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CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Oct 28, 2001

A rough guide to the indies

Japan's indie music scene is a fractured miasma of competing and collaborating subgenres. The sheer number of bands is, as anyone who has looked at Pia's live house listings recently, overwhelming. Like a fan searching for a hidden venue in the twisted back streets of Shimokitazawa or Koenji, you can...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 28, 2001

Absorbing and transforming the new

TRANSLATING THE WEST: Language and Political Reason in Nineteenth-Century Japan, by Douglas R. Howland. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2001, 312 pp., $27.95 (paper) It is commonly assumed that Western ideas somehow wafted to Japan and there landed and took root. A moment's reflection, however,...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 28, 2001

Oh, those meddling grandmothers

One of the most common themes in Japanese drama is the battle between yome and shutome -- brides and mothers-in-law. The new Nippon TV comedy series, "Honke no Yome (Bride of the Main House)" (Monday, 10 p.m.), stretches this concept by using a grandmother-in-law and updates the overall theme for an...
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2001

Kin of Fujimori's alleged victims urges justice

A woman whose husband and son were killed by Peru's military under former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori said Friday that Tokyo should help bring to justice the disgraced president, who is now living in Japan.
BUSINESS
Oct 27, 2001

Fence-mending over, friendship committee goes to work

Taking its cue from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's largely successful fence-mending trip to China, Japan will formally inaugurate a blue-ribbon troupe to prepare for an extravaganza commemorating the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 27, 2001

Cars that levitate and suitcase houses

When you come to Japan, one thing you notice is shapes. Shapes are different here.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 27, 2001

Maria Teresa de Avila

The wife of the ambassador of Ecuador to Japan is Mexican by birth. She has the aura of vivacity, color and spontaneity often associated with her compatriots. Maria Teresa de Avila was born in Monterrey, Mexico's important northern city that is modern and energetic.
BUSINESS
Oct 26, 2001

Volkswagen to accelerate sales promotion, presence in Asia

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- German auto giant Volkswagen AG is accelerating sales promotions to increase its presence in Asia, especially in Japan and China, according to an executive of the firm.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 25, 2001

Swallows a win away from fifth Series title

The big guns drew blanks for the Yakult Swallows on Wednesday, but a role player picked up the slack.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2001

Asia holds key to GM's outlook, chairman says

The boss of American auto giant General Motors Corp. believes the Asia-Pacific market will dictate the carmaker's global sales outlook.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2001

Government mulls thawing loan-freeze against Pakistan

The government began studying Wednesday providing new loans to Pakistan, government sources said.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2001

Fuel cells, IT on stage at motor show

MAKUHARI, Chiba Pref. -- The 35th Tokyo Motor Show opened to the media Wednesday, showcasing concept cars, motorbikes and the latest auto parts at the Makuhari Messe international event hall.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2001

Think tank calls for shift to green economy

Japan should promote "green" taxes, a new global environment policy organization and other innovative policies in the runup to Earth Summit 2002 to be held in Johannesburg next fall, a leading think tank said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2001

Buddhist author Setouchi condemns U.S.-led attacks against Afghanistan

Popular writer and Buddhist preacher Jakucho Setouchi said in a recent interview that the U.S.-led attacks on Afghanistan will only contribute to the cycle of hatred and animosity and solve nothing.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2001

Koizumi hints at possible lifting of Pakistan aid ban

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi hinted Tuesday that he may lift Japan's more than three-year-long freeze on new aid to Pakistan to help it fight terrorism in the U.S.-led coalition.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Oct 24, 2001

Three out of 50 ain't bad

Ska-core, that curious musical hybrid, seems to have finally come into its own in Japan. On the Oricon Top 50 album chart for the week ending Oct. 22, there were three Japanese ska-core albums.
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2001

GM sales in Asia rise 20% on year

General Motors Corp.'s car sales in the Asia-Pacific region rose 20 percent during the first nine months of this year over last year, and the company is continuing to increase its presence in the region, GM Chairman John. F. Smith Jr. said Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 21, 2001

K-1 hits the spot

Blood spurts from his nose. Another crunching blow to the head. His lights go out as he drops to the floor unconscious. Thousands of dollars go down with him.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2001

For Okinawan actress, concept of family key to lasting peace

From its dialect to its cuisine, many may think that Okinawa Prefecture is one of the most distinctive places in Japan. But for elfin Okinawan actress Tomi Taira, the core of human satisfaction is universal -- the desire to be part of a happy family. This desire exists everywhere, be it in her home islands...
CULTURE / Books
Oct 21, 2001

Shaky bridges across the language gap

POESIE YAPONESIA: A Bilingual Anthology, edited by Taylor Mignon and Hillel Wright. Printed Matter Press, 2000, pp. 200, $20 (paper) For some reason, I had expected "Poesie Yaponesia" to be a collection of poems by longtime, English-speaking residents of Japan, each given in two versions, Japanese...
CULTURE / Books
Oct 21, 2001

In the realm of crime, torture and depravity

THE DARK SIDE: Infamous Japanese Crimes and Criminals, by Mark Schreiber. Kodansha International, 2001, 251 pp., 2,700 yen (cloth) It's unfortunate but true that the names of notorious criminals usually outlive those of their victims. We remember Jack the Ripper, not the London prostitutes he butchered....
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 21, 2001

Playing to the home crowd

JAPANESE SPORTS: A History, by Allen Guttmann and Lee Thompson. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 310 pp., plates, 25. $50, cloth; $24.95, paper. When Commodore Perry arrived in Japan as an unwelcome guest in 1853, a small part of the initial interactions between the visitors and their reluctant...
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2001

Protest made over supercomputer bid

A complaints panel for government procurements said Friday that it has accepted a complaint from IBM Japan Ltd. over a failed bid for a supercomputer.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2001

Nine Afghans sue after being held over illegal entry

Nine Afghans detained Oct. 3 when applying for refugee status filed a lawsuit Friday claiming their detention on suspicion of illegal entry into Japan was unlawful.
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2001

Automakers rev up search for ultimate clean car

Driven by concerns over global warming and the prospect of tougher restrictions, automakers worldwide have moved up a gear in the race to build the ultimate clean car.
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2001

Tragedy is chance to unite, Baker says

Despite the massive losses in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the incident has provided new opportunities for nations to work together to create a world free from terror, said Howard Baker, the U.S. ambassador to Japan.
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Oct 19, 2001

Home from home in surprising ways

When Christine Permatsari arrived in Okinawa this August, she found it to be not much different from home.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years