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JAPAN
Mar 12, 2003

NPOs up in arms over plan to curtail their tax exemptions

HIROKO NAKATA Staff writer A government plan to restrict the tax breaks enjoyed by so-called public-interest corporations has sparked a flurry of protests from some nonprofit organizations that fear it would dampen their civic activities.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2003

Economic growth of 0.5% verified

The economy grew a real 0.5 percent in the October-December quarter, unchanged from a preliminary report released in mid-February, the government said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2003

Exiled Fujimori scorns Interpol arrest warrant

Alberto Fujimori, the former Peruvian president living in self-imposed exile in Japan, issued a statement Tuesday denying the legitimacy of an international warrant issued for his arrest.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2003

NEC in-house firms to be dissolved

NEC Corp. said Tuesday it will dissolve its two in-house companies and merge their operations in nine business divisions to cope better with growing overlap between the computer and telecommunications markets.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2003

Mobile phone shipments up 22.4%

Domestic shipments of mobile phones rose 22.4 percent in January from a year earlier to 3.77 million units for the fourth straight monthly increase, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2003

U.S. bears costs as U.N. is challenged

As the issue of Iraq comes to a head, the United Nations faces a grave challenge. The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are deeply divided; many governments -- British, Japanese, Spanish, Turkish -- are at odds with their own people; and the divisions have hardened since U.S. President...
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2003

Three-year plan boosts JAL outlook

Japan Airlines System Corp. is expecting a group net profit of 35 billion yen for the business year through March 2006, up from 8 billion yen estimated for 2002.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2003

Resolution asks Sakai to resign

Four opposition parties on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Lower House member Takanori Sakai, who was arrested last week for alleged Political Funds Control Law violations.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2003

S&P rating on Fast Retailing stable

Standard & Poor's Corp. said Tuesday its rating on Fast Retailing Co. will not be immediately affected by the casual-clothing retailer's downsizing of its store operations in Britain.
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Mar 12, 2003

Art or 'action'? Who cares

I would describe the 64-year-old Swiss man behind the current show at Ginza's Shiseido Gallery as part conceptual artist, part performance artist, and part video artist -- but Roman Signer would have none of these labels. He considers himself a sculptor -- pure, if not so simple.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2003

Preparing news reporters for surviving a nightmare

As the world stands on the brink of what could be the most dangerous war ever, there is one question facing those of us in the news media: How far should a journalist go to get the story? With rogue groups in parts of the world appearing to regard journalists as legitimate targets, the inherently unsafe...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Mar 12, 2003

Califone's "Quicksand/Cradlesnakes"

'Don't give it a name," Tim Rutili croaks on "Michigan Girls," the third cut on the new album by Califone. Rutili could be talking about the band's sound, which is like the blues but isn't; which feels like the kind of country rock that the Stones and Fleetwood Mac dabbled in in the '70s, but not exactly....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Mar 12, 2003

Jamaaladeen Tacuma & Burhan Ocal's "Groove Alla Turca"

Given the number of cheesy Asian fusion records out there these days, "Groove Alla Turca" may seem like yet another dubious selection until the name Jamaaladeen Tacuma on the album's cover pops out at you ; the presence of Tacuma means funk -- unusual funk, but mean, greasy funk nonetheless.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2003

SDF refueling covers more ships

The Cabinet agreed Tuesday to expand the Self-Defense Forces refueling activities in the Indian Ocean to include vessels from Italy, the Netherlands and Spain as part of Japan's logistic support for U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2003

Mexico seeks to bridge U.S.-France divide

Mexican President Vicente Fox told Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday that his country is considering submitting a fresh resolution to the U.N. Security Council that seeks to bridge the gap between the United States and France.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 12, 2003

Flock to see these birds of a feather

At last, the curtain rose on Matthew Bourne's "Swan Lake" here in Japan on Feb. 25, eight years after the production premiered at the famed Sadler's Wells Theatre in North London. The show was a sensation from the moment it opened, quickly transferring to London's West End, then crossing over to New...
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2003

Lawmakers set to approve BOJ nomination

The ruling coalition and the opposition camp have agreed to convene a House of Representatives plenary session Thursday to approve the nomination of Toshihiko Fukui as governor of the Bank of Japan.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2003

Cerberus pegged as Aozora stake buyer

U.S. investment fund Cerberus Group is likely to win the bid for the 48.8 percent stake Softbank Corp. holds in Aozora Bank, sources close to the deal said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 12, 2003

Re-start me up

When a band has entered its fifth decade and its name is virtually synonymous with rock 'n' roll, it needs no introduction. The Rolling Stones are the Stones. And "Forty Licks," released this year to mark the band's 40th anniversary, is simply a collection of their hits. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction,"...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 12, 2003

Charlie Watts: The beat goes (40 years) on

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, 61, has sunk into a deep leather chair in a huge hotel room in Toronto. In the corner hundreds of jazz CDs cover the walls. The table is strewn with old snapshots. Watts coughs and straightens his brown jacket.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Mar 12, 2003

Cody ChestnuTT's "The Headphone Masterpiece"

Staring smugly off the cover of his debut double album, "The Headphone Masterpiece," DIY-soul upstart Cody ChesnuTT looks more than a little full of himself. High-fives from both critics and bands like The Roots and The Strokes could be to blame, but ChesnuTT's condition is probably more a case of delayed...
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2003

Shops go against the grain to sell U.S. rice

U.S. rice farmers have found an unlikely ally in their endeavor to penetrate Japan's heavily protected rice market -- owners of mom-and-pop rice shops who themselves are bearing the brunt of the nation's market-opening reforms.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2003

Marubeni renews bank credit line

Marubeni Corp. said Tuesday a syndicate of nine banks has agreed to provide a 400 billion yen credit line to it under different terms from those of a preceding similar credit arrangement.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2003

Coalition ranks hope to ditch reforms

Ruling coalition politicians stood ready Tuesday to urge Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to abandon promised reforms and sidestep internationally recognized mark-to-market accounting rules.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Mar 12, 2003

Harold Mabern

Harold Mabern might possibly be considered old-school if he had ever been off the jazz scene. However, since the 1950s, he has consistently brought his tasteful piano playing to one important bop-oriented group after another. He was the harmonic force behind jazz classics such as Lee Morgan's many '60s...

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes