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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 1, 2004

David Murray and the Gwo-Ka Masters: "Gwotet"

David Murray likes to toy with combinations. On his most recent release, "Gwotet," he implausibly mixes a punchy Latin horn section, rollicking Afro-beat guitar and three or four distinct drumming traditions. Then he lathers it all in unrestrained free jazz blowing. Though not all Murray's many grand...
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2004

Ichiban Shibori to go to Philippines

Kirin Brewery Co. plans to market its Ichiban Shibori beer in the Philippines through the sales network of Manila-based San Miguel Corp. beginning in August, company sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 1, 2004

David Grubbs

'I'll choose what's next," David Grubbs sings repeatedly on the opening cut of his latest album, "A Guess at the Riddle." The Kentucky-born guitarist seems to accept the inevitable, which is one way of looking at his unusual career. Having begun by making fairly conventional indie rock in a group called...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 1, 2004

Koizumi: Robot? Dummy? Dictator? All three?

A comedy troupe called The Newspaper has recently been lampooning Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's performance at the last G-8 summit. According to the weekly magazine Aera, in one skit, a member dressed as Koizumi explains why he committed Japanese troops to a multinational force without first consulting...
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2004

Japan, U.S. may hold 'kampo' talks

Japan and the United States are considering holding talks in Tokyo around Aug. 20 on the privatization of the government-run "kampo" life insurance program, sources from the two governments said Saturday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 1, 2004

Atmospheres that transcend time

KAWASE HASUI: The Complete Woodblock Prints, by Kendall H. Brown, with essays by Amy Reigle Newland and Shoichiro Watanabe. Amsterdam: Hotei Publishing, two volumes, 550 pp., 700 color illus., 2002, $265.00 (cloth). Kawase Hasui (1883-1957), sometimes deemed "the foremost 20th-century Japanese landscape...
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2004

Bill to enable overseas deployment

The government has decided to compile a bill to enable it to deploy the Self-Defense Forces overseas any time it deems necessary, aiming to submit it to the Diet next year, government sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2004

Local areas to get help attracting more tourists

The transport ministry will provide assistance to prefectural governments in attracting foreign tourists, including designating historic areas and hot spring resorts as priority areas, ministry officials said Friday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Aug 1, 2004

Pursuing a degree in bop and beyond

Senzoku University is different from other universities in Japan. Huge black cases jam the hallways; five parallel lines are etched onto the whiteboards; lecterns hold stereo systems; and many classrooms are empty but for a few metal stands or the occasional grand piano. It's all down to the study of...
COMMENTARY
Aug 1, 2004

Mideast role challenges EU

PARIS -- France and Germany no longer make the law in Brussels. In spite of a long fight, they failed to get their Belgian candidate elected to head the European Commission and could only accept the appointment of Jose Durao Barroso, who, as prime minister of Portugal, backed U.S. intervention in Iraq....
OLYMPICS
Aug 1, 2004

Nagashima won't manage Japan

Former Yomiuri Giants manager Shigeo Nagashima, who is rehabilitating from a stroke suffered in March, will not lead the Japan national baseball team at the upcoming Athens Olympics, an informed source said Saturday.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2004

Government working to join IAEA team in North Korea

Japan has been working with the United States to join a U.N.-led nuclear inspection team in North Korea, assuming Pyongyang agrees to accept the inspectors, according to sources close to Japan-U.S. relations.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2004

Daiei rescue package calls for 300 billion yen

Struggling retail giant Daiei Inc. has worked out a new three-year rehabilitation package, including 300 billion yen in financial aid from three creditor banks, sources close to the plan said Saturday.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 1, 2004

"Eigo de Shabera Night" on NHK and more

NHK has the good fortune to control the Japan rights to several Korean TV dramas that are very popular, and they don't let them go to waste. They use clips as resources on other shows, especially their Korean language classes.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 31, 2004

Japan Under-23s end goal drought

Japan's Under-23 side thrashed Venezuela's full international squad 4-0 Friday to end a three-match goal drought in their final warm-up match at home for the Athens Olympics.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 31, 2004

Singing up summer breeze under reggae rainbow

Everyone is on the move, or so it seems.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2004

Princess afflicted by adjustment disorder

Crown Princess Masako is suffering an adjustment disorder, the Imperial Household Agency said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 31, 2004

Winning battles, losing wars

The war against terror has forced governments to rethink national security. Protecting against invisible, anonymous threats requires extraordinary vigilance and exceptional measures. Ultimately, victory in this battle will rest on a broad consensus on what we are fighting for; only then can governments...
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2004

UFJ says no to tieup with Sumitomo group

The saga over struggling UFJ Holdings Inc. took a new twist Friday when its estranged peer, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc., Japan's second-biggest banking group, asked it to enter into merger talks.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2004

Hashimoto to quit faction over shady dental donation

Former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said Friday that he will resign as chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction because of a political donation scandal.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2004

Ministry allays 'hijiki' arsenic fears

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry on Friday assured Japanese consumers that "hijiki" seaweed is fine in moderation, after British food safety officials recently warned that it contains high levels of arsenic.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2004

DoCoMo profit falls 13% in line with fee discounts

NTT DoCoMo Inc. said Friday its first-quarter net profit dropped 13 percent to 170.38 billion yen due to an expanded discount program to protect its subscriber base.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2004

JAL narrows loss; ANA logs profit

Japan Airlines Corp. said Friday it posted a group net loss of 40.7 billion yen in the April-June quarter, compared with a 77.2 billion yen loss in the same period a year earlier.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 31, 2004

'Addams family factor' in Japanese food

When a friend of mine who is a Japanese cook offered to make me pizza, I have to admit that my stomach did a turn. I mean, this guy specializes in preparing sashimi -- would the pizza come with the sausage still twitching?

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