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JAPAN
Feb 7, 2000

Ishihara wants to tax Tokyo banks, including BOJ

Tokyo Metropolitan Gov. Shintaro Ishihara proposed Monday that the metropolitan government start imposing a 3 percent tax on gross profits of large banks operating in Tokyo. The announcement prompted immediate protests from the Japanese Bankers Association, which issued a statement calling the plan...
CULTURE / Art
Feb 5, 2000

It's not hard to get hooked on fly-fishing

Fly-fishing has a certain mystique. It's not uncommon for an angler equipped with a deep knowledge of aquatic insects and a perfect midair loop to stand in the cold for hours without netting a single trout.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2000

DCI unveils programming for digital data broadcasts

Digital Cast International Ltd. on Thursday unveiled programs it plans to deliver on a digital data broadcasting service it is planning to launch Dec. 1. The Tokyo-based broadcaster will offer a 24-hour schedule of news, weather forecasts, local government bulletins, sales programs for books, regional...
JAPAN / Media
Feb 3, 2000

The made-for-TV tragedy of Rumiko and Kenya

He: "She always said, 'I made you what you are today.' It was too much for me."
COMMENTARY
Feb 2, 2000

Is the U.S. on the right track?

As we enter the Year of the Dragon, U.S. bilateral relations with key states in Northeast Asia generally appear on track. Ties with America's two key allies, Japan and Korea, remain steady, as the Trilateral Cooperation and Oversight Group process has helped to keep all three in sync when dealing with...
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2000

Chuo relinquishes helm of merged bank to Mitsui

Top executives of Mitsui Trust & Banking Co. and Chuo Trust & Banking Co. were inundated with questions from reporters Monday as they announced the reversal of an earlier decision regarding the leadership structure of a bank to be set up through a merger of the two firms in April.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2000

Sumitomo insurance units agree to cooperate in nonlife insurance

Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance Co. and Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. announced Tuesday they have agreed to cooperate in the nonlife insurance business. The agreement calls for mutual marketing of both life and nonlife products through their respective sales channels. It also includes cooperation in...
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2000

Sony to sell appliances directly over Internet

Sony Corp. will begin online sales of home appliances for the domestic market by the end of March, the major electronics manufacturer announced Tuesday. It will be the first time a major Japanese electronics maker has sold home appliances directly to consumers over the Internet. Japanese electric appliance...
BUSINESS
Jan 31, 2000

Social parity, commerce rules needed for leap to cyberspace

As the world entered the 21st century, a number of newspapers and economic journals ran feature articles with grand forecasts for the new age.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2000

Chuo relinquishes presidency of merged bank

Staff writer Top executives of Mitsui Trust & Banking Co. and Chuo Trust & Banking Co. were inundated with questions from reporters Monday as they announced the reversal of an earlier decision regarding the leadership structure of a bank to be set up through a merger of the two firms in April. When...
COMMUNITY
Jan 30, 2000

Preaching the gospel of women's television

Those who watch the program "New Yorkers," broadcast weekly on NHK's satellite channel, will be familiar with the name Nancy Lee. But how many realize that this snappy, bright, Jewish-American from New Jersey is as much at home in Japanese as English?
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 28, 2000

Irish dance fever comes to Japan

Lord of the Dance, an Irish dance troupe which has been seen by 7 million people in 18 countries since its 1996 debut, is finally coming to Japan to wow audiences with its world-renowned performance.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2000

Foot scooters not just preschooler crazek

Staff writer With the aid of a Razor, Ali Harada claims to have shaved at least 10 minutes off her daily 80-minute commute and around 2 kg from her midriff. While she attributes the latter to the effort needed to power the contraption, it's the Razor's easy handling and compactness that allow her precious...
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2000

Auto production fell below 10 million in 1999

Automobile production in 1999 dropped 1.5 percent from the previous year to 9,895,476 vehicles, falling below the 10 million mark for the first time in 20 years, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Thursday. Auto production decreased for two consecutive years, according to the association.Of...
COMMENTARY
Jan 24, 2000

Common sense up in flames

Shizuka Kamei, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, recently proposed a raise in the tobacco tax in the fiscal 2000 government budget. The proposal, however, was quickly quashed due to opposition in the LDP and by Japan Tobacco Inc., the nation's only cigarette manufacturer. Smokers and...
EDITORIALS
Jan 23, 2000

Aum by any other name...

Desperate people -- and groups -- can be expected to take desperate steps. The carefully orchestrated public relations campaign in which the Aum Shinrikyo cult is now engaged, including changing the cult name to Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, for a "fresh start," seems like little more...
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2000

Stocks, cell phones raise industrial index

The nation's overall service industry activity increased 0.6 percent in November from the previous month due to increased mobile phone sales and active stock trading, marking the first rise in three months, according to a preliminary report issued Friday by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry....
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Jan 19, 2000

New opportunities

I have a letter from a 15-year-old girl in Germany. She has blue-gray eyes and dark blond hair. She speaks English, French and German. She tells me of her school and her hobbies. She has a cat called Blacky. She is looking for pen-friends in Japan.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 18, 2000

Call it garage punk, if you insist

"I was in a band called the Titties," says Cat Scratch, squeezing her breasts.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2000

Tough town beaten to despair as jobs dry up

For 70-year-old Mikami, winter life on the streets of Tokyo has become so unbearable that flirting with a suicide fantasy has become his favorite pastime.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2000

Hub offers glimpse of the past

Eighty-six years after its construction, Tokyo Station has grown to contain the hustle and bustle of an estimated 386,500 people who part, meet or pass through every day.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 15, 2000

The seven-flavored spice of life

For more than 370 years, Yagenbori's merchandise has added zest to Japanese meals. The seven-colored seasoning is sprinkled on a variety of dishes, from a steaming bowl of soba (buckwheat) noodles to grilled fish.
BUSINESS
Jan 12, 2000

Sunkus plans virtual supermarket venture

Japanese convenience store operator Sunkus and Associates Inc. said Wednesday it will set up a joint venture with five other firms from Jan. 31 to operate an e-commerce supermarket.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 11, 2000

Ani DiFranco's hard road leads her to a higher plane

Last year, the prolific Ani DiFranco released three albums. Any record company marketing executive would tell you that's more than the market could take. But then, DiFranco doesn't have to answer to any record company. She owns her own.
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2000

One false step could send dollar reeling

The dollar-yen exchange rate could remain on a roller-coaster ride through much of the year ahead.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2000

Take politics out of economic decisions

It is amazing how quickly conventional wisdom can shift. Just a few years ago, most people would have considered as heretical a proposal that central banks should make decisions independent of the influence of the executive and legislative branches of government. Today, central bank independence is universally...
COMMUNITY
Jan 3, 2000

Picture-book village looks to the children

Once upon a time, sometime in 1992, there were two communities, Kijo-cho and Ishikawauchi, nestled high in the mountains of Miyazaki Prefecture. As in many such rural communities, the sound of children's voices was becoming a rarity as young families left to find their fortune in the city of Miyazaki,...
JAPAN
Dec 31, 1999

Hotels, stores cashing in on Y2K scare

Staff writers Y2K wise men say, only fools rush out on New Year's Eve. Yet, as many stayed home for the definitive moment, tens of thousands of private company officials left their homes Friday to stand guard at their offices for possible Y2K problems, unwittingly providing a millennium windfall to...
JAPAN
Dec 30, 1999

Stores hit by Y2K stockpiler feeding frenzy

Staff writers With just two days left before 2000 kicks in, shoppers crowded supermarkets and department stores Thursday, making last-minute purchases of water, food, oil heaters and other stockpiles to prepare for the possible breakdown of lifelines. Daiei Inc., the nation's largest supermarket chain,...
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Dec 29, 1999

An open ethOS

The latest tale of cyber-riches involves the Linux crowd. A recent string of IPOs earned shareholders obscene amounts of money. Red Hat, a distributor of the Linux operating system, is worth about $15 billion. VA Linux, a company that sells computers that use Linux, made history: Its shares leaped 700...

Longform

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