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COMMUNITY
Jan 19, 2003

The danchi and postwar society

At the time, they were homes most Japanese could only dream about. Within their thick concrete walls, they were equipped with such mod cons as flush toilets and stainless-steel kitchen sinks, and they even had separate bedrooms -- for parents and children.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jan 19, 2003

Independent music was the smart alternative in '02

2002 was not a vintage year, to put it mildly, for the Japanese music industry. Sales of CDs were down for the fourth straight year, and just one single -- female vocalist Ayumi Hamasaki's "H" (Avex) -- topped the million-sales mark during the year, compared with five in 2001.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 19, 2003

Regaining control isn't always easy

SMAP's golden boy, Takuya Kimura, may have lost some of his sexual luster since becoming a husband and a father, but he's still a viewer magnet when it comes to trendy dramas. Having been shoehorned into a number of unlikely professions in past series (architect, classical pianist, thief, prosecutor),...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 19, 2003

Amateurish TV? Well let it be, just let it be

The Jan. 16 issue of Shukan Bunshun carries an article that lists and describes the 10 worst TV specials broadcast during the New Year's holidays. Coming up with a Worst 10 is not difficult, since practically any special broadcast during the New Year's break could qualify for a list of the 10 Worst Programs...
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2003

Surveillance of Aum to continue on grounds it still poses threat to public

The Public Security Examination Commission has decided to keep the Aum Shinrikyo cult under surveillance for another three years, sources said.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2003

eo 20030119a1.xml SYSTEM INHERENTLY UNFAIR Calls to revive military draft are off base

HONOLULU -- The prospect of a war on two fronts against North Korea and Iraq in addition to the battle against terror and the new campaign for homeland security has sparked calls for a return to the U.S. military draft.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2003

Emperor's prostate surgery a 'success'

A team of six surgeons successfully removed Emperor Akihito's cancerous prostate gland at the University of Tokyo Hospital on Saturday and there were no signs that the disease had spread, surgeons said.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2003

Halting the small-arms trade

LONDON -- On New Year's Eve two teenage girls seeking fresh air from a party in Birmingham were killed in a shooting incident. Over 30 shots, some by a submachine gun, were fired in what seems to have been a shootout between rival gangs. The incident has led to demands that the crime of possessing an...
COMMUNITY
Jan 19, 2003

fl 20030119a4.xml SUN YES TADAO ANDO Architect of progress

Architect Tadao Ando says that he has been under considerable pressure since receiving the contract to design a residential and commercial complex to replace the Aoyama Apartment Houses on Omotesando Avenue.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2003

DPJ attacks Koizumi on deflation, jobless rate

The Democratic Party of Japan, holding its annual convention Saturday in Tokyo, adopted a 2003 policy platform stepping up criticism of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for failing to stop deflation or curb rising unemployment.
COMMUNITY
Jan 19, 2003

A new year in Japanese books

In a time of change and uncertainty, Japanese readers continue to seek comfort and practical advice in their reading. In particular, best sellers last year reflected the concerns of middle-aged and older individuals, with the top 10 sellers including two books on how to age gracefully, two on the Japanese...
COMMUNITY
Jan 19, 2003

fl 20030119a1.xml SUN YES Boulevard Blitz

Omotesando Avenue, the tree-lined boulevard leading up to Meiji Shrine, is one of Tokyo's most beautiful streets. After many years of wrangling, though, from the end of March its much-loved look will begin to change dramatically, when demolition crews move in to tear down the Aoyama Apartment Houses...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 19, 2003

Facts are first casualty in U.S. march to war

WAR PLAN IRAQ: Ten Reasons Against War on Iraq, by Milan Rai. Verso, 2002, 240 pp., $15 (paper) When Richard Butler, head of the first U.N. weapons inspections team in Iraq, said in 1997 that "Truth in some cultures is kind of what you can get away with saying," he was referring to the regime of Iraqi...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 19, 2003

A new year in Japanese books

In a time of change and uncertainty, Japanese readers continue to seek comfort and practical advice in their reading. In particular, best sellers last year reflected the concerns of middle-aged and older individuals, with the top 10 sellers including two books on how to age gracefully, two on the Japanese...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 19, 2003

Trail of tears from Deshima

TITIA: The First Western Woman in Japan, by Rene P. Bersma. Amsterdam: Hotei Publishing, 2002, 140 pp. with 37 plates, $17.50 (paper) One August afternoon in 1817, a Dutch ship entered Nagasaki and anchored in the bay. Waiting for clearance was Jan Cock Blomhoff, the new director of the Dutch trading...
COMMUNITY
Jan 19, 2003

fl 20030119a3.xml SUN YES DOJUNKAI Concrete ideals

The Great Kanto Earthquake on Sept. 1, 1923, devastated the capital and its vicinity, destroying 63 percent of homes in Tokyo and 72 percent in Yokohama. From the ashes of the fires that raged in the wake of the massive temblor, though, there arose a public-housing policy whose enlightenment was in many...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2003

Study exposes misleading food labels

More than 10 percent of labels on perishable food failed to include information they are legally required to carry, such as place of origin, according to a government study released Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2003

Japan names UNESCO ambassador

The government approved on Friday the appointment of Teiichi Sato, former administrative vice education minister, as Japan's first ambassador to UNESCO, officials said.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2003

Widen scope of disaster law: Ishiba

Legislation to protect Japanese nationals in case of military emergencies should be debated within the framework of the existing Disaster Measures Basic Law and will require further discussions with the heads of municipal governments, Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2003

New Diet session opens up new questions

The Diet opens a 150-day session Monday amid widespread speculation in Nagata-cho that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may dissolve the House of Representatives and call a snap election sometime this year -- possibly even during the session.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2003

Construction of Tokyo's giant windmill completed

The construction of a 70-meter-tall windmill designed to generate power on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay was completed Friday with the attachment of 26-meter blades, according to Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials.
SUMO
Jan 18, 2003

Takanohana back on track

Yokozuna Takanohana wrapped up top-ranked maegashira Tosanoumi for a comfortable win Friday while ozeki Asashoryu carted away another victim to remain unbeaten at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2003

Empress' home issue goes to court

A group of people opposed to the razing of Empress Michiko's former home filed a provisional injunction Friday with the Tokyo District Court, requesting that the government halt the demolition.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2003

Beijing can learn from Tokyo's mistakes

GUATEMALA CITY -- As Beijing develops a reliance on fiscal spending to boost economic growth, a mushrooming fiscal deficit and ballooning public-sector debt will weaken China's long-term economic prospects. This is because economic growth bought with increased government spending is unsustainable and...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2003

China cedes leadership chance

CAMBRIDGE, England -- Although you could argue that the current U.S. leadership caused the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, it is not really an American crisis. Whatever weapons North Korea has, biological, chemical or nuclear, it does not yet have the means of delivering them to the United States....

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight