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CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD
Oct 24, 2000

Okinawan sounds old and new resonate through the mainland

For a reason that has so far confounded me, October and November usually herald a spate of Okinawan concerts and releases on the mainland, leading to unfortunate clashes of dates. This year is no exception: The Ryukyu Festival in Tokyo (previewed in this column) in early October unfortunately fell on...
COMMENTARY
Oct 24, 2000

Executives must obey the law

In a recent major shareholder suit, the Osaka District Court ordered 11 former Daiwa Bank executives to pay a total of $775 million (about 83 billion yen) in compensation for the $1.1-billion loss the bank suffered from illegal bond trading by a former employee of its New York branch. The ruling has...
EDITORIALS
Oct 23, 2000

Yugoslavia's long road

Having toppled Mr. Slobodan Milosevic, Yugoslavia's new president, Mr. Vojislav Kostunica, must now consolidate power if he is to return his country to the family of European nations. His efforts to form an interim government have been hampered by Yugoslavia's federal structure and the bad blood between...
COMMENTARY
Oct 23, 2000

LDP is up to its old tricks

The current 150th Diet session is in unprecedented chaos over an electoral reform bill to revise the Upper House voting system. The bill would change the roster system for candidates nominated in the proportional-representation segment of the Upper House polls. Currently, parties predetermine the ranks...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Oct 23, 2000

Clock tolls for environmental action

Mika Suzuki may not be a professional designer, but her keen eye and concern about the environment recently won her the top prize in a Tokyo eco-design contest.
EDITORIALS
Oct 22, 2000

Libraries without limits

We human beings, especially those of us who are getting on in years, are always complaining that "anything goes these days." It's a habit that defines the species. Elderly Neanderthals probably tottered about fretting that the cave was going to the dogs and it was time for tighter standards and firmer...
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2000

Sanya turning from laborer to tourist district

In Tokyo, where it's difficult to find a decent room for less than 6,000 yen a night, foreign backpackers and other budget travelers go to the day-laborer district.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2000

An 'extreme' sport that's truly off the wall

As we search for bigger thrills and harder adrenaline rushes, more and more people are pursuing a break from the norm with "extreme" sports.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2000

Market stirs echoes of Komagome's past

The name Komagome, which literally means "horse inside," is believed to have derived from the fields and stables where livestock was kept.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2000

European, Asian leaders end summit with vow of solidarity

SEOUL -- European and Asian leaders wrapped up a summit here Saturday with a pledge to launch a new round of world trade talks as soon as possible and a promise to work together more closely on political issues and fighting crime.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 22, 2000

Young talent surfaces at Tokyo Designers Week

If you happened to be in the Aoyama, Shibuya or Daikanyama districts of Tokyo over the last week you may have noticed a brightly patterned bus zooming around. It was transporting whoever was interested in going to the many spots in this area that were exhibiting the work of Japanese and international...
COMMUNITY
Oct 22, 2000

Country gold in them thar Kyushu hills

MOUNT ASO, Kyushu -- When he had just turned 20, "Good Time" Charlie Nagatani made a decision that must have seemed even more foolish than it was whimsical.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2000

KSD donated huge sums to LDP as 'member fees'

A scandal-tainted mutual aid organization for small enterprises made annual payments of up to 200 million yen -- disguised as party membership fees -- to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party from 1991 to 1999, sources familiar with the case said Saturday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 22, 2000

David Powell

He says that although he is not Welsh, he has always been pleased to have a Welsh name. Last year David Powell strengthened a Welsh sentiment when he became executive vice president, Japan, of the Welsh Development Agency. He has very special appreciation of Wales, a small country of "charm and delight."...
COMMUNITY
Oct 22, 2000

ZERI student volunteer recalls Expo experience

Agreeing to be interviewed but only 18, Ikuko Sato brought along her elder sister Kyoko for support. Actually, Kyoko had her own motive for joining us. Soon to visit a Filipino friend in England, she wanted information on traveling in the U.K.: "Is there a special rail pass for tourists? And what do...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 22, 2000

Bidding goodbye to the monoculture myth

Some years ago I was sitting at the counter of a rather exclusive sushi restaurant in the Roppongi district of Tokyo when I noticed that a middle-age man a few stools along was making monosyllabic comments each time I ordered a morsel of sushi or slipped one into my mouth.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 22, 2000

Holding art and utility in our hands

Amid the sensationalism of much contemporary art, it is refreshing to sense honest artistry in metal, clay and wood. "Thoughts on Contemporary Vessels" at the Crafts Gallery of the National Museum of Modern Art is an exhibition centered on the humble cup, bowl or jar. And it reveals crafts that are as...
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2000

Troubled insurer Kyoei seeks court protection

Kyoei Life Insurance Co., a troubled midsize insurer with liabilities of about 4.5 trillion yen, filed for protection from creditors with the Tokyo District Court on Friday, making it the largest life insurer to collapse since World War II, company officials said.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2000

Opposition ends boycott to pursue scandals in Diet

Opposition lawmakers returned to Diet deliberations Friday, ending a nearly three-week boycott after the House of Councilors passed a controversial bill to revise the electoral system the previous day.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 21, 2000

Game O-N as legends clash

Staff writer
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2000

Dermatitis forum gets doctors, patients to chat

A group of Japanese atopic dermatitis patients and their families set up an online conference room to exchange information on treatment -- then asked doctors for their opinion.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2000

Khatami to get red carpet; Mori to walk diplomatic tightrope

Reformist Iranian President Mohammad Khatami will receive a red-carpet welcome when he arrives in Tokyo at the end of this month on what Japanese officials describe as a historic visit that will usher in a new era for bilateral ties after years of near-estrangement.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 21, 2000

In the cavern of the Industrial Age

The first thing you notice is the strong odor, which is somewhere just on the forgiving side of rank. Imagine the refrigeration breaking down for a couple of August days in a provincial French cheese shop, and the aromatic quickly turning miasmatic, andyou'll begin to get an idea of just how the Rontgen...
CULTURE / Music
Oct 21, 2000

A cool wind blowing in from the north of Japan

Of all Japan's own instruments, the shakuhachi, a simple five-hole, end-blown flute made from the root end of a bamboo stalk, has achieved the greatest success beyond these shores.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2000

More symbol than substance?

With U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gearing up to visit North Korea, it is a good time to take a deep breath and assess where this political roller coaster is headed. We have barely digested the last photo opportunity: the remarkable image of North Korea's top general, Vice Marshal Cho Myong...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’