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CULTURE / Books
Jun 24, 2001

Japan's endless search for identity

HEGEMONY OF HOMOGENEITY: An Anthropological Analysis of Nihonjinron, by Harumi Befu. Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press, 2001, 181 pp., A$44.95 (US$29.95) Nihonjinron, the discourse on "Japaneseness," has been with us for quite some time.
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2001

Get a grip, brokers -- this is only a first step

The introduction in October of the much-touted U.S. 401(k)-style corporate pension system in Japan will have little impact until individual investors feel more confident about the regulatory environment and the economy, said Brian Murdoch, president and CEO of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers.
JAPAN / OF SOUND MIND
Jun 23, 2001

Crime suspects' mental state rarely checked deeply

Whenever people with psychological problems are arrested for brutal crimes, public attention focuses on whether they can be held criminally liable.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jun 23, 2001

U.S. Democrats take control

Despite the confusion surrounding the changing of power in the Senate, things are still getting done in Washington. The Senate recently passed the education bill, a major item from the agenda of President George W. Bush, and sent it on to conference with the House of Representatives that had already...
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2001

KVH Telecom to launch Osaka service

OSAKA -- KVH Telecom Co., a Tokyo-based provider of broadband communications services, announced Thursday the launch of its services here, and President and CEO Rakesh Bhasin said he is confident about his firm's first operation outside Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2001

Regional economies in recession

Regional economies are in the grip of recession, according to a quarterly survey released Wednesday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2001

Nation must be aggressive on patents, white paper says

Japan must devise an aggressive strategy to obtain patents abroad so the nation's inventions can be recognized internationally, according to a government white paper released Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2001

Credit-easing, devaluation of yen vex BOJ

Since the start of June, there have been several comments by government officials that could be construed as calls on the Bank of Japan to relax its monetary policy.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2001

Nonutilities slow to light up newly opened market

Fifteen months after the partial liberalization of the electricity retail market, new players in the industry remain scarce.
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2001

Harsher conditions coming, BOJ warns in new assessment

The Bank of Japan downgraded its monthly assessment of the economy and projected a future squeeze on industrial output, according to a monthly report released Monday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 18, 2001

A new look for U.S. defense

Speculation swirls around the defense-policy review being conducted by the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush. Surprising results are anticipated, not only because timorous guesses rarely command media attention, but also because the administration has shown no reluctance to challenge fundamental...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 18, 2001

China and ASEAN strive to improve ties

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- For geographic and historic reasons, China has been and will always be a factor in Southeast Asia. Of course, the reverse is also true. And as emphasis shifts from bilateral relations to multilateral ties, the ASEAN-China dimension assumes a special meaning, whether viewed alone...
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2001

Town touting mythical snake find; is 'rare' creature really a cash cow?

MIKATA, Hyogo Pref. — The recent discovery of an unusual reptile in this small skiing town is being touted by some as the first recorded capture of the mythical "tsuchinoko," a legendary snakelike creature first documented in the eighth century.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2001

Japan won't sign U.S.-less Kyoto: Tanaka

Japan will not ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to curb global warming if the United States stays out of it, Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Friday.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2001

Refrigerant gases to be banned

The House of Councilors on Friday approved a bill mandating the retrieval and destruction of ozone-depleting and greenhouse gases used in automobile air conditioners, industrial refrigerators and cooling systems.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2001

Pesky monkeys face death squads

Monkeys caused at least 850 million yen worth of damage to Japan's agricultural produce during fiscal 1999, an animal protection body said in a survey released Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2001

Pyongyang's Chinese connection to the global economy

DANDONG, China -- When managers at a North Korean metal works began dreaming that foreigners' suits and blouses might one day be draped on the company's aluminum coat-hangers, there was no way to pursue international markets directly.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2001

Ishihara to learn about ecotourism on Galapagos isles

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara left Narita airport Monday for the Galapagos Islands, where he will study methods of achieving symbiosis between conserving nature and tourism to apply to Tokyo's Ogasawara Islands.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2001

Hiranuma hints at efforts to return U.S. to Kyoto pact

The industry minister suggested Tuesday that Japan will strive to convince the United States to rejoin the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, even going as far as considering revamping the international effort to fight global warming.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2001

Long road ahead for planned judicial reform

Following Tuesday's proposals by the Judicial Reform Council, which came after two years of strenuous deliberations, attention has shifted to how the government will introduce the sweeping changes in cooperation with judicial parties.
Events
Jun 12, 2001

Osaka still investment 'black hole'

OSAKA — With Osaka's economy still in the doldrums, city and prefectural officials are renewing efforts to bring more foreign direct investment to the region.
COMMUNITY
Jun 10, 2001

Eco-reformists tackle 'sick-house syndrome'

KYOTO -- From the outside, Junko Shimomura's condominium looks much like the hundreds of other apartments in the highrises that line the Kamo River in Kyoto's Ukyo Ward. But the interior -- with the living room's mukunoki wooden floor sealed with natural paulownia-tree oil and the terra-cotta tiles on...
COMMUNITY
Jun 10, 2001

Turn on to feng shui for good vibrations

For 12 years, April Perkinson, a jazz pianist, has lived in a spacious, old apartment in Kawasaki City. Once sunny and inviting, her south-facing residence was recently blocked by the construction of a skyscraper next door. What to do?
COMMENTARY
Jun 10, 2001

Restarting Korean peace talks

Stop blowing up the balloons. Put away the ribbons and confetti. There is unlikely to be any major celebrations as we mark the first anniversary of the historic June 13-15, 2000 summit meeting in Pyongyang between South Korean President Kim Dae Jung and North Korean chairman Kim Jong Il.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2001

Koizumi clarifies missile defense policy with Tanaka, Nakatani

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday confirmed with Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and Defense Agency chief Gen Nakatani that Japan's basic position of "understanding" U.S. missile defense plans remains unchanged, government officials said.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2001

Plans aired for Futenma base alternative

The central government on Friday proposed eight possible construction plans for an airfield to replace the U.S. Marine Corp.'s Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture.

Longform

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