elderly urged to foot insurance bill

The Health and Welfare Ministry, in a white paper released Tuesday, called on rich elderly citizens to cover a larger portion of social insurance costs, saying the nation's medical insurance and pension systems can no longer function without contributions from all members of society.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2000

G8 chiefs' script covers debt relief, 'digital divide'

Helping developing countries ride the global wave of the information technology revolution will top the economic agenda at the Friday-Sunday Group of Eight summit in Okinawa.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2000

Top court backs state-sponsored health care for A-bomb survivors

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld lower court decisions that ordered the Health and Welfare Ministry to provide special medical coverage granted to survivors of the atomic attacks on Nagasaki and Hiroshima to a partially paralyzed Nagasaki woman who did not meet government criteria for such coverage....
CULTURE / Books
Jul 18, 2000

Get in the game with 'Ultra Nippon'

ULTRA NIPPON: How Japan Reinvented Football, by Jonathan Birchall. Headline, 2000, 256 pp., 16.99 pounds (cloth). Hundreds of books have been written about the J. League since its launch in 1993, and now one has been written in English.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 18, 2000

The art and artistry of translation

WORDS, IDEAS, AND AMBIGUITIES: Four Perspectives on Translating from the Japanese, edited by Donald Richie. A Pacific Basin Institute Book, Imprint Publications, 2000, 88 pp., $19.95. This volume is a faithful account of an important and stimulating series of colloquia held at the International House...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 18, 2000

Personal relationships are everything

STAKEHOLDING: The Japanese Bottom Line, by Robert J. Ballon and Keikichi Honda. Tokyo: The Japan Times, 2000, 240 pp., 38 tables, 6 figures. 3,000 yen (cloth). One year, an acquaintance recalls, her family started getting an unusually large number of "oseibo" (yearend presents) and "ochuugen" (midyear...
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2000

Fiscal 2001 budget to focus on recovery, Nakagawa says

The size of the fiscal 2001 budget will exceed that for the current fiscal year and focus on bringing about a full-scale economic recovery, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hidenao Nakagawa said Sunday.
COMMENTARY
Jul 17, 2000

One last chance for Japan

A quarter of a century has passed since the world's seven industrialized democracies held their first summit meeting in 1975 under the initiative of French President Giscard d'Estaing. In its earlier years the G7 forum moved the world somewhat, providing a sense of unity and direction that was not available...
CULTURE / Music
Jul 16, 2000

Latin beats to turn up the summer heat

FUKUOKA -- In case you haven't noticed, a boom in Latin culture is currently sweeping the globe. The most visible reverberations were seen at this year's Grammy Awards where Latins Carlos Santana, Ricky Martin and Mark Anthony walked away with major awards. But it doesn't stop there.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 16, 2000

Will G8 swelter in sartorial splendor?

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Foley was the first to predict that the forthcoming G8 summit on Okinawa might have to be held with the participants wearing sport or aloha shirts instead of formal or business attire.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 16, 2000

Ode to a gentleman and a scholar

When Robert Louis Stevenson wrote that when a death occurs "there is sore havoc made in other people's lives, a pin [is] knocked out by which many subsidiary friendships hung together," perhaps he was describing a particularly Western tragedy. In Buddhism, death is viewed differently. The relationship...
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2000

No retrenchment until recovery is achieved: EPA

Japan should emphasize developing its IT infrastructure to allow for sustainable growth and only embark on fiscal reconstruction after ensuring an economic recovery, the Economic Planning Agency said in its annual report released Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2000

Japan should rebrand itself: Blair adviser

Mark Leonard had a somewhat negative image of Japan before his arrival, thinking that people would be pessimistic over the prolonged economic downturn and that Tokyo would resemble a ghost town populated by listless youths.
COMMENTARY
Jul 14, 2000

Rough start for Mori Cabinet

On July 4, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori launched his new coalition Cabinet consisting of the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party. The event, following the June 25 general election, would have been an occasion for celebration and hope under ordinary circumstances but was...
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2000

Don't sell firms' future IT potential short

A key topic for discussion at last week's Group of Seven finance ministers' meeting was information technology, indicating that the leaders of industrial nations have recognized the important role IT plays in global economic growth and development.
LIFE / Food & Drink / WINE WAYS
Jul 13, 2000

Legacy of Thomas Jefferson thrives in Virginian vineyards

All the rich green trees Mother Nature ever created seemed to be growing here, covering low-lying mountains festooned with wispy mist, under a mantle of robin-egg blue. Once again I was back in Virginia, and once again glad of it. Even without a single winery the Commonwealth of Virginia would rank among...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 13, 2000

Politicians ever eager to please

THE JAPANESE POLITICAL PERSONALITY: Analyzing the Motivations and Culture of Freshman Diet Members, by Ofer Feldman. St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Press, 2000, 182 pp. (cloth), unpriced. The popular conception of the Japanese politician is that of a man (almost always), who is pushed and prodded by...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 13, 2000

No easy explanation for overseas Chinese success

ETHNIC CHINESE: Their Economy, Politics and Culture, edited by Yu Chunghsun. Tokyo: The Japan Times, 2000, 247 pp., 2,800 yen (cloth). The essays in this book explore the role of the ethnic Chinese economies in economic recovery and development in Asia in the 21st century. They are largely the product...
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2000

S&P warns local governments about debts

In its first report on the general credit status of local governments in Japan, Standard & Poor's on Wednesday reported strong credit quality, but warned of high debts increasing the burdens on such local bodies.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2000

Japan to sign pacts when Putin visits

Japan and Russia will sign more than 10 documents during President Vladimir Putin's official visit to Tokyo in early September to boost cooperation in various areas and maintain the momentum toward strengthened bilateral ties, government sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Jul 11, 2000

Private machinery orders up 4.5%

Domestic core private-sector machinery orders in May rose a seasonally adjusted 4.5 percent from the previous month, rebounding from a four-month losing streak in month-on-month terms, the Economic Planning Agency said Monday.
CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD
Jul 11, 2000

Reverberations of a sonic boom

The live scene for world and roots music in Japan, especially for those living in Tokyo, has never been so healthy. This year, many top artists from Cuba, Eastern Europe, the Celtic countries, Northern Europe, Brazil and Africa have already visited or will be visiting Japan -- a situation almost unthinkable...
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2000

Kono talks on North Korea, the G8 summit and Russia

The government "will not simply stay idle" in its relations with North Korea, Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said Thursday, noting that Tokyo is ready to reopen stalled normalization talks with Pyongyang following its recent moves to open up to the outside world.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2000

Conflicts hurt human rights: U.N.

Conflict prevention and resolution are two of the most important elements in protecting human rights, the head of the U.N. Human Rights Commission said Friday at a symposium in Tokyo.

Longform

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