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COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
Nov 17, 1999

Getting things done

From time to time I have been asked to remind people that although Japan is a very safe country, there are times when it is not. The yearend has always been a time when people should be especially careful. In old Japan, all debts had to be paid by the end of the year, but even a cursory perusal of today's...
LIFE / Travel
Nov 17, 1999

Voices of stone in the Oita mountains

Deep in a quiet valley northeast of Kyushu's Mount Aso lies the town of Innai, its central river filled with an absurdly picturesque number of stone bridges. I first read about the town and its equally fascinating surroundings a few years ago, but only recently made the long drive there, a stunning descent...
EDITORIALS
Nov 16, 1999

A 'final push' for recovery

The government has unveiled a new economic pack age designed to pep up the frail economy and give further impetus to structural economic reforms going into the 21st century. Titled "Economic Rebirth Measures," the package, which was announced last Thursday, focuses on building social infrastructure,...
JAPAN
Nov 16, 1999

Regional Special: Sanin

'Inaka' taps city disenchanted to repopulate>Staff writer
JAPAN
Nov 16, 1999

Review of space program urged in wake of rocket crash

Government officials pledged efforts Tuesday to rebuild Japan's space program in the wake of Monday's failure of the launch of an H-II rocket carrying a multipurpose satellite.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 1999

Fourth party makes bid for NCB

A fourth candidate has officially submitted a bid to buy the failed Nippon Credit Bank, the chairman of the Financial Reconstruction Commission said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 1999

Aceh referendum to come in seven months: Wahid

Visiting Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid said Tuesday that a referendum in the country's troubled Aceh Province may be held in seven months.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 1999

Tax panel stuck between state finances, election

Staff writer
JAPAN
Nov 15, 1999

Nichiei affiliate denies pressuring borrowers

The president of a Nichiei Co. subsidiary has denied any involvement in alleged extortion by an arrested former employee of the nation's leading lender of "shoko" high-interest loans, police said Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 1999

Wahid to announce referendum for restive Aceh

Visiting Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid indicated Monday that he would announce within a month a referendum on independence for the country's restive Aceh province, according to a senior Japanese politician.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 1999

Osaka mayoral campaign begins

OSAKA -- The Osaka mayoral campaign officially kicked off on Monday with three candidates, incumbent Takafumi Isomura and challengers Kenji Inoue and Koji Matsushita.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 1999

Forester decries ranger shortage, U.S. whaling

Staff writer
JAPAN
Nov 15, 1999

Photos urge students to study selves

Staff writer
JAPAN
Nov 15, 1999

Nissan auto mall aims to enhance buying experience

ZAMA, Kanagawa Pref. -- Nissan Motor Co. unveiled a new automotive mall here Monday, the largest of its kind in Japan, as one of its efforts to offer customers easy access to new and used cars and improve sales efficiency.
COMMENTARY
Nov 13, 1999

End of the House of Lords?

LONDON -- In the broader scheme of things, it is only a small incident. The final removal last week of 656 hereditary dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and lords from the law-making machinery of the British Parliament can hardly be described as earth-shattering. Nor is it a surprise, having been long...
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Nov 13, 1999

Giving away an old secret favorite

I'm not so sure that I want to tell you about this wonderful Mino potter who's having an exhibition in Tokyo next week. It's like spreading the word about your favorite restaurant, and you can never seem to get a reservation thereafter.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 1999

Three views of some troubled history

In March 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army took possession of the Dutch East Indies. The occupation lasted until Japan's surrender in mid-August 1945, although the disarmament and repatriation of Japanese troops took several months more to accomplish.
COMMUNITY
Nov 13, 1999

Goodwill ambassador delivers hope

Akasaka Prince Hotel's Crystal Palace Room was filled with billowing arcs and floating columns of peach, rose and violet balloons Nov. 9 to help celebrate the opening of the stage play "Friendship (Yujo)" and the release of "The Paradise of Angels (Tenshi no Paradaisu)," a five-volume set of children's...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Nov 13, 1999

A cynic's guide to survival

For a writer, Russia is a treasure trove. It generates the most improbable story lines, the characters it harbors make Hollywood action heroes seem anemic, and its history is a thrilling mixture of triumph and tragedy. The country has seen the apostle Andrew and Adolf Hitler, Emperor Napoleon and Mongol...
CULTURE / Art
Nov 13, 1999

An ode to nature -- her beauty and her treasures

For many artists and craftsmen, nature is a great source of inspiration. For Toyama-based sunago craftsman Tatsuo Nagaoka, the beautiful scenery he encounters while hiking in the mountains is also his inspiration to create new work. His subjects range from a sea of clouds viewed from a mountain peak...
EDITORIALS
Nov 12, 1999

Mr. Bush's quiz show

There is no doubt about it. U.S. presidential hopeful George W. Bush handed his rivals some welcome ammunition last week when he flubbed that pop quiz. Asked to identify the leaders of Chechnya, Taiwan, Pakistan and India, a stunned Mr. Bush could only come up with "Lee" for Taiwan and (an admittedly...
JAPAN
Nov 12, 1999

Sumitomo Marine turns down four-way insurance merger

After four weeks of thinking, Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance Co. announced Friday it will not join a plan by its three rivals to consolidate their companies.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 1999

Court overturns visa rejections of Bangladeshi pair

The Tokyo District Court on Friday invalidated the decisions of a former justice minister who rejected petitions filed by two Bangladeshis with Japanese wives seeking special permission to stay in Japan even though they have overstayed their visas.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 1999

Festivities mark Emperor's 10th anniversary

Politicians, business leaders and musicians gathered with the public to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Emperor's reign in both civic- and government-sponsored festivities Friday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 1999

'Sokaiya' linked to Kobe Steel has stock in 500 firms

OSAKA -- A "sokaiya" corporate racketeer arrested on suspicion of receiving illegal payoffs from Kobe Steel Ltd. was found to be holding stocks of about 500 companies worth about 400 million yen in market value, sources said Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 1999

Gas attack getaway driver gets life term

A former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive was sentenced to life in prison Friday for his involvement in the 1995 nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 1999

Japan hits the road for weapons treaty

Staff writer
JAPAN
Nov 12, 1999

Report on Kyrgyz hostage crisis urges security steps

The Foreign Ministry on Friday released its study on the abduction of four Japanese in Kyrgyzstan, detailing various steps to ensure the security of Japanese engaged in development assistance work abroad.
EDITORIALS
Nov 11, 1999

Banishing the nuclear specter

The specter of a nuclear holocaust lingers as the world approaches the 21st century. True, the end of the Cold War halted the U.S.-Soviet nuclear-arms race and prompted efforts to reduce strategic nuclear weapons. But the theory of nuclear deterrence -- which created a "balance of terror" during the...
JAPAN
Nov 11, 1999

Mazda first-half profits slide 69%

Mazda Motor Corp. posted 5.9 billion yen in unconsolidated pretax profits for the first half of fiscal 1999, down 68.8 percent from the same period last year, the country's fifth-largest automaker reported Thursday.

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it