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JAPAN
May 16, 2001

Tokyo eatery an Ainu specialty

A restaurant in Tokyo has been sending out a simple but poignant message for more than seven years: It's not bad to be Ainu.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
May 16, 2001

The sweet sound of a good cause

Historically, the Japanese geinokai (entertainment world) has been slow to catch on to the idea of the charity concert/release. But now Ryuichi Sakamoto, a la Bob Geldof and the Band Aid famine-relief project, has put together an impressive array of Japanese and overseas talents on a track called "Zero...
CULTURE / Art
May 16, 2001

Revealing the mystery hidden in the ordinary

A vase of flowers. A bowl of fruit. Why have images of still, unmoving life fascinated artists for centuries?
CULTURE / Art
May 16, 2001

Coloring the fabric of the universe

"The World of the Galaxy," an exhibition of dyed work by Shihoko Fukumoto, will be on view at Tokyo's Bunkamura Gallery from May 22.
JAPAN
May 16, 2001

Habibie looks back on presidency, expresses hope

AWAJI ISLAND, Hyogo Pref. -- In the turmoil following the resignation of Indonesian President Suharto in May 1998, the reins of power passed to Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, then 62 years old.
CULTURE / Film
May 16, 2001

A true master in our midst

Tokyo Marigold Rating: * * * * * Director: Jun Ichikawa Running time: 97 minutes Language: JapaneseNow showing Film is art, commerce -- and fashion. Actors, directors and even national cinemas are in vogue one year, out the next. Not long ago the British were hot, now it's the turn of the Chinese....
MORE SPORTS
May 16, 2001

Hayakari receives doping warning

A Japanese runner who tested positive for a banned stimulant after an April 22 race in Kobe has received a warning from the Japan Amateur Athletic Federation, officials said Monday.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2001

Enron executive seeks lower power rates

Japanese industries could save 4 trillion yen a year in energy costs if electricity charges were lowered to European and U.S. levels, a senior executive of U.S. energy firm Enron Corp. said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Art
May 16, 2001

There goes the neighborhood. . . into the future

Until last week, I thought there were basically three types of factories: oily old clunkers where maybe the beaten-down workers go on strike and a gritty hero emerges who is played by Jeff Bridges in the made-for-television movie; gleaming, robot-dominated technological wonders; and grim Third World...
JAPAN
May 15, 2001

Former examiner denies leaking dental questions

Motoo Niwa, a former examiner of the National Dentistry Examination, pleaded not guilty Monday before the Tokyo District Court to a charge of leaking examination questions to students last year.
Events
May 15, 2001

Japan's ancient capital looks for new-tech entrepreneurs

KYOTO -- Size doesn't matter -- it's how good you are.
JAPAN / EMBASSY ROW
May 15, 2001

Unaware Japan digging into Canadian produce

Want a taste of Canada while in Japan? According to Ambassador Leonard Edwards, all you have to do is dig into a plate of pasta, bite into a sandwich or use canola oil in your cooking.
Events
May 15, 2001

Citizens' group keeps an eye on local politicians

AMAGASAKI, Hyogo Pref. -- The members of local assemblies may play a major role in formulating policies affecting the citizens they represent, but few people have a chance to follow their day-to-day activities.
JAPAN
May 15, 2001

SDF staff in peacekeeping ops eyed

Gen Nakatani, director general of the Defense Agency, told the Diet on Monday that he would like to consider allowing the agency to dispatch Self-Defense Forces officials to the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
JAPAN
May 15, 2001

Current account surplus dropped 4.5% in 2000

The nation's current account surplus in fiscal 2000 decreased 4.5 percent from the previous term to 12.72 trillion yen, marking the second year of decline after a 16.7 percent fall was registered in fiscal 1999, according to preliminary figures released Monday by the Finance Ministry.
EDITORIALS
May 15, 2001

Plans for NTT overhaul fall short

Two revision bills now before the Diet, designed to update the laws governing telecommunications business, do not go far enough to meet the demands of a competitive market. In December last year, the Telecommunications Council, a government advisory panel, called for a review of the NTT group's holding-company...
BUSINESS
May 15, 2001

Tokai Bank to liquidate Jakarta unit

Tokai Bank announced Monday that it will liquidate its leasing subsidiary in Indonesia as part of efforts to integrate and consolidate its overseas holdings.
BUSINESS
May 15, 2001

Bullish time for investors in upbeat market

Tokyo stock prices have bottomed out and started to rise, thanks to the Bank of Japan's quantitative easing of monetary conditions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2001

No quick changes in Korea

After the North-South summit last June, South Korea became too euphoric. The South Korean media and public gave blind support to the dictator in the North, as if overnight they had forgotten the acrimony and hatred that had lasted for 50 years between the two countries. In Seoul, goods bearing the likeness...
JAPAN
May 15, 2001

Mutilated puppies found in Osaka park

OSAKA -- Four puppies were found in a park earlier this month in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, with their ears and part of their forepaws cut off, an animal-protection group said Monday.
JAPAN
May 15, 2001

U.S. foreign policy under fire from council

AWAJI ISLAND, Hyogo Pref. -- Concerns over China, the East Asian region and U.S. attempts to act unilaterally were the focus of talks here Monday at the 19th plenary session of the the InterAction Council.
BUSINESS
May 15, 2001

Amazon, Signature Financial denied business model patents

The Patent Office under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has notified two U.S. companies that their applications for business model patents will be declined, government sources said Monday.
JAPAN
May 15, 2001

Surname rigidity frustrates

Kyodo News Before Akiko Orita got married in the fall of 1998, she planned to have an equal partnership with her husband, rather than, in her words, "an absorbed merger."
BUSINESS
May 15, 2001

Daihatsu Motor profits up 28.7%

Daihatsu Motor Co. said Monday its consolidated net profits for the 2000 business year grew 28.7 percent from the previous year to 15.65 billion yen, thanks to a sales boost resulting from the introduction of new models.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 15, 2001

Ichiro show rolls on in Canada

TORONTO -- The Ichiro Show has played to rave reviews in the U.S. for the first six weeks of the baseball season. This past weekend, it was a smash hit in its Canadian debut.
BUSINESS
May 15, 2001

Nonresident investors slow their buying

Nonresident investors remained net buyers of Japanese stocks in fiscal 2000, but the net purchase amount was the smallest since fiscal 1990, when Japan's stock market bubble collapsed, the Finance Ministry said Monday in a report compiled on a settlement basis.
SOCCER / THE BALD TRUTH
May 15, 2001

Who will stand up to captain Japan?

My friend Dave's grandfather once did a nude scene with Brad Pitt in the movie "Johnny Suede." This was doubtless extremely nerve-wracking and almost certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear