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JAPAN
Jan 16, 2005

EU backs Japan in core farm group

Mariann Fischer Boel, European commissioner for agriculture and rural development, has backed Japan's entry into a core group in farm trade liberalization talks under the World Trade Organization, Japanese government officials said Saturday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 16, 2005

Brian Wilson

Ironic, isn't it, that Brian Wilson, the one with the famously debilitating anxiety problems, has outlived his two supposedly more well-adjusted brothers. Commercially, it means that The Beach Boys name is the property of cousin Mike Love, who for the past 20 years has successfully turned it into a touring...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 16, 2005

Diplo throws funky DIY marketing into the mix

"The goal is to expose the artist." Wesley Pentz is on the phone from Hawaii, explaining how he publicizes up-and-coming hip-hop talent. "It's basically putting promotion and marketing in your own hands," he explains. Contrary to what you may think, Pentz is not a record executive; he's a DJ with a passion...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 16, 2005

Fuji TV's new romantic comedy series, "Fukigen no Jiin" and more

The title of Fuji TV's new romantic comedy series, "Fukigen no Jiin" (Mon., 9 p.m.), has a double meaning. The main character is a university research geneticist, so the title could be translated as "The Gene for Ill Temper." But this female researcher, played by Yuko Takeuchi, is nicknamed Jean, so...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 16, 2005

Single thirtysomethings under the spotlight

Last weekend, Nihon TV broadcast a two-hour program based on Junko Sakai's bestselling book "Makeinu no Toboe (The Howl of the Loser Dog)," a piece of nonfiction. The show, however, was a standard trendy drama, meaning long on ritzy real-estate and product placements, short on situations that resemble...
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2005

Foreigners soon to own 200 golf courses in Japan

The number of golf courses in Japan owned by foreign investors is set to top the 200 mark soon and account for about 10 percent of the nation's 2,400 courses, industry sources said Saturday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 16, 2005

A fleeting visit rich with eastern symbolism

KNOWING THE EAST, by Paul Claudel, translated by James Lawler. Princeton University Press, 2004, 138 pp., $17.95 (paper). The Catholic poet Paul Claudel (1868-1955) first came to what was then known as the Far East in 1895 and at once began writing down his impressions. In 1900 he gathered them into...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 16, 2005

Bridge between Japan and Britain

Until World War II, Japanese language and culture were studied at few institutions outside Japan, and only a small number of scholars specialized in Japanese studies. Among the independent organizations devoted to promoting an understanding of Japan, its history and culture, two traced their origins...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 16, 2005

Carlos Barbosa-Lima: "Frenesi"

Brazilian guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima, who first studied with classical guitar master Andres Segovia, has been honing his technique for over four decades. His crisp acoustic tones and fluid soloing blend classical precision with street-dancing cool. On his 26th recording, "Frenesi," the audiophile...
Japan Times
Features / WEEK 3
Jan 16, 2005

A cheapskate let loose in Tokyo paradise of print

Jinbocho in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward is Japan's treasure trove of used books.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Jan 16, 2005

There's white gold on them thar African isles

'Where there's muck, there's brass." In the north of England "brass" means "cash," but the old adage about dirt and money still rings true. And you don't get much muckier than an overcrowded seabird colony on a small Atlantic island.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 16, 2005

Antibalas burn it down and build it back up

At the intersection of North Moore Street and Broadway in downtown Manhattan is No Moore, a bar favored by well-heeled young professionals. The walls are exposed brick, the wooden floor is comfortably worn and, in the daytime, sunlight gilds the space through floor-to-ceiling windows. It's a pleasant...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 16, 2005

When details of war stories metamorphose into tall tales

ZERO OVER BERLIN, by Joh Sasaki (translated by Hiroko Yoda with Matt Alt), New York: Vertical, 2004, 346 pp., $22.95 (cloth). BLACK WIND, by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler. New York: Putnam, 2004, 532 pp., $27.95 (cloth). "Zero over Berlin," translated from Joh Sasaki's 1988 novel, is based on the premise...
Japan Times
Features / WEEK 3
Jan 16, 2005

Wota lota love

The 90-minute event on the eighth floor of an electronics shop in Tokyo's Akihabara district one recent Sunday afternoon was unlike anything you'd expect to encounter in the bubble-gum world of Japanese teen fashion.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 15, 2005

Fukuhara-Sakamoto win mixed title

Ai Fukuhara partnered Ryusuke Sakamoto to a straight-sets victory over Masato Watanabe and Hime Togo in the final Friday to win their first mixed doubles title at the table tennis national championships.
SUMO
Jan 15, 2005

Kakizoe is latest victim of Asashoryu

Grand champion Asashoryu tossed aside Kakizoe on Friday to maintain sole possession of the lead at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2005

NHK closes ranks against Asahi, whistle-blower

NHK said Friday it has demanded that the daily Asahi Shimbun correct a story it ran claiming the public broadcaster, due to political pressure, altered a 2001 TV program on a mock trial on Japan's use of wartime sex slaves.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2005

One-third of schools handing out personal alarms

One-third of the nation's schools have given their students personal alarms to help them from becoming crime victims, while 45 percent have installed security cameras or other surveillance devices, an education ministry survey showed Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2005

BOJ to speed up bill replacement program on counterfeit worries

South Korean police said Friday they have launched an investigation after a visitor from Japan was found to have used several hundred counterfeit 10,000 yen bills at a casino in Seoul. The man, an ethnic Korean who runs a real estate business in Japan, exchanged 420 bogus 10,000 yen bills at a hotel...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2005

Long-term overstayers' cause championed

Supporters of seven Bangladeshi men who are being detained for overstaying their visas gathered Friday in front of the Justice Ministry to demand their release, saying the men have established their lives in this country.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2005

South Asia to get tsunami warning system

leader when it comes to predicting tsunamis based on simulations," Inoue said. According to Tatsuo Kuwayama, head of the Meteorological Agency's tsunami research section, 100,000 tsunami patterns have been calculated based on such things as magnitude and fault direction for earthquakes that could occur...
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2005

Disaster alerts to be in 'easy Japanese'

Local governments and radio and television stations might broadcast disaster warnings and information using children's-level Japanese so that foreigners can understand.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2005

Notion of an 'independent' missile defense is snake oil

According to press reports, Japan intends to mount an "independent" missile defense so as not to violate a constitutional interpretation that prohibits Japan from engaging in collective self-defense. Thus Japan would refrain from shooting down missiles that pass over Japan but are targeted at "other...
EDITORIALS
Jan 15, 2005

Bad options in Iraq

With elections scheduled to take place in less than three weeks, the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate. There are real doubts that a national vote can be held, a prospect that would seriously -- if not fatally -- undermine the legitimacy of the resulting government.

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