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JAPAN
Feb 12, 2003

Nepal man balks at murder rap pinned on brother

The Tokyo High Court in 2000 convicted Govinda Prasad Mainali for the 1997 robbery and murder of a Tokyo woman, but his brother believes he is innocent and is pushing to have him acquitted -- again.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Feb 12, 2003

Mountain man who walked the path of art

"Born alone, will die alone; come alone, will be gone alone; study alone, walk alone": This is said to have been the mantra of one of Japan's greatest 20th-century artists, the boisterous, arrogant and brilliant Rosanjin Kitaoji (1883-1959).
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2003

Pollen set to make hay fever while the sun shines

Some people don't have to witness the days getting longer to know spring is just around the corner. Their sneezing and runny noses are proof enough.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2003

Key blunder vexes train passenger

A passenger at JR Ryogoku Station couldn't get on the first outbound JR Sobu Line train of the day Tuesday after a station employee accidentally locked the keys in an office, East Japan Railway Co. officials said.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2003

METI aims to help sick firms beat bankruptcy

Changes to business regulations and special tax breaks will be considered to help ailing companies avoid bankruptcy and get back on their feet, according to government draft guidelines released Tuesday.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2003

Matsushita to propose cutting annual pay hikes

OSAKA -- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. is planning to reduce or abolish regular annual pay hikes awarded under its seniority-based system, company officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 12, 2003

Starting all over again

Gowasan means "call off," "start again," or "bankruptcy." The term is originally derived from abacus calculation, where it refers to the shaking of the abacus to return all beads to their starting point after completing a calculation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Feb 12, 2003

ScoLoHofo: Oh!

The name ScoLoHoFo derives from the names of the four jazz heavies in this quartet: Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Dave Holland and Al Foster. The four musicians converged for tours in the late '90s and again last year, cutting this CD, "Oh!," at the end. The concern with a group like this is that their...
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 12, 2003

Taking a chance on Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) The beach is out back by the wave pool. Sports betting and a nightclub are nearby. And in a small theater past the slot machines and gaming tables, a Broadway production of "Mamma Mia!" is trying to lure tourists away from gambling to settle in for more than two hours of ABBA tunes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Feb 12, 2003

Kathleen Edwards: Failer

Singer-songwriters who take the confessional route run the risk of alienating listeners when they invite them into their psyches. Personality problems and moral inconsistencies are bound to be noticed. That's why so many artists hide their nakedness behind self-deprecation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Feb 12, 2003

Massive Attack

No one would call the trip-hop architects of Massive Attack hopeless romantics, but I suspect that their music has been enjoyed in just as many bedrooms as clubs. Their collages of seductive vocals and slow, fleshy beats appears to activate all the appropriate hormones and makes that itch -- to dance...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Feb 12, 2003

Ry Cooder & Manuel Galban: Mambo Sinuendo

'Mambo Sinuendo" finds Ry Cooder in Cuba again, this time with Buena Vista guitarist Manuel Galban at center stage. After a string of extremely satisfying albums with the Buena Vista crew, this album departs from tradition and finds the two guitarists exploring the sounds of a '50s Cuban guitar band...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Feb 12, 2003

Bright white, big city

Something interesting I recently learned about anatomy: There are 26 bones in the human foot, and if you break just one of them, your entire leg is basically useless.
COMMENTARY
Feb 11, 2003

Sacrifices for material gain

In the 1980s, Japanese economists used to boast of their country's economic prowess and deride U.S. economic decline. To be sure, the U.S. manufacturing industry in those years fell into a miserable condition, and the nation suffered from ever-expanding trade and budget deficits. Yet things began changing...
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2003

Balance of loans racks up 61st month of decline

The balance of loans by banks fell 4.7 percent in January from a year earlier, marking the 61st consecutive month of decline, the Bank of Japan said Monday in a preliminary report.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2003

Smoking said drag on image of Osaka

OSAKA -- While municipal officials and local business leaders announce grand construction plans to turn this city into an international center for tourism and conventions, antismoking activist Hiroshi Nogami suggests that to make Osaka more attractive to visitors, they should set their sights much lower...
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2003

Nissho Iwai targets bonuses to shape up ahead of merger

Nissho Iwai Corp. has proposed to its union that it pay no bonuses to nonmanagement staff in the business year starting April 1, a move that would effectively cut their annual salaries by about 20 percent, company officials said Monday.
BUSINESS / ON MANAGEMENT
Feb 11, 2003

Fatal Distraction: There's no such thing as a 'safe' investment, when it comes to a micromanaging CEO

A news story the other day included a list of a certain CEO's business activities, all on top of his "day" job: part-owner of a golf course, a hunt club and a new marina, each in a different part of the country; silent partner in his son's startup venture; prime mover behind a regional ski resort development;...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2003

Boutiques feast on Valentine's frenzy

St. Valentine's Day is a key occasion for confectioners as consumers snap up an estimated 50 billion yen worth of sweets to give to friends and loved ones on Feb. 14.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2003

ACCJ welcomes pledge to boost foreign investment

The Japanese government's recent pledge to encourage a doubling in foreign direct investment from overseas is a welcome and appropriate step to help resuscitate the flagging economy, according to the new president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2003

Key money supply gauge up 2%

Japan's most closely watched money supply gauge rose 2 percent in January from a year earlier, but the balance of quasi-money -- mostly in time deposits -- fell 12 percent, the Bank of Japan said Monday.

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