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CULTURE / Art
Jun 20, 2001

Face to face with individuality

"Are you Korean or Japanese?" goes the question.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 20, 2001

Combat rock

At the Tokyo office of Bad Music Co., Ltd. the walls are covered in skulls and crossbones of various designs and a man in black is sitting at a table smoking strong cigarettes.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jun 20, 2001

Hot Cha

Hot Cha has become the Tokyo home of slightly askew pop. From the arty, new-wave gyrations of Delaware to Fan Boy There's equally arty jazz inflections, the label attempts to reshape Tokyo's pop landscape in its own eccentric image.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jun 20, 2001

J-rap gets real

Most rap music leaves me cold. One reason is that, as a 42-year-old white Canadian male, I am culturally predisposed to dislike it. Another is that a lot of rap is crap: monotonous, rhythmically and melodically sterile, and full of violent, misogynistic, homophobic posturing.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 20, 2001

Iwabuchi to stay on with Saracens

Japan standoff Kensuke Iwabuchi said Monday that he has signed an extension to his one-year contract with English Premier League rugby club Saracens until July next year.
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2001

Vertex extends Standard brand

Transceiver manufacturer Vertex Standard Co. said Monday it has acquired from audio equipment maker Marantz Japan Inc. the trademark and operating rights to the Standard brand name for its transceivers in Asia and Europe.
BUSINESS / TAKING STOCK
Jun 19, 2001

Stock rally just waiting for proper cues?

Tokyo stocks remain mired at a depressed price level.
COMMENTARY
Jun 19, 2001

Three challenges for Koizumi

Approximately 50 days have passed since the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was sworn in. Various opinion surveys have shown that its public approval ratings have climbed to nearly 90 percent from around 80 percent at the time of its birth, defying the usual pattern of approval rates declining...
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2001

Tsubakimoto allies with U.S. firm

OSAKA -- Tsubakimoto Chain Co., a chain and conveyor manufacturer, said Monday it has allied with U.S. chain firm Rexnord Corp. in the power transmission components business.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2001

Snow Brand execs quizzed over food poisoning

OSAKA — Osaka prosecutors questioned two former top officials of Snow Brand Milk Products Co. in connection with the massive outbreak of food poisoning last summer caused by milk products made at its Osaka plant, prosecution sources said Monday.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2001

Nonutilities slow to light up newly opened market

Fifteen months after the partial liberalization of the electricity retail market, new players in the industry remain scarce.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
Jun 19, 2001

Putin plays the smile game

The first summit of U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin was shaped by an indigenous American principle, "Keep smiling." Bush said he had looked the man in the eye and found him to be "very straightforward and trustworthy." Putin said he was looking forward to "a constructive...
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2001

Insurance rate cut may hurt foreign firms, ACCJ says

The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan said Monday that foreign life insurance firms operating here should be treated equitably if the government decides to allow local insurers to cut their guaranteed yields.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2001

Mori tapped to attend U.N. AIDS meet

The government hinted Monday that it would send former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to the U.N. Special Session on HIV/AIDS to be held June 25 to 27 at the U.N. headquarters in New York, sources said.
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2001

N.Y. hotelier expects Japan influx

New York City is expected to lure a larger number of travelers from Japan this year, despite the prolonged recession, due to the recent decline in the Big Apple's crime rate, a sales manager at a Japanese-owned hotel in New York said.
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2001

DoCoMo ups ante in Taiwan

Cellphone giant NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Monday it has agreed to inject 6.92 billion yen in additional capital and grant a license for its i-mode Internet service technology to KG Telecommunications Co., a Taiwan-based cellphone operator.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2001

Racketeer held over threats to ailing automaker

A "sokaiya" corporate racketeer was arrested Monday on suspicion of threatening scandal-hit Mitsubishi Motors Corp. with disruption of the company's annual shareholders' meeting, police said.
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2001

FSA suspends Kokusai Securities

The Financial Services Agency said Monday it has ordered Kokusai Securities Co. to suspend its business for three days starting July 4 for presenting a false report during its inspection.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2001

Koizumi may visit Moscow by yearend to discuss islands

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may make his first official visit to Moscow by the end of this year to rekindle negotiations on a long-standing territorial dispute between Japan and Russia.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2001

State schools, colleges incur huge debt

The government's special account for national universities and other state-run education facilities piled up 6.498 trillion yen in debt as of the end of fiscal 2000, according to a financial report compiled by the education ministry.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2001

Counselors struggle with Ikeda trauma

OSAKA — The June 8 slaying of eight children at Osaka Kyoiku University Ikeda Elementary School shocked the nation.
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2001

Mr. Bush off to a good start

Despite comparatively limited credentials in foreign affairs, U.S. President George W. Bush's "get to know you" summits with his European counterparts over the past week, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, greatly helped to build personal trust between the leaders. At the same time, they confirmed...

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