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Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 28, 2004

Docu-dramas protest war in Iraq

When U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage reportedly said last week that Article 9 of Japan's war-renouncing Constitution "is becoming an obstacle to strengthening the Japan-United States alliance," nobody, let alone the mass media in Japan, seemed to be too shocked.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2004

Like NTT phone fee, line brokers face extinction

Kanji in the window of a three-story building near JR Okachimachi Station in central Tokyo advertise "denwa tokubai" (discounted telephone lines).
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 26, 2004

Flawed homeland security

LAS VEGAS -- The dispute between Washington and Tokyo over the fate of Army Sgt. Charles Jenkins, whom the United States accuses of defecting to North Korea some 40 years ago, is more than a case of American legalism vs. Japanese ad hoc policy and humanitarian instincts. The issue goes much deeper into...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 25, 2004

Kabuki star in Fuji TV's "Tuesday Special" and more

On July 25, kabuki star Nakamura Kankuro will wrap up a historic weeklong run in New York City. Though Kankuro has performed in New York before, this time he brought his portable Heisei Nakamura-za theater and had it erected in the plaza of Lincoln Center.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 21, 2004

Reversal by owners likely to keep two-league system in place

Two weeks ago, it appeared Japanese pro baseball was surely headed for a 10-team, one-league restructuring for next season.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 14, 2004

Remembering the good old future

Steamboy Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Katsuhiro Otomo Running time: 126 minutes Language: English Opens July 17 [See Japan Times movie listings] I am old enough to remember when the future looked fun. As a kid I was an eager reader of Jules Verne, whose futuristic novels, written...
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2004

New PlayStation due this fiscal year

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Monday it will launch the next-generation PlayStation video game console by the end of the current fiscal year.
JAPAN / BY THE NUMBERS
Jul 7, 2004

Exporting animation a huge Japanese success story

Pokemon, Digimon, Sailor Moon and Yu-Gi-Oh!
MORE SPORTS
Jul 7, 2004

World's top agent Johnson key to IMG's future

How rare is an interview with Peter Johnson?
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 4, 2004

Fuji TV's "Ningen no Shomei" and more

Next week, the Upper House elections will feature a lot of celebrity would-be politicians, most of whom seem to be professional wrestlers. One of the most famous celebrity politicians, comedian Kiyoshi Nishikawa, is retiring after 18 years in the Upper House.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 4, 2004

Imaginative filmmakers shed light on dark side of humanity

At the end of May the Cine Pathos movie theater in Ginza was scheduled to run "Concrete," which is based on a "nonfiction novel" that itself is patterned after an incident that took place in Tokyo's Adachi Ward in 1989. Four teenage boys abducted a high-school girl and kept her prisoner for 40 days,...
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2004

Nikka Whisky hopes bar will woo consumers back

Nikka Whisky Distilling Co. will open a whiskey bar in Tokyo in its bid to rekindle the drink's popularity.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2004

Extra holidays boosted household spending 5.6% in May

Spending by Japan's wage-earning households rose a real 5.6 percent in May from a year earlier, the first time in 14 years that such spending has shown an increase of more than 5 percent over two straight months, the government said Tuesday.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 20, 2004

Talent agencies enjoy the biggest laugh

Yoshimoto Kogyo, one of the biggest talent agencies in Japan, recently announced that it plans to build a new 1,000-seat comedy theater in Shinjuku. The company already operates a 458-seat theater in the Shinjuku Lumine building, and like that one the new venue will present only Yoshimoto acts. The company's...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 19, 2004

Walt Disney 'imagineer' also promotes 52 virtues

It has taken John Kavelin 40 minutes to drive from his job as director of design and production at Tokyo Disneyland to his home in Minami Azabu. At least 20 minutes faster than if he took the train, he notes, pleased.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 16, 2004

Follow this flowery Lane

Under the Tuscan Sun Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Audrey Wells Running time: 112 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Sometimes, when you've reached a certain age, love's not enough. It's gotta be supported with real estate. This is the moral...
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2004

Tokyo still priciest city for expats across globe

Tokyo remains the world's most expensive city for expatriate workers in terms of the cost of living, according to an annual survey released Monday by a U.S. consulting firm.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2004

Nintendo eyes revolution in game sector

Nintendo Co., which dominates the portable video-game machine market, said Wednesday it is developing a new home game console in an apparent attempt to catch up with rival Sony Corp.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Jun 3, 2004

Sims creator: always unique

Will Wright, the creator of "The Sims," may be most accurately described as a cross between Stephen Hawking and Willy Wonka. He has a quirky and ironic sense of humor and a large and loyal following in the gaming world.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 2, 2004

Insatiable appetite for destruction

The Day After Tomorrow Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Roland Emmerich Running time: 124 minutes Language: English Opens June 5 [See Japan Times movie listings] Stership Troopers 2 Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Phil Tippett Running time: 92 minutes Language: English Opens...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 28, 2004

Porto's Mourinho paid his dues on way up coaching ladder

LONDON -- Two years ago few outside of Portugal had heard of Jose Mourinho.
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2004

How separate are religion, government?

SINGAPORE -- Religion and the state in East Asia have always had a tenuous relationship. But as political and social development accelerate with the accumulation of wealth and a growing middle class, East Asia appears to be ultimately confronting the issue of separating religion from secular politics....
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 23, 2004

Foreign markets fail to grasp soul of anime

If, as many people claim, Japanese pop culture is sweeping the globe, then anime is the hand that wields the broom. A number of recent big-budget Japanese animated features, including Mamoru Oishii's "Innocence," currently in competition at Cannes, have attracted funding from Hollywood without the usual...
BUSINESS
May 21, 2004

Namco sees profit surge 83.3%

Namco Ltd., a maker of video game software and hardware, said Thursday that its group net profit jumped 83.3 percent to 7.55 billion yen in fiscal 2003.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 21, 2004

Osaka's west side story

In the cult-film classic "Death Ride to Osaka," there is a scene in which tough Tokyo yakuza drag a Western hostess kicking and screaming out the door. The hostess has just been banished from the bright lights of Tokyo's Ginza to the foul backwater of Osaka.
BUSINESS
May 19, 2004

Sega, Sammy set to integrate under holding firm on Oct. 1

Game maker Sega Corp. said Tuesday it will merge with pachinko machine maker Sammy Corp. on Oct. 1, thereby creating the nation's largest video game maker.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 8, 2004

Porto's Mourinho in line to be new manager of Chelsea

LONDON -- According to various back-page "exclusives" over the past week, Chelsea is buying Walter Samuel (Roma -- £15 million), David Beckham and Ronaldo (Real Madrid -- combined fee of £100,000 million), Ronaldinho (Barcelona -- £60 million), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool -- £30 million) and any other...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 5, 2004

One sure way to the enjoy the twilight years

Shinibana Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Isshin Inudo Running time: 120 minutes Language: Japanese Opens May 7 [See Japan Times movie listings] Japanese society is rapidly graying, as journalists never tire of telling us. What the journos seldom mention -- though the cannier film...

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past