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BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2001

Sanyo to dispatch workers

OSAKA -- Sanyo Electric Co. plans to dispatch employees to companies outside its group to cope with a surplus worker problem, company officials said Wednesday.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Dec 27, 2001

No Christmas cheer this year

Christmas, or more precisely ohshogatsu (the New Year), is a time when most people in Japan can take a vacation. But not for the top rugby players at high school, university and company level.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 26, 2001

Simply, the best

This was a year in which the most memorable screen image belonged to reality, not cinema. Indeed, as many have noted, the spectacle of airline jets ramming into the World Trade Center towers was all too reminiscent of a Hollywood blockbuster's money shot -- and that may have been the point. Terrorists...
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Dec 26, 2001

At last, Congress tackles election reform

WASHINGTON -- It was just a year ago last week that the Supreme Court elected George W. Bush our 43rd president. The mess of the elections in 2000, from the faulty voting machines in Florida to the long counts in western states (remember it took almost a month to declare a winner in the Senate election...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Dec 26, 2001

Tower's pop fire flickers?

A lot of people in the music biz -- not to mention regular music fans -- were shocked by reports that surfaced last week to the effect that all or part of Tower Records' Japanese operations will be sold.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ARCHIPELA-GO
Dec 25, 2001

Marketplace of religion and commerce

Where there are shrines, temples and other places of worship in Asia, invariably there are markets. Japan is no different. Commerce flows in through the temple gates and then back out -- a cordial division of profits ensuing, generally to everyone's satisfaction.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2001

Mobile libraries closing as funds, readers fade

Thirty-nine local governments in Japan stopped providing "mobile library" services in the three-year period up to fiscal 2000, according to a study released by the Japan Library Association.
COMMUNITY
Dec 23, 2001

Everlasting allure of gems shines on

Gems are among the most gorgeous examples of nature at work, even though the jewels we admire get a helping hand not afforded to phenomena like sunsets and snow-capped peaks.
COMMUNITY
Dec 23, 2001

'God of diamonds' a cut above the rest

Few guests at first notice the seven small stones, shimmering icily in the corner of this Ginza reception hall. The little shards catch a beam of light for the briefest instant, before flicking it gaily away.
JAPAN / Media / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 23, 2001

Remembering the year that was

It's the penultimate week of the year, which means regular variety shows get to save a bit of money by looking back at the year's highlights. "Sanma's Karakuri TV" (tonight at 7, TBS), a mix-and-match assembly of out-of-studio comedy skits hosted in-studio by Osaka funnyman Sanma Akashiya, presents an...
COMMENTARY
Dec 22, 2001

China remains a vital friend for Pakistan

ISLAMABAD -- Even before Gen. Pervez Musharraf embarked Thursday on his trip to China, which will last through Monday, analysts were quick to predict a new phase in the time-tested relationship between the two neighbors.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 22, 2001

Book by 'Japagaijin' gives abused women shelter

Right now, Diane Brown is shoveling snow. She lives 10 km from the center of Sapporo, where she finds it both amusing and annoying that so much of the drudgery of local life has been officially labeled women's work. "The shovel I use is called a 'Mamadump' because it's mums who mostly clear the white...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2001

Assault on India's symbol could fan new winds of war

T he Dec. 13 terrorist raid on India's Parliament in New Delhi has understandably drawn parallels with what happened in New York and the Pentagon on Sept. 11.
EDITORIALS
Dec 17, 2001

Sporting events require tight security

The 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup will kick off in about six months. As the two countries busy themselves with the final preparations, the people who are becoming most tense are those in charge of security. When one thinks of security at soccer matches, the notorious hooligans in European countries may...
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 16, 2001

Caffe Aromatica: The sweet smell of distinction

There's nothing new under the sun -- at least it often seems that way at Italian restaurants in Tokyo. This is not to deny that we are blessed with plenty of excellent cucina, just that too many of the places serving it look and feel like clones.
COMMENTARY / World / GUEST FORUM
Dec 15, 2001

Image of reconciliation for Myanmar

With the confidence-building period between Myanmar's military regime and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (Daw Suu) now past the one-year mark, most dissidents have grown more suspicious of the military regime as the country's economy deteriorates and the cost of living rises.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2001

Traps planned to corral pesky Tokyo crows

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to launch a sweeping operation this month against the capital's crows, notorious for attacking piles of garbage and even small animals.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2001

Afghanistan promised education support

Japan on Friday promised long-term educational support for Afghanistan as part of aid efforts to help rebuild the war-torn country, education ministry officials said.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2001

Safety a priority for marrow foundation

Ensuring the safety of goodwill donors is the priority when conducting bone marrow transplants, according to officials of the Japan Marrow Donor Foundation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / LAST CALL FOR SAKE
Dec 12, 2001

Sake purists are feeling the pinch as recession reins in the big spenders

NIIGATA -- Motoaki Isono, the 73-year-old owner of a tavern called Suzuden in Tokyo's Minato Ward, said the name Niigata no longer works magic in alluring serious sake drinkers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Dec 12, 2001

Sloan

Like a lot of indie guitar bands, the Halifax, Nova Scotia quartet Sloan regard rabid rock fandom with a certain degree of ambivalence. Unlike a lot of indie guitar bands, however, Sloan itself enjoys the attention of a sizable Tiger Beat-like international cult. They show how they deal psychologically...
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2001

Kazakstan envoy hands over details of postwar detainees

Kazakstan Ambassador to Japan Tleukhan Kabdrakhmanov submitted to Japan on Friday a list of the names of 2,585 Japanese people who were detained in Kazakstan after World War II, health ministry officials said.
COMMENTARY
Dec 8, 2001

Look of Japan belies reality

LONDON -- A recent, short visit to Japan made me doubt whether there was much sense of an economic crisis threatening Japan's future and how far the recession has affected ordinary people.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Dec 7, 2001

Black mountain ant

* Japanese name:Kuroyama-ari * Scientific name:Formica japonica * Description: Like all ants, the black mountain ant has three clearly defined body parts: a capsulelike head with strong jaws; a thorax to which the three pairs of legs are joined; and an abdomen. There are also three different types,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / FLOWER WALK
Dec 6, 2001

Stroll under pines where shoguns took their ease

Pines belong to the traditional Japanese landscape, as olive trees belong to the Mediterranean.
MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
Dec 6, 2001

Is FIFA manipulating its balls correctly?

With 13 pots to pick the balls out of, you can probably say one of two things about last Saturday's World Cup draw in Korea: it was either potty or a load of balls.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 5, 2001

Wrong side of the tracks

The Yards Rating: * * * * Japanese title: Uragirimono Director: James Gray Running time: 115 minutes Language: English Now showing
COMMENTARY
Dec 2, 2001

Afghan unification looks impracticable

NEW DELHI -- In the name of nation-building, a new great game is unfolding in Afghanistan even before the retreating Taliban militia's capacity to hold on to the southeastern provinces has been crushed. The new game is premised on the supposed need to keep that landlocked country united through a broad-based,...

Longform

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