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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 27, 2004

Nothing like vintage tech

It's been said that the musical style now referred to as "electro" wriggled to life in the early '80s, when the heavy thump of funk collided with burgeoning synthesizer technology. Jittery, bass-heavy and bombastic, electro lurked on the half-courts and back-alley clubs of New York City, embraced mostly...
BUSINESS
Jun 26, 2004

Postal services effort to get more staff

The government will boost the number of people working for the office in charge of privatizing Japan's postal services to around 80 by late July, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jun 24, 2004

Girls to the fore in planning 'eye-for-an-eye' revenge

If there is an extraterrestrial college student orbiting Earth or floating invisibly among us while writing a thesis on human behavior, then current events have provided some good examples of one basic human trait: retaliation.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 23, 2004

Many questions remain over merger of Buffaloes, BlueWave

July 7 is the date for the big meeting in Japanese baseball. Owners of the 12 Central and Pacific League teams are to get together to decide what will happen with regard to the proposed merger of two PL clubs, the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Orix BlueWave.
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 20, 2004

Guys en pointe frolic in frocks in grand diva style

Watching a bunch of grown men wearing tutus and pancake makeup parodying some of ballet's most cherished classics, such as "The Dying Swan" and "The Nutcracker Suite," may not sound like everybody's bag. But the wildly hilarious Les Ballets Grandiva, an all-male comedy ballet troupe based in New York,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 16, 2004

ReJoyce! Fans fete Bloomsday centenary

DUBLIN -- One hundred years ago today is the day described in arguably the greatest novel of the 20th century, James Joyce's "Ulysses." June 16, 1904, was when Joyce's hero, Leopold Bloom, set out on a meandering stroll through Dublin, and the date is now celebrated worldwide as Bloomsday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jun 13, 2004

An 'outsider' finds insight into Japan's bad-loan crisis

Just 33 years old when she headed the Tokyo Bureau of the Financial Times, Gillian Tett took an unusual route to the heart of Japan's business world.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jun 10, 2004

Hormone therapy for menopause?

The age of menopause doesn't seem to have changed much in the last few thousand years. Records from ancient Egypt and Greece indicate that menstruation ended when a woman was around 50 years old. Before that we don't really know, as a woman was unlikely to live much longer than 50.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 8, 2004

Power of LDP support groups waning

About 5,000 people gathered in Sapporo on May 23 to attend a convention of the national association of special post office chiefs, a longtime supporter of and the biggest vote-gathering machine for the Liberal Democratic Party.
EDITORIALS
Jun 6, 2004

When slow is beautiful

A new book on an old theme, published last month, is slowly beginning to garner attention in the American and British media, although it has not yet made the best-seller lists. But that is probably just fine with the author, Carl Honore, a Canadian journalist based in London, because taking time is precisely...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Jun 6, 2004

A voice like none other

Though many postmodern jazz musicians are tireless experimentalists, they often end up producing interesting concepts more than good music. Pianist, composer and band leader Hiroshi Minami, however, is that rare jazz musician who sets up intriguing musical challenges that feel natural. He plays an engaging...
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2004

Japan poised to reject U.S. entreaty for reform of 'kampo' insurance

Japan will turn down a U.S. request to reform its publicly run "kampo" life insurance services, Japanese government officials said Thursday.
Japan Times
Uncategorized
Jun 4, 2004

Insatiable thirst for English boosts language schools

You have probably come across a goofy rabbit waving a flag, a grim-faced businessman looking upward into the sky, or a smiling trio comprising a Japanese and two foreigners giving the thumbs up.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 1, 2004

More on bilingualism and cricket

Background English Referring to Kanagawa Rod's contribution on bilingualism (Lifelines: May 18), John Edward Philips recommends "an even better source of background English, if you can afford it."
BUSINESS
May 29, 2004

UBS told to toughen data control

The Financial Services Agency on Friday ordered the Japanese unit of the Switzerland-based UBS financial group to strengthen its internal control of undisclosed corporate data following revelations that the branch provided information to investing clients.
COMMUNITY
May 29, 2004

Evolutionary astrologer charts your life and soul

Days that suggest difficulty can flow with ease, and those that appear simple and uncomplicated leave one spinning in puzzlement.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
May 28, 2004

World Sports Awards a great but flawed concept

Don't you hate it when you are presented with something that is sold as being all-encompassing, only to find out is it not?
BUSINESS
May 19, 2004

Japan Post could pay 533 billion yen in taxes when privatized

Japan Post will need to pay 533 billion yen a year in national and local taxes when it is privatized, according to an internal estimate obtained by Kyodo News.
Events
May 16, 2004

KANSAI: Who & What

Indian handicrafts on sale for charity Mustard Seeds, an organization providing support for children and nongovernmental organizations in Kolkata, India, is holding a charity exhibition and sale of Indian handicrafts in Kyoto and Nara.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 15, 2004

If it's cricket, it's TV Masala's Club Masala

What luck to pick up a promotional flier for Club Masala -- the first Indian subcontinent cable TV network operating in Japan -- in a branch of the curry chain Samrat. Interesting, I thought, and zipped off an e-mail. Now here I am with its president, Nofil Iqbal, who, it transpires, was born in Pakistan....
JAPAN
May 13, 2004

Activists claim political oppression

After nearly 2 1/2 months in detention, three antiwar activists accused of illegally entering a Self-Defense Forces housing complex in Tachikawa, western Tokyo, to distribute protest leaflets, were freed on bail Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 7, 2004

Troubled kids find caring for animals good therapy

Problem and abused kids are on the rise and need help from many quarters, not just professional, to turn their lives around, and animals can and do play a therapeutic role to this end, according to an American expert in the field.
BUSINESS
May 7, 2004

Sumitomo Trust worker left client data on train

Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co. said Thursday it has lost some documents featuring personal data on 41 customers at its office in the western Tokyo suburb of Tama.
CULTURE / Film
May 5, 2004

Live from Golgotha

The first piece of sacred spam hit my inbox during the runup to the opening of "The Passion of The Christ" in the United States. Forwarded by an earnest member of the Anglican-Episcopalian church I attend in central Tokyo, the e-mail asked recipients to pray for the success of the movie, to give thanks...
COMMENTARY
May 4, 2004

Blair's hard sell of a new EU

LONDON -- "It's ghastly," Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, said with a shudder. He was speaking of the referendum -- that Prime Minister Tony Blair has declared, after no consultation with his Cabinet, will now be held -- on the draft EU constitution. Why is a referendum ghastly? Because,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 1, 2004

Reverend mom gives a good name to activism

Quite how the Rev. Claudia Genung (a surname of French Hugenot origin) fits everything into 24 hours is beyond all understanding.
JAPAN
May 1, 2004

UNESCO heritage bid challenged over gender bias

The government's bid to have a sacred area in western Japan registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site is being challenged by those who claim it reinforces gender discrimination.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 27, 2004

Does comic relief hurt kids?

'Cuteness, eroticism, and violence are the essence of Japanese pop culture," says Ichiya Nakamura, executive director of the Stanford Japan Center and ex-government policy maker.

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