Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from November 2003

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from November 2003

The Japanese Contribution to System Building.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Kikutake Kiyonori In my previous article, "A Vision for Japanese Style Development," I wrote that disassembling and reassembling features are the fundamental characteristics of...

Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan Moves into Action.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Tani Sadafumi On Aug. 28 and Sept. 1, the Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan (IRCJ) selected its initial set of four companies to receive public restructuring assistance....

Japan's Canal City, Otaru.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Article by Elizabeth Kiritani and illustrations by Kiritani Itsuo Twenty-three years ago, I spent several years commuting by train from Sapporo to Otaru along the craggy...

Japanese Swimming and Its Revival.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Suzuki Daichi The Japanese swimming team has been maintaining good performances since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. This summer, Japanese swimmers achieved astonishing results...

The Japanese Model: Shifts in Comparative Advantage Due to the IT Revolution and Modularization.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Motohashi Kazuyuki Factors behind the Economic Slump of the 1990s Economic growth in Japan dropped off sharply in the 1990s. This is thought to be in large part a cyclic...

From the Persian Wars to the War in Iraq (Part 1).
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Yamauchi Masayuki "I like to read history and discover more about what the people of long ago did, because that helps me set my own goals. This is what Mencius meant by...

Transcending Romantic Misconceptions.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Ikeuchi Satoshi Romantic Misconceptions The economic ties between Japan and the Middle East run deep. Japan relies on the crude oil produced by Persian Gulf countries for the...

From the Persian Wars to the War in Iraq (Part 2).
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Yamauchi Masayuki History and the Causes of the War in Iraq: Stated Reasons, and Reasons That Could Not Be Stated The Iraqi situation is developing further and further into a...

Middle East Energy and Japan.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Hatanaka Yoshiki Dependence on Middle Eastern Oil Rising Again Japan's 2001 primary energy consumption in oil-equivalent units was 514.5 million tons, ranking it fourth in the...

North Korea's Quest for Nuclear Weapons and the Role of the Six-Party Talks.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Young C. Kim That the recent six-party talks in Beijing yielded no substantive results surprised few observers as most participating countries had openly expressed low...

Not just for China but...
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Hatakeyama Noboru China is the country that has the biggest trade surplus with the United States. For a 24-year period ending in 1999, Japan was the nation that had the...

The Development Agenda in Afghanistan: A Disability Model.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Abdullah Wardak Overview To many outsiders, Afghanistan may not appear strategically important compared with other major countries in the region, including Iran, Pakistan,...

Japanese Civilization (Part 11).
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Kawakatsu Heita A Grand Plan for Building the Nation The watchword of the hundred-year plan drawn up by the leaders of Meiji Japan was fukoku kyohei (enrich the country and...

Koizumi Reorganizes His Cabinet.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Prime Minister Koizumi Jun-ichiro carried out a major reshuffle of his cabinet on Sept. 22 following his triumphant re-election as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)....

Hopes Growing for Full Economic Recovery.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) The Tokyo stock market surged ahead in September amid growing expectations that Japan's economy is headed for a full-fledged recovery, lifting its key gauge, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock...

China Under Pressure to Revalue the Yuan.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) China is under increasing international pressure to revalue its currency, the yuan. The U.S. trade deficit with China in July jumped 13.5% to $11.338 billion, the largest monthly deficit...

Rethinking Corporate Social Responsibilities.
November 1, 2003... (From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI)) Byline: Inoki Takenori Are Business Corporations Rational Entities? To a scholar such as this writer doing research on corporate skill development and personnel nurturing, business...

Archer cracks Django for title.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Dennis U. Eroa AMERICAN Johnny Archer, capping a sizzling show with an ace, played a Halloween trick on Filipino pool fans as he outfoxed local hero Francisco "Django" Bustamante, 13-10, to...

Ask your congressman to withdraw signature.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Belinda Olivares-Cunanan THIS weekend, members of the House go back to their respective provinces for the traditional observance of All Saints' Day. I hope that citizens and the various...

Arcilla, 2 boxers gunning for gold.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Roy Luarca HYDERABAD, India-Top Filipino netter Johnny Arcilla joined boxers Harry Tanamor and Violito Payla in their bid for gold medals at the close of the 1st Afro-Asian Games here Friday....

Cebuanos hit back at Davide's tormentors.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Ivan Suansing OUTRAGE. This one word encapsulates the Cebuanos' reactions to the perfidious plot to bring down one of the few men in the government with an immaculate record, Supreme Court...

Up close with Steve Hontiveros.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Anthony Suntay STEPHEN Hontiveros is literally on top of the world. As president of the FIQ, the governing body for bowling, he becomes only the third Filipino to hold the highest position in a...

'Hangang pier, na naman'.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Bambi L. Harper MORE and more we hear people wondering what happened to us that we were second only to Japan some decades ago and all of a sudden we're at the bottom of the progress barrel. ...

Cops cleared of links with illegal logging.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) CAMP SATURNINO DUMLAO, Nueva Vizcaya-Policemen, who were earlier reported engaged in the selling of illegally cut lumber, have been cleared of any wrongdoing, the provincial police director said. Senior...

Cemetery guard fears the living.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Margaux Ortiz, Metro DRUG addicts and thieves are a lot scarier than ghosts for the lone barangay tanod looking after the Makati City Cemetery. "I've only encountered ghosts in my dreams,"...

10 days to work on 17 Lakas lawmakers.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) THE RULING Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats is wading into the effort to persuade pro-impeachment lawmakers to withdraw their signatures from the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Hilario Davide...

Dead may be buried standing up.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Tarra Quismundo THE COUNTRY'S biggest cemetery has just run out of space and one Manila official is set to file a bill that will require the dead to be buried standing up. Manila North...

Recipe for instability.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) THE REJECTION by the Commission on Elections of the application for accreditation of Namfrel to conduct a quick count in the 2004 elections confirms its well-known obsession to exclude that civic...

Forgotten dead lie not in tombs but in storehouse.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Edson Tandoc Jr. NOBODY will visit their remains in the cemeteries today. They don't even have their own tombs to begin with. At the Sangandaan Cemetery in Caloocan City, the remains of the...

In death, unwanted babies find resting place in the heart of North Cemetery.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Leila B. Salaverria THERE is a special place in Manila where the remains of abandoned babies and aborted fetuses are given repose. The area is in a place within the North Cemetery dubbed the...

FPJ worries over his lack of political experience.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Marinel R. Cruz A CASE of cold feet or touching humility? Even as the pressure and the clamor for him to run for president mounts, movie star Fernando Poe Jr. appears to have been struck by...

Heroes walk the grounds of Libingan ng mga Bayani.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Christine A. Paita NOT ALL heroes at the Libingan ng mga Bayani are found under concrete, white crosses. Surviving family and relatives of those buried at the Libingan know these heroes as...

Imelda hit for London sidetrip.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Alcuin Papa THE PRESIDENTIAL Commission on Good Government yesterday said Imelda Marcos, the widow of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was in violation of the terms of a permit to travel...

Joe de V losing sleep over Davide impeachment.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Yolanda Sotelo-Fuertes, PDI Northern Luzon Bureau DAGUPAN CITY-The normally voluble speaker of the House has admitted losing sleep over the latest imbroglio to hit Congress. Speaker Jose de...

Knives, bolos, samurais seized in cemeteries.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Margaux Ortiz, Leila Salaverria, Tarra Quismundo, Luige del Puerto and Tina Santos JUST use your hands in weeding out the tombs of your loved ones. The team head of the Manila Traffic and...

GMA on Erap: No political deals, only compassion.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Gil Cabacungan Jr. and Armand Nocum IN AN EFFORT to justify her administration's perceived mellowing stance, President Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday said she was acting only in "compassion and...

LA wildfire puts Barrera on the run.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Salven L. Lagumbay POUND-FOR-POUND boxing great Marco Antonio Barrera found himself literally in the line of fire and was forced to evacuate from his Big Bear camp in Los Angeles yesterday...

The lost American cemetery.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Alex V. Pal, Dumaguete City And even my grave is remembered no more Unmark'd by never a cross nor a stone Let the plow sweep through it, the spade turn it o'er That my ashes may...

Mindanao has huge power reserves-Napocor.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY-The National Power Corp. said Mindanao has a huge reserve of power that would last beyond 2005. The state-owned firm sought to assure businessmen who said they were worried that...

Scraping the bottom.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Solita Collas-Monsod The multitude of issues now being discussed and debated in connection with the attempt to impeach Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. can be classified into three major...

No settlement is honorable, Davide told.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) SAYING it would be dishonorable for the Supreme Court to submit to any "honorable settlement" with the House of Representatives over the impeachment of Chief Justice Hilario Davide, the Public Interest Law...

NBI warns of text messaging racket.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) BACOLOD CITY-Don't be fooled by text messages informing you that you have won in a raffle because chances are, this is a sham. Celso Estorga, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) chief in Bacolod,...

NBN-4 takeover blamed for PBA financial woes.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: June Navarro THERE was a far superior offer but it was shot down even before it got off the ground. Phillip Ella Juico, a former member of the IBC-13 board, yesterday said the PBA's...

3 cops slain in NPA attack in Bulacan town.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) HAGONOY, Bulacan-Three members of the Philippine National Police's maritime command in this town were killed while another was wounded after communist rebels raided their detachment in Barangay Poblacion on...

Seized ammo traced to PMA Class '95.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Leila B. Salaverria POLICE have traced the source of the ammunitions seized from the house of a suspected Magdalo supporter to members of class '95 of the Philippine Military Academy, the batch...

GMA pooh-poohs 'poor' investment report on RP.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. PRESIDENT Macapagal-Arroyo has dismissed as "old news" another international assessment of the Philippines which gave the country a poor rating. "This is recycled...

Priest gets jail term for sexual misconduct.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Vincent Cabreza, PDI Northern Luzon Bureau BAGUIO CITY-A Catholic priest in Tuba, Benguet, has been sentenced to four months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to charges of sexual misconduct....

Irresponsible leaders.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Isagani A. Cruz IT'S alarming. It's preposterous. It's unbelievable even given the ridiculous state of our politics at present. But, Heaven help us, it's true. The incredible report is that...

QC councilors approve tax amnesty.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Tina Santos THE QUEZON City council has approved on third and final reading an ordinance declaring a one-time amnesty on delinquent real property taxpayers. The ordinance, however, may be...

Cops prepare for reb attacks.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) CEBU CITY-Members of the Regional Mobile Group (RMG) have been deployed to police stations in remote areas in Central Visayas to avert any possible attack by the New People's Army during All Saint's Day and...

NPAs refute military figures on rebel casualty.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) ILAGAN, Isabela-The New People's Army disputed military reports claiming that an undetermined number of rebels were killed in a series of clashes in San Mariano town on Saturday. In a statement sent to...

Senate split on Davide impeachment.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Christine O. Avendano and Michael Lim Ubac EVEN the Senate is divided on how the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. should now proceed. Opposition leader Sen....

Small Samar town judged one of world's most livable areas.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Vicente S. Labro, Calbiga, Samar A SMALL, ancient town of Samar stole the limelight in this year's Nations in Bloom, a prestigious international competition, when it won the contest and also...

John Lennon's reincarnation.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Al S. Mendoza LET me tell you more about Eric Hidemasu Mabuchi, the John Lennon of Japan, and his three pals-Hajime Kubo (George Harrison), Hiroyuki Ueki (Paul McCartney) and Yukinobu Kabe...

Toxic waste victims remembered.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Allan Macatuno, PDI Central Luzon Desk OLONGAPO CITY-Relatives and supporters of toxic waste victims in Clark and Subic appealed for renewed support for the cleanup of former American bases and...

Tropical storm dampens All Saints' Day.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Norman Bordadora FOR SURE, you'll be wrapped in sentiment as you honor your dearly loved dead today. But also make sure you wear a raincoat and boots or a pair of mud-proof shoes. Bring an...

Children's ghosts captured on camera.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Ramon Tulfo DON'T forget to watch the All Saints' Day episode of "Isumbong mo kay Tulfo" today at RPN 9 from 6 to 7 p.m. It's a presentation suited for the day to honor the departed. ...

'Vacuum of leadership'.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Philip C. Tubeza, in Manila and Jolene R. Bulambot, PDI Visayas Bureau THE "VACUUM of leadership" resulting from the constitutional crisis brought about by his impeachment may cause another...

Word war grows ugly in WBC Int'l title fight.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) REACTING to WBC International flyweight champ Randy Mangubat's vow to break his jaw, challenger Diosdado Gabi yesterday launched an acid verbal assault. Gabi told the champ not to offer any alibis when he...

Before Sept. 7.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Ina Alleco R. Silverio MY dad, Florentino Silos Silverio, died last Sept. 7 of an aneurysm. He was 55. He would have been 56 last Oct. 16. Days before that day, instead of panicking over what...

ABS-CBN buying $3M worth of equipment.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. has invested around $3 million (P165 million) to acquire new equipment for its remote coverage, pre-production and post-production work. The new equipment are mostly digital...

Cable firms happy with NTC guidelines.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Abigail L. Ho CABLE operators and program providers have expressed their satisfaction with the guidelines governing cable television and direct-to-home (DTH) television services issued recently...

Cholera strikes again.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Charles E. Buban IT'S A DISEASE associated with destitution and pestilence. Small wonder then that local health officials are doggedly trying to contain the spread of cholera cases in Tondo,...

RP to defer exit from IMF deal, says BSP chief.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Clarissa S. Batino THE PHILIPPINES is not in a hurry to end its post-program monitoring arrangement with the International Monetary Fund especially now when political uncertainties cloud the...

Mind over matter: monkey think, monkey do.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Massie K. Santos (Conclusion) FOR DECADES, researchers have worked on helping the paralyzed regain the use of their nonfunctioning limbs. In recent years, thanks largely to Christopher...

Melecio S. Magno: physicist and educator.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Queena N. Lee-Chua MOST likely, physics is the most difficult natural science for students to grasp. Although force, motion and energy are ubiquitous, a full understanding of these concepts may...

Japanese businessmen bullish on RP.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Michelle V. Remo JAPANESE firms in the country gave the local business climate a higher satisfaction rating in October, indicating a surprising confidence in the economy despite recent political...

Cases of kidney failure due to diabetes rising.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Charles E. Buban MEDICAL experts recently warned that there was a "substantial and steady" increase in the incidence of kidney failure due to diabetes mellitus, a disease that afflicts more than...

Coughing like mad with bronchitis.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Rafael R. Castillo, MD SOMETIME last year, we wrote a series of articles on how air pollution was slowly killing us. The Clean Air Act has apparently not caused any significant improvement in...

MRT III consortium to issue P1B in asset-backed securities.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Doris C. Dumlao THE METRO Rail Transit III consortium is ready to push through with its secondary offering of over $1 billion worth of asset-backed securities to raise fresh funds for expansion...

Search for 'painless mammogram' could end in this Makati hospital.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Tessa R. Salazar WOMEN usually dread mammograms. The indescribable pain during this procedure has been listed as one of the main barriers to women getting their necessary breast examinations....

Healthy lifestyle is Aubrey Miles' priority.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Mary Ann A. Baustista WHEN she was younger, Aubrey planned to take up veterinary medicine or tourism in college, but her passion for singing led her to the UST Conservatory of Music instead....

Living in fabulous mansions full of beautiful stellar memories.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Behn Cervantes THE LAST house Marlon and Ed owned in fabulous Las Vegas was on Omaha st., in a section of the glitzy city where streets are named after Native American tribes. So, it was no...

Ping won't sing to woo voters.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Christine O. Avendano DON'T expect Sen. Panfilo Lacson to sing or dance when he finally hits the campaign trail in the next few months in his bid for the highest position in the land. ...

Love and music weave a beautiful spell.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Nestor U. Torre AT the Manila Cathedral and the Manila Hotel on Nov. 7, a unique "musical romance" drama will play itself out as Filipina Lorraine Pimentel and Belgian Alain Borghijs pledge...

Stephen King offers advice to aspiring writers.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Ronald G. Mangubat BETWEEN the ages of 12 and 14, Stephen Edwin King, now the undisputed master of horror novels, submitted stories to local publishers, hoping to see his byline in newspapers...

Women of Butuan.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Rina Jimenez-David I KNOW I've declared that maybe it's about time we just closed shop and declared the Philippines bankrupt. But that was born out of disgust at the antics of a number of our...

Three new local and foreign films hit the spot.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Nestor U. Torre AFTER they worked so well together on "Munting Tinig," the star-director team of Alessandra de Rossi and Gil Portes have another dramatic powerhouse in store for viewers in the...

Great gifts for homesick Pinoys abroad.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Sandy Daza THERE used to be many Philippine food items that could be eaten only in this country-fresh mango, daing, tuyo, sardines, Lily's peanut butter, Barrio Fiesta bagoong, Via Mare...

'Playing in the Fields' is a charmer.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Noelani Torre WE'VE been hearing some of Barbie's Cradle's songs from their latest album for several months now, but we only managed to listen to the entire compilation quite recently. That's...

Reality shows finally start to make their mark on local television.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Nestor U. Torre THE TELENOVELAS, Pinoy soap serial and Chinovelas have lorded it over our TV screen for so long that they look like they're here to stay. But some signs of a major takeover are...

Encounters with dead relatives.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Mandy Navasero MY experiences with dead people have often involved my own relatives: My grandparents on my mother's side are from Pagsanjan, Laguna. Every summer, I would spend my vacation...

Classy lineup of intelligent, commercially viable films.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Rito P. Asilo (Conclusion) JOAQUIN Oristrell's "Sin Verguenza" (Without Shame) is a witty satire that lampoons the egocentric world of the theater and its actors. With a powerhouse cast,...

Empowering Filipino artists everywhere.
November 1, 2003... (From Philippine Daily Inquirer) Byline: Rito P. Asilo SINGAPORE-After more than a hundred performances of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" in the Philippines, you'd think you would have learned to relax. But the play's current...