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CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD
May 23, 2000

Have guitars, will travel -- extensively across Europe

Hurtling toward Vienna on the German autobahns, I have two passengers. One is Okinawan, Takashi Hirayasu. The other, Bob Brozman, is American. Both are playing Bolivian charangos to pass the time, which makes for an interesting multicultural soundtrack for driving. Something like Indian Ocean rhythms...
BUSINESS
May 23, 2000

Market focus turning to corporate profits

The Tokyo stock market is turning its attention to corporate earnings now that the highly anticipated U.S. Fed policy meeting is over.
CULTURE / Music
May 23, 2000

Steely Dan still rocks, albeit more tastefully

The first two songs Steely Dan played at their May 15 show at the Tokyo International Forum -- "The Boston Rag" and " Bodhisattva" -- come from their second record, "Countdown to Ecstasy," which happens to be their least-selling album as well as my personal favorite. I should have been giddy with appreciation,...
CULTURE / Books
May 23, 2000

In Cambodia, hell looks like this

VOICES FROM S-21: Terror and History in Pol Pot's Secret Prison, by David Chandler. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999, pp. 238, $17.95. Men, women and children are arrested on the basis of rumor, rounded up in trucks and hauled, without trial, to prison, where they are asked to give information...
BUSINESS
May 23, 2000

Sumitomo, Sakura back in black

Sumitomo Bank and Sakura Bank returned to the black in fiscal 1999, partly due to gains from sales of stocks and fewer bad-loan writeoffs compared to the year before, according to their earnings reports released Monday.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2000

New cellular service named 'au'

Japanese telecom carriers DDI Corp., IDO Corp. and KDD Corp. said Monday that the unified brand name for cellular phone service under their Oct. 1 merger will be "au."
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2000

Filling in the gaps of a Japan-North Korea deal

Suspense is growing over whether the first North-South Korea summit will be held in June as scheduled. It has obscured ongoing Japan-North Korea talks on diplomatic normalization. Japanese public attention is focused on the alleged abduction of a dozen Japanese by North Korean agents. It is anybody's...
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

Taxi firm owner to take 1,000 used cabs to North Korea

OSAKA -- In his recent meeting with North Korean Vice Premier Kwak Pom Gi, the 71-year-old owner of Kyoto-based taxi company MK Corp. was told of three areas in which the Stalinist country is seeking assistance.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2000

Tepco's net profit declines on loss

Despite its first pretax profit increase in two years, Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s fiscal 1999 consolidated net profit of 87.44 billion yen dropped 10.3 percent from the previous year, the firm announced Monday.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 22, 2000

'Wave send Matsuzaka to first loss

Ichiro Suzuki went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored and Carlos Pulido won his first start Sunday as the Orix BlueWave rolled 8-2 over the Seibu Lions at Nagano Olympic Stadium.
JAPAN
May 22, 2000

Former foes seek helping hand from Ishihara

Some politicians in Tokyo planning to run in the general election next month are seeking the backing of Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara in an attempt to ride on the popularity the governor maintains among unaffiliated voters.
JAPAN
May 22, 2000

Moderate quake shakes up Kyoto

An earthquake measuring 4.2 on the open-ended Richter scale jolted Kyoto on Sunday morning, the Meteorological Agency said.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2000

Ishihara tax reflects paralysis caused by national tax scheme

The new size-based tax on big banks that has been introduced by Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara is causing major repercussions and prompting Osaka Prefecture to consider a similar tax.
SUMO
May 22, 2000

Komusubi Kaio claims first Emperor's Cup

Seven years after entering the Makunouchi Division and 12 years after his sumo debut, Kaio finally captured his first yusho Sunday with an outstanding 14-1 record in the Natsu Basho at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
EDITORIALS
May 22, 2000

China's hope, Beijing's anger

Saturday was a historic moment in Chinese history. For the first time in that country's long past, the leader of the opposition party took power democratically and peacefully. The inauguration of Mr. Chen Shui-bian as president was celebrated -- and feared. The government in Beijing has made it clear...
BUSINESS
May 22, 2000

Former Nichiei president may quit board of directors

OSAKA -- Kazuo Matsuda, who stepped down as president of major nonbank moneylender Nichiei Co. in February to take responsibility for a scandal over the firm's loan collection practices, will resign from its board of directors in June, industry sources said Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
May 22, 2000

Silk Prima Donna wins Oaks

Race favorite Silk Prima Donna held off the field for a neck win of the 61st running of the Japanese Oaks (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
May 22, 2000

Exotic pet importer confirms Japan is haven for illegal animal imports

The situation is worse than I imagined. In my last column (May 8), I wrote about smugglers carrying live primates into Japan in their luggage. Days after that column appeared, I was put in touch with an exotic pet importer who confirmed that government oversight of trade in animals is abysmal.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2000

As with risk, ranks of analysts rising

Once again the time has come for the mass-release of Japan Inc.'s annual earnings reports. While the stock market is showing signs of rumbling back to life after nearly a decade of dormancy, significant changes to Japan's financial landscape are forcing players to make rapid transitions just to keep...
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2000

Opportunity amid South Asia's troubles

ISLAMABAD -- While press photographers scrambled inside a hospital in Delhi recently to catch a glimpse of baby Astha, India's 1 billionth citizen, in other parts of India officials continued to battle this year's drought, which has been drying up water supplies and causing crop losses. Just last month,...
COMMENTARY
May 22, 2000

Tough challenges for the LDP

The death of former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, coming in the wake of the retirement of his mentor, former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, marks the end of the "Takeshita politics" that wielded considerable clout within the Liberal Democratic Party.
EDITORIALS
May 21, 2000

American moms bite the bullet

Amillion moms -- give or take a few hundred thousand -- spent a sunny Mother's Day last Sunday on the Mall in Washington, D.C. demonstrating in support of stricter gun-control laws in the United States. The event was predictably marked by equal parts media gush and public yawns. The question is, was...

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