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The article highlights the interior design of the MDS Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, designed by architect Sigeru Ban. According to the author, the gallery is a showcase for the architect's experiments with cardboard tubes. Tall tubes of recycled paper form a peristyle on the south side, in front of a curving wall. The author claims the geometry is subtle, the arc set asymmetrically within the rectangle, and shapes a chiaroscuro that changes gradually throughout the day with the light.

The article reports on the paper airplane developed by Japan Origami Airplane Association and the University of Tokyo which is intended to make a flight from International Space Station to Earth. According to the article, the group has conducted a heat-resistant testing to be able to determine if whether the aircraft can withstand intense heat. In addition, it states that the aircraft that weighs lighter is expected not to burn easily and come down to the planet's atmosphere slowly.

The article reports that a technology to create bioethanol from waste paper and other organic residuals using a special kind of bacteria is underway by a package material manufacturer in western Japan called Shingoshu Co. According to Japan for Sustainability, joint research is being conducted with two universities and the Energen company that sells biomass energy. Some countries have already been blending gasoline with bioethanol produced from such materials as sugar cane. In Japan, a blended fuel containing three percent bioethanol was introduced in 2004.

Describes Shigeru Ban's experiments with paper architecture which has served the needs of January 1995 Kobe earthquake refugees and other victims of disasters. Axonometrics of Takatori Catholic Church and paper log house; Key specifications; Materials and technology.

Focuses on an inside-the-back-cover advertisement published by 'Paper' magazine for Japan's Kintetsy department store. Description of the print advertisement; Role of reader demographics in the success of the advertisement.

Presents the results of a survey on Japan's newspaper advertising expenditures in 1992 conducted by Dentsu Incorporated. Analysis on the slowdown of the Japanese economy; Private sector performance; Consumer demand; Comparison with 1991 figures.

Reports on worsening revenues of Japanese newspapers. Recession in 1993; Closure of small newspapers; Stagnant circulation; Declining advertising and profits; Report from the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association; Cost cutting.

A White Paper from Japan's Defense Agency (JDA) says the threat of international terrorism or a ballistic missile attack is far greater than a Cold War-style invasion, indicating a rethinking in spending away from the country's traditional defensive stance. In a 1995 White Paper, the JDA acknowledged the end of the Cold War and the need to restructure Japan's forces into a smaller, more efficient power. The paper cites two main threats, international terrorism and North Korea's nuclear weapons program and ballistic missiles.

Discusses Japan Defense Agency's 1994 Defense White Paper which poses questions regarding Japan's own defense spending in light of North Korea's political stability and its development of the 600-mile range Rodong-1 ballistic missile. Assessment of North Korea's weapons; Call for greater defense research and development for the Japanese military; Possible change in balance of power in the Northeast Asian region.

The article focuses on a report that North Korea's nuclear brinkmanship and the change of political leadership in Tokyo, Japan are combining to give renewed impetus to efforts to strengthen the Japanese military and arrest the slide in defense spending. A recent policy white paper issued by the Japan Defense Agency points out that North Korea's July ballistic missile launch is a serious challenge from the viewpoint of Japan's security.

Several stellar Japanese architects recently converged on Manhattan, New York, for a symposium at the Japan Society called "Technology and Tradition in Contemporary Japanese Architecture," co-organized by the periodical "Architectural Record." The conference was launched with a lecture by Fumihiko Maki, recently appointed architect for a new United Nations building and a tower at Ground Zero. The focus then passed to younger architects, including Ware Kishi , Kengo Kuma, and the ebullient Jun Aoki. Aoki, Shigeru Ban and Kazuyo Sejima are rising architects. Each has built or is about to build in Manhattan: Aoki's work for Vuitton on Fifth Avenue, Ban's Paper Arch at the Museum of Modern Art in 2000, and Sejima's New Museum envisaged for the Bowery.

The article describes the architecture design of the Tokyo Tower office building in Tokyo Bay, Japan created by Foster Architects. The project illustrates some of the pressures of the contemporary world and the kind of imagination needed to humanize them. The paper provides relevant photographs, floor plans and architectural drawings.

Discusses the details of the report made in the 1995 Defense White Paper assessment of Japan's military needs. Shrinkage in the defense budgets; Other information in the report.

Discusses the Japan Defense Agency's annual white paper, which urges Japan to continue its defense buildup despite the Soviet Union's political and arms control initiatives.

Reports on release of a position paper by Japan's Ministry of Construction regarding the adoption of qualified open bidding for large-scale public works. Recommendation of the council; Contents of the ministry's position paper; Second report; Japanese contractors delegation for workshops on U.S.-style bidding.

Focuses on the visit of the Japan Free Newspapers Association members in the United States. Aim of the members to gain knowledge on freepaper operation; Number of free papers' copies distributed in Japan and America; Details on cash flow and gross revenue multiples in free paper operation; Issues on the integration of Japanese papers into the American market.

Reports FIZ Karlsruhe has announced that AQUIRE, a database containing papers about toxic effects of chemicals has been added to the STN International service. How AQUIRE covers toxic effect data including lethal, sublethal, and residue effect of all aquatic species and plants; Other additions to STN International including the JAPIO patent database, produced by the Japanese Patent Office, providing comprehensive English-language access to Japanese patent applications.

Reports on the commercial recycling activities in Hokkaido, Japan. History and background information on Hokkaido; Development of neighborhood waste collection system; Waste collected in Furano Recycling Center; Discussion of composting process and statistics; Recycling of and marketing paper and plastic wastes; ; Education of newcomers on proper waste separation; Features of Furano waste education.

The article reports on the revision of the Biomass Nippon Strategy by the Japanese government. The Biomass Nippon Strategy is a national project to promote biomass use policies as transportation and resources. Definition of biomass includes animal waste, food residuals, wood chips and rice chaff. The statistics of unutilized biomass in Japan are given. They include 80 percent food waste, over 40 percent of paper waste, 70 percent of nonfood farm crop residues, most wood waste from forestry and 36 percent of sewage sludge.

Offers news briefs related to libraries as of November 1, 2000. Presentation of a collection of notebooks and papers of the poet William Butler Yeats to the National Library of Ireland; Closure of libraries during a one-day strike in September 2000 in Scotland; Efforts to save rare books which were damaged by monsoon floods at a library in Hyderabad, India; Journalists' library which was opened by the Freedom Forum in Bamako, Mali; Laws requiring schools to hire librarians by the Education Ministry in Japan.

Reports that at last year's Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's book publishers were formally introduced to Sony's first electronic alternative to ink on paper, the Data Discman, known as `DD1' in Japan. Hardware is Sony's; Data is compiled and the compact discs are produced by the giant printers Toppan and Dai Nippon; First standards, then markets; A tour of Toppan's new Media Center in downtown Tokyo; Applications of these new services; Extending definitions; More.

Reports on findings of the Nihon Shinbun Kyokai News Bulletin. Effect of Japan's sluggish economy on the newspaper advertising revenue for 1993; Earnings drops of national and local papers.

Reports on the hostaging of Japanese newspaper executives by two armed men protesting a news story. Demand for an apology from the Tokyo-based paper on the coverage of the Tokyo tribunal after the World War II; Anti-`Asahi Shimbun' leaflets thrown by the armed men.

Reports on the Electronics Industries Association of Japan's (EIAJ) issuance of a white paper to refute Semiconductor Industry Association's (SIA) charges on Japan's violation of the 1991 United States (US) Semiconductor Agreement. Decline in Japan's foreign market share for the third consecutive quarter of 1993; Improvement in US market share and profits; SIA's demand for a remedy to the alleged violations.

The article discusses the promotion of biomass plastics in general food container production in Japan. With this, voluntary industry standards for the use of polylactic acid products are being evaluated for poly butulene succinate. Biomass plastics are used in containers for blister packs for batteries, disposable cups and egg packaging. In addition, such materials are now being used in various home appliances or car interior parts. Using biomass plastics can improve heat proof, impact proof and crystallization speeds and that they are considered as carbon neutral rather than biodegradable. The Biomass Nippon Strategy outlines some specific goals for biomass plastics while details on the CarbonNeutral system are also discussed.