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JAPAN
Mar 21, 2000

'What ifs' haunt families of Aum's sarin victims

Even five years after the 1995 sarin nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subways, many questions remain.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2000

Power industry to get a jolt of competition

Competition emerging from ongoing market reforms ranging from the financial "Big Bang" to telecommunications deregulation is taking many of Japan's industrial dinosaurs to the verge of extinction.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 21, 2000

Snazz sizzles at the heart of underground

This is my first time in Ogikubo, a hole just left of the heart of Tokyo, and hopefully my last. There is nothing here but grayness and cold. I see no beer, hear no talk of beer and, worst of all, taste no beer!
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2000

Staff office softened colonel's punishment

The Ground Self-Defense Force Ground Staff Office helped reduce the punishment for a colonel arrested last Monday for allowing his civilian friends to fire a gun during a 1994 drill, sources at the Defense Agency said Monday.
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 21, 2000

Mercy, sorrow and sacrifice in spring Kabukiza program

The Kabukiza Theater in Tokyo has been celebrating the advent of spring this month with attractive afternoon and evening programs, featuring Danjuro Ichikawa, Koshiro Matsumoto and Kikugoro Onoe in title roles, and leading senior actors such as Uzaemon Ichimura, Tomijuro Nakamura and onnagata veteran...
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2000

Obuchi pays respects to gas attack victims

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi visited a central Tokyo subway station Monday to mark the fifth anniversary of Aum Shinrikyo's nerve gas attack on the capital's subway system that killed 12 people in one of Japan's worst incidents of terrorism.
EDITORIALS
Mar 20, 2000

Mr. Chen's historic victory

In a historic election Saturday, Taiwanese voters gave Mr. Chen Shui-bian of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party a convincing victory. In electing Mr. Chen, the Taiwanese people defied threats from Beijing and brought an end to 50 years of Nationalist rule in Taiwan. His win in Taiwan's second...
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2000

Japan Telecom on road to survival

With e-commerce blooming and cut-throat competition intensifying in the telephone business, Japan Telecom Co. is shifting its focus from voice to data transmission and enlisting the help of foreign partners, says Haruo Murakami, president of the firm.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 20, 2000

Time to chase 'two hares'

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, citing a popular proverb, says his administration will not "run after two hares": It will first achieve economic recovery and then tackle fiscal reform. The official scenario is that the economy will pick up soon. The question is what will happen next. Without fiscal props,...
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2000

Earthquake with 4.2 magnitude hits Niigata Prefecture

A strong quake hit Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast Sunday afternoon, the Meteorological Agency said.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 20, 2000

Seated safaris let the wildlife come to you

Trekking through the bush on an African safari can make for a fair amount of physical rigor and a lot of excitement. You'll see plenty of wildlife -- mostly their tail ends, as they run away from you.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2000

Class size cut too costly, panel says

The government should not reduce the legal ceiling on class sizes at elementary and junior high schools from 40 students to the proposed 30 to 35 because it would be too costly, according to a draft report compiled by an Education Ministry advisory panel.
CULTURE / Books
Mar 20, 2000

Valuable guide through the legal thicket in Japan

JAPANESE LAW (second edition), by Hiroshi Oda. Oxford University Press, 1999, 16,900 yen. First and foremost, this is a book about the commercial law of Japan. Initially published in 1992, the second edition endeavors to reflect the many changes that have occurred in Japanese law in the years since...
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2000

Telephone club firebombing sparks fear intergang warfare is flaring up

KOBE -- The fatal firebombing of one of Kobe's largest telephone dating clubs has led to fears of a renewed intergang war among rival affiliates of the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2000

'Suits' fire laws from hip at assembly upstart

KADOMA, Osaka Pref. -- A liberator of a closed local legislature or a troublemaker? That is the question being asked of Hisayoshi Toda, a newcomer to the Kadoma Municipal Assembly.
COMMUNITY
Mar 19, 2000

Illegal worker in catch-22 for love of daughter

"Ram Sharma" and I talked long about the wisdom of doing this piece. He wanted to share his isolation and humiliation with another human being and possibly get some help in extricating himself from his situation. Regarding an interview, he said I should decide. No, I replied; he was the one at risk....
COMMENTARY
Mar 19, 2000

No end to economic problems

Is there no end to Japan's economic policy merry-go-round? In 1996, the rationalist economists persuaded the politicians to raise taxes and cut public spending in a bid to reduce the large public debt. When the economy slumped as a result, the government moved quickly to cut taxes, increase public spending...
COMMUNITY
Mar 19, 2000

Cat's out of the bag?

For the last six months the media has been buzzing over the rumored publication of an unauthorized biography of Hello Kitty by Kitty Kelly. The rumors were confirmed yesterday when Simon & Schuster announced it would release "Cute at Any Cost: The Hello Kitty Story" in early July to take advantage of...
COMMUNITY
Mar 19, 2000

Well Hello, Kitty! You look swell, Kitty!

Occupation: internationally known idol Age: 25 Born: Nov. 1, 1974, in the suburbs of London Family: Anthony and Margaret (grandparents); George and Mary White (parents); Mimmy (twin sister) Hobbies: Collects teddy bears. Love life: Has been going out with her childhood friend Daniel Star since last...
COMMENTARY
Mar 19, 2000

Traveling for business or for pleasure?

MYANMAR -- As the nurse expounded on the risks of dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and malaria, I realized it was going to be an unusual trip. No five-star hotel this time.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Mar 19, 2000

Getting away

A gentleman asks about shipping a four-wheel-drive car to Namibia on the southwest coast of Africa. The most appealing way would be to ship it first to Cape Town and then drive it to Namibia. I remember a visit to Cape Town a number of years ago, where a former Tokyo resident told me of the elephants...
CULTURE / Art
Mar 19, 2000

Feeling the past through your skin

How can we be intimate with the past? Human beings have always yearned to know the ways and feelings of those who came before. History books, old folk music, paintings and petroglyphs: All of these tell us about how our ancestors thought and felt. For textile craftswoman Eiko Noda, the way to feel what...
CULTURE / Music
Mar 19, 2000

Royal Concertgebouw does its own thing, which is anything

The orchestras of America are headed by the "Big Five," after which come all the others. They are so well known that just the names of the cities get a nod of affirmation: Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2000

Thousands turn out for Flora 2000

AWAJI ISLAND, Hyogo Pref. -- Under a bright sunny sky and with a cool breeze blowing off the bay, the Japan Flora 2000 international flower, gardening and landscape exhibition opened Saturday morning on Awaji Island.
EDITORIALS
Mar 18, 2000

Out of step on executions

Japanese judges appear ready to remain out of step with much of the rest of the civilized world by continuing to impose the death penalty. Some officials responsible for the administration of justice in this country compound the issue by the apparent avidity with which they defend and support capital...
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2000

85 trillion yen debt-laden budget ties record for swift approval

The Diet approved an 84.99 trillion yen state budget for fiscal 2000 in record-equaling time Friday evening.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2000

Cohen dismisses 15-year limitation on U.S. military use of new heliport

U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen on Friday rejected the 15-year time limit proposed by the mayor of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, for a new heliport to relocate the helicopter operations at Futenma Air Station.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2000

Japan, human rights and the WTO

The 135-member World Trade Organization has announced that it will start global negotiations on trade in agriculture beginning March 20. There is yet to be agreement on the negotiating format, scope of discussions and time frame. But we do know the talks will take years -- and that they will be very...

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.