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Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 28, 2002

Japan being led into war again, this time by U.S.

For years, ever since leaving Doshisha University, Shinpei Ishii worked for TV Man Union Inc. Then in 1989, tired of kowtowing to authority and wanting to write and speak out freely, he went freelance. It was a good move. He won an award for a program made for NTV and acclaim for literary translations,...
EDITORIALS
Dec 28, 2002

Playing with human rights

China is once again engaging in human rights diplomacy. This week the government in Beijing released dissident Xu Wenli, one of the country's most famous human rights activists. It is tempting to applaud this long-overdue development, but the truth is that Mr. Xu should not have been in jail in the first...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 28, 2002

Three baas for the year of the sheep!

Baa-aa! Yes, you herd me right -- it's almost the year of the sheep. It's going to be a long year of itchy sweaters and mothballs. So put on your woolies and finish writing those New Year's cards.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Dec 28, 2002

Rosanna Zambon

Many years ago, a Tokyo woman had a house to let in Sengawa. She used to laugh ruefully at the peculiarities of some of her short-term tenants. Then she had a pair who were the best, who she hoped would stay a long time, whom she spoke of affectionately as "a lovely young couple." They were Rosanna Zambon,...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Dec 28, 2002

Waiting for the ultimate exchange gift

Perhaps the first disappointment most kids experience while growing up is discovering the truth regarding Santa Claus. For me, it was the same.
EDITORIALS
Dec 27, 2002

Resuscitate local economies

Japan's economy for 2003 poses inevitable questions. Will deflation get worse or better? How far will banks go to shed their dud loans? If the United States goes to war with Iraq, how will it affect the economy? In these increasingly uncertain times, forecasting is a tricky business. Offering stock answers...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Dec 27, 2002

Roberto Carlos was best player of 2002

LONDON -- As the year winds down we are seeing a plethora of honors being handed out to different soccer players around the globe. Here are my picks for some alternative awards for 2002:
MORE SPORTS
Dec 27, 2002

Niida to come out of retirement

Former World Boxing Association minimumweight champion Yutaka Niida has decided to come out of retirement after a year away from the ring, boxing sources said Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 27, 2002

New league to start in September

A new Japan rugby league featuring 12 corporate teams will kick off in September next year, Japan Rugby Football Union officials said Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 27, 2002

Uehara unhappy with big raise

Yomiuri Giants right-hander Koji Uehara got a massive 104 million yen pay boost after agreeing to a new 210 million yen deal in a second round of talks with the Central League club Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2002

ASEM painfully short on substance

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- ASEM, the Asia-Europe meeting process, was born in a climate of general euphoria in 1996 in Bangkok. The idea to bring together the combined potentials of the European Union and of several important Asian players looked promising and, fundamentally, it is still valid today.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 27, 2002

Let us raise a toast to six of the best in 2002

Just as, after a leisurely banquet, conversation inevitably turns to storytelling and reminiscing, in much the same vein we like to devote our final column of the year to the highlights of the past 12 months. During the course of 2002, we have cast our spotlight on more than 60 restaurants, bars and...
MORE SPORTS
Dec 26, 2002

Takahashi's coach to quit athletics club

Yoshio Koide, who coached Naoko Takahashi to the women's marathon gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, said Wednesday he will leave the Sekisui Chemical athletics club at the end of the month.
COMMENTARY
Dec 26, 2002

Marketing matters in foreign policy

HONOLULU -- Call me a cynic, but I've long believed that one of the greatest foreign-policy advantages the United States has enjoyed is the ineptness of the governments it has confronted. It's always good to have right on your side, but sometimes that isn't enough. Nor is might the answer: The reality...
COMMENTARY
Dec 26, 2002

A rising China lifts Asian economies

HONG KONG -- For many years now, a debate has raged over the political and economic implications of a rising China, both for the region and for the world. That China is rising is not a matter of debate.
EDITORIALS
Dec 26, 2002

Nuclear blackmail won't fly

Once again, North Korea is playing a game of nuclear brinkmanship. In an eerie throwback to 1994, when a nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula pushed the United States and North Korea to the brink of war, Pyongyang has removed seals and disabled monitoring cameras at nuclear facilities that had been...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Dec 26, 2002

Jail Blazers just can't stay out of trouble

NEW YORK -- And now, for your dining and dancing pleasure, we offer an encore holiday performance of the Portland Penal Colony in "The 12 Visitation Days Of Christmas."
MORE SPORTS
Dec 26, 2002

Olympic champs to miss tourney

Olympic champions Kosei Inoue, Tadahiro Nomura and Makoto Takimoto will all miss next month's Kano Cup international tournament, the All Japan Judo Federation announced Wednesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENS FOR ALL
Dec 26, 2002

Turning over new leaves

Time seems to fly by. With 2003 just around the corner, major housework operations are in order to enter the year with everything sparkling. Garden companies, too, will be busy cleaning up gardens. Pruning pine trees and cutting hedges, known as hagari (lit. "leaf-cutting") is an important part of the...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Dec 26, 2002

It came from the alphabet soup

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth. And the Earth was without form and void. And darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters."
LIFE / Digital / TANGLED WEBS
Dec 26, 2002

All it takes is a bit of inspired teamwork

Traditionally, the end of the year is a time of reflection. In good times, we congratulate ourselves on what we did right, and in bad times we brood over our mistakes.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Dec 26, 2002

Thirty years of environmental progress, but . . .

Yet another year is tugging impatiently at the sleeve of closure and within days will be history.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Dec 26, 2002

Arcade gem returns to glory

This is the time for bringing games back from retirement. Sega came out with new a new "Shinobi." Konami has a new "Contra." And Tecmo has brought back two great blasts from the past: "Ninja Gaiden" and "Rygar."
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 26, 2002

JEF United sends Jubilo out of Emperor's Cup

Tadatoshi Masuda headed home a first-half winner as JEF United Ichihara beat Jubilo Iwata 1-0 to send the J. League champion crashing out of the Emperor's Cup in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’