A S I A
JAPAN: No News Is Bad News
After keeping the country in the dark about former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's stroke, Japan's powerbrokers turn to a status quo figure to nurse the country back to health

• Mr. Simplicity: Obuchi's secret was to lower expectations
• Mr. Fix-It: Mori is a safe, if uninspired, choice

T H E   A R T S
BOOKS:
E.L. Doctorow's enthralling City of God examines religious faith at the end of a bloody century
• Looking Back
A sweeping new work asks yesterday's philosophers for today's answers

E N D   P A G E S
TRAVEL WATCH

SPOTLIGHT

MILESTONES