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ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Dec 27, 2001

Resolve to raise a toast to thinking globally

With only days to go before 2002, New Year's resolutions are in order -- in theory, anyway. Whatever we promise, one thing is certain: Resolutions, viewed from this side of Jan. 1, are always made with the best of intentions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Dec 25, 2001

Budget reflects change in course

The compilation on Monday of an 81.23 trillion yen general account budget for fiscal 2002 highlights a significant shift of authority in the drafting of national budgets -- an area long dominated by the Finance Ministry.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2001

Shiodome development to spruce up center of Tokyo

The southern half of central Tokyo is teaming with development projects aimed at reviving a city long criticized for its lack of space and greenery.
BUSINESS
Dec 14, 2001

MMC contracts IBM to manage its IT system

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will outsource the management and maintenance of its information technology systems to IBM Japan Ltd. in 2002, the two firms revealed Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 8, 2001

A first step toward Afghan peace

Afghan factions and the United Nations have managed to sign an agreement stipulating the composition of an interim administration, or Cabinet, to replace the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The official inauguration of the interim administration on Dec. 22 -- after the Ramadan month of fasting ends --...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Dec 1, 2001

Patrick Carroll

From the sea to the sky: When he was living in southeast England, Patrick Carroll joined the Royal Naval Reserve, the "part-time navy." He served on small vessels, such as minesweepers and patrol vessels. When he came to Japan, he volunteered his services to the Royal Naval Association Japan Branch....
LIFE / Lifestyle / MATTER OF COURSE
Nov 30, 2001

Kids get down to classroom clean-ups

A few weeks before my son started first grade, I asked my friend Nagako to help me read the list of school supplies I needed to buy.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2001

Public works spending to be cut 10%

The government hopes to slash public works spending by 10 percent in fiscal 2002 and abolish the system of earmarking certain tax revenues for the construction and maintenance of the nation's road system, outlining the strategy in a basic policy plan for the fiscal 2002 budget.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

Morgan Stanley gives up on retail brokering in Japan

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. said Tuesday it will pull out of Japan's retail securities market and shut down its Japanese unit because it does not foresee it becoming profitable in the future.
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2001

IYBank ends first term in the red

IYBank Co., a newcomer to the banking industry, said Friday it suffered net losses of 5.7 billion yen in the fiscal 2001 first half as the bank cut fees and expanded its network of automated-teller machines.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 4, 2001

In love with the Harley legend

It's Sunday afternoon in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, and the local Harley-Davidson shop, American Street, is playing host to a stream of visitors in black leather jackets.
JAPAN / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Oct 25, 2001

Foreign equity funds' ways changing face of Japan Inc.

When hunting for a company to buy out, Kenji Ueda doesn't wait to be introduced. The Ripplewood Holdings LLC executive director makes his phone calls cold.
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2001

Japan to check labs for biological agents

The government plans to check all research institutions in Japan to see if they are keeping dangerous viruses or bacteria and if they are taking steps to ensure such agents do not fall into the hands of terrorists, sources said Wednesday.
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL
Oct 11, 2001

Firmly rooted in tradition and daily life

In the foothills of Mount Fuji, there is a fascinating botanical garden devoted to the cultivation and display of bamboo plants and products. Unique in this country, the Fuji Bamboo Garden, which opened on its 4-hectare site in 1951, cultivates more than 500 species and cultivars of bamboo from around...
COMMUNITY
Oct 7, 2001

Going with the furo

Sitting in a tub of clear, near-scalding water up to your neck might not instantly appeal to those new to Japan who are used to stretching out in a warm sea of suds and playing with their plastic ducks. However, taking a bath that way is more than a hygienic chore for the people of these islands; it's...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 30, 2001

A plague upon your house

Insects aren't everyone's favorite animals, especially when it comes to those such as cockroaches, termites and wasps that frighten us as well as potentially harm us and our environment.
JAPAN
Sep 26, 2001

Firms turn to time-sharing in bid to increase revenue

Amid record-high unemployment and spiraling deflation, some leisure-related businesses are offering time-share deals for the right to share villas, luxury cars or pleasure boats in an attempt to lure customers.
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2001

Transport ministry unveils its draft of privatization plan

Under strong pressure from the reformist Koizumi Cabinet, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry unveiled a draft plan Friday to privatize six controversial road- and housing-related semigovernmental corporations.
BUSINESS
Sep 21, 2001

Vodafone unit to launch Japan Telecom takeover

British cellular operator Vodafone Group PLC will today launch an agreed takeover bid over Japan Telecom Co. through a wholly owned subsidiary and take full control of the nation's third-largest operator with up to a 66.7 percent stake, Vodafone announced Thursday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Sep 18, 2001

U.S. ships depart Yokosuka naval base

U.S. military bases in Japan are stepping up activity as the United States prepares to retaliate for the devastating terrorist attacks last week in New York and Washington.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2001

Typhoon Danas lashes Tokyo

Typhoon Danas hit land near Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture on Tuesday morning and went on to buffet Tokyo and its vicinity, police and the Meteorological Agency said.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2001

JOC president dies in sauna after heart fails

OSAKA -- Yushiro Yagi, president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, died Sunday evening after collapsing in a sauna at an Osaka hotel, hotel officials said Monday. He was 72.
BUSINESS
Sep 8, 2001

Household spending down 1.6%

Average household spending in July dropped 1.6 percent from a year earlier for the fourth consecutive month of decline, the government said in a report released Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2001

Disaster drills staged across Japan

Disaster drills were held across the country on Saturday, the 78th anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake which reduced most of Tokyo and Yokohama to rubble and left more than 140,000 people dead or missing.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2001

Security alliance redefined after end of Cold War

Staff writer In August 1990, when then Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu telephoned U.S. President George Bush to offer a $1 billion contribution to the U.S.-led multinational forces in the Persian Gulf, Bush offered a disappointed-sounding "Thank you" before hanging up.
COMMENTARY
Aug 23, 2001

Japan not innately militaristic

At any time of the year, evaluating Japan and its military intentions is like looking through a telescope. From one end, everything appears bigger than it actually is. From the other, everything looks smaller.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2001

Ministry set to launch 'green' car plans

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry has decided to introduce action plans in nine regions in Japan to boost the use of less-polluting "green" vehicles, ministry officials said Sunday.

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it