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COMMENTARY / World
Aug 19, 2000

Lessons for peace from a double failure

ISLAMABAD -- A recent two-week lull in the fighting in Kashmir has momentarily aroused hope that South Asia's two bitter, nuclear-armed neighbors, India and Pakistan, might be facing a window of opportunity in the struggle to overcome 53 years of animosity. For much of the outside world, concerned over...
JAPAN
Aug 17, 2000

Northeast Asian security pact pitched

Social Democratic Party leader Takako Doi on Wednesday explained to Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori her party's proposals for a Northeast Asian security organization and a regional nonnuclear pact, party officials said.
BUSINESS
Aug 17, 2000

5 billion yen lent to Papua New Guinea

The governmental Japan Bank for International Cooperation on Wednesday signed an agreement with Papua New Guinea to extend a 5.35 billion yen official development assistance loan.
EDITORIALS
Aug 16, 2000

Malaysia makes a martyr

To no one's surprise, former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was found guilty of sodomy last week and sentenced to nine years in prison. This conviction follows last year's ruling that Mr. Anwar had abused his power while in office; only when that six-year prison term is complete will the...
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2000

War surrender anniversary draws 1,500

About 1,500 people attended an annual memorial service to pay tribute to the war dead at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Tuesday, the 55th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2000

Chemical safety plans urged by '05

An intergovernmental forum will call on governments to establish national plans by 2005 to safely manage hazardous chemicals, according to draft documents obtained by Kyodo News.
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2000

Ministry to launch new lifestyle survey next year

The Health and Welfare Ministry will launch a survey next year to track the lives of newborns and certain groups of adults in a bid to better understand social problems such as the dwindling birthrate, ministry sources said Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2000

Okinawa conservation plan in works

The Environment Agency will draft a two-year plan to help protect biological diversity in Okinawa Prefecture's unique subtropical ecosystem, agency officials said Monday.
COMMENTARY
Aug 15, 2000

LDP faces the ethics test

Kimitaka Kuze was recently forced to resign as chairman of the Cabinet-level Financial Reconstruction Commission for receiving illegal benefits and payments from companies. This dealt a heavy blow to the credibility of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and stirred a strong sense of distrust in Japanese politics...
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2000

Japan aims to rely on 'sinks' to cut CO2 emissions

The government unveiled a proposal Tuesday that would allow the country to meet more than half of its greenhouse gas emission reductions simply by maintaining and managing its forests.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Aug 10, 2000

Japanese athletes owe debt to Chiba

In today's sporting world we are too often forced to see rebels without a cause trying to make a name for themselves by their outrageous actions on or off the field of play. They constantly try to attract attention by bullying, being obnoxious or condescending to opponents, teammates, coaches, fans and...
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2000

Japan submits carbon-sink proposal

Japan has notified a U.N. body that it is calling for forests and forestry activities to be defined in such a way that "forest management" would give nations credit toward their target cuts of carbon dioxide emissions.
COMMENTARY
Aug 7, 2000

Laissez faire destroys itself

The market economy is akin to nature. Government intervention in the market is comparable to the destruction of the natural environment and should be avoided. Nature untouched by the human hand is great. The fury of the elements dwarfs human power. Essentially, that is the opinion of free-market advocates,...
BUSINESS
Aug 5, 2000

Nikkeiren moves toward OK for Keidanren tieup

FUJIYOSHIDA, Yamanashi Pref. -- Business leaders attending a Japan Federation of Employers' Associations (Nikkeiren) meeting here agreed Friday that the group should pursue a merger with the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren).
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2000

Drink machines called handy polluters

They never sleep, gripe about overtime or quibble over paychecks. And -- with more than 5 million of them scattered around the nation -- they are ubiquitous.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2000

Performance-based wages urged by NTT union head

The head of the union at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. urged the union Wednesday to ask the company to introduce a performance-based wage system.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2000

Rare corals sold in pet shops contributing to species' decline

Various types of live coral from coastal areas in Japan, including rare species, are being sold in pet shops in and around Tokyo, a group monitoring wildlife trafficking said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2000

Japan plans to use forests to reduce carbon dioxide

Japan was planning to notify the U.N. conference on climate change later Tuesday that it wants to achieve a cut of between 3.2 percent and 3.7 percent in carbon dioxide emissions -- more than half of its 6 percent reduction target -- through forest absorption, government sources said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2000

Native birds' habitats are disappearing

The breeding grounds of a number of native bird species, including skylarks and shrikes, have sharply decreased over the past two decades, but several species imported originally as pets are becoming established in the wild, according to an interim report on bird habitats released Tuesday.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 2, 2000

Sun, sand and surf are just a train ride away

Luckily for avid beachgoers, the Fukuoka Weather Bureau has predicted even more hot, sunny weather for August and September - as if it hasn't been enough of a sizzling summer already. In Kyushu, beachgoing choices range from long, curling waves at Miyazaki to the glorious peace a few hours away by ferry...
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Aug 2, 2000

Little terns face big problem

Graceful and agile in the air, the terns are the slender cousins of the gulls. Where the gulls typically lumber and flap, the terns flutter and dash. Terns may hover, and with the sun behind them, shining through their translucent wing feathers, they appear like tiny angels.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2000

Disneyland offers gays chance to come out in the sun

As is always the case at weekends during summer vacation, Tokyo Disneyland was packed by tens of thousands of visitors Sunday.

Longform

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