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JAPAN
Jun 27, 2001

Hiranuma to visit Niigata over MOX rejection

Takeo Hiranuma, the economy, trade and industry minister, said Tuesday he will visit Niigata Prefecture on Saturday to meet with local officials over the controversial plan to use plutonium-uranium mixed oxide, or MOX, fuel in nuclear power plants.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 27, 2001

Bending the rules of noir

The Monkey's Mask Rating: * * * 1/2 Japanese title: Poetry, SexDirector: Samantha Lang Running time: 93 minutes Language: EnglishShowing at Yebisu Garden Cinema Murder mysteries have been set in just about every locale possible, so why not the cloistered world of Australian poetry? That's what director...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2001

Is Canberra doing right by its refugees?

SYDNEY -- Nowhere was the poignancy of World Refugee Day on June 20 felt more acutely than in Australia. Here, the plight of thousands of refugees held in detention camps gnaws at the national conscience.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2001

Obituary: Ryuzaburo Kaku

Ryuzaburo Kaku, former president of Canon Inc., died Saturday of a heart attack at his home in Tokyo, his family said Monday. He was 75.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 27, 2001

Lang enters the sophomore class

It comes as no surprise to hear that the most inspiring film in Samantha Lang's life was "Hiroshima, Mon Amour." "I saw it when I was 16 and must have watched it at least 10 times," says Lang. "I know that film shot by shot, line by line." Echoes of that film's free-spirited and independent heroine,...
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2001

Panel to explore direct vote for prime minister

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he will set up an advisory panel next month to study one of his pet policies — the introduction of a popular vote for the prime minister.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2001

Green drive may boost economy

More efficient use of resources and better waste policies could boost the economy as well as reaping manifold environmental benefits, according to an inaugural white paper on waste-reduction approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Jun 27, 2001

Foreign investors doubting 'Koizumi effect?'

The catalyst for this month's fall in Tokyo share prices was selloffs by foreign investors, notably U.S.-based players.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2001

Asian literacy conference kicks off

A five-day international conference to discuss how to improve literacy rates in Asia kicked off Tuesday in Tokyo with representatives from 19 countries.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2001

Ikeda kids reunited with classmates

OSAKA — About 200 schoolchildren from an Osaka elementary school where eight pupils were stabbed to death June 8 were reunited with their classmates Tuesday for the first time in 18 days.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 27, 2001

Stop me if you've heard this one before

Nadie Conoce a Nadie Rating: * * Japanese Title: PuzzleDirector: Mateo Gil Running time: 108 minutes Language: SpanishOpens June 30 at Cine La Sept in Yurakcho At this point in time, we, as an audience, have learned to expect things from the psycho-killer genre: elaborate mutilation; a hip and queasy...
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2001

State aims to spur telecom joust

The government will set up a study panel next month to ponder steps to enhance competition in the telecom market, Toranosuke Katayama, minister for public management, home affairs, posts and telecommunications, said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 27, 2001

A blueprint for total disaster

Minna no Ie Rating: * * * 1/2 Director: Koki Mitani Running time: 115 minutes Language: JapaneseShowing at Shibutoh Cine Tower and other theaters A fatal hard-drive crash (signaled by the sound of the computer going whack-whack-whack instead of the usual varoom) is one of those complacency-shattering...
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2001

Manufacturers hurt by lack of new blood

The nation's manufacturing industry is being threatened by the declining number of young workers in the sector and the transfer of manufacturing bases overseas, according to a report released Tuesday.
CULTURE / Art
Jun 27, 2001

The chrysanthemum and the rose

LONDON -- Anybody turning up at London's Hyde Park to walk their dog on the morning of Saturday, May 19, could have been forgiven for thinking they'd wandered into some kind of space and time warp. Instead of a few squirrels and strollers enjoying the pale, watery sunshine, they would have found a full-blown...
CULTURE / Art
Jun 27, 2001

New media center has no center

Almost five years after the InterCommunication Center opened in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, the same question remains: Is this a gallery for artists working with new media, or is it an exhibit hall for techies toying with art?
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jun 27, 2001

Number Girl

When a band regularly starts its shows with Television's "Marquee Moon," you know what kind of standards it holds itself up to. In light of the progress Number Girl has made in its brief history, this doesn't seem too ambitious. Since forming in 1995, the band has gone from the indies to the Japanese...
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 27, 2001

Arsenal reportedly interested in signing Gamba's Inamoto

Junichi Inamoto If the deal goes through, Inamoto will become the first Japanese player to move to an English Premier League club.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jun 27, 2001

Love on the dance floor

Talk about good timing. Just as the enervating ennui of tsuyu set in, reggae singer Mikidozan released "Lifetime Respect," whose mellow vibe and infectious melody have taken it to the top of the charts. (It's No. 1 on the July 2 Oricon singles chart). With its loping, steady groove and positive message...
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 27, 2001

Noda weaves another fantastical web

Hideki Noda, head of the cutting-edge theater company Noda Map, wrote and directs its latest production, "Nisesaku: Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita (A Fake: Under the Cherry Trees in Full Bloom)." He also acts, as the King of Hida, often running with all his considerable force along the sakura-draped...
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jun 27, 2001

'Wicked Grin': John Hammond

John Hammond is a guitarist and singer who has mined the deep veins of traditional country and urban blues since the 1960s. So why he wanted to take on the contemporary street poetry of songsmith Tom Waits might at first seem curious. After all, there's no shortage of blues songs aching to be excavated,...
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jun 27, 2001

Maria Muldaur

Maria Muldaur's 1973 debut album remains, for better or worse, the template for all those eclectic SoCal songbird collections by people like Linda Ronstadt and Valerie Carter; albums that included a little jazz, a little blues, one or two country songs (written by Dolly Parton, usually) and a familiar...
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2001

TV celebrity Ohashi to run for Upper House

TV personality Kyosen Ohashi announced on Tuesday his intention to run in next month's Upper House election on the Democratic Party of Japan ticket.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jun 27, 2001

'Go Plastic': Squarepusher

Squarepusher is twentysomething Tom Jenkinson, a one-man band, who, armed with a bass guitar and a bunch of machines, gleefully spits in the face of musical categorization.

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