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COMMUNITY
Apr 7, 2002

Ishihara gambles on casinos

"Building a casino will create employment for 10,000 people."
COMMUNITY
Apr 7, 2002

A dicey history

The earliest reference to gambling in Japan -- found in the eighth-century, 31-volume "Nihon Shoki (Chronicle of Japan)" -- states that in 685 AD, Emperor Temmu passed the time playing a dice game similar to backgammon called sugo-roku (double sixes). Once his successor Empress Jito assumed the throne,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 7, 2002

A profitable day at the races

The year was 1948: Japan was still recovering from the ravages of war. Bombed-out bridges needed rebuilding, cratered roads needed repaving and railroads had to be relaid. It would cost a fortune, but who would foot the bill?
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2002

Upper House approves new BOJ board appointees

The House of Councilors on Friday approved the government's decision to appoint two new members of the Bank of Japan Policy Board: Toshikatsu Fukuma, vice chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, and Hidehiko Haru, executive vice president of Tokyo Electric Power Co.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2002

Koizumi assures OECD chief of reform

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday told the head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that Japan is determined to push through structural reforms, government officials said.
EDITORIALS
Apr 5, 2002

Secure food safety

Never before, perhaps, has a government advisory panel made such a scathing attack on public policy. The final report on bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, popularly known as mad cow disease, submitted Tuesday by a 10-member investigative committee, points out that the government made a "grave...
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2002

Myanmar meeting to discuss blueprint for future ASEAN partnership

Japan and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will hold their highest-level talks ever in Myanmar next week to discuss Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's recent proposal to forge a "comprehensive economic partnership."
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2002

Hayami tells government to sort out deflation menace

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami urged the government Thursday to initiate concrete structural reforms to stamp out deflation, reflecting the central bank's concern about the slow pace of reforms as Diet proceedings stall amid political scandals.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2002

Group targets family ties via storytelling

As soon as the men would arrive on their big black bikes, children would cheer, set aside their toys and swarm around them even before they began sounding their wooden clappers. A signature large wooden box with openings and drawers was mounted on the back of their bicycles.
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2002

Decision on towel import curbs delayed for second time

The government announced a decision Tuesday to extend by six months the April 15 deadline for an investigation to decide whether to invoke import curbs on towel and towel products from China and Vietnam.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2002

Slipknot unmasked!

For a big guy, the evil-looking Clown from the band Slipknot can move pretty fast. In a flash he leaps out of his seat, lunges at me with a stiletto blade and plunges it into my chest. "Nothing else means anything to me," he snarls, his face inches away from mine, his eyes burrowing to the back of my...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2002

Mommy, can we go out and play dying tonight?

Tomoko, 18, from Yokohama, and Yui, 18, from Osaka
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 3, 2002

Dance artist of his floating world

As a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet from 1993 to 1998, Tetsuya Kumakawa was a sensation on stage at Covent Garden. London's discerning audiences thrilled to the incomparable ability of this boyish young man, just 21 when he became the first Japanese male dancer to take center stage with the company....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2002

Nonsmokers little-served by air purifiers

Whether they are waiting to board a flight at Tokyo's Haneda airport or taking a break in the lobby of a government ministry in the Kasumigaseki district, smokers nowadays are often herded into areas with prominent air filtering devices.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2002

Reporter gives thanks for freedom

A former reporter for the daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun who was detained in North Korea for more than two years on suspicion of espionage thanked Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on Monday for the ministry's efforts in freeing him in mid-February.
Japan Times
Events
Apr 2, 2002

Museum displays home articles of 'typical' family from Seoul

SUITA, Osaka Pref. -- South Korea may never have felt closer to Japan than it has this year. Not only are the two nations cohosting the World Cup later this year, but a three-day tour to Seoul nowadays costs less than 30,000 yen, and Korean food is popular across Japan.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2002

Extend tariff investigation: LDP

Senior members of the Liberal Democratic Party asked trade minister Takeo Hiranuma on Monday to extend by six months an investigation into whether tariffs should be imposed on towel imports from China and Vietnam.
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2002

Mizuho Holdings sees new dawn

Mizuho Holdings Inc., the world's largest banking group by assets, made a fresh start Monday as its three core banks merged into two -- Mizuho Bank and Mizuho Corporate Bank.
COMMENTARY
Apr 1, 2002

French presidential election elicits yawns

PARIS -- A month before the first round of the French presidential election, the campaign is duller than ever. As Jonathan Fenby recently wrote in Time magazine, "Chirac and Jospin have so far failed to ignite voters' enthusiasm."
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 31, 2002

Secretarial problems claim 'woman of integrity'

Kiyomi Tsujimoto's departure from the House of Representatives last week was caused by the misappropriation of money that the state paid to one of her secretaries as a salary. However, as with so many elected officials before her, the Osaka native's main mistake, at least in the eyes of the media, was...
COMMENTARY
Mar 30, 2002

Power to the EU's people

LONDON -- Yet another disappointing European summit, this time in Barcelona, has left more and more people asking whether this is the right way to proceed with the European project. Is the existing European model the right one? The goal is supposed to be for a liberalized Europe to catch up with the...
EDITORIALS
Mar 30, 2002

Reading the tea leaves in Myanmar

The venerable science of Kremlinology is flourishing in Myanmar. The country's ruling elite is a clubby and secretive group, and the exercise of power and influence is shrouded in mystery; reliable information is hard to come by. No wonder then that the last few weeks have been busy ones for Myanmar...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2002

Explosive issues dominate Arab summit

BEIRUT -- Arab summits may deal with any matter of common concern to the 22 member states of the "Arab Nation." The matter may be "ordinary" or "emergency," but in practice the more or less permanent emergency of Palestine has furnished 90 percent of their resolutions. Only occasionally have other issues...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Mar 27, 2002

Groove is in the House

Ambitious is the word that comes to mind when looking at the publicity material for the inaugural New York-Tokyo Music Festival. Scheduled to take place in the Big Apple May 23-26, the event will feature live performances by a variety of Japanese artists, including Towa Tei, Ken Ishii and Mondo Grosso....
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2002

Hiranuma frets over EU plan to curb steel imports

Trade minister Takeo Hiranuma said Tuesday he is worried that a reported plan by the European Union to join the United States in curbing steel imports will hinder the world's free-trade regime.
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2002

Securities protection funds to merge

Local and foreign funds designed to protect securities investors in the event of brokerage failures are expected to merge by July, industry sources said Tuesday.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat