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EDITORIALS
Oct 9, 2002

An intolerable double standard

It has been two years since the Mideast peace process began to unravel, throwing Israel and the Palestinians into recurring bouts of violence. The cycle of bloodshed shows no signs of ending anytime soon, with Palestinians repeating terrorist assaults on Israeli citizens and Israel retaliating by military...
EDITORIALS
Aug 15, 2002

Preparing for the unthinkable

When World War II ended with Japan's surrender 57 years ago today, few could have anticipated the extent to which deadly weapons would one day threaten humanity. However, the history of the world since 1945 can be described as the history of the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear, biological...
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2002

Economic support to China necessary, Kawaguchi says

OSAKA -- Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Saturday she believes it is necessary for Japan to extend economic assistance to China, despite international concerns about the country's increasing military budget.
JAPAN / KANSAI BEAT
Jul 20, 2002

Foreigners find public housing off-limits

OSAKA -- Human rights groups have welcomed Shiga Gov. Yoshitsugu Kunimatsu's promise to review the prefecture's policy of barring foreign residents from living in public housing if they are unable to speak Japanese.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 9, 2002

Japan's close encounter with the West

'By reading, hearing, and by observation in foreign lands, our people have acquired a general knowledge of constitutions, habits and manners as they exist in most foreign countries. . . . Japan cannot claim originality as yet, but it will aim to exercise practical wisdom by adopting the advantages, and...
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2002

World Cup home-stay program hailed as success

The 2002 FIFA World Cup, which comes to a close Sunday, offered local municipalities throughout Japan an opportunity to hold various exchange programs with visitors from in and out of the country during the one-month event.
EDITORIALS
May 30, 2002

The only way to clear debt burden

Stock prices for Japan's top banks have been rising lately despite the huge deficits they have suffered in the business year that ended March 31. Increases in loan losses are good news in the sense that they reflect progress in bad-debt write-offs. In the same year, the nation's seven banking groups...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 1, 2002

Tracking systems try to tackle food safety

Shoppers are now being invited to check with their own eyes that what something is labeled is what they actually eat.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2002

Afghanistan faces isolation relapse: nurse

Japan and the rest of the world must stay engaged with and support Afghanistan's long-term reconstruction, according to a Japanese nurse who recently returned from the war-torn country.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2002

Nogami advising staff on Mideast despite demotion

Former Vice Foreign Minister Yoshiji Nogami is advising employees at the ministry on Middle East affairs, despite his demotion to the ministry's secretariat, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 11, 2002

Threat of new Iraqi war has neighboring Turkey on edge

ANKARA -- At his shop in the ancient citadel of this busy capital city, Satilimish Sutchuoglu and three fellow carpet sellers gather to drink tea and trade forecasts of economic doom.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2002

Asian issues carry much weight on global stability

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. -- There were times when relations between the European Union and Japan suffered from having a narrow focus, centered on economic matters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jan 23, 2002

3-D fantasies with a 1-D feel

The biggest event on the capital's contemporary art circuit this week was undoubtedly the opening of Mariko Mori's "Pure Land" at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. The fact that more than a few people were calling this exhibition a "retrospective" hints at how artspeak is changing, as the oldest...
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2002

Afghan envoys voice hope they will leave with 'full hands'

Representatives of the interim administration of Afghanistan expressed hope Sunday they would obtain a sufficient aid commitment during the two-day conference on the reconstruction of their nation starting in Tokyo today, while the tug-of-war over how much money each donor will pledge continued late...
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2002

A new framework for stability

The Korean Peninsula remains a potential flash point. The question for 2002 is whether North and South Korea, still technically at war, will be able to promote stability in the region. The answer partly depends on how domestic politics develops in South Korea, which will hold local elections in June...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2001

A reason to invest in Japan

What is the true nature of the current recession in Japan? Is it cyclical, a result of asset deflation, or has it been caused by the deteriorating competitiveness of this country as an industrial location? These questions must be answered to formulate an effective economic policy. In my view, the economic...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 27, 2001

Beware quick fix for Japan

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania -- Beware of economists promising easy solutions for complex problems, in this case, Japan's painful and protracted slump following the collapse of inflated asset prices in 1989. Princeton economist Paul Krugman advises Japan's government to combat deflation by announcing official...
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2001

Confab told of renewed interest in Japanese-language study

Studying Japanese is gaining popularity in places as close as South Korea and as far away as Brazil, and the reasons for studying the language in Japan vary just as widely.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 27, 2001

Maria Teresa de Avila

The wife of the ambassador of Ecuador to Japan is Mexican by birth. She has the aura of vivacity, color and spontaneity often associated with her compatriots. Maria Teresa de Avila was born in Monterrey, Mexico's important northern city that is modern and energetic.
COMMENTARY
Jul 23, 2001

Seek justice, not provocation

China has reacted strongly to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's announcement that he will visit Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, Japan's anniversary of the end of World War II. Coupled with the history textbook issue, the statement has again unsettled Tokyo's relations with Beijing.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2001

Accounting-rule changes skew financial statements in 2000

During periods of economic transition, such as the introduction of new accounting standards, companies' financial statements do not necessarily reflect their actual financial soundness. Balance sheets, income statements and other financial reports, therefore, should be analyzed from multiple viewpoints....
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2001

Is Canberra doing right by its refugees?

SYDNEY -- Nowhere was the poignancy of World Refugee Day on June 20 felt more acutely than in Australia. Here, the plight of thousands of refugees held in detention camps gnaws at the national conscience.
COMMENTARY
Jun 16, 2001

Urgent tasks for Koizumi

Peace and stability in East Asia in the coming years will hinge on Japan's political and economic leadership, North-South rapprochement on the Korean Peninsula, China's policies as an emerging regional power and strategies of the United States, the sole superpower.
JAPAN
May 30, 2001

Environment Ministry plugs green tax in first white paper

In its inaugural white paper approved Tuesday by the Cabinet, the Environment Ministry is touting the merits of introducing an environment tax to help put Japan on a more environmentally sustainable path and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Apr 21, 2001

Jane Best Cooke

In Queen Elizabeth II's New Year's honors list, Jane Best Cooke was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire. She was awarded this distinction in recognition of her contribution to the promotion in Japan of British culture, and to a wide range of charitable and international friendship activities....
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2001

Guidelines for brokerages revealed

The Financial Services Agency unveiled a new set of guidelines for securities firms on Wednesday that will tighten rules regarding the calculation of their capital adequacy and bring them in line with international standards.
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2001

Guidelines for brokerages revealed

The Financial Services Agency unveiled a new set of guidelines for securities firms on Wednesday that will tighten rules regarding the calculation of their capital adequacy and bring them in line with international standards.
EDITORIALS
Jan 3, 2001

The dangers that lie ahead

One of the biggest holiday gifts last year was the Sony PlayStation2 video game console. Good luck trying to find one. Hundreds of thousands of gamers around the world are still waiting to get their hands on the elusive item. But, according to news reports, one customer managed to collect about 4,000...

Longform

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