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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Aug 6, 2003

Rough Trade Shops: "Post Punk 01"

When punk hit a recession-ridden U.K. in 1975-'76, using a rudimentary version of rock 'n' roll as a platform to scream obscenities and threaten to smash the state, it was enough to ignite outrage across the land. And then, before your grandfather could curse "They should bring back military service,"...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 5, 2003

Tsutaya rental chain charts diversification course

The nation's largest rental video chain hopes to stay ahead of its rivals by diversifying, inaugurating a point-card system in tieups with off-industry partners and offering its customers more convenience and comfort.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Aug 1, 2003

901 just wants to play; Games in the mist

She has, for nearly all her life, wanted one thing most of all -- to play. Whether it be in the sanctuary of fantasy anime worlds or along a deep spiritual vibe for healing the soul, just let this woman play.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 31, 2003

Figuring it out for those that forget

Right now, in the brain cells of 12 million people around the world, there are messy, abnormal tangles of a protein called tau. Surrounding the neurons of these people (there are 1.6 million of them in Japan and 4 million in the United States) are plaques of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jul 31, 2003

Alpine black swallowtail

* Japanese name: Miyama-Karasuageha * Scientific name: Papilio maackii * Description: Widely held to be one of the most beautiful butterflies in Japan, the Alpine black swallowtail has a wing span of 38-75 mm and is covered in iridescent green or blue scales. Males have a green metallic shimmer to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 30, 2003

Confessions of a Frida lover

In the interest of full disclosure: I have been hopelessly enamored with the beautiful, communist, bisexual artist Frida Kahlo ever since I happened across -- and was shaken to the core by -- a print of her painting "Broken Column" (1944) in a Montreal art book shop back in 1979. I also wept uncontrollably...
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2003

New encryption technology unveiled

Hitachi Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. said Monday they have jointly developed next-generation encryption technology for electronic data and document transmission.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 27, 2003

With missing persons it's not where, but why?

After it was revealed last year that at least a dozen Japanese were kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970s and '80s, the Japanese government was criticized for not aggressively pursuing the disappearances of these people as abductions. But the truth is that thousands of people disappear every...
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2003

Hospital network planned to combat cancer scourge

The government said Friday it will establish a nationwide network of hospitals to treat cancer as a step toward upgrading the nation's medical infrastructure.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 25, 2003

L'Ecailler: Why shell out?

One thing should be made clear from the outset: L'Ecailler is not a restaurant for everyone. This has nothing to do with location or exclusivity, though it must be said that tony, well-heeled Shirokanedai does boast a distinctive demographic all its own. Neither is it a question of finances. L'Ecailler...
EDITORIALS
Jul 24, 2003

Danger lurks for unwary young teens

Central Shibuya, one of the trendiest districts in Tokyo, is a magnet for young people. "It's exciting like New York," says an American junior high school student on home stay here. But it is also a dangerous place for naive teenagers, as illustrated by last week's kidnapping of four school girls.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2003

Toyota Avensis set for Japan launch

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will release the midsize Avensis on the domestic market in the fall.
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2003

263 firms to join Tokyo Motor Show

A total of 263 firms from Japan and 13 other countries will participate in the 37th Tokyo Motor Show this fall at the Nippon Convention Center, better known as Makuhari Messe, in Chiba Prefecture, organizer said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2003

English class flexes the ear muscles

Many people in Japan blame the education system for their inability to communicate well in English, even though they have studied the language for years in school.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jul 17, 2003

Red fox

* Japanese name: Kitsune * Scientific name: Vulpes vulpes japonica * Description: Foxes look somewhat like dogs and belong to the same family. The fur of the red fox is orange-rust colored, apart from the throat, belly and tip of the tail, which are white. The feet and the rims of the ears are black....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2003

Fuji Photo Film develops WLAN digital camera

Fuji Photo Film Co. has developed a digital camera prototype that uses wireless local area networks to allow easier access to printers and personal computers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 16, 2003

Ennosuke soars with two-in-one tale

For his 33rd annual summer season at the Kabukiza Theater in Ginza, Ichikawa Ennosuke is this month presenting not one but two kabuki classics: "Yotsuya Kaidan (The Ghost Story at Yotsuya)" and "Chushingura (The 47 Loyal Retainers)." There's a catch, though -- he's fashioned them into a single, three-act...
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jul 15, 2003

The last word

It is better to have the parents decapitated for punishment after dragging them around town. State Minister Yoshitada Konoike explains what he'd like to do to the parents of the boy who murdered four-year-old Shun Tanemoto. He later explained that the suggestion was prompted by his interest in old samurai...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
Jul 15, 2003

Tokyo firm develops extra-sharp 'painless' needle

A six-employee company in Tokyo has developed a "painless" injection needle, much to the relief of children as well as adults.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 13, 2003

Classical rarities prove to be a hit

The maestros of the world generally conduct the music of others, but a Japanese record label has scored a minor hit with a CD of piano pieces that conductors themselves composed.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 6, 2003

Labor pains

Story ideas for "trendy dramas" usually incorporate current issues that the target audience will be interested in. A major worry of young people right now, especially those attending university, is job prospects -- and the kind of work environment they'll have to face once they do get a job. Some of...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jul 3, 2003

Large field mouse

* Japanese name: Aka nezumi * Scientific name: Apodemus speciosus (large field mouse) * Description: These mice are 9-14 cm long, with hazel-brown fur on top, and a white throat and belly. They have large black eyes, a well-developed sense of smell and sensitive whiskers. Females have eight nipples....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2003

Tottori governor sees hope in recent reform plan

Tottori Gov. Yoshihiro Katayama is hoping that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's plans to reform local finances will be the first step for local governments to stand on their own feet.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 27, 2003

Museum Cafe: On top of the world

It's one of those universal truths we hold self-evident. Fine food plus city lights from way up above, multiplied by one significant other, equals romance. And the great thing is, that equation always adds up, no matter what city, climate or time zone you're in -- even in Roppongi Hills.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 22, 2003

To the sacred temple-city in the clouds

KOYA-SAN, Wakayama Pref. -- If there is one all-round good guy to emerge from the pages of Japanese history, someone for whom nobody seems to have a bad word, it is Kobo Daishi (A.D. 774-835). Buddhist saint, scholar, spiritual healer, calligrapher, poet, sculptor, engineer, supposed originator of the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jun 20, 2003

Surprising secret of Bordeaux's success

France's Bordeaux region contains only 2 percent of the world's vineyard land, but in terms of global wine exports, it accounts for 4 percent of total volume and a whopping 10 percent of total value. What is it that makes Bordeaux so sought after?
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2003

LDP members approve 12 deregulation targets

Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers in charge of administrative and regulatory reform approved 12 deregulation targets Thursday that have been adopted by the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy.

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