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COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 1999

Balkans destroy old certainties

BY SARAH BENTON LONDON -- The consequences of the war in Kosovo are almost unimaginable. But whatever they turn out to be, one is already clear: the rough fashioning of the 19 members of NATO into a cohesive fighting force.
JAPAN
May 3, 1999

Constitution's anniversary sparks debate on revision

With last month's Lower House passage of bills covering the updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines as a backdrop, the nation on Monday celebrated the 52nd anniversary of the postwar Constitution with heated debate over the document itself.
COMMUNITY
May 2, 1999

Seed money no problem at Flower Bank

MIYASHIRO, Saitama Pref. -- While many Japanese banks are struggling to overcome their tainted image, at least one is enjoying an increasingly favorable reputation.
COMMUNITY
May 2, 1999

Relaxation therapy for busy people

Shiatsu, acupuncture and moxibustion are for older men -- at least, that's what was believed.
COMMUNITY
May 2, 1999

Not just a fancy rock collection

Kiyosumi Gardens' overgrown rock collection and pristine pond are a haven for the elderly who frequent it -- lunch box and camera in hand.
COMMENTARY
May 1, 1999

Obuchi confounds the skeptics

The Lower House on Tuesday approved a legislative package for implementing the updated Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines and sent it immediately to the Upper House. The action came after agreement among the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party (the LDP's junior coalition partner)...
CULTURE / Art
May 1, 1999

To capture a moment

Photographer Jason Unrau does a lot of waiting at gigs. He glues his eye to the camera and anticipates the moment when it all comes together. If it does, he can create a picture which, as he likes to put it, "has sound."
CULTURE / Music
May 1, 1999

Playing the oldies but goodies

Real classical Japanese music is a rare thing today. There is a wide-ranging repertoire for Japanese traditional instruments, but there are few performers who specialize in the classics of these genres, or whose musical education focused on those classics.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 1999

Ishihara repeats junk bond pledge

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said Friday his campaign pledge to establish a junk bond market -- a high yield stock market for small and midsize enterprises -- will be realized within the year.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 1999

Ready for 2000?: Shinkansen on track for Y2K compliance

Fifth in an occasional series on Japan's Y2K preparedness
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Apr 30, 1999

Buffalo Daughter reinvents new rock again

After more than a year of touring, remixing, producing and more touring, Buffalo Daughter has returned home to the more mundane matters of daily life. Bassist and Moog player extraordinaire Yumiko Ohno recently tied the knot with longtime paramour Zak (producer of the Fishmans among others) while DJ...
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 30, 1999

Kee Company travels down 'Narrow Road' of discovery

Matsuo Basho (1644-94) regarded as the father of modern haiku poetry, spent the latter years of his life hiking across Japan and recording his journeys in various travel sketches. The most famous of these travel journals titled "Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North)," is a work of linked...
JAPAN
Apr 29, 1999

Osaka feels blindsided, cheated out of summit

OSAKA -- Thursday's announcement by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi that next year's Group of Eight summit will be held in Okinawa, Fukuoka, and Miyazaki came as a bitter disappointment to Osaka officials, who until recently believed their city was the front-runner.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 1999

State-employed Sony candidate upset with civil servant law

Staff writer
JAPAN
Apr 29, 1999

Nago's selection seen as peace offering from state

The surprise decision by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi to hold the main event of next year's Group of Eight summit in Okinawa apparently reflects the desire of the central government to improve ties with the prefecture under Gov. Keiichi Inamine.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 29, 1999

Restructuring isn't the cure-all for Japan

It must be lonely at the International Monetary Fund. Fiscal disciplinarians are never the life of the party, but the fund's tight-fisted solutions to economic crises have antagonized governments from Malaysia to Moscow, from Bangkok to Brazil.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 1999

Translation school moving onto the Net

Staff writer
COMMUNITY
Apr 29, 1999

And the Oscar goes to Splendor

Anais Anais by Cacherel first introduced me to the powers of perfume at age 12. No one told me you weren't supposed to overdo it. So not only did I leave no area of skin unscented, but I also fumigated every letter to my first boyfriend while he was away at summer camp. I began to realize the potent...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 29, 1999

D-I-V-O-R-C-E becomes final in one day

While divorce in Japan is increasing at what some people might call an alarming rate, it is still less common than it is in most Western countries, particularly the U.S., where it's projected that between half and two-thirds of all couples who marry this year will someday split.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 29, 1999

Humanities offer power to the people

SEATTLE -- Journalist and author Earl Shorris believes the real difference between the haves and have-nots is political power.
EDITORIALS
Apr 28, 1999

No victory for the security alliance

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi has his "omiyage" for U.S. President Bill Clinton. Following Monday night's approval of three bills to implement the updated Japan-U.S. defense guidelines by a special Lower House committee, the full Lower House approved them Tuesday, and Mr. Obuchi will be able to tell the...
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Apr 28, 1999

Tyranny of temptation

The future was supposed to be darker. Technology, in the service of some vast, all-encompassing power, was going to enslave us. Human beings would be reduced to ciphers, forced to live anonymous, interchangeable lives.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 1999

Digital coding tech pioneer to receive Japan Prize

Staff writer
JAPAN
Apr 28, 1999

Obuchi visit may not be all smiles

Staff writer
JAPAN
Apr 28, 1999

Sega slammed by poor Dreamcast sales

Electronics game machine maker Sega Enterprises Ltd. said Wednesday that it will suffer net losses of 32.8 billion yen for fiscal 1998, a sharp deviation from a projected 4.6 billion yen net profit.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 1999

Mayor marks completion of Kobe House complex

KOBE -- The mayor of Kobe and the governor of Hyogo Prefecture joined about 200 people at the new Kobe International House here Wednesday morning for a special ceremony to mark completion of its construction.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 1999

Obuchi sees chance to bolster ties with U.S.

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi on Wednesday called for reinforced security ties and an overall partnership with the United States, underlining Japan-U.S. relations as the main pillar of Japanese diplomatic policy.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 1999

Africa's image worries ambassadors

Ambassadors from five African nations said Tuesday that their continent's image and perception in Japan is too negative and that mutual understanding about Africa is needed at a grassroots level.
EDITORIALS
Apr 27, 1999

Somber NATO turns 50

Less than a year ago, NATO's 50th-anniversary celebration was going to be a festive occasion. Alliance members were ready to toast each other for their ability to stand together against the Soviet threat and for having survived the end of the Cold War by forging a new relationship with their former rival...

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan