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Eric Johnston

JAPAN

Aug 21, 2003

Chemical weapons as much a threat as nuclear proliferation

OSAKA -- Chemical and biological weapons falling into the hands of individuals or small bands of terrorists is as much a threat as nuclear weapons being developed by rogue states, delegates at U.N. disarmament talks warned Wednesday.

JAPAN

Jul 26, 2003

Chongryun tax breaks face hard scrutiny

OSAKA -- For nearly half a century, the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun) has been the primary voice of the North Korean community in Japan, representing nearly 200,000 people.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Jul 20, 2003

Osaka braces itself for festival fallout

OSAKA -- Osaka’s annual Tenjin Matsuri festival, held in late July every year, draws tens of thousands of visitors and is considered one of the country’s largest and most popular summer events. But this year, city officials are worried that once the party is over, the streets will look like a rock star’s...

JAPAN

Jul 15, 2003

Protesters call for Aum members’ eviction

OSAKA -- Some 400 people took part in a protest rally Monday to have Aum Shinrikyo followers evicted from the cult’s headquarters in Nishinari Ward, Osaka.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Jul 6, 2003

Buried treasure: the mysteries and majesty of Nara

NARA -- At the end of 2001, the Emperor made a comment that received relatively little attention in Japan but one that will, without a doubt, stand as one of the most significant statements of his reign. In speaking about Japan’s often troubled relations with the Korean Peninsula, the Emperor noted that...

JAPAN

Jun 27, 2003

Takuma’s final defense for massacre: insanity

OSAKA -- In an emotional, six-hour closing argument that ended with quotations from the Greek tragedy “Antigone,” lawyers for Mamoru Takuma, who has admitted to massacring eight elementary school students in 2001, said he is not guilty by reason of insanity.

JAPAN

Jun 27, 2003

Takuma’s final defense for massacre: insanity

OSAKA -- In an emotional, six-hour closing argument that ended with quotations from the Greek tragedy “Antigone,” lawyers for Mamoru Takuma, who has admitted to massacring eight elementary school students in 2001, said he is not guilty by reason of insanity.

JAPAN

Jun 27, 2003

Takuma’s final defense for massacre: insanity

OSAKA -- In an emotional, six-hour closing argument that ended with quotations from the Greek tragedy “Antigone,” lawyers for Mamoru Takuma, who has admitted to massacring eight elementary school students in 2001, said he is not guilty by reason of insanity.

JAPAN

Jun 10, 2003

Banning ferry visits seen as futile

OSAKA -- Experts on North Korean issues say that simply banning port calls by the North Korean ferry Man Gyong Bong-92 would not stop shipments to the reclusive state of sensitive materials like devices that can be used for missile development.

BUSINESS

Apr 24, 2003

Work to be done in Kansai to attract cash

OSAKA -- Kansai offers great potential for foreign direct investment -- but numerous problems are deterring foreign firms from doing business in the region, according to American and Japanese participants at a seminar Wednesday in Osaka.

JAPAN

Apr 17, 2003

Lawyers bid to curb sex harassment

OSAKA -- The Osaka Bar Association plans to adopt new internal rules designed to crack down on sexual harassment.

JAPAN

Apr 13, 2003

Six months on, access to abductees remains an issue

OSAKA -- On Tuesday, six months will have passed since the five Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in 1978 returned home, an event that most Japanese media rated the No. 1 news story of 2002.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Apr 11, 2003

Fukui race boils down to reactor factor

TAKAHAMA, Fukui Pref. -- Like many of her fellow shopkeepers in this small town along the Sea of Japan coast, Tomoko Kurahashi is ambivalent about the candidates for Fukui governor.

Japan Times

JAPAN / IN WITH THE NEW

Apr 10, 2003

Japan needs spine to stand up, cut its losers: Koike

ITAMI, Hyogo Pref. -- While many Japanese politicians claim knowledge of or interest in Middle Eastern affairs, few if any can match the credentials of Lower House member Yuriko Koike of the Liberal Democratic Party.

JAPAN

Mar 24, 2003

Forum closes with vows to prioritize water issues

KYOTO -- The 3rd World Water Forum closed Sunday with a declaration promising to make water issues a top priority among governments but failing to narrow the gap on the issue of privatizing water supplies and sanitation services.

JAPAN

Mar 23, 2003

Kyoto water forum opens amid internal wrangling

KYOTO -- A two-day meeting of ministers from 170 countries opened Saturday in Kyoto at the World Water Forum, with delegates making firm promises to deal with the world’s water crisis.

JAPAN

Mar 22, 2003

Forum tackles water access

OTSU, Shiga Pref. -- Among the many issues delegates to the World Water Forum are debating is how to deal with conflicts between tribes and nations over limited water supplies.

JAPAN

Mar 21, 2003

Hope evaporates at water forum

OTSU, Shiga Pref. -- With the long-expected U.S.-led war in Iraq now a reality, the ongoing World Water Forum began falling apart Thursday.

JAPAN

Mar 20, 2003

Water pushed as human right

KYOTO -- Is access to water a basic human right? This is one of the fundamental questions government delegates to the World Water Forum are grappling with as they prepare for a ministerial conference this weekend.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Mar 19, 2003

War fears put water forum in jeopardy

KYOTO -- The remainder of the 3rd World Water Forum, which is scheduled to end Sunday, was thrown into confusion Tuesday by fears that a U.S.-led war on Iraq is imminent.

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