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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Oct 6, 2004

A leaf out of a scrapbook of depravity?

In this world, most people get to be teenagers for exactly seven years. And then there's the artist Larry Clark. Born in Tulsa, Okla., in 1943, Clark has been living and reliving the teen experience for some six decades.
CULTURE / Books / THE BOOK REPORT
Sep 28, 2004

Japanese mega-stores blazing trails in a brave, new publishing world

The Japanese bookstore world used to be one of "If you put it out, it will sell." But that comfortable age is over. Seven straight years of declining book sales have killed off some 1,500 bookstores.
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2004

Koizumi under pressure to raise consumption tax

With the government unable to find further effective ways to cut expenditures, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's goal of reconstructing government finances is facing a crucial test.
COMMENTARY
Aug 2, 2004

Thirsting for just a trickle

John Maynard Keynes established a theory about why a government's fiscal and monetary policies of manipulating the official discount rate, tax rates and public works investment were a highly effective means of economic management.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 27, 2004

H. Art Chaos explores poetry in motion

One of Japan's most innovative dance companies will tackle the challenging task of giving form to an almost forgotten music and dance concept, developed by a composer some 90 years ago.
JAPAN
May 29, 2004

Execs get suspended term for bribing governor

The Tokyo District Court handed two former executives of Kajima Corp. suspended prison terms Friday for bribing former Ibaraki Gov. Fujio Takeuchi to the tune of 20 million yen in 1992.
JAPAN
May 29, 2004

Execs get suspended term for bribing governor

The Tokyo District Court handed two former executives of Kajima Corp. suspended prison terms Friday for bribing former Ibaraki Gov. Fujio Takeuchi to the tune of 20 million yen in 1992.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 5, 2004

A colorful realm of the senses

"I do not believe in imitation," says Kazi Ghiyasuddin. "When I see something, my senses react. I want to portray that reaction through colors."
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Apr 14, 2004

Pots that fired the passion of a magnate

Centuries ago, during a brief span of 30-40 years, one of the classic styles of Japanese pottery was born. From the end of the Momoyama Period into the early Edo Period (late 16th-early 17th centuries) nearly 300 kilns were producing wares the world knows as Karatsu-yaki.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Mar 10, 2004

To view life in Lomotion, try denying the details

In photography and image processing these days, the general idea is that higher resolution and more faithful color rendition makes for better images. Of course, that is only the general idea. Thankfully, there are some creative types out there who disagree.
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
Jan 10, 2004

No subsidies, no projects: Ishihara

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will suspend public works projects planned with subsidies from the central government if the state cuts off the funding, Gov. Shintaro Ishihara told a news conference Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2003

Draft 2004 budget relies heavily on bond issuance

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki submitted on Saturday a draft budget for fiscal 2004 worth 82.11 trillion yen -- but is reliant on bond issuance as Japan faces growing social welfare costs due to the rapidly aging population.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 3, 2003

In between art and life

"Gokann," the umbrella name given to three exhibitions of contemporary Finnish art now showing in Kyoto, is an accommodating term. The Japanese title was chosen for its multiplicity of meanings, all derived from typing in "g-o-k-a-n-n" on a computer then pressing the kanji-convert key. Those varied meanings...
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2003

Former Nihon Keizai unit execs held

Three people, including a former president and a former managing director of a Nihon Keizai Shimbun Inc. affiliate, were arrested Sunday for alleged aggravated breach of trust by issuing checks for nonexistent transactions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2003
Nov 4, 2003

Party campaign strategies smack of desperation

With the coming election in mind, former House of Representatives member Kaoru Yosano last spring departed the Liberal Democratic Party faction led by Shizuka Kamei.
COMMENTARY
Nov 3, 2003

Creating more jobs that pay

Despite reports that the Japanese economy is on a recovery track, the nation's unemployment rate still exceeds 5 percent. Let me make some proposals for increasing employment opportunities on a long-term basis.
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2003

Erotic art, cartoon flowers await visitors to Mori museum

A painting of a Chinese baby holding an Oreo cookie and giant figures of a bear talking with a police officer are among the works being shown at a new museum devoted to modern art, which is opening Saturday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2003

Clothing boutiques become a promising arena for shoe sales

At a boutique in the trendy Harajuku district of Tokyo, a young woman picked out a black pleated miniskirt and went into a fitting room to try it on. Soon after, a saleswoman brought her a pair of long white boots.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Oct 9, 2003

The roots of national security grow under our very feet

For many policymakers, the concept of national security now simply means possessing the capacity for overwhelming destruction. Armchair warriors find such thinking reassuringly straightforward and comforting, a neat and tidy corollary of "Might makes right." It is also pure fantasy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 1, 2003

Praise be! Hip-hop art gets religious

Picture a classic Byzantine icon of the crucified Christ. The savior's body, having been taken down from the cross, is surrounded by his grieving loved ones. Now imagine that scene in the 21st century. Replace the body of Jesus with that of slain gangsta rapper Tupac Shakur, laid out on a car hood, with...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 1, 2003

The fine arts of craftsmanship, then and now

Among the various styles of art born in the former capital of Kyoto is the highly cultured style known as Rimpa that flowered early in the 17th century. The pioneers of the style were Hon'ami Koetsu (1558-1637) and Tawaraya Sotatsu (?-1643?), and the art form didn't become known as Rimpa until it was...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Sep 15, 2003

Antimonopoly Law faces problems with Constitution, implementation

As deregulation proceeds, a greater segment of the economy is being ruled by market principles, and this trend will accelerate with the implementation of structural reforms. Here, the Antimonopoly Law, the watchdog of market principles, will play an increasingly important role, and it must be enforced...
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2003

Koizumi wants more cooperation from opponents

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he will work hard to win over Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who oppose his policies as he gears up for the party's presidential election on Sept. 20.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 31, 2003

Great wave of artistic influence

HOKUSAI, by Gian Carlo Calza. London: Phaidon Press, Ltd., 2003, 336 pp., 700 illustrations, $59.95 (cloth). It was the West that first discovered the art of the Japanese woodblock print. Though popular in Japan, the prints were denied any kind of artistic standing until it became understood that abroad...
CULTURE / Books / THE BOOK REPORT
Aug 14, 2003

Manga culture ignites craze in media markets overseas

American boys can now read popular Japanese manga like "One Piece" in an English-language "Shonen Jump" and German girls can read girl's manga in the German-language magazine "Daisuki." Is this a passing fad or the start of a full-scale manga invasion?
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 20, 2003

Summer suspense and nuclear intrigue

PROJECT KAISEI, by Michiro Naito. Indiana: 1stBooks Library, 2003, 321 pp., $19.95 (paper). THE INUGAMI CLAN, by Seishi Yokomizo, translated by Yumiko Yamazaki. Tuttle Shokai Inc., 2003, 300 pp., $14.95 (paper). Unless the dire warnings of electric power shortages that were raised earlier this summer...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jul 19, 2003

Yuki Horibe

COCOS ISLANDS -- When Yuki Horibe was planning a university break in order to gain some overseas experience, she looked at a world map. She said: "I wanted a small, tropical island. I wanted to learn English. I wanted diving. I found Christmas Island, and thought, 'Every day is Christmas. That should...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 2, 2003

A chip off the old block

IWATE, Iwate Pref. -- The town of Iwate, population 17,302, is one of the last places you'd expect to find an international art event. But though the largely rural Iwate Prefecture put itself on the art map 18 months ago, with the opening of the Iwate Museum of Art (currently hosting a Frank Stella exhibition;...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 2, 2003

Off the wall

"My most favorite artist? The problem with that question," says Frank Stella, settling back in his chair, "is what's the point of it?"

Longform

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