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JAPAN
Jan 22, 2003

Murakami swears innocence as his trial draws to a close

Former LDP heavyweight Masakuni Murakami, on trial for allegedly taking bribes from industrial mutual-aid organization KSD, maintained his innocence as his trial drew to a close Tuesday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 22, 2003

Asian tourney set for Tokyo

Champions from three major Asian professional soccer leagues will compete in Tokyo next month in a new tournament, the A3 Mazda Champions Cup 2003, organizers announced Monday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2003

80% of teens favor ban on sex with minors met via Internet

A police report released Tuesday says that some 80 percent of respondents to a recent survey on Internet dating sites favor a ban on the pursuit of sexual relationships via the Web with anyone who is 18 years old or younger.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2003

Highways to abolish high-priced toll cards

Four public expressway corporations said Tuesday they will stop selling high-priced prepaid expressway cards at the end of February.
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2003

Kuroda likely as Cabinet adviser

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi plans to appoint Haruhiko Kuroda, former vice finance minister for international affairs, as special adviser to his Cabinet, sources said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 22, 2003

Sumo needs a clear vision

Yokozuna Takanohana has finally bowed out of the dohyo. Looking back over his active career, he certainly made spectacular achievements. There can be no objections to his being described as one of the all-time great grand champions of sumo.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2003

Former Siberia prisoners slam Koizumi's lack of support

Two support groups for soldiers held prisoner in Siberia after World War II have lodged a protest over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's failure to bring up their calls for redress and an apology from Moscow during his visit to Russia earlier this month.
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2003

Japan abandons plan to file complaint over China curbs

Japan will not file a complaint with the World Trade Organization over China's recent emergency curbs on steel imports now that Beijing has agreed to exempt some Japanese products, the trade minister said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2003

Toyota to sell cars that know they are about to have a crash

A new car safety feature from Toyota Motor Corp. doesn't wait for a crash to happen.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 22, 2003

Leading the way

In 1995 Tomomi Nishimoto was regularly sneaking into an auditorium to watch an esteemed Bolshoi maestro rehearse. Seven years later, she was appointed the first Japanese chief conductor of Russia's state-run Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra Millennium.
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2003

New deregulation zones to be made pressure-free

The government formally adopted on Tuesday a basic policy on the creation of special deregulation zones, looking to minimize interference from governmental offices.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 22, 2003

Klimperei: "Pimpant!"

"Pimpant!" contains 43 songs, a signal that the music within could be a little weird. Also, the name of the group, Klimperei, is German for "able to play the piano just a little bit." Add to that the admission "we are not very good musicians" from one of the band's two members, and you might become a...
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2003

SDF Joint Staff Council gets new head

Toru Ishikawa, chief of staff of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, will replace Shoji Takegouchi as chairman of the Joint Staff Council of the Self-Defense Forces, the Defense Agency announced Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Jan 22, 2003

Politics still trumps business in China-Taiwan relations

HONG KONG -- The new year has begun with conciliatory messages from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, suggesting that both China and Taiwan want to avoid too much tension in their relationship, although neither side seems likely in the short term to yield any ground on the sensitive issue of "One China."...
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2003

Review of moneylender interest rate caps triggers tug of war

A tug of war is under way over a government plan to review the upper limit on interest rates that consumer finance firms and other nonbank moneylenders can levy.
SUMO
Jan 22, 2003

Asashoryu gets back to winning ways

Ozeki Asashoryu got his yokozuna challenge back on track at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday after tripping up rank-and-filer Kotonowaka to stay in a tie for the lead.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 22, 2003

On a personal journey with the koto

While visiting Tokyo recently, saxophonist and composer John Zorn praised Michiyo Yagi, saying, "She's an example of a new kind of musician that can play all different styles of music in her own personal way."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 22, 2003

Ms. Jade: "Girl Interrupted"

Twenty-three-year-old Chevon Young was not an overnight sensation. She was repeatedly passed over by A&R people because Eve was already a star and they didn't think there was room in the majors for two female MCs from Philadelphia. Then someone steered her to the Beat Club, the new record label run by...
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2003

Koizumi cautious on inflation target

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed caution Tuesday about the Bank of Japan adopting an inflation target to fight deflation at a two-day policy meeting that began the same day.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 22, 2003

This 'Pilgrim' is hardly progress

After the bubble economy burst in 1991, disillusionment and emptiness were felt throughout Japan. When "Pilgrim" was first performed in 1989 by The Third Stage Theater Company, however, most people foresaw only continuing prosperity, fueled by rising stock and property prices and the strengthening yen....
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2003

Mizuho group plots huge fundraising effort as losses jump to 1.9 trillion yen

The Mizuho Financial Group said Tuesday its fiscal 2002 losses will hit 1.9 trillion yen, a nine-fold jump from estimates issued in November, after its two banks swallow more than 2 trillion yen in loan-loss provisions.
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2003

Sanyo to plow 45 billion yen into CCDs

Sanyo Electric Co. said Tuesday it will invest 45 billion yen in the production of charge-coupled devices over three years starting in fiscal 2003.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 22, 2003

Common: "Electric Circus"

Hip-hop and Hollywood share at least one thing in common: Star-studded lineups never guarantee a work of art. In fact, some material's strength is often diluted proportionately to the number of egos featured.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2003

Kawaguchi plans visit to Okinawa

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Tuesday she will visit Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine on Feb. 2 to introduce newly appointed Ambassador to Okinawa Sadaaki Numata.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 22, 2003

Roy Haynes: "Love Letters"

With his steady stream of work stretching back nearly six decades, it's hard to think of a jazz figure drummer Roy Haynes has not played behind. He started out with Lester Young, then switched over to Charlie Parker. After that, he played with Stan Getz and Sarah Vaughan. Then from the '60s through the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 22, 2003

When the art of the Lotus blossomed

Considering the importance in the history of Japanese Buddhism of Nichiren, the 13th-century monk who founded the leading sect that bears his name, it is surprising that the exhibition that just opened at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno is the first large-scale attempt to gather and display art objects...
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2003

Actress's estate worth 430 million yen

OSAKA -- The late actress Chocho Miyako had 430 million yen worth of taxable assets, sources said Tuesday.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’