Search - study

 
 
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2000

Tsukuba team creates first model of mitochondrial disease

Biologists at Tsukuba University have produced the first animal model of mitochondrial disease, paving the way for research into human diseases, such as some forms of paralysis and kidney failure, that are caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2000

Chile pushes free-trade deal

The new Chilean ambassador to Japan, Demetrio Infante, said Tuesday he is hopeful that a free-trade agreement will be concluded to help further expand bilateral trade, which is expected to top $3.5 billion this year.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2000

Private-sector workforce has first fall in 50 years

The number of employees working at private companies in Japan decreased last year for the first time in 50 years, the National Tax Administration Agency said in a report released Tuesday on the profile of the nation's salaried workers.
LIFE / Food & Drink / KISSA KULTUR
Sep 27, 2000

Reading relaxation in tea leaves

Tokyo is a city of surprises. Take a walk down any side street, and you can be sure you'll find an interesting shop or restaurant. Such is the case with Mother Leaf, a pleasant discovery moments away from the Kabuki-za in Ginza.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 27, 2000

Japanese scientists question mineral-accretion technique

A Japanese researcher who conducted a project in Okinawa to explore the effectiveness of growing reefs via mineral accretion in 1989, says he remains unsure of the effectiveness of the technique.
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 27, 2000

The jade vine's home away from home

Tsukuba National Botanic Gardens in Ibaraki, part of the Tokyo National Museum, were opened to the public in October 1983. The garden, which covers 14 hectares, was constructed primarily for experimental research and for botanical education. Divided into 14 different plant zones, it contains approximately...
EDITORIALS
Sep 26, 2000

More facts, less politics, on education

At first glance, the interim report from the National Commission on Educational Reform, an advisory panel of the prime minister, appears cautious about revising the 1947 Fundamental Law on Education. In marked contrast to an earlier subcommittee report that explicitly supported a revision, the panel's...
EDITORIALS
Sep 25, 2000

The Whitewater washout

The independent counsel investigating U.S. President Bill Clinton in connection with the Whitewater scandal has determined that neither the president nor his wife "knowingly participated in any criminal conduct . . . or knew of such conduct." The investigation, announced Mr. Robert Ray in a summary released...
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2000

Kim urges Mori to help feed North Korea

ATAMI, Shizuoka Pref. -- South Korean President Kim Dae Jung on Sunday called on Japan to extend as much food aid to North Korea as it can.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2000

Japan seeks biomedical boost

Japan plans to improve its competitiveness in biomedical engineering with the creation of a liaison panel involving government, medical and industry representatives, government officials revealed Saturday.
COMMUNITY
Sep 24, 2000

Creative outsider paints orderly inside of chaos

Yuji Oki lives in a big house and paints increasingly large paintings -- by Japanese standards at least.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2000

Diesel linked to birth defects in mice

A group of Japanese researchers said they have recorded abnormalities in electrocardiograms and increased incidents of miscarriages in mice that breathed in harmful particles present in diesel-fuel exhaust fumes.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2000

Debt relief key to poor nations' progress

NEW YORK -- A pledge by wealthy nations, to be announced officially this week in Prague, to provide substantial economic aid to poor nations, is an important step in the right direction. To be truly effective, however, economic aid should be part of a more general aid package -- including cancellation...
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Sep 23, 2000

Stopped in my flippin' tracks by a Shino tea bowl

I'm lucky enough to live only five minutes away from one of my favorite Mino potters -- and I don't even live near the Mino area. That's in Gifu Prefecture, whereas I reside in the potting wasteland of Numazu. I'm always asked about how I ended up here and I can only say that it was the will of something...
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2000

Flood of Chinese tourists expected

Tourism promoters backing the first authorized Chinese package tour to Japan say they foresee 1 million people from Beijing, Shanghai and other parts of China visiting each year.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 20, 2000

The mysterious power of the moon

Each northern autumn, the days shorten and the nights lengthen until they reach a point of balance at the autumnal equinox in late September. The full moon at this time of the year is known as the harvest moon. During these evenly matched days and nights of fall, as the sun sinks beneath the western...
EDITORIALS
Sep 20, 2000

Changes in crime -- and punishment

Profound changes in the way Japan dispenses criminal justice are either forthcoming or under consideration. Many people are ready to accept changes, even to welcome some of them, given the rising tide of serious crimes by minors and an apparent breakdown in police discipline. Calls to ensure the rights...
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2000

World Bank warns lack of reforms may sabotage East Asian recovery

The World Bank said Monday that East Asian economies could slip back into another recession if lingering weaknesses in the banking and corporate sectors continue to be ignored.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 17, 2000

U.S. whaling sanctions smack of hypocrisy

Japan's whale-research vessels are now scheduled to return to port after completing their observations and sampling in the northwestern Pacific. Meanwhile, the United States continues to criticize Japan's research program and threaten trade sanctions. One can't help but suspect that all the antiwhaling...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 17, 2000

Fusing technology, arts in fabulous future shocks

Omote-sando's cafe-restaurant Las Chicas needs no introduction. But few realize that the two-floor building in which it is situated was once a consulate, designed to wrap around the central courtyard -- one of the nicest places to eat in town. Under the umbrella organization Vision Network, the complex...
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2000

Korean residents' groups agree to start mending relations

Two major groups of Korean residents of Japan that were at loggerheads have been showing signs of mending relations since South Korean President Kim Dae Jung visited Pyongyang in June for the first-ever summit between the two Koreas.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2000

Lung cancer forum adopts declaration against smoking

An international conference on lung cancer in Tokyo attended by 2,500 doctors and researchers adopted a declaration Thursday calling for governments around the world to implement policies against smoking.
COMMUNITY
Sep 14, 2000

Part-timers reshaping Japan's work ethic

Yoshinori Ogawa, 27, is a bassist in the rock band Dusty Rose. He considers himself a professional musician, but like many other would-be musicians or thespians, he has not yet reached the point where he can support himself on his music alone.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 14, 2000

Bruised flowers: China's hidden army of child laborers

BEIJING -- Hu Changjun was desperate to escape the poverty trap in Wuxi County in southwest China's Sichuan Province. So she couldn't believe her luck when a fellow villager named Changyan offered her work at a joint-venture factory in distant Beijing. "A joint venture means a foreign company, where...
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2000

Lung cancer forum eyes no-smoking declaration

An international conference on lung cancer opened in Tokyo this week with some 2,500 doctors and researchers expected to adopt a declaration calling for nonsmoking government policies around the world.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2000

Panel seeks transparent career system for judges

A government panel on judicial reform will work to make the career system for judges more transparent and objective, following a Supreme Court report saying the current system lacks a legal framework for assessing those serving on the bench.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 13, 2000

Of Zen, scriptures and fireflies

If the Yamaguchi post office were looking for an image to place on a commemorative stamp of their prefectural capital, they would probably choose the city's magisterial five-story pagoda, built on the grounds of the Ruriko Temple. Made from Japanese cypress, the pagoda is typical of the Muromachi Period...
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2000

Smiling seen as key to economy

Make people laugh -- that should make the economy better and lead to a bright future for Japan, according to Masao Kimura, board director of the Osaka-based major entertainment firm Yoshimoto Kogyo Co.

Longform

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