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JAPAN
Dec 21, 2004

Justice Ministry plans legislation to combat human trafficking

The Justice Ministry plans to crack down on human trafficking, particularly involving foreign women forced into prostitution, when it submits a number of bills next year to revise the Penal Code, ministry officials said Monday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 12, 2004

The short and the sweet of popular Japanese theater

A GUIDE TO THE JAPANESE STAGE: From Traditional to Cutting Edge, by Ronald Cavaye, Paul Griffith and Akihiko Senda. Foreword by Nomura Mansai. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2004, 388 pp., many illustrations. 2,310 yen (paper). A convenient, pocket-size volume, this entertainment guide recommends "plays...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Dec 11, 2004

Bill Hemmer

CNN claims that "American Morning," its flagship news program, is seen in more than 86 million households in the U.S. Here in Japan through CNNj, a partnership between CNN and Japan Cable Television, it may be seen in over 5 million households. This year marks the 20th anniversary of CNN's first live...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2004

Cell phones answer music players' call

After e-mail, Internet access and cameras, music will likely be the next killer application for cell phones in Japan, where online distribution is yet to catch on.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2004

Anti-Disney style of 'manga' and 'anime' appeals to Americans

Animation in the United States once meant Mickey Mouse, Snow White and Winnie the Pooh.
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2004

Japan, U.S. gamers gaga over Nintendo DS

The new portable video game machine from Nintendo Co. is selling briskly in the United States and Japan, and the company is well on the way to achieving its target of selling 5 million units by April.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Dec 7, 2004

Are immigration reforms targeting entertainment visas effective?

Jennifer Toews Teaching, 29 It's important to look at who's bringing in these people. The main point should be cracking down on who is importing people, rather than who is being imported.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 5, 2004

Way of the corporate giant robot

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM, by Yoshiyuki Tomino, translated by Frederik L. Schodt with an introduction by Mark Simmons. Stone Bridge Press, 2004, $14.95 (paper). Yoshiyuki "Kill 'em All" Tomino is the mega-prolific creator of the Mobile Suit Gundam phenomenon, known, perhaps a little patronizingly, as the "Star...
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2004

Trafficking victims to be given better treatment

As part of efforts to combat human trafficking, Japan plans to revise immigration legislation next year to exempt trafficking victims from being deported in the same way as foreigners who overstay their visas or illegally enter Japan, it was learned Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2004

Nintendo fires first shot in new console war

Nintendo Co. launched its DS portable video game console Thursday, gearing up for a yearend sales battle with Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., which plans to release its PlayStation Portable later this month.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2004

Japan and Philippines sign basic agreement on FTA

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed a basic accord for a free-trade agreement Monday but left tough talks on stickier issues for the months ahead.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Nov 28, 2004

The power of one note

Power and imagination have been Kazumi Watanabe's mainstays for over 30 years. As a prodigy on electric guitar, his first release was in 1971 at the age of 18 and his ever-evolving guitar technique has served as the central pillar of near-annual releases. In the 1980s, his progressive and very muscular...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 20, 2004

Hula dance teaches sexuality, spirituality, respect

"I was around 5 (years old) when my mother and grandmother taught me the basics of Hawaiian hula, steps called 'ka-holo.' I've loved it ever since," says Keisuke Yasuda.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2004

NPO 'skills bank' for entertainer wannabes

Tokyo Artists Skills Operation is attempting to catalog the expertise of potential movie and television performers nationwide.
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2004

Rakuten allowed to join Keidanren

The Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) on Tuesday approved the entry of online shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc.
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2004

Robots and us

Personal robots have been a long time coming. After R2-D2 and C-3PO whirred and clicked their way into the limelight in the first "Star Wars" movie 27 years ago, the mass entertainment world blossomed with their mechanical descendants. "Droids" and "bots," some humanoid, some not, became as familiar...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 13, 2004

How mum juggles racing, soccer, K1, Portugal

Last Tuesday, Sonia Ito is busy with household chores in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture. Early evening she leaves husband Yuta with 2-year old daughter Julia and catches the train for Tokyo. By 7:30 p.m. she's seated on a purple "zabuton" in Fuji TV's headquarters at O-Daiba, recording the soccer program...
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 10, 2004

Shakespeare's lovers seduce audiences

"The most wooden performances ever," wrote one London critic of the latest Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production. "Superb!"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 3, 2004

Sublime angst in a dolce vita

David Leveaux, the English director of "Nine," is not only one of the world's leading dramatists -- constantly in demand on Broadway and in the West End -- but he is also well-known for the theatrical panache with which he endows his work, most recently this year's Broadway hit "Jumpers."
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2004

Seibu taxed for payoff to 'sokaiya'

Tax authorities have determined that Seibu Railway Co. hid some 140 million yen in income that it had given to a "sokaiya" corporate extortionist as a payoff, sources said Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 30, 2004

Michael Holmes

It's a long way from being a cub reporter on a local newspaper to becoming anchorman for CNN International, but it didn't take Michael Holmes long to cover the distance. Being good at his work was essential for his progress. Undoubtedly his cheerfulness and buoyancy helped him to forge ahead, along with...
BUSINESS
Oct 28, 2004

Sony PSP to cost surprising 20,790 yen, hit shelves Dec. 12

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Wednesday it will release its PlayStation Portable game console in Japan on Dec. 12 at a price of 20,790 yen, surprising many who had expected it to cost far more.
Japan Times
Features
Oct 24, 2004

The cat's whiskers of Kawaii

At 10 a.m. last Saturday, the moment the doors of the Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo's Nihonbashi district were opened, a small scrum of people rushed in, headed straight to the escalators and then up to the fifth floor.
BUSINESS
Oct 21, 2004

Yahoo Japan profit jumps 46% on robust ad revenue

Yahoo Japan Corp. said Wednesday its second-quarter net profit jumped 46 percent to 8.64 billion yen, buoyed by continued growth in advertising revenue.
Events
Oct 17, 2004

Autumn sage festival in Kobe's herb park

Nunobiki Herb Park in Chuo Ward, Kobe, is holding an autumn sage festival through Nov. 21.
Japan Times
Features
Oct 10, 2004

Altogether now for the business of peace

LAYTONVILLE, Calif. -- Running a nonprofit organization with a global mission of promoting peace activities and sustainability might seem noble but naive to the skeptical, but Chris Deckker takes his role seriously as the founder of Earthdance.
BUSINESS
Oct 9, 2004

Osaka parties as beer event commences

OSAKA -- The most popular autumn party in Osaka -- the annual International Beer Summit -- began Friday at the Umeda Sky Building.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2004

Expect loose reins on Japan

LAS VEGAS -- For decades, Tokyo has wanted to be treated like a "normal" nation free from the constraints of the Occupation Era and U.S. foreign-policy dominance. Well, Japan is on the edge of realizing that dream, but the costs will be the end of the special U.S.-Japan relationship and the emergence...
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2004

Japan should bring in overseas labor: panel

The government should consider opening the country to foreign unskilled labor and work to create public support for the issue, an advisory body to the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?