search

 
 
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Nov 14, 2001

Prospects gloomy for world's economies

The unemployment rate hit a record high 5.3 percent in October, clouding prospects for yearend bonus payments and household spending.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

FTC to increase maximum monopoly fine

The Fair Trade Commission plans to raise the maximum fine imposed on companies that violate the Antimonopoly Law from 100 million yen to between 300 million yen and 500 million yen, FTC sources said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 14, 2001

Mercury Rev: 'All Is Dream'

On Sept. 11, Mercury Rev released the presciently titled album "All Is Dream." It was perfect timing because, although Mercury Rev will never be fashionable, the terrorist attacks on the U.S. must have upped the sales of their albums significantly. Who in America wanted to listen to the abrasive Limp...
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Two crew in JAL near miss suffer posttraumatic stress

Two of the 12 cabin crew on a Japan Airlines jetliner involved in a dramatic near miss with another JAL plane in January have been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, company officials said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 14, 2001

Revitalized kyogen to a crossroads

With the new century, it seems that the world of traditional Japanese theater has taken a long, hard look at itself and is seeking new means of expression.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

IHI, Toyota eye Thai turbochargers

Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. said Tuesday it has agreed with Toyota Motor Corp. to form a joint venture in Thailand for the manufacture and marketing of turbochargers there next spring.
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Nov 14, 2001

To see a world in a bowl of tea

"Kokoro shugetsu ni nitari," which translates as "My mind is like the autumn moon," is a line from a Chinese poem expressing the Zen sensation felt strongly during this harvest season. Pure and reflecting without hesitation, the moon is a metaphor for our hearts and one that all of humanity could do...
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Nov 14, 2001

Like Sheena, only happier

Like many people, when I first heard Hitomi Yaida's music, I immediately thought: Aha, Ringo Sheena Lite. With her high-pitched, keening voice and energetic, guitar-based pop-rock style, Yaida certainly has a lot in common with Sheena, that twisted pixie.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Over 100 million yen spent from illicit funds: Tanaka

Foreign Ministry personnel used more than 100 million yen in illicitly pooled funds at the ministry over the past six years by padding hotel bills and other means, Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 14, 2001

New rivals stage a tale of ancient rivalry

This month, the kabuki masterpiece "Yoshitsune Senbonzakura (Yoshitsune and One Thousand Cherry Trees)," adapted from the 1747 bunraku play written by Takeda Izumo, Mamiki Senryu and Miyoshi Shoraku, is being staged at two theaters in Tokyo: the National Theater of Japan in Hanzomon and the Nakamuraza...
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

Japan demands U.S. simplify power regulations

Japan for the first time called on the United States to improve regulations in the electricity industry during two days of energy talks that ended Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Plan for Chichijima airport withdrawn

Tokyo officials said Tuesday they are withdrawing a plan to construct an airport on Chichijima Island in the Ogasawara Island chain, about 1,000 km south of Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 14, 2001

Dismemberment Plan: 'Change'

Travis Morrison sings as if words are pouring into his mouth faster than he can spit them out. On the first three albums from his band Dismemberment Plan, the lyrics shifted between self-deprecating irony and plain old self-deprecation. What Morrison was saying was honest and unsentimental, but there...
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 14, 2001

Jim O'Rourke: 'Insignificance'

Jim O'Rourke has been around the block. A seminal postclassical composer, he can boast more than just the occasional side project. Indeed, if you add together the number of his solo albums and his collaborations and guest recordings with other bands, his output goes into the triple digits. He has placed...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 14, 2001

Where do we go from here?

Almost 20 minutes into my interview with Aidan and David, two members of the Montreal-based band Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Aidan said that he didn't think my questions were very good and that the interview was a waste of time. He expressed himself not angrily but with genuine frustration at my transparently...
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

DisneySea operator sees interim profit

Oriental Land Co., the operator of Tokyo Disneyland, said Tuesday its consolidated net account showed 1.89 billion yen profit in the first half of this business year.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

Consumer anxiety reaches record high

An index gauging consumer anxiety into the next 12 months has climbed to its highest level since 1977, a government-backed research institute said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Nov 14, 2001

Art triumphs over vain landfill protest

It didn't matter much to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government that residents of Ome City in western Tokyo opposed the destruction of a large area of forest in the nearby town of Hinode to create a landfill site.
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2001

Another great leap forward

Fifteen years of hard bargaining paid off last weekend as China joined the World Trade Organization. The tenacity and persistence of Chinese negotiations are proof of the importance China's leaders attach to entry into the WTO. It marks China's re-emergence as a modern nation and will fully integrate...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 14, 2001

Tom Pierson: 'Left, Right'

Tom Pierson has played and recorded elegant piano jazz in Tokyo for the last 10 years. His most recent CD, "Left, Right," is a collection of originals, plus a handful of covers, that occupy a deeply lyrical and highly expressive territory.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 14, 2001

Any color just so long as it's yellow

Although yellow often has negative connotations in the West, it is a very positive color here in the East, Goh Shigi is quick to point out at the opening of his latest show, "Heat of Yellow," which presents 15 of his latest oils as well as several drawings at Ginza's Nishimura Gallery.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 14, 2001

Scenes of Istanbul life

Glimpse the beautiful city of Istanbul in a display of oil paintings by Turkish artist Acar Baskut, on display Nov. 16-18 at the Turkish Embassy in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2001

Tokyo government office raided in bribery probe

Police on Monday searched the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku Ward over the arrests the previous day of an official and a construction company executive on bribery charges related to repairs on Miyake Island.
EDITORIALS
Nov 13, 2001

Kyoto, by way of Marrakech

Two weeks of intense negotiations have yielded a "rule book" for implementing the Kyoto Protocol to combat global warming. The agreement will not satisfy hard-nosed environmentalists, but it represents an important first step toward controlling the greenhouse gases that are exacting a terrific toll on...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2001

Cooperation urged to improve lake conservation

OTSU, Shiga Pref. -- The sustainability of the world's lakes will increasingly depend on private investment and closer cooperation between scientific and governmental agencies, according to the keynote speaker at the ninth International Conference on the Conservation and Management of Lakes.
Events
Nov 13, 2001

Kansai adopts antiauteur atmosphere

OSAKA -- Foreign filmmakers shun it for its high cost and lack of cooperation from authorities, while Japanese directors decry its dearth of sophistication and talent.

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