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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2004

Interpreter's notes

Lost in Translation Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Sofia Coppola Running time: 102 minutes Language: English, Japanese Opens April 17 at Cinema Rise [See Japan Times movie listings] The dialogue of "Lost in Translation" never sizzles, never gets out of line, doesn't really reveal...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2004

Coen bros.' latest just makes the cut

In the Cut Rating: * * (out of 5) Director: Jane Campion Running time: 119 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Intolerable Cruelty Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Joel Coen Running time: 102 minutes Language: English Currently...
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2004

Drawn to the future

Born in 1964, Fumihiko Sori joined Tokyo Broadcasting System, one of Japan's Big Four TV networks, in 1988. In 1996 he entered the film department of the University of Southern California and later assisted James Cameron with the VFX work for "Titanic." After returning to Japan he worked as a VFX supervisor...
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2004

Captives' families press on despite exhaustion

Despite visible exhaustion due to lack of sleep and anxiety, relatives of the three Japanese taken hostage last week in Iraq continued their desperate appeal Tuesday for the release of their loved ones.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2004

VIPs made to feel at home in the Hyatt's floating world

The Park Hyatt Tokyo is, as Coppola has described it, a quiet floating island 39 floors above the cacophony and chaos of Shinjuku. Occupying the top 14 floors of the 52-story Shinjuku Park Tower, the hotel exudes an aura of calm and comfort that has induced many CEOs and celebrities -- including Coppola...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2004

Sowing the seeds of a new genre

Appleseed Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Shinji Aramaki Running time: 103 minutes Language: Japanese Opens April 17 [See Japan Times movie listings] Japanese animation is edging into the mainstream internationally, while insinuating itself into everything from "Kill Bill Vol....
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2004

Consumers get food maker database

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to create a database of farmers, food manufacturers and distributors to enable consumers to track the production process and confirm food safety, according to officials.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2004

By-election races focus on Iraq, pensions

The Japanese hostage crisis in Iraq and pension reform weighed heavy on the agenda as House of Representatives by-election campaigning kicked off Tuesday in Saitama, Hiroshima and Kagoshima prefectures.
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2004

FamilyMart's net profit rises 7%

FamilyMart Co. said Tuesday its net profit rose 7 percent to 13.79 billion yen for the year through February, thanks to solid growth in store numbers at home and overseas.
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2004

JR East envisions using cell phones as train tickets

East Japan Railway Co. hopes to launch a new service as early as autumn 2005 that will allow mobile phone users to pass through ticket gates by pressing their handsets lightly against gate scanners, the company said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2004

Beef talks to resume, Cheney says

Visiting U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday that U.S. experts will visit Japan next week to resume bilateral negotiations to break a deadlock over Japan's import ban on U.S. beef.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2004

Kyoto farms get clean bird-flu bill of health

The Kyoto Prefectural Government at midnight Monday lifted a ban on shipments of chickens and eggs by poultry farms located within 5 km of a farm hit by bird flu in February.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2004

Cheney lauds Japan's resolve to keep SDF troops in Iraq

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney voiced support Tuesday for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's determination to keep Ground Self-Defense Force troops in Iraq.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 14, 2004

Japan wants to host 2007 World Cup

The American Football Association of Japan said Tuesday it has been moving forward in a bidding process that will make Japan a candidate to host the 2007 American Football World Cup.
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2004

Japan wholesale prices post first rise since 2000

Wholesale prices nationwide edged up in March from a year earlier for the first increase in three years and eight months, the Bank of Japan said Tuesday in a preliminary report.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 14, 2004

Team named for ice hockey World Championship

The Japan Ice Hockey Federation on Tuesday named the 25-man squad for the upcoming World Championship in the Czech Republic, which includes Canadian-born forward Chris Bright.
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2004

Kondo OK'd to head highway body

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday endorsed the reappointment of Takeshi Kondo as president of the state-run Japan Highway Public Corp.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 14, 2004

In search of the perfect swindle

Cherry trees bloom on the Kabukiza stage all year round, but this month, as befits hanami season, they're particularly spectacular. That's not surprising, because "Shiranami Gonin Otoko (The Five Shiranami Men)" by Kawatake Mokuami (1816-93), was inspired by ukiyo-e prints by the renowned Utagawa Toyokuni...
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2004

Takashimaya and Credit Saison agree on partnership, capital tieup

Major department store chain Takashimaya Co. and Credit Saison Co., a leading credit card company, said Tuesday they have reached a basic agreement to establish a partnership, including a capital tieup.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 14, 2004

Lessons still unlearned

Timely or what! Just as Japan's autocratic leaders appear to have junked war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution -- with news last week of SDF aircraft even having transported armed U.S. soldiers into Iraq -- along comes "Taiko Tataite Fue Fuite (Playing Drum and Flute)," which vividly portrays...
EDITORIALS
Apr 14, 2004

Hostage nightmare continues

Patience is running thin as efforts to have three Japanese hostages in Iraq freed drag on with no apparent progress. The crisis appeared to have been nearing a resolution on Sunday morning when the kidnappers issued a statement saying that they would release the civilians within 24 hours. But the deadline...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2004

Further thoughts on Yasukuni

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Although I am among those who wish that the Yasukuni Shrine controversy be put to rest quick- ly, I realize that the solution must come from inside Japan when conditions mature. Those with some distance from the emotional core of the issue may wish to ponder the new dynamic that...

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