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January 2004
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JAPAN

Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
Cash-strapped video artist soldiers on
Video artist Michael Goldberg counts himself lucky to have been able to work on projects that inspired him: those focusing on cross-cultural communication between Japan and the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
North Korea escapees, NGO rep held in China
Two ethnic Koreans born in Japan who fled North Korea and an official of a Japanese nongovernmental organization were taken into custody by Chinese authorities in mid-December and are still being held, the NGO said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
U.S. base school gets bomb threat
Military police cordoned off part of the high school at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo on Tuesday following the second false bomb threat in less than a week.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
Academic touted for U.N. posting
The government wants to appoint a University of Tokyo professor and foreign policy adviser as an ambassador to the United Nations.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
Monitoring stepped up for avian flu
The government said Tuesday it will step up its monitoring of the first outbreak of avian flu in Japan since 1925 to determine its source and prevent it from spreading through poultry farms and to people.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
Resort's 'healing powers' draw sick, scam artists
Crystallized minerals called "hokuto-seki" at the Tamagawa Onsen hot spring resort in Akita Prefecture have captured much media attention because they are believed to be effective in curing cancer and rheumatism.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
Court targets obscene comics
A Tokyo publisher was found guilty in a landmark criminal trial Tuesday of distributing obscene comic books containing uncensored sex scenes.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
U.S. weapons laws stymie school satellite
A joint project by university students in Japan and the United States to launch a small experimental satellite has been stalled by U.S. laws on arms trade, professors said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
DPJ set to submit own proposals on Constitution
The Democratic Party of Japan said Tuesday it will issue constitutional amendment proposals by 2006.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
Foreigners' support sought on abductions
The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it has started distributing an English-language brochure focusing on the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2004
Obituary: Michita Sakata
Michita Sakata, speaker of the House of Representatives from 1985 to 1986, died of heart failure Tuesday at a hospital in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, his family said. He was 87.

BUSINESS

BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004
Canadian beef import ban intact
Yoshiyuki Kamei, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, on Tuesday rejected Canada's request that Japan lift its import ban on Canadian beef.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004
Fuji Heavy pins 2004 hopes on remodeled Legacy wagon
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. said Tuesday it plans to sell 623,000 vehicles globally in 2004, up 14.5 percent from the previous year.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004
McDonald's to give away burgers
McDonald's Co. (Japan) said it will hand out 10 million hamburger coupons on Sunday in an attempt to buck up sales following the outbreak of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004
Security concerns jeopardize future of age-old tradition of 'hanko' seals
Masao Sekine, a 77-year-old doctor in Fukushima Prefecture, keeps his personal seals locked up in a safe-deposit box at the bank.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004
Yasukuni visit to hit Japan-China ties, Okuda says
Hiroshi Okuda, the leader of the nation's most powerful business lobby, said Tuesday that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine on New Year's Day will probably affect business deals between Japan and China.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004
Reserve funds tapped for Iraq role
The government said Tuesday it will use 891.94 million yen from its reserve funds for fiscal 2003 to finance Self-Defense Forces activities in Iraq.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2004
Banks' daily lending balance in 2003 down for seventh consecutive year
The average daily balance of bank lending extended its slide into the seventh consecutive year in 2003, the Bank of Japan said Tuesday in a preliminary report.

Opinion

EDITORIALS
Jan 14, 2004
Mr. Bush sets his sights on Mars
For as long as humankind has been capable of wonder, men and women have looked to the stars and dreamed. For centuries, they had to be content with just that. Only a mere half century ago, we first escaped the Earth's atmosphere; a decade later an American astronaut lowered himself to the lunar surface....
COMMENTARY
Jan 14, 2004
Japan blind to Chinese reality
A recent tour of Chinese universities took me to Changchun, the capital of the puppet Manchukuo state that Japan tried to set up in the 1930s in China's remote northeast region. Today it is a sprawling conurbation of more than 6 million people, broad highways and high-rise apartments and a key player...

Sports

SUMO
Jan 14, 2004
Asashoryu stays perfect
Yokozuna Asashoryu looked overpowering and ozeki Tochiazuma kept his promotion hopes alive and on the third day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 14, 2004
Olympic qualifying tourneys set
Japan and South Korea are among the eight teams named to the list of countries which will participate in the women's volleyball final Olympic qualifying tournament, the Japan Volleyball Association said Tuesday.

CULTURE

Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 14, 2004
The sound of the crowd leads to an indie gem
Josee, The Tiger and The Fish Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Isshin Inudo Running time: 116 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Why does one small indie film pack theaters week after week, while others with similar themes play to no one...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 14, 2004
Taking responsibility pays off
25th Hour Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Spike Lee Running time: 136 minutes Language: English Opens Jan. 24 [See Japan Times movie listings] Think of Spike Lee and you'll probably think of a film he made in his fertile period of 1988-1992: "Do The Right Thing," "Jungle Fever,"...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 14, 2004
A fail-safe genre that rarely misfires
Hollywood Homicide Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Ron Shelton Running time: 111 minutes Language: English Opens Jan. 24 [See Japan Times movie listings] It's interesting to see the different fates allotted to those stars who've entered what used to be termed their "twilight years."...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jan 14, 2004
New year musing of a 'pottery poet'
As this is the first Ceramic Scene of 2004, I'd like to wish all readers a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jan 14, 2004
Zoom in on Shinjuku for photogalleries galore
Arguably the premier creative medium in Japan, photography has undergone significant changes over the last few years. The advent of digital imaging has made it easier and cheaper for people to experiment with photography, while the latest generation of inkjet printers have made it possible to display...

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat