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CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Apr 25, 2001

A stunningly beautiful work of Great 3 genius

One sure sign of the maturation of a pop-music culture is when artists start releasing albums that are organic, cohesive works of art, instead of collections of their latest hit singles with some B-grade tracks as filler. "May and December," the latest from Japanese pop/rock band the Great 3, is such...
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2001

Yen, stocks begin rebound

Reflecting a shift in market sentiment, the yen has recouped much of its recent losses, while stocks and bonds have also reversed their recent downtrend and tended higher in recent weeks.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2001

Japan, U.S. settle squabble over port calls

Japan and the United States agreed Tuesday that the U.S. Navy will improve measures for giving prior notification to the Japanese government of port calls by U.S. submarines.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2001

FTC raids elevator firm over charges of obstruction

Investigators from the Fair Trade Commission raided the offices of Mitsubishi Electric Corp.'s elevator maintenance unit and other locations Tuesday, following allegations that the company obstructed its rivals' bids to repair Mitsubishi elevators.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Apr 25, 2001

Tokyo Leaders Big Band

Concert Preview by MICHAEL PRONKO Several nights of jazz is just the thing to clear out the spring allergies, Golden Week hangovers and dread of the rainy season. Here's a roundup of some picks for the week.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 25, 2001

Science fare

There are two scientist types that have traditionally made it to the big screen: the mad and evil (Dr. Frankenstein) or the bold and dashing (Dr. Indiana Jones). Sometimes they are bold, dashing and mad (Jeff Goldblum in "The Fly"). If women, they are usually babes (Linda Fiorentino in "Men in Black,"...
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2001

Koizumi takes LDP helm

Junichiro Koizumi was elected Tuesday as the 20th president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, gaining 298 votes in the initial balloting of the party's lawmakers.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 25, 2001

Hawks soar to top of PL

Daiei sluggers Hiroki Kokubo and Pedro Valdez slugged two homers each and combined for 10 RBIs as the defending Pacific League champions Daiei Hawks climbed into first place in the PL standings with a 13-1 triumph over the Nippon Ham Fighters at the Tokyo DOme on Tuesday.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 25, 2001

'Outsider art' gets showing inside gallery

"Man With Hair Mouth" by Mose Tolliver (top) and "Noah's Ark" by George Narvey Sometimes those who were previously indifferent to art all of a sudden discover amazing hidden talents. Such artistic revelations hit Bill Traylor when he was freed from slavery. For Inez Nathaniel Walker, prison was the...
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Apr 25, 2001

Baaba Maal

In 1989, Senegalese singer Baaba Maal released an album with blind guitarist Mansour Seck titled "Djam Leeli." A mix of two acoustic guitars, a dash of percussion and Maal's intense singing, it was simple but hypnotic and, for many, a revelation to hear the connection between West African guitar...
CULTURE / Art
Apr 25, 2001

Sogetsu-style ikebana display

From May 2 to 6, Omotesando-dori will become an exhibition site of Sogetsu-style flower arrangements by 350 artists.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2001

Mori wins 3 million yen in magazine libel suit

Outgoing Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, whose tenure can be described as one long run-in with the media, won 3 million yen in damages Tuesday in a libel suit against a monthly magazine.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Apr 25, 2001

Nick Cave

Nick Cave has never been one to just "get on with life," to wander through it blind, intent on getting to the end with the least trouble. He needs to know why we are here and what happens to us when we've gone. And, like the rest of us, he'll never know, at least not in this life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Apr 25, 2001

Radiohead

Concert Preview by PHILIP BRASOR If you are conflicted about going to the trouble of obtaining tickets for Radiohead's autumn shows without first hearing their new album, "Amnesiac," which doesn't hit the stores until the end of May, you may be reassured to know that the material was recorded during...
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2001

Mr. Lee comes with baggage

Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui is now on a "private" visit to Japan with a visa the Japanese government issued after days of vacillation -- and with strings attached: Mr. Lee should stay in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, where he will get a medical checkup, and should not conduct any political...
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2001

Women fighting for space in a man's land

The recent debuts of women-only areas at a prominent hotel and department store, as well as on long-distance buses, railway cars and airplanes, have generally been received favorably.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2001

Reorganization of Kyoei Life now complete

The Tokyo District Court on Monday ended reorganization proceedings for failed mid-tier life insurer Kyoei Life Insurance Co., renamed Gibraltar Life Insurance Co. at the beginning of this month.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2001

Koizumi vows to destroy forces blocking reforms

Garnering a whopping 87 percent of the local vote in the LDP's presidential primaries, maverick reformer Junichiro Koizumi on Monday vowed to "destroy" forces standing against his reform agenda and launch a Cabinet free of the party's factional shackles.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2001

Tsushima coast guard on alert

TSUSHIMA, Nagasaki Pref. -- A small fishing boat from South Korea sat tied to a Japan Coast Guard patrol boat last week at Izuhara port in the Tsushima Islands.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2001

Nifco buys four firms off Acriplas Group of Spain

Major plastics parts maker Nifco Inc. said Monday it has bought four companies of the Acriplas Group, a plastic parts group in Spain.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2001

China halts visits over Lee's trip to Japan

China has decided to suspend visits to Japan by its senior officials for the time being to protest former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui's visit to Japan that began Sunday, a Beijing-based Japanese source familiar with bilateral relations said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2001

Japan in quandary over Iran rail project

After several years of warming and rapidly advancing relations, Japan and Iran may be at a crossroads once again.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2001

Tokyo pitches info booklets for foreigners

Tokyo is promoting 135 booklets to help the growing number of foreigners living in the metropolis with topics including AIDS prevention.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2001

Appliance output to be cut in wake of law

Major consumer electronics makers plan to cut production of four kinds of electric appliances in the April-June period to counter an expected fall in sales following the April 1 introduction of a new recycling law that temporarily pushed up demand.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2001

Consumer confidence falls for second quarter

Consumer confidence took a turn for the worse in March as consumers, including free-spending singles, showed increasing concern about their employment and income prospects over the next six months, two government surveys showed Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2001

Necktie maker folds amid import glut

OSAKA -- Apparel wholesaler Asakurashoji Co. has applied for court protection from creditors under a fast-track corporate rehabilitation law, a private research institute said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2001

Markets strike positive note

Financial markets have reacted positively to surprise interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb