search

 
 
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

Textbook makers given freer hand in curricula

The education ministry announced Wednesday that it will allow textbook publishers to stray from its guidelines under certain conditions beginning next year.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2002

Mizuho to shut down Internet portal

The em-town Internet shopping mall operated by Mizuho Bank, Mizuho Corporate Bank and 43 other companies will shut down on Oct. 31.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Aug 1, 2002

A camphor by any other name

Growing among the the laurel-dominated evergreen forests of central and southern Japan is a tree with a host of names and a host of uses.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2002

Yahoo Japan aims to double payroll

Yahoo Japan Corp., which operates Japan's top Internet search engine, said Wednesday it plans to hire 200 or more employees on an annual basis in an effort to implement its aggressive business expansion plan.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2002

Tax revenue shortfall puts general account in the red

The main budget for government operations posted a 500 million yen deficit in fiscal 2001, the Finance Ministry reported Wednesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Aug 1, 2002

Pot-shot summer with no room at the inn

Summertime, and the living is easy . . . for me, anyway.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2002

Domestic shipments of DVD units jump 84%

Domestic shipments of DVD machines jumped 84.4 percent in June from a year earlier to 264,000 units, an industry association said Wednesday.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Aug 1, 2002

Dollar selloff takes breather

The dollar, on the sell side for 3 1/2 months, sank to the 115 yen level a fortnight ago and hit parity with the euro.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 1, 2002

Support groups for foreign spouses and kimono essentials

Since it's too hot to hang around chatting, let's plunge straight in.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 1, 2002

Isles trampled in white elephant stampede

Japan's islands have long been a source of tearful TV documentaries that focus on aging populations and families abandoned by children who have left for the cities.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 1, 2002

Tokyo's paradise isle under threat

Mikura Island in the Izu Islands south of Tokyo is a spectacular natural paradise known the world over for its community of bottlenose dolphins, estimated to be almost as numerous as the island's 240 inhabitants.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

Koizumi censure motion voted down

The House of Councilors voted down a nonbinding censure motion against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday during the final throes of the six-month Diet session that ended later in the day.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

Trendsetters ditch beach-girl look

The Japanese beauty industry has yet again been thrown into turmoil, with many young, trendy women abandoning the tanned beach-girl image in favor of the porcelain look.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

Exec admits paying off officials

The founder of a Tokyo consulting firm pleaded guilty Wednesday to paying 13.34 million yen in bribes to a Tokushima governor and two Ibaraki mayors between 1997 and 2000 for information or favors related to local public works projects.
COMMUNITY
Aug 1, 2002

TV news move boosts campaign to secure international channel

On July 25th, in a stunning about face, News Corporation announced the continued broadcast of the 24-hour news channel, Foxnews.
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Aug 1, 2002

Prepare to enter the real pod race

In "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," little Anakin Skywalker, a preteen slave on Tatooine, entered a futuristic sport called pod racing.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2002

U.N. official seeks debt forgiveness, more aid for poorest African nations

While Japan is striving to reduce its official development assistance budget, it should channel more aid resources toward least developed countries in Africa, according to a high-ranking U.N. official.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Aug 1, 2002

The extinction of bad memories

"In spite of severe headache, vomiting and disorder of micturition, he remained on duty for more than two months. He then collapsed altogether after a very trying experience, in which he had gone out to seek a fellow officer and had found his body blown to pieces, with head and limbs lying separated...
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2002

Nationwide housing starts post rise for second month in row

Housing starts in June rose 0.3 percent from a year earlier to 101,502 units across the country, up for the second consecutive month, the government said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
Jul 31, 2002

The U.S.-Japan management roundabout

What goes round, comes round. In the 1950s and '60s, U.S. experts warned Japanese businessmen that they had to get rid of their feudalistic management systems if they were to go ahead.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Half of jobless receiving no aid

An average of 3.74 million people were out of work in April and May, and 1.9 million of them had no source of income, according to a government report released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Panel calls for universities to be involved in foreign aid

A government panel proposed Tuesday the creation of a government-run institution to involve universities in international development assistance projects.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Emergency defense legislation believed too vague

Political dynamics aside, even some Defense Agency officials admit the emergency-contingency bills the ruling coalition plans to carry over to the next Diet session were flawed from the start.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2002

Whistle-blower files not guilty plea

OSAKA -- A former senior prosecutor who blew the whistle on alleged corruption among fellow prosecutors pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges of taking bribes and abusing his authority.
EDITORIALS
Jul 31, 2002

Defense bills need thorough review

As the regular Diet session draws to a close, several key bills remain on the table. Among these are three defense bills designed to deal with a direct attack on Japan, real or perceived. The proposed legislation, however, is flawed in so many ways -- including the lack of provisions for civilian protection...

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’