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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Feb 20, 2002

And that really burns me up

If, like me, you do a lot of your work at home, I imagine you may like to listen to music as you labor through a translation, write a story or put together a PowerPoint presentation. And you probably find it convenient to listen to CDs on your computer.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Feb 20, 2002

Supersnazz

Supersnazz's 1998 album, "Diode City," must feel like a bit of an albatross for the band. The 19-song punk-pop classic is so awesome that if you locked Supersnazz in a studio for 10 years and held a gun to their heads, they'd be unlikely to better it. On their latest album, "Rock-O-Matic," they don't...
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Feb 20, 2002

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Last year, The Strokes and White Stripes were placed in a rocket of hype and blasted into superstardom. The media -- me included -- bludgeoned you into thinking they were the hippest bands in the universe and should be name-dropped at every opportunity if you wanted to be cool. Thankfully, they made...
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2002

Air Nippon in deal with Eva Airways

Air Nippon, an affiliate carrier of All Nippon Airways, said Tuesday it will launch a code-sharing service with Taiwan's Eva Airways in April in a bid to boost sales.
COMMENTARY
Feb 19, 2002

Koizumi fast losing his luster

The entire affair involving Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's dismissal of Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on Jan. 29 reminded me of an old saying that "nothing is predictable in politics." Following Koizumi's move, his government's public-approval rating plummeted to about 50 percent after remaining...
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2002

Tochigi elementary, junior high schools tops in boosting women

Tochigi Prefecture has topped the nation in the percentage of female administrators at public elementary and junior high schools in a nationwide survey of women's status in teaching, where a wide gender gap prevails.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2002

Jewelry 'middle market' slipping away

Following the pattern seen in Japan's clothing and accessories industries, in which ultra-expensive designer bags by Louis Vuitton are snatched up with as much vigor as cheap clothing from Uniqlo stores, the "middle market" is rapidly disappearing from the nation's gemstone and jewelry industry.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2002

Obituary: Takekazu Ogura

Takekazu Ogura, a former vice farm minister who once headed the government's Tax Commission and the Rice Price Council, died Thursday of a heart attack. He was 91.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2002

Bid-rigging eyed at Kansai airport

OSAKA -- Documents recently released by a developer engaged in the expansion of Kansai International Airport show that some contractors over the past year have secured projects by submitting quotes nearly identical to the projects' estimated values, leading to suspicions of bid-rigging.
Japan Times
Events
Feb 19, 2002

Gene study sheds light on Alzheimer's disease

OSAKA -- Researchers at Osaka University have announced a breakthrough in determining the cause of Alzheimer's disease, raising hopes for improvements in the treatment of the currently incurable ailment that reportedly affects 1 million Japanese aged over 65.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 19, 2002

Agnes Digital runs streak to five

Agnes Digital extended his winning streak to five Sunday as the American-bred son of Crafty Prospector bested a star-studded field of 16 for a length win in the February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse.
Japan Times
Events
Feb 19, 2002

Swim meet to spotlight river filth

OSAKA -- Anyone for a dip? The Dotonbori River has been running through the center of Osaka's bustling Namba district since it was diverted as a waterway in the early 16th century. But the filth in the river makes the idea of holding a swimming tournament in it sound like a joke.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2002

Kansai kids plan to kick off World Cup runup in May

OSAKA -- Japanese and foreign children from the Kansai region will take part in their own version of the World Cup soccer finals here in May as part of festivities leading up to the actual event, according to organizers.
EDITORIALS
Feb 19, 2002

Economic revival vital to alliance

Tuesday's summit meeting in Tokyo between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and U.S. President George W. Bush helped further strengthen personal rapport and mutual understanding between the two leaders. Mr. Koizumi reconfirmed that the U.S. president is a strong supporter of his structural reforms. Similarly,...
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2002

Softbank to set up restructuring fund

Softbank Investment Co. announced Monday it has set up a fund to invest in companies that are trying to restructure under the Civil Rehabilitation Law.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2002

Patent Law update aims to protect Net companies

The government plans to revise the Patent Law to enhance protection of intellectual property rights held by Internet firms, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Monday.
Events
Feb 19, 2002

Hard times spark rare, fiery debate at annual Kansai Economic Summit

OSAKA -- For the past four decades, the Kansai region's business leaders have gathered annually in February to discuss a variety of local economic issues.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2002

Advertising spending down 0.9% in 2001

Advertising expenditures fell 0.9 percent in 2001 to 6.06 trillion yen as the anemic economy and the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States prompted firms to cut spending, Dentsu Inc. said Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2002

Bush's blooper temporarily lifts dollar

The dollar temporarily rose against the yen Monday after U.S. President George W. Bush confused currency markets by saying he had talked about "devaluation" with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2002

Comedian avoids prison time for drug use

The Tokyo District Court on Monday sentenced TV comedian Masashi Tashiro to two years in prison, suspended for three years, for illegal drug use and other offenses.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2002

Koizumi talks of difficulty in bank plan

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his economic ministers agreed over the weekend that it will be difficult to forcibly pump public funds into banks by revising relevant laws, government sources said Monday.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2002

Kyowa Hakko to sell all liquor units to Asahi

Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., a major manufacturer of fermented chemicals, has agreed to sell off its alcoholic beverage operations, which have accounted for roughly a quarter of its consolidated sales, to Asahi Breweries Ltd., the two companies said Monday.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2002

DoCoMo signs i-mode deal with German firm

NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Monday it has signed an agreement licensing Germany's E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH & Co. KG to use its patents and technology for i-mode in Germany.
LIFE / Travel
Feb 19, 2002

Back to nature on Yakushima Island

If you live in urban Japan, probably the only sky you see is sliced up by powerlines; trees grow in tiny parks hemmed in by concrete buildings and polluted expressways. Whatever happened to Japan's traditional love of nature?
BUSINESS / TAKING STOCK
Feb 19, 2002

Luring individuals to stocks a key challenge

Individual investors turned net buyers of stocks for the first time in four months in January.

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