Great Leader's aura fails to illuminate Korean mystery

Article Abstract:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is greatly revered by the Korean people, and is portrayed in official literature almost as a religious figure. However, he has made very few public appearances since he took over from his father, Kim Il Sung, in 1994, and has not taken on all of his fathers titles, including those of state president and general secretary of the Workers' Party. Some observers believe that this is because a rapid transfer of power would be seen as inappropriate, while others believe that Kim Jong Il is now merely a figurehead in the conflict between different factions in the Workers' Party and the military.

Powers and duties, North Korea, Kim Jong-il

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City remembers day it escaped the bomb

Article Abstract:

The atomic bomb which was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki on Aug 09, 1945, was originally intended for the city of Kokura, but adverse weather conditions prompted a change of plan. Kokura is the largest industrial centre in western Japan, and this made it an ideal target, especially as it also had a large port. It has a long cultural heritage, most of which remained intact during the second world war. Its residents are now holding ceremonies in recognition of the fact that the city would have been totally destroyed if the original plan had been followed.

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Banging heads against a bloody wall

Article Abstract:

The Japanese government's five-year deregulation action programme, published recently, has attracted little interest. It is a very weak, evasive document, and is very complicated, covering 1,091 separate items of deregulation. It contains little which is new or significant, and has no firm commitments on the most important issues. It simply highlights the continuing strong cultural differences between Japan and the US and Europe.

International trade

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