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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2002

Japan has golden chance for revival

Improved corporate governance at Japanese firms coupled with better public policy can "lead to a magnificent revival" in the country's economy, according to James K. Glassman, who delivered the 2002-'03 Mansfield American-Pacific Lecture, jointly sponsored by Keizai Koho Center.
EDITORIALS
Apr 7, 2002

Incorporation of state universities

The proposed incorporation of Japan's government-run universities aims at relaxing state regulations on matters such as budget use, personnel management and research organization, and to substantially expand the decision-making discretion of the universities. The system envisioned would be much more...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2002

A special time of hope for a better future

MANILA -- The end of March is a very special time in the Philippines, when ceremonies are held to honor the year's crop of graduates. Having served as commencement speaker at various institutions for the last two years, I have had the opportunity not only to observe the joyful ceremonies closely, but...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2002

Caregivers derive strength from their charges: professor

OSAKA -- People with disabilities may be considered weak, but they are often the ones giving comfort and strength to their caregivers, according to Kiyokazu Washida, a philosophy professor at Osaka University's graduate school.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 7, 2002

Ex-foreigner on a Diet 'mission'

In February, Marutei Tsurunen made political history when he became the first Westerner to take a seat in the Diet. This was as much of a surprise to him as anyone. After being first reserve in the proportional representation list of Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) after last July's Upper House...
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2002

Key gauge of economy stays well below 50%

The key gauge of the state of the economy remained below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent in February for the 14th straight month, but the index of leading indicators topped the threshold for the second consecutive month, the government said Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2002

Tokyo-Seoul history panel sets date for talks

A Japan-South Korea panel created to lay the groundwork for a planned joint history research committee will hold its first meeting April 15 in Tokyo, Foreign Ministry officials said Friday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Apr 5, 2002

Fruit fly

* Japanese name: Shojobae * Scientific name: Drosophila melanogaster * Description: This is a tiny (3-mm) fly, with red eyes and one pair of wings. It is almost too small to notice, yet the fruit fly is one of the world's most important organisms. Study of the fruit fly led directly to the science...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Apr 5, 2002

No more Saturdays, no more cappuccino

When the new school year begins on April 8, all Japanese public schools will be on a five-day school week for the first time ever. For my kids, that means no more school on Saturdays. For me, it means no more cappuccino.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2002

Pilots face directive to trust computers over controllers

The transport ministry plans to issue a directive that will require pilots to obey their computers rather than air traffic controllers in the event of conflicting orders, ministry sources said.
Japan Times
Events
Apr 2, 2002

'Eco-building' offers green example

KYOTO -- The three-story building in Fushimi Ward looks no different from other buildings, but it is an "eco-building" that provides environmental education for visitors.
Japan Times
Events
Apr 2, 2002

Museum displays home articles of 'typical' family from Seoul

SUITA, Osaka Pref. -- South Korea may never have felt closer to Japan than it has this year. Not only are the two nations cohosting the World Cup later this year, but a three-day tour to Seoul nowadays costs less than 30,000 yen, and Korean food is popular across Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2002

Beijing's WTO entry seen as start of Asia 'axis of virtue'

SINGAPORE -- China's entrance into the World Trade Organization does not represent a threat to the economic well-being of either Japan or the ASEAN countries. Rather, it marks the beginning of an axis of virtue in East and Southeast Asia and trade and investment opportunities for all.
COMMUNITY
Mar 31, 2002

Speaking in tongues with many a twist

A long time ago, in a university far, far away, I began studying Japanese with a text that our well-meaning instructors told us was standard Japanese, the kind of Japanese that could be used anywhere in Japan.
COMMUNITY
Mar 31, 2002

Let's enjoy new-look Nihongo

"I work at a big soft company. I was in office love with my boss. But I decided to make an image change of myself. Then I found a handsome guy who has a very nice open car. He said a charming girl must not be a high miss. I will goal in with him."
COMMUNITY
Mar 31, 2002

War of the words

Ah, Nihongo. Of all foreign languages, this is the one that keeps you on your toes. An Occidental beginner might suspect that the Japanese did it on purpose -- sowed their language with mines and pitfalls to thwart non-native penetration. To 16th-century European missionaries, Japanese was the devil's...
COMMUNITY
Mar 30, 2002

Making music less than a job, more than a hobby

Donna Burke and Bill Benfield deserve to be sitting pretty. Just married (Dec. 28, in Australia), they live in a large apartment in Tokyo's Azabu-juban with three cats, and a flock of sparrows lined up on the balcony waiting to be fed every morning.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Mar 30, 2002

Yoshikazu Uehata

The University of Keele came into existence in 1962, succeeding the previous University of North Staffordshire, England. It occupies what was once the extensive estate of the Sneyd family, 19th century landowners and industrialists. Extensive grounds surround a magnificent 16th century hall that is still...
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Mar 29, 2002

Temple tour that's a journey of the soul

It was Ryan Armstrong's dream to follow in the footsteps of the great Kobo Daishi, that is to complete the 1,200-km, 88-temple pilgrimage on Shikoku Island first made by the Buddhist saint 1,200 years ago.
COMMENTARY
Mar 28, 2002

New focus on security pushes nuclear deterrence to the fore

NEW DELHI -- In the post-Sept. 11 environment, nuclear-weapons issues had acquired a lower profile in international relations as the controversy generated by America's missile-defense plans, the ongoing deadlock at the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament and the coma-like state of the Comprehensive...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 25, 2002

Flawed policies no way to combat AIDS

AIDS has killed millions of people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of families. It has orphaned a bewildering number of children, ruined economies and threatened the stability of nations.
COMMENTARY
Mar 25, 2002

There's more to a name than meets the eye

As someone who has crossed the Pacific Ocean over 450 times since 1956, I am constantly fascinated by the similarities and differences between the United States and Japan. Among the challenges facing someone who lives in both societies is that what is so positive in one country can often be so negative...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 25, 2002

Sumitomo, Mitsui Chemicals unite to weather tough times

As a global wave of consolidation sweeps through the chemicals industry, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Japan's second-largest chemicals maker, is trying to get a jump on its domestic rivals by merging with industry No. 3 Mitsui Chemicals Inc.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 24, 2002

Shaping up nicely

There is something about landscaped Japanese gardens that suggests timelessness, a phenomenon apparently contrary to that Japanese tendency to locate beauty in what is fleeting in this world.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 24, 2002

The past made perfect

THE POLITICS OF RUINS AND THE BUSINESS OF NOSTALGIA, by Maurizio Peleggi. Studies in Contemporary Thailand, No. 10, forward by Craig J. Reynolds. Bangkok: White Lotus Press., 2002, 100 pp., 450 baht (paper) Now that Kyoto is to all intents "Kyotoland," it might be instructive to turn to other countries...
CULTURE / Books
Mar 24, 2002

De Ferranti opens the door to a musical Other

JAPANESE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, by Hugh de Ferranti. Oxford University Press, 2000, 104 pp., $13.95 (cloth) It would be perfectly possible for a foreigner to live in Heisei Japan for quite some time without ever becoming aware that Japan has an original music of its own, so low is the profile of "hogaku"...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 23, 2002

Personal agenda with Taisho feminist literature

Woken earlier in the day, Anne Sokolsky was so sleepy she assumed me to be a Japanese woman speaking bad English rather than the other way around. A rocky start dispelled by the wide-awake vivacity with which she approached me at Tokyo's Yotsuya Station midafternoon.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Mar 22, 2002

Asian hive bee

* Japanese name: Nihon mitsubachi * Scientific name: Apis cerana * Description: Asian hive bees are social insects. Hairy and bullet-shaped, they have well-developed tongues and back legs with special hairs that mesh together to form a flexible basket for carrying pollen. Bees are very strong and are...
EDITORIALS
Mar 21, 2002

Lengthy rule results in corruption

The re-election of Mr. Robert Mugabe as president of Zimbabwe augurs ill for the future of the southern African republic and for the regional stability of southern Africa as a whole. Mr. Mugabe has governed the former British colony since it became independent in 1980, pushing an ambitious program of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 20, 2002

Zazen and the art of playwriting

This month, the Kabukiza Theater in Tokyo is presenting two programs of kabuki plays and dance numbers starring such leading actors as Koshiro Matsumoto, Nizaemon Kataoka, Mitsugoro Bando and Sadanji Ichikawa, as well as the female-role specialists Tamasaburo Bando and Tokizo Nakamura.

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.