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CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 24, 2002

Tune in for the final stretch

Next Sunday, Nippon TV's irreverent variety show "Denpa Shonen," the prototype of bizarre Japanese reality-TV programs, will once again end its long successful run with a pledge to be reincarnated in the near future. On Saturday at 9 p.m., however, there will be a special two-hour installment summing...
EDITORIALS
Mar 23, 2002

Taiwan flexes its muscles

There appears to be a new confidence in Taiwan these days. The island government senses new diplomatic opportunities and is wasting no time in exploiting them. That is understandable, but Taipei must also be cautious. Over-reaching will only anger China, which is ever sensitive to the status of the island...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Mar 23, 2002

Erich A. Berendt

After several years' membership in The Asiatic Society of Japan, Erich A. Berendt was elected to the society's council. Since 2000 he has been serving conscientiously and actively as the society's president.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Mar 22, 2002

Asian hive bee

* Japanese name: Nihon mitsubachi * Scientific name: Apis cerana * Description: Asian hive bees are social insects. Hairy and bullet-shaped, they have well-developed tongues and back legs with special hairs that mesh together to form a flexible basket for carrying pollen. Bees are very strong and are...
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2002

Nonlife insurers to share payments for terrorism incidents

The Marine and Fire Insurance Association of Japan plans to set up a fund to help its members distribute payments over terrorist-related incidents, Hiroyuki Uemura, chairman of the group, said Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Mar 21, 2002

Fundamentals of good education

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been the most vocal of European leaders in his attacks on fundamentalism, but it seems that only Islamic forms of fundamentalism are worthy targets. Christian fundamentalism -- which teaches that the world is only a few thousand years old and was made in seven days...
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2002

February surplus plummets 11.3%

The nation's customs-cleared trade surplus plunged 11.3 percent to 776.8 billion yen in February from the previous year mainly due to slack shipments of information technology goods, according to a preliminary report released by the Finance Ministry on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2002

BOJ keeps policy unchanged as fears of crisis seen fading

The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy unchanged Wednesday, as fears of an imminent crisis faded due to some gains in share prices.
EDITORIALS
Mar 20, 2002

A blessing in disguise for Mr. Kato

Corruption scandals have forced two influential members of the Liberal Democratic Party to leave the party in rapid succession. On Monday Mr. Koichi Kato, former LDP secretary general, resigned to take responsibility for the arrest of his one-time top aide, Mr. Saburo Sato, on charges of tax evasion....
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2002

Hiranuma to file WTO complaint today over U.S. steel curbs

Trade minister Takeo Hiranuma said Tuesday that he plans to file a complaint today with the World Trade Organization against a U.S. move to invoke import curbs on steel products.
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2002

Starzen expects to sink into red

Starzen Co., Japan's largest meat dealer, said Tuesday it expects a parent-only net loss of 1 billion yen for the 2001 business year.
EDITORIALS
Mar 19, 2002

Nation-building vs. military goals

Half a year after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, President George W. Bush's war on terrorism appears to be entering a more complex and difficult phase. U.S. troops have mounted a major ground offensive in Afghanistan, while a special forces team is helping fight Muslim militants...
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2002

Hiranuma, Yeo agree to bolster ASEAN ties

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma and his Singaporean counterpart, George Yeo, agreed Monday to enhance cooperation for establishing a broad economic partnership between Japan and Southeast Asia.
EDITORIALS
Mar 18, 2002

Steeling for a fight

During the Vietnam War, a peculiar strand of U.S. logic was revealed when an official argued that a village had to be destroyed to save it from the North Vietnamese. A version of that tortured thinking has been resurrected recently as U.S. officials have struggled to justify President George W. Bush's...
SOCCER / World cup / EXCERPTS FROM PHILIPPE TROUSSIER'S BOOK
Mar 18, 2002

Leading my troops into battle

"Passion" is the story of Japan soccer team coach Philippe Troussier, his struggle to make it as a player and manager and his travels around France, Africa and Japan. In the book, Troussier also details his philosophy and thinking as he prepares for the World Cup in June.The book has been published...
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 18, 2002

Jubilo whips Consadole, goes top of table

Toshiya Fujita bagged a goal in each half and Brazilian striker Gral came off the bench to score on his debut as Jubilo Iwata whipped 10-man Consadole Sapporo 4-0 to move to the top of the J. League first division Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 17, 2002

The Steiff of teddy-bear legend

Cute. In Japan, there's cuteness wherever you look -- Hello Kitty, Tare Panda, The Dog, etc., etc. But from next month to September 2003, Japanese people will be able to glimpse the creativity behind the cuteness of that cuddliest of all cuddlies -- the teddy bear -- when Germany-based Margarete Steiff...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2002

Roles of the main Asia-Pacific groups

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- It may be presumptuous to review Asia-Pacific regional organizations in a single column, but there seems to be so much confusion about them that certain points need to be clarified and properly addressed. The main groups are the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC),...
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2002

Tough talk preludes steel meeting

Japan may retaliate against proposed U.S. curbs on steel imports if bilateral talks fail to resolve the issue, a senior trade bureaucrat said Thursday. Katsusada Hirose, vice minister for economy, trade and industry, made the comments ahead of bilateral negotiations scheduled to begin Thursday in Washington....
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2002

METI reviews R&D, investment incentives

A trade ministry study panel on Wednesday began considering revisions to tax incentives on corporate research and development and capital investment.
EDITORIALS
Mar 13, 2002

An inconclusive testimony

Diet testimony given Monday by Liberal Democratic Party legislator Muneo Suzuki proved to be inconclusive. It failed to lift the heavy cloud of doubt hanging over his alleged abuse of power. The central question -- how he used his political clout to favor his friends in government and business -- was...
SOCCER / J. League / ON THE BALL
Mar 12, 2002

JFA introduces new status for experienced refs

The Japan Football Association has this season introduced a new status for its top referees, called "S.R."
EDITORIALS
Mar 11, 2002

Time to fasten the seat belt

The Lower House passage of the fiscal 2002 government budget on Wednesday represents a sort of victory for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration. The vote ensures, by virtue of a constitutional provision giving priority to Lower House budget decisions, that the 81-trillion yen package clears...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2002

Bush-league diplomacy mars Asian tour

They have taken the Stars and Strips down in Tiananmen Square. Meanwhile, in the Great Hall of the People, U.S. President George W. Bush's visit is almost forgotten as the last meeting of China's National People's Congress before the 16th Party Congress in November has begun.
COMMENTARY
Mar 11, 2002

Keeping politicians on leash

In a report published March 4, the Foreign Ministry acknowledged that Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Muneo Suzuki exerted exceptional influence over ministry affairs. The report, based on an in-house probe and released by Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, confirmed allegations that Suzuki intervened...
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Mar 11, 2002

Business schools buck international trend

Seventh in a series
COMMUNITY
Mar 10, 2002

Swing your (same sex) partner round and round

The shouts of the caller are heard continuously over the country and western music on the sound system. His words, like magic, control the movements of the dancers on the floor. The dancers are arranged in groups of four couples -- leads and their partners, just as in all square-dancing groups. But in...

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