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BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2003

Economic assessment downgraded

The government downgraded its economic assessment for the third straight month Friday, citing the slowing of production activities, which had been fueling the fragile recovery.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 18, 2003

Snowboarding not just a lifestyle

He's got the looks, he's got the dress -- from baggy jeans to a pierced nose -- but the one thing that makes him different from the rest of the teenagers that walk down the streets of Shibuya is his talent on the slopes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 18, 2003

Rachel Walzer

The play now in rehearsal for a Tokyo presentation "reflects in its crudeness the state of our world today," Rachel Walzer said. Preparing for her role in "What the Butler Saw," she has "strong opinions about this farce. In it, nothing is sacred, and it seems to offend everyone under the sun. Yet beneath...
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2003

Clamor for consumption tax hike getting louder

Cabinet ministers and business leaders have begun calling for a consumption tax hike to cover rising social security costs stemming from the aging population.
SUMO
Jan 17, 2003

Asashoryu motors on; Taka wins in return

Ozeki Asashoryu demolished fellow-Mongolian Kyokutenho to remain the only undefeated wrestler Thursday while yokozuna Takanohana staged an injury comeback with an easy win over journeyman Toki at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 17, 2003

Izayoi: Fine fowl deeds in Azabu-Juban

The idea of upmarket yakitori -- presenting premium-quality charcoal-broiled chicken in suave settings, often with fine wine and other foreign influences -- is taken for granted in Tokyo these days. But nowhere else in the city is this venerable concept -- the skewering and grilling of fowl -- translated...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jan 16, 2003

Shame in a 'showcase'

Second of two parts I ended my last story by saying, "If it is wolves, or winter wilderness, you want to see, don't waste time wondering -- get to Yellowstone! But please, when you're there, don't rent a two-stroke snowmobile! I'll explain why in my next column."
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2003

Pampered pets seen turning porky

People seem to be handing out too many treats to their cats and dogs, as there are growing signs that household pets are getting a bit chubby these days.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2003

Ministry plans to increase support to care providers

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to increase payments from the nursing-care insurance system to private care providers by 30 percent beginning April 1, according to a proposal unveiled earlier this week.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 15, 2003

You've got to give a little

Tamao Kubota, the founder and lead singer of Apple Beat, has a powerful, slightly husky voice and carries herself with an attractive air of unself-conscious defiance. She sounds as good belting it out like an impassioned R & B singer as she does slow, quiet and personal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 15, 2003

On with the old and in with the new

The kabuki year has kicked off with three striking programs at the Kokaido (Public Hall) in Asakusa, the Kabukiza in Ginza and the Tokyo National Theater in Hanzomon.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 15, 2003

Talent-laden 'festival' to bring back a pinch of that old magic

Once upon a time, rock shows were long, drawn-out affairs, with two or three opening acts who could be counted on to play as if they were headliners. Magic Rock Out, an event that will be held in Kobe and Tokyo in early February, is too limited in scope to be called a "festival" (only one stage), and...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 12, 2003

Living on the edge and acting the part

There's an article in the current issue of Shukan Bunshun lambasting the "foolishness of no-talent celebrities" on all those overblown New Year's TV specials. But what's more annoying than the specials themselves is that they pre-empted the few shows that were worth watching, like "The Tetsuwan Dash!"...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 12, 2003

A price on their heads

Help wanted: Able-bodied, handsome men required to wine and dine as many women as their schedules permit; some extracurricular cosseting may be called for. Educational requirements: None. Salary: Enough to make a salaryman gag.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jan 11, 2003

The 'risutora' blues: Music that won't go away

I have been "restored."
BUSINESS
Jan 11, 2003

Takeda Chemical forges U.S. link

OSAKA -- Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd. said Friday it has reached a three-year agreement, involving an investment of $13.7 million, with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School of the United States, to cooperate in research and drug development for metabolic diseases....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 11, 2003

Prepared to stand by his principles, pay the price

Francis Higashiki is on the move, passing through Tokyo's Hamamatsucho on his way to Haneda Airport. He works near Oita in Kyushu, in a home for 35 abused children. "After the war, orphanages were full of orphans. Now most children have parents, but sadly there is so much domestic violence."
MORE SPORTS
Jan 10, 2003

Takahashi setting sights on another Olympic gold in 2004

This is the second and final installment of an exclusive interview with Naoko Takahashi, the gold medalist in the 2000 Sydney Olympic women's marathon.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Jan 9, 2003

Not your grandma's ninja

Sega first introduced "Shinobi" as a harder-than-average arcade game, and the name became synonymous with ninja -- the stealth, star-throwing warriors.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2003

Debate suffers as ruling parties dominate

LONDON -- The shape of politics is changing in the world's main democracies in a manner that Japan may find familiar. But the implications are only starting to seep through.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

Businessman to head state body for small firms

Businessman Koichi Minaguchi will head the Japan Finance Corp. for Small Business, the government said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Japanese escape woes in 'Boogie Wonderland'

Middle-aged disco lovers in Japan boogie to the sounds of a past era, when flares, platform shoes and gold medallions were cool and the economy was on the upswing.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Toyama softens position on school deregulation proposal

Education minister Atsuko Toyama said Tuesday that her ministry may support moves to allow stock companies to run schools, marking a shift from its previous opposition toward the proposal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jan 8, 2003

Redeemers with feet of clay

Of the 14 ceramic objects designated as national treasures in Japan, the fact that no fewer than eight are chawan (tea bowls) is a clear sign of their importance in the culture.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

DoCoMo hit by Moody's downgrade

Moody's Investors Service Inc. said Tuesday it has changed the outlook for the Aa1 senior long-term debt ratings on NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan's dominant mobile phone operator, to negative from stable.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?