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JAPAN
Jan 18, 2001

Minister talks of cleaner society

Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Wednesday that the newly created Environment Ministry will have to "battle and evolve" to push its agenda, and outlined a few areas slated for special attention in 2001.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2001

Amway Japan chief looks to raise firm's public profile, sales

In an effort to combat a decline in sales amid stagnant consumer spending, Amway Japan Ltd. President Stephen A. Robbins is determined to raise the direct selling firm's public profile by forming alliances with major Japanese companies.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2001

Bush brings opportunity to bolster Japan-U.S. ties

Now that U.S. President-elect George W. Bush has named his Cabinet and his inauguration is only days away, it might be useful to contemplate how Japan-U.S. relations may be affected and what might be done to strengthen this very important strategic alliance.
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2001

Alarming fall in the market

The slowing of the U.S. economy and concerns about a possible free fall on Wall Street, combined with the dimming prospects for Japan's economy, last week sent share prices in Tokyo plummeting to alarming levels. On Thursday, the benchmark Nikkei index plunged to 13,201, its lowest since October 1998....
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2001

Snow blankets Japan Sea area

Heavy snow caused by a cold air mass continued to fall Tuesday, mainly in areas along the Sea of Japan coast, disrupting rail, road and air traffic.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2001

Upper House member Koyama arrested in KSD bribe scandal

House of Councilors Takao Koyama was arrested Tuesday by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office on suspicion of accepting a 20 million yen bribe in 1996 from KSD, an insurance foundation under the purview of the former Labor Ministry.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2001

Execs want 401(k) plans introduced

The Japan Association of Corporate Executives called Tuesday for the early introduction of 401(k)-style pension plans and employee stock ownership plans to help bolster falling stock prices.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jan 17, 2001

Asian environmental extremes

As if the greatest mountain range on earth were not monument enough to the scale of Asia, other ranges, such as the Tien Shan and the Altai, join ranks with the Himalayas to make Central Asia the roof of the world.
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2001

LDP prepares to inflate sagging stock market

The Liberal Democratic Party on Monday decided to set up an in-house panel to draw up measures to bolster Japan's faltering stock markets, party officials said.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2001

Homelessness being tackled from new angle

Asked why he became homeless, he said he was a victim of the current economic trend.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2001

China tightens grip on the Net

CAMBRIDGE, England -- The Chinese government has been issuing more regulations to control the use of the Internet. As with the earlier ones, there are no surprises. They simply tidy up what was already accepted practice and add nothing new. It is still the slow bureaucratic machine catching up with reality....
COMMUNITY
Jan 14, 2001

Turning gray offices into great places to work

Steven Louie, vice president and design director of Gensler Tokyo, is not only warm, open and charming; he's also sensitive, patient, and very very kind. This was illustrated by his treatment of the 16-year-old student from the U.K. (on a work experience program) who accompanied me, listening attentively...
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jan 13, 2001

Pottery with a Korean foundation

A simple fact to begin the Ceramic Scene 21st century: Many great Japanese ceramic traditions of western Japan began with Korean potters.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 13, 2001

Koyama named to Hall of Fame

Former Hanshin Tigers ace Masaaki Koyama, whose 320 career wins ranks third all-time, was named to the Japanese baseball Hall of Fame on Friday along with the late Rikuo Nemoto, the architect of championship teams for Hiroshima, Seibu and Daiei.
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2001

G8 representatives to meet in Tokyo over cybercrime

Senior government officials and private corporate executives of the Group of Eight major countries will meet in Tokyo in late May to discuss a possible joint strategy toward fighting high-tech crime, especially cybercrime, government sources said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 12, 2001

Despite concern, state plans no action on stock plunge

The government is worried about the recent decline of Tokyo stock prices but has no plans to intervene at the moment, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jan 12, 2001

Foreign cash reserves hit new high

The nation's foreign currency reserves came to a record-high $361.64 billion as of the end of December, up $7.08 billion from over a month earlier, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2001

IMO targets harmful ballast water

The International Maritime Organization plans to devise a treaty to tackle harmful aquatic organisms found in the ballast water that freighters carry from one part of the world to another, Japanese sources said Wednesday.
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Jan 11, 2001

Warmth of Tsukushinoko hits close to home

Slipping under the green noren and entering Tsukushinoko is a trip. "How'd they fit this joint in here," you think. Incongruous with its surroundings, Tsukushinoko is a very small sake pub that sits in a large, very new building. But you'd never know it from the inside. Warm and cozy, it feels more akin...
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2001

Behind the quest for more babies

The continuing precipitous decline in Japan's birthrate -- in 1999 it was at the all-time low of 1.34 births per woman during her lifetime -- has long troubled planners in both the government and the private sector. Now Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has put himself at the center of the issue by calling...
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2001

Women tackle stalking menace head-on

Exercise combining aerobics and self-defense skills is the latest craze among young women in Tokyo, where the number of reported stalking cases is also on the rise.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 8, 2001

Zero emissions: route to sustainability for a clean revolution in the 21st century

The age of zero emissions is dawning, and Japan could one day lead a global clean revolution. The next decade should tell whether this nation will lead, or will consign itself to industrial mediocrity by adhering to the status quo.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2001

Diplomat stripped of post in embezzlement scandal

The Foreign Ministry on Saturday stripped a senior official of his post as director of a ministry division due to allegations that he has embezzled several hundred million yen in public funds since 1993, ministry officials said.

Longform

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