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COMMUNITY
Feb 17, 2002

We hold competition to be self-evident

Sibling rivalry, rivals in love, factional rivals, rivalry between nations: There seems to be no level of our lives not riddled with rivalry. Like its relatives, competition and conflict, rivalry is found in all societies and cultures.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Feb 17, 2002

Atrocity and intrigue in a troubled land

AFGHANISTAN: A New History, by Martin Ewans. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon Press, 2001, 239 pp., 12,600 yen (cloth) The exorbitant price of Martin Ewans' "Afghanistan: A New History," coupled with the word "new" in the subtitle, is enough to attract attention. But as it turns out, the book is new only in...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Feb 16, 2002

Kanako Hayashi

To launch its upcoming lecture series, the College Women's Association of Japan invited Kanako Hayashi to give an introductory talk. A persuasive speaker, she has a background of 16 years of inside association with the world of film. As it often happens, chance, good timing and luck played major parts...
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2002

Education officials inspect scandal-hit junior college

Officials with the education ministry, including Hiroshi Tsuboi, head of the division on foreign students, conducted inspections Thursday at a scandal-tainted junior college in Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, ministry officials said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 13, 2002

Korean art of fine living

In celebration of the upcoming 2002 World Cup soccer finals co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum will hold an exhibition titled "Masterpieces of Korean Art from the Joseon Dynasty" from Feb. 19. The exhibition consists of 300 works of art of the Joseon, or Yi, Dynasty...
EDITORIALS
Feb 11, 2002

Space business still awaiting liftoff

The second H-2A rocket, which is touted as the leading player in Japan's space development at the beginning of the 21st century, was successfully launched last Monday, deploying one of the two probes it was carrying into orbit. Following the successful launching of the first H-2A rocket in August 2001,...
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2002

Shonan merger plan races clock, though some balk

With its gently arching coastline overlooking Enoshima Island in Sagami Bay and a distant view of Mount Fuji and the Hakone mountain range, the Shonan area in Kanagawa Prefecture triggers memories of songs and movies about the picturesque area.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2002

High school grads' prospects still grim

A record-low 67.8 percent of high school students due to graduate in spring had lined up jobs as of Dec. 31, the education ministry said Thursday.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2002

Osaka stages memorial service for maestro

OSAKA -- A memorial service for Takashi Asahina, who was the world's oldest active conductor and a founder of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, was held Thursday at a concert hall in Kita Ward. He was 93.
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Feb 8, 2002

Making a big difference in little places

Rachel Rawlings was surprised when she ran into two famous Japanese comedians in the parking lot outside her local village office. The popular television stars, Shofukutei Tsurube and Kazuki Enari, were astonished, too. Why was a young Australian woman living in a fishing village in Kochi Prefecture?...
LIFE / Digital / SURFERSPUD
Feb 7, 2002

Geek culture bashing

http://homepage.mac.com/jcarusone/iMovieTheater2.html The unveiling of the new iMac has reignited the Mac vs. Windows debate all over the Internet, with journalists, computer users, economists and other eccentrics predicting whether the latest Apple hardware/software combo will take a bite out of Microsoft's...
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2002

Failure of DASH release confirmed

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science confirmed Tuesday that Japan's second successfully launched H-IIA rocket failed to release one of two experimental devices that it was scheduled to put into orbit Monday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 6, 2002

The Japa-Rican Dream

NEW YORK -- From a New Yorker's point of view, young Japanese actor Masayasu Nakanishi definitely has chutzpah. How many other people would go out of their way to flash their dreams and frustrations in public, especially when the defeats equal or outnumber the successes?
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ARCHIPELA-GO
Feb 5, 2002

Where past and present tracks cross

Stepping off the shinkansen at Okayama Station and crossing over to the iron rails and worn stone of the city's aged streetcar system, you experience an abrupt transition in time and space.
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ARCHIPELA-GO
Feb 5, 2002

Where past and present tracks cross

Stepping off the shinkansen at Okayama Station and crossing over to the iron rails and worn stone of the city's aged streetcar system, you experience an abrupt transition in time and space.
COMMUNITY
Feb 3, 2002

Of nationhood and identity

Writer Ian Buruma was born in the Netherlands in 1951. He attended university in Japan and has spent a large part of his adult life in Asia. His nonfiction works include "The Wages of Guilt: Memories of War in Germany and Japan," "Behind the Mask," "A Japanese Mirror" and "Voltaire's Coconuts." Buruma...
COMMUNITY
Feb 3, 2002

Sake's never been better -- so why the poor business?

Sake is so central to life in these islands that the name of the fermented rice drink is also the Japanese word for all alcoholic drinks.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2002

Despite being born in Japan, 7-year-old is deemed stateless

Ken was born in Japan to Thai parents. But Japan, where the nationality law is based on lineage rather than birthplace, considers him stateless.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2002

Hey, kids plan to sleep in on Saturdays

With schools set to shift to a normal five-day week in April, many junior high and high school students are keen on the idea of sleeping in on Saturday, a poll found.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 31, 2002

The virgin birth of stem cells

Parthenogenesis -- when eggs develop into embryos without being fertilized by sperm -- occurs in some insects and reptiles. There is a persistent report that a virgin birth once took place in humans, but this should be regarded as mythical.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2002

U.K. campaign targets Japan youth

The British government on Monday launched a one-year campaign to present contemporary U.K. to Japan, especially to Japanese youth.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 27, 2002

The British perspective on Japan

JAPAN EXPERIENCES -- FIFTY YEARS, ONE HUNDRED VIEWS: Post-War Japan Through British Eyes, compiled and edited by Hugh Cortazzi. Japan Library: Richmond, UK, 2001, 633 pp., $65 (cloth) This doorstopper of a tome is a weighty, often insightful and quirky view of post-World War II Japan through the eyes...
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2002

Teikyo admissions scam allegedly lasted for years

Top officials of Teikyo University have been conducting backdoor admissions to the institution's medical department for years, according to university sources.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2002

Outsiders didn't dig the Argentine hole

WASHINGTON -- It is always politically incorrect to blame the victim. But Argentina is an exception. Argentines have no one to blame but themselves for their current economic mess. They have long lived beyond their means. And now the piper must be paid.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2002

Japanese test low in science knowledge

Japan ranked third from the bottom in scientific knowledge tests conducted last year in Japan, the United States and 12 European nations and compiled by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2002

Business leaders push for free-trade pact

Japanese and South Korean Business leaders agreed Friday that the two countries should sign a bilateral free-trade agreement at an early date, providing impetus for both governments to launch a full study on the issue.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2002

Site sought for fusion project

The government is expected to soon announce its candidacy to host an international nuclear fusion project, despite the concerns of citizens, lawmakers and scientists about its safety and feasibility.

Longform

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