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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2004

Fukui said to be 'doing his best' under strict policy

Sakuya Fujiwara, former deputy governor of the Bank of Japan, says BOJ Gov. Toshihiko Fukui is constantly under public pressure over the central bank's monetary measures.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2004

Roh's fate hangs on political pulse

SEOUL -- The always contentious South Korean political scene was shattered last week with the impeachment of the sitting president, Roh Moo Hyun, with both Korea watchers and Koreans themselves who take their young democracy very seriously caught off guard.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 18, 2004

Valentine speaks his mind in preseason game

The season hasn't even started yet and Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine is already getting hot under the collar.
COMMENTARY
Mar 18, 2004

China adds protections to Constitution

HONG KONG -- The 2004 session of China's National People's Congress closed Sunday with the passage of several constitutional amendments. Attention focused on those relating to human rights and the protection of private property.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 18, 2004

Professional bowling coming to an alley near you

When first approached to interview Steve Miller, President and CEO of the Pro Bowling Association Tour (PBA), I was reluctant to put it politely. Bowling for me was always something of a last resort if a date was going badly, a sport in which my average closely resembled what it takes me to get around...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 17, 2004

The boy who lost everything

Kamachi Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Rokuro Mochizuki Running time: 115 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] "Live fast and leave a beautiful corpse" James Dean used to say -- and he famously followed his own advice by dying in a car crash...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 17, 2004

A 'kitchen sink' filled deep

Strange, but true: These days, the chance of seeing a quality Japanese "kitchen sink" (domestic) drama about ordinary people's everyday lives is rarer than the opportunity of watching yet another reworking of Shakespeare, Chekhov or Tennessee Williams. Now, though, and until the end of the month, theatergoers...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 17, 2004

Fans should decide if Japan pro ball has interleague play

A couple of interesting articles appeared in The Japan Times during the first week of this month, both mentioning interleague play, and it would appear Japanese baseball may finally be moving toward the scheduling of regular-season games between Central and Pacific League teams.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 17, 2004

He's gone and forgot it all again

Paycheck Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: John Woo Running time: 118 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] In the world of sci-fi literary giant Philip K. Dick, memory is a commodity and a liability. Memory is what his characters try to protect...
CULTURE / Film
Mar 17, 2004

Oshii talks softly, but carries a big script

Before I interviewed Mamoru Oshii, his publicist asked if I would need an interpreter. "He tends to mumble," she explained. No, I didn't need an interpreter, but I did turn the volume of my tape recorder on high, fortunately. Looking a decade younger than his 52 years, with a mane of unruly black hair,...
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2004

Fukuda gets testy over Yasukuni Shrine questions

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda got annoyed Monday with a reporter who asked him about China's latest protest over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2004

Japanese airlines grapple for slice of China pie

China became the focus of grave concern among international airlines a year ago, when the SARS epidemic led to a dramatic decline in travelers to the country.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 16, 2004

Citizenship and health insurance

Citizenship I am a holder of a valid Philippines passport and have permanent residence status here in Japan, where I have lived for at least 18 years. I would like to apply for citizenship.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 14, 2004

Japanese erotica exposed

FORBIDDEN IMAGES: Erotic Art from Japan's Edo Period, by Monta Kayakawa, (Trilingual: Finnish, Swedish, English). Helsinki: City Art Museum, 2003, 112 pp., 82 color plates, 3,800 yen (cloth). Japanese shunga -- erotic paintings and prints, some of the world's most beautiful -- remain indigenously unknown....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 14, 2004

Tomasz Stanko: "Suspended Night"

Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko's newest release, "Suspended Night," is a masterpiece of minimalist beauty. A suite of interconnected compositions, "Suspended Night" simply numbers its "Variations" I to X. The unaffected simplicity and flexible modal structures strip down chords and melody lines to allow...
MORE SPORTS
Mar 14, 2004

Toshiba, Kobe Steel to meet in title game

Toshiba Brave Lupus will be hoping to get rid of an unwanted tag when it takes part in the final of the 41st Japan Championship at Tokyo's National Stadium on March 21.
Japan Times
Features
Mar 14, 2004

Roots

Have you ever considered making your family tree?
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 13, 2004

Usual suspects set to do battle for J. League honors

Turkish World Cup star Ilhan Mansiz lining up for big-spending Vissel Kobe. Japan international Alessandro Santos in an Urawa Reds shirt. Veteran defender Yutaka Akita battling it out at the back for Nagoya Grampus Eight.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 13, 2004

Einstein's theory of ski map relativity

Inquiring 'gaijin' want to know the best ski and snowboard spots in Japan. If you're a snowboarder, you're lucky because starting in March, Shigakogen in Nagano Prefecture, Japan's largest 'sooki snow-bo' area, opens all its runs to snowboarders as well as skiers.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2004

Shirakawa oft visited illegal casino but says he didn't bet

Katsuhiko Shirakawa, a former home affairs minister and ex-chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, has admitted visiting an illegal casino in Tokyo under a false name -- but has denied placing any bets.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 12, 2004

Leicester players perpetuate England's drink culture

LONDON -- If somebody offered you a job which paid £30,000 a week and one of the stipulations was that you had to give up alcohol for a certain period of time, would it be too much of an imposition on your freedom?
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2004

No yen redenomination: Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi dismissed talk of redenominating the yen Thursday after reportedly floating the idea the night before.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Mar 11, 2004

Bucks not getting the praise

NEW YORK -- Two superb NBA stories of late implicate the Milwaukee Bucks, which is why you've read or heard precious little about them.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2004

IRCJ commits to 366 billion yen bailout of Kanebo

The state-backed Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan said Wednesday it has decided to bail out the country's No. 2 cosmetics maker, Kanebo Ltd., using 366 billion yen in public money.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2004

Apply Botox before viewing

Gothika Rating: * * (out of 5) Director: Mathieu Kassovitz Running time: 97 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] It was sad, but it had to be done. After a steady diet of horror films throughout my, uh, youth, I went through a voluntary detox/rehab...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2004

Ishii still probing female mysteries

Moju vs lssunboshi Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Teruo Ishii Running time: 95 minutes Language: Japanese Opens March 13 at Shibuya Cine La Sept [See Japan Times movie listings] Film critics don't usually issue disclaimers, but one is in order, I think, before I launch into a review...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2004

Under the Taliban's shadow

Osama Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Japanese title: Afghan Zero-Nen Director: Siddiq Barmak Running time: 83 minutes Language: Dari, Pashtu Opens March 13 at Tokyo Shashin Bijitsukan, Yebisu Garden Place [See Japan Times movie listings] Of all the repression that the Taliban inflicted on...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Mar 10, 2004

Hold your breath and turn the wheel

Kyoto. The name conjures up images of courtly nobles and stoic Zen temples -- and yet so much more of Japan's cultural identity was born in that ancient city. In the world of ceramics, one of its glorious contributions has been Kyo-yaki, or Kyoto pottery.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Wooden ruins believed site of Emperor Tenmu's palace

Archaeologists in western Japan have unearthed the remains of a wooden palace believed to be that of a seventh-century emperor who laid the foundations for the nation's bureaucracy, a member of the team said Tuesday.

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