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EDITORIALS
Mar 11, 2000

La resistance is futile

Once again, France is attempting to draw a line in the sand against the encroaching tide of English. This time, reportedly, the language police are focusing on business and computer-related vocabulary. Marketplace and cyberspace must now be conceived of en francais, thank you, even if that means talking...
CULTURE / Art
Mar 11, 2000

Scorched in the fires of Iga

The influence on contemporary Japanese pottery from medieval kilns is still profound and deep, even though we have one foot into the 21st century. These high-fired unglazed stonewares can be found in potting centers commonly referred to as the Six Old Kilns (rokkoyo) -- the only problem is that this...
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2000

Fall in Obuchi's popularity blamed on recent scandals

Public support for Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's Cabinet has fallen to 41 percent, down 4.6 percentage points from December, an indication of discontent over scandals involving government officials, according to a Kyodo News public opinion survey.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 9, 2000

No stereotypes in 'the House of Weeds'

So you think Korean food is all smoky yakiniku, meat-laden stews and fiery, spicy kimchi? That's a bit like saying Chinese people eat nothing but ramen and gyoza; or that Thai cuisine begins and ends with tom yam kung. Or that there's nothing to eat in Japan except sushi, tempura and sukiyaki.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 9, 2000

Ryohana: brilliantly competent, and proud of it

The late Jerry Garcia, former Grateful Dead lead guitarist, was once asked in an interview if he would like to be considered a great musician. With characteristic modesty, he waved the idea off as something in which he had no interest. After a moment of thought, however, he responded: "I would like to...
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2000

'Amakudari' practice thriving

Two-thirds of the 375 former high-ranking officials who left the government in 1998 have obtained posts in public corporations tied to their former government ministry or agency, according to official documents.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2000

Sofia seeking EU membership by 2006, visiting minister says

Bulgaria will strive to become a full member of the European Union as early as 2006 by implementing far-reaching economic reforms, according to a senior Bulgarian diplomat who was recently in Japan.
EDITORIALS
Mar 1, 2000

Who is policing the police?

Two high-ranking police officials resigned Tuesday as an expression of responsibility for their misconduct amid a public outcry that they deserved even heavier punishment. In fact, such was the degree of public disgust that the resignations of the disgraced officials, Mr. Yoshiyuki Nakada, head of the...
COMMUNITY
Mar 1, 2000

Conspiracy theories: just waiting to be shot down

Amelia Earhart's fate has long been fertile hunting ground for conspiracy theorists, leading to some credibility-stretching explanations for her disappearance over the Pacific in July 1937.
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 26, 2000

Ex-BayStars scout Ushigome knows talent when he sees it

When it comes to searching the North American major, and minor, leagues for raw talent to bring to Japan, few have the credentials or track record of former Yokohama BayStars scout Tadahiro Ushigome.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 26, 2000

Fair and flea market pot-hunting

"How can I learn more about Japanese pottery?" is a question I'm often asked. The answer is simple: Get out and see as much as you can.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 25, 2000

Lounging in Stereolab's living room

It was very nice of Laetitia Sadier to introduce each song that Stereolab played at Shinjuku Liquid Room Feb. 16. Though normally I find the practice distracting, in this case I was grateful, since the promoter hadn't provided a set list. (Concert reviewers like to give the impression that they know...
MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
Feb 24, 2000

JFA flash: Don't follow us, we're lost too

Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing! Yes, today we're playing ping-pong with Frenchmen.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 24, 2000

The go-mi system of sake tasting

Describing and conveying the flavor of sake has always been problematic. How does one explain a gustatory experience in words alone? It certainly isn't easy. And, as sake flavor profiles become more complex and subtle, it is bound to become even more difficult.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 24, 2000

Luxembourg's grape history: wine country since day one

Mother Nature used her wintry palette to redefine Luxembourg in mere minutes, lacing its naked boughs and barren lawns with soft, tufted snow. This, too, is wine country.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2000

Nursing coverage denies smaller group home operators

Staff writer When the government first announced its planned public nursing-care insurance program, group homes were to be covered. The definition of "group homes," however, is causing problems for some small operators, including the Tanoshiya nursing home in Urawa, Saitama Prefecture. When the system...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 23, 2000

It's simple: Economic freedom is the key to prosperity

In a world of plenty, want abounds. To blame are big corporations, international trade and open markets, according to demonstrators who have been attacking the World Trade Organization.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 23, 2000

Tsukiji or not, nothing fishy about Bellini's Bar

One usually doesn't go to Tsukiji to get a fine cappuccino or a poppy-seed sponge cake soaked in liqueur. Yet just a few minutes away from "Tokyo's Kitchen," where pricy cuts of maguro are noisily auctioned off to the highest bidder, Bellini's Italian Bar offers businesspeople and tourists alike a pleasant...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Feb 17, 2000

Somebody stick a fork in the J. League; it's done

Some things are just not meant to be: the Buffalo Bills will never win the Super Bowl, Hideo Nomo will never develop a personality, Ichiro Suzuki will never trade in his bat for a sumo mawashi, and Fred Varcoe will never grace the cover of GQ magazine.
JAPAN / Media
Feb 17, 2000

Tarnished shields reflect on justice

Because the public has been conditioned not to believe anything it doesn't see on TV or read in the paper, a problem is not considered a problem until the media says it is. This realization brings up the question: What was it before?
CULTURE / Books
Feb 16, 2000

Don't give up hope for China's democrats

CHINA'S TRANSITION, by Andrew Nathan. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999, 313 pp., $19.50, 13.50 British pounds (paper). China is like Chernobyl, Andrew Nathan writes. The more you learn about it, the worse it gets.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2000

Bank-tax bill handed to metropolitan assembly

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara on Wednesday formally presented the metropolitan assembly's steering committee with a bill that would impose a temporary tax on all funds held by banks operating in the metropolis. Despite warnings by central government ministers that the tax could have a negative impact...
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Feb 13, 2000

Decision-making

A gentleman set out on a full-day quest in Akihabara with a Japanese friend acting as interpreter ("with a patient and flexible persistence which is the hallmark of your column's advice," he adds) looking for an iMac computer with an English-language operating system installed. The end result: a long...
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 10, 2000

Back streets in not-so-far towns

One of the great joys of sake tippling, especially after having searched the town for a while, is finding a new gem of a place. Just when you think you've seen just about any manifestation a sake pub could take, you stumble on something charming and warm, wondering how it could have escaped your attention...
LIFE / Travel
Feb 9, 2000

Getting away from the skiers in Kyushu and Kyoto winter

When snow falls and the chill winds blow, skiers are happy but others are inclined to stay home. To lure people away from their warm hearths, the tourism industry offers special winter prices and attractions. This is an excellent time to explore areas of Japan that are on your travel list.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2000

Banks quick to slam Ishihara tax proposal

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's surprise proposal to impose a 3 percent tax on gross profits of large banks in the metropolis drew a flurry of protest from the nation's financial institutions Tuesday. "The plan is at odds with national policy," Michio Ochi, chairman of the Financial Reconstruction Commission,...
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2000

Ishihara wants to tax Tokyo banks, including BOJ

Tokyo Metropolitan Gov. Shintaro Ishihara proposed Monday that the metropolitan government start imposing a 3 percent tax on gross profits of large banks operating in Tokyo. The announcement prompted immediate protests from the Japanese Bankers Association, which issued a statement calling the plan...

Longform

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