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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 31, 2006

Spring in their steps

As a crash course in the current state of African-American pop music, this weekend's Springroove festival being held on consecutive days in Osaka and Chiba Prefecture showcases an impressive range of artists. The headliners all represent major labels, and thus the mainstream: Since hip-hop and R&B are...
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2006

Muraoka acquitted of hiding JDA check

The Tokyo District Court found former Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Kanezo Muraoka not guilty Thursday of concealing a 100 million yen donation from the nation's dental lobby in July 2001 to the then top LDP faction.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 31, 2006

Marriageproblems

It had a successful off-Broadway run and was turned into a television movie for American cable television network HBO starring Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 31, 2006

Cheikh Lo "Lamp Fall"

"Lamp Fall," the new CD from Senegalese singer, drummer, guitarist and composer Cheikh Lo, leads off more laid back than his last release "Bambay Gueej." Starting with calm intimacy, the album ultimately bursts into passionate vocals and soaring rhythms. Lo's spirituality -- he's a member of a mysterious...
CULTURE / Music
Mar 31, 2006

Kanye West

Well-known for his production work with Jay-Z, Ludacris and Alicia Keys, Kanye West became a household name with the release of his debut album, 2004's "The College Dropout." The multi-platinum recording exploded out of the gates and the massive cross-over appeal of West's rap anthems netted him 10 Grammy...
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2006

23,800 rights abuses tallied in Japan

The number of human rights violations reported to the Justice Ministry's regional legal affairs bureaus across Japan reached a record-high 23,800 in 2005, up 4 percent from the previous year, a ministry tally showed Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2006

Koike hospitalized with pneumonia

Environment Minister Yuriko Koike was hospitalized Wednesday for treatment of acute pneumonia, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Thursday.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 31, 2006

Metamorphosis through butoh

Like most butoh troupes, Sankai Juku shave their heads and paint themselves a ghostly white. But unlike their contemporaries, this second-generation butoh unit, founded by Artistic Director Ushio Amagatsu in 1975, has spent almost as much time abroad (especially with their many coproductions at the Thea^tre...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 31, 2006

Majestic entertainment

Subtitled "Adult Frustration!?" Yebisu Cultural Festival returns for its fifth installment to Tokyo nightspot Milk on April 1. As usual, it boasts a diverse lineup of live bands, DJs and special performances.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / COUNTER CULTURE
Mar 31, 2006

Lauren gets his Tokyo landmark

Omotesando, Tokyo's premier luxury brand boulevard, has recently been furnished with a string of ultramodern shrines to consumable design, crafted in concrete and steel and glass. That makes Ralph Lauren's vast whitewashed neoclassical monolith -- which opened yesterday -- seem even more like something...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 31, 2006

Lapping up success

When she's not working as an actress or DJing at a Saami language radio station in Helsinki, Anni-Kristiina Juuso is a reindeer farmer in her native Lapland. "Yes, like my character in the film. So in many ways, I was totally in my element!" So laughs the 27-year old Juuso, who is one of few Lapp women...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 31, 2006

'Akiba' gets better

The latest addition to the rapidly developing Akihabara promises to be a haven for anime enthusiasts everywhere.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 30, 2006

Hawks hoping to get over playoff hump

CHIBA LOTTE MARINES -- Manager Bobby Valentine's club won it all last season and will no doubt be a contender for the Pacific League again. The lineup is solid with veterans Kazuya Fukuura (6 home runs, 72 RBIs, .300 average in 2005) at first base and Koichi Hori (7, 46, .305) at second, National Team...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 30, 2006

Yakult looking to get back on top of CL

HANSHIN TIGERS -- The Tigers seem to be taking turns finishing in fourth and first place every other year. Fourth in 2002 and 2004, first in 2003 and 2005, and if not careful, they could drop to the second division in 2006.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 30, 2006

SubMarine no longer under radar

CHIBA -- Shunsuke Watanabe is a rabbit's foot, a twisting, turning good luck charm who gets it done.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 30, 2006

JEF begins cup defense with close win

CHIBA -- JEF United Chiba began its defense of the Nabisco Cup with a 2-1 victory over Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Fukuda Denshi Arena on Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 30, 2006

DPJ has dawdled long enough

With the Diet's passage of the fiscal 2006 budget, the Koizumi administration has cleared an important hurdle. But the Diet is in a sad state following the Democratic Party of Japan's blunder in its handling of an e-mail message presented by a DPJ lawmaker alleging shady financial ties between disgraced...
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2006

Top court: casualty policy must cover injured fetus

A fetus borne by a policyholder involved in a car accident is eligible for coverage under a type of casualty insurance policy, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, upholding a high court decision that ordered an insurer to pay damages over a 1999 accident.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 30, 2006

Inada to fight Sirimongkol for WBC interim title

Japan's Chikashi Inada will face Sirimongkol Singwangcha of Thailand for the WBC lightweight interim crown on May 20 in Los Angeles, Japanese boxing officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2006

Ruling slams unequal bias in paternity recognition

The Tokyo District Court granted Japanese nationality Wednesday to nine Japanese-fathered children born out of wedlock to Filipino women, ruling that a legal clause that bars such status only if the father acknowledges paternity after birth is unconstitutional.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2006

Diet summons Nagata-named e-mail go-between

The House of Representatives Disciplinary Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to summon Takashi Nishizawa, named by lawmaker Hisayasu Nagata as the middleman who gave him the fake Horie e-mail, for sworn testimony on April 4.

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