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CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Sep 5, 2001

Welcome to the 'real' world

"Utada Unplugged" -- it has a nice ring to it. Hikaru Utada is the latest artist to get the MTV Unplugged treatment, and this correspondent was one of a small group of media folk invited to the taping of the diminutive diva's MTV Japan "Unplugged" special.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Sep 5, 2001

Weakening of dollar debated but unlikely

Debate is heating up in the United States over the pros and cons of the current foreign exchange policy being pursued by the U.S.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Sep 5, 2001

Space Shower

Space Shower TV, the homegrown version of music television, has been instrumental in promoting what might be best called Japanese pop, as opposed to J-pop. These groups may not make the upper reaches of the chart -- they are either too raw or too offbeat -- but they are also too accessible or too popular...
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2001

Ota flies Kansai privatization kite

OSAKA -- Osaka Gov. Fusae Ota said Tuesday the operator of Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture could be fully privatized, either on its own or via a merger with another corporation.
CULTURE / Art
Sep 5, 2001

Meaning of life found around us and within

Shinjuku Nikon Salon is currently hosting two photo exhibitions offering viewers an opportunity first to delve deep into the living world through the lens of Kusamushi Afuba and then to take a wider view courtesy of Hidetoshi Hamada.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2001

Ministry to examine risk of eating contaminated whales

The health ministry has decided to examine the health risks associated with consuming contaminated whale meat from small whales captured along Japan's coast, ministry sources said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2001

Hitachi receives debt-rating warnings

Moody's Investors Service Inc. and Standard & Poor's Corp. issued warnings Tuesday on their debt ratings for Hitachi Ltd. following the major electronics maker's downgraded fiscal 2001 earnings forecast announced last week.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Sep 5, 2001

Nils Petter Molvaer: 'Solid Ether'

Being a respected regional musician has its good points and its not so good points. Nils Petter Molvaer, who was born in 1960 and raised on an island off the northwest coast of Norway, eventually made his way to Oslo in the early '80s and became the most acclaimed trumpeter in the city's burgeoning jazz...
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2001

Kuwaiti oil official calls off Japan trip

Kuwaiti Oil Minister Adel Khaled al-Subeih has postponed a visit to Japan that was scheduled to begin today, Japanese government sources said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Sep 5, 2001

The Strokes: 'Is This It'

Let's put our hands up and admit it, right. We are all sick of the aging rap-rock racket of Limp Bizkit and their ilk, the punk-lite of Blink-182, etc. and the overblown histrionics of mainstream British rock. We need a feisty new band to kick down the door, spray the establishment with aural bullets...
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 5, 2001

A master of many voices

Celebrating the 35th anniversary of its foundation, through Sept. 23 the National Theater of Japan in Tokyo is presenting "Honcho Nijushiko" (The 24 Models of Filial Piety), one of the most grandiose historical bunraku plays (jidaimono), almost in its entirety.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 5, 2001

Asian Rugby World Cup qualifying slated

South Korea and a third Asian entry will vie for a berth in the 2003 Rugby World Cup in an Asian qualifying tournament next June and July, the Japan Rugby Union said Monday.
CULTURE / Art
Sep 5, 2001

Connoisseur's selection from the vaults

Times have certainly changed. Corporate art acquisition, once fueled by bubble-era prosperity, is now low down the list of boardroom priorities.
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2001

Sony to issue 150 billion yen in bonds

Sony Corp. said Tuesday it plans to raise 150 billion yen -- 100 billion yen in five-year domestic bonds and 50 billion yen in 10-year domestic bonds.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2001

Maintenance error blamed in F-4 strafing

The June 25 accidental firing by an Air Self-Defense Force F-4 fighter was caused by damage to electrical wiring for weapons control apparently inflicted when a drill hit the wiring during maintenance work, an ASDF team looking into the case said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Sep 5, 2001

Tierney Sutton: 'Blue in Green'

Jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton's second release, "Blue in Green," is a stunning tribute to pianist Bill Evans. Evans, one of the most influential pianists of the past 50 years, expanded the rhythmic and harmonic possibilities of jazz. Evans also knew how to play to both a general audience and other musicians,...
SOCCER / World cup
Sep 5, 2001

Luxury ticket packages set to go on sale

Luxury ticket packages for World Cup games to be played in Japan next year, called "Prestige Program," will go on sale on Wednesday, the Japanese World Cup Organizing Committee announced Tuesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2001

Trains to become moving billboards

Advertisers in Tokyo gained a new medium on Tuesday -- rail cars.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2001

Ministry looks into growing suicide problem

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has begun compiling measures to stem the growing number of suicides in Japan, according to ministry officials.
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2001

LAN trial set for Tokyo Station

Japan Telecom Co. and East Japan Railway Co. later this month will launch a joint experiment providing Internet service over a wireless local-area network at JR Tokyo Station.
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2001

New fuel-cell Honda unveiled

Honda Motor Co. revealed Tuesday a new fuel cell-powered vehicle that performs almost as well as gasoline-powered cars.
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2001

Lee looking to alter landscape of Taiwan's politics

TAIPEI -- Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui is looking to forge a new political group after legislative elections are held in December.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 5, 2001

A-Cab rips No. 45 as Lions top Buffs

Alex Cabrera slugged his 45th roundtripper of the season and Mitsutaka Goto struck out nine and scattered two hits over 62/3 innings as the Seibu Lions won their fourth game in a row with a 5-2 victory over the Pacific League-leading Kintetsu Buffaloes on Tuesday at the Seibu Dome. With the win and the...
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2001

'Eiken' tests to go on despite ministry

The Society for Testing English Proficiency, Inc. said Tuesday that it will continue to hold its "eiken" English proficiency test despite an education ministry decision to halt official recognition of the exam.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2001

Poor economy taking toll on health care

The number of people losing their national health insurance certificate because they failed to pay premiums due to salary reductions and other hardships is on the rise.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji