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JAPAN
Mar 23, 2003

Ishihara's team fears war may affect Tokyo election

Aides and officials managing Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's re-election campaign are concerned that the U.S.-led war in Iraq may adversely affect the Tokyo gubernatorial election, while his rivals see it as a good chance to promote their peace policies.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2003

Computer glitch cancels ANA flights

All Nippon Airways on Saturday canceled five domestic flights and reported delays to 10 others following a computer failure Friday.
Events
Mar 23, 2003

KANSAI: Who & What

Foreign artists put their own spin on Japan's art: Two foreign artists will jointly display works based on traditional Japanese art forms between Tuesday and March 30 at Gallery Tobe in Kyoto's Nakagyo Ward.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2003

Number of Japanese in Iraq increases to 32

The number of Japanese nationals in Iraq totaled 32 as of 1 p.m. Saturday, Japan time, with seven serving as human shields in protest of the U.S.-led war on Iraq, the Foreign Ministry said.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2003

Kyoto water forum opens amid internal wrangling

KYOTO -- A two-day meeting of ministers from 170 countries opened Saturday in Kyoto at the World Water Forum, with delegates making firm promises to deal with the world's water crisis.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Mar 23, 2003

A beautiful day in the life of sound

The phone line buzzes, the electric heater drones and the pitter-patter of rain can be heard in the background. Not the perfect sonic environment for a phone interview, but for Yuko Kitamura, it is perfect.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 23, 2003

Verdy loses game of cards

ICHIHARA, Chiba Pref. -- Choi Yong Soo headed home the winner in the 88th minute to give JEF United Ichihara a 2-1 comeback win over nine-man Tokyo Verdy at Ichihara Seaside Stadium on Saturday.
COMMUNITY
Mar 23, 2003

From ancient to modern

As quintessentially contemporary as manga may seem, the oldest extant manga-style drawings actually date from the eighth-century zare-ga (play pictures), scrawled graffiti-like in the attic of the Horyuji Temple in Nara.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 23, 2003

Comic culture is serious business

Can anyone be in this country a week and not notice manga -- Japan's unique contribution to comics?
COMMUNITY
Mar 23, 2003

By the people, for the people

Pop into any bookstore and you'll find shelves overflowing with comic books about samurai, yakuza, war, business, baseball, soccer, golf, examination hell, high-school romance, office affairs -- in every genre from sci-fi to porn. And that's just the tip of Japan's manga iceberg.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Mar 23, 2003

The secret life of Marc Romance

Marc Romance is my favorite alias for the master of Pousse Cafe, a stylish wine bar hidden away in Jiyugaoka. He has used many names, including Mac, Kota and the unlikely Alien J. Perkins -- most adopted for the convenience of his foreign friends but some, like the latter, as a nom de plume for writing...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 23, 2003

Lawyers: they're not all out for themselves

HUMAN RIGHTS IN JAPAN, South Korea and Taiwan, by Ian Neary. London, Routledge, 2002, 297 pp., $95 (cloth) It's not easy being a lawyer these days -- putting up with nasty jokes, scant respect and widespread suspicions that the public interest is way down on the list of priorities. Ian Neary reminds...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 23, 2003

Art on the fast track

OK, so manga are hugely popular -- but so are 500 yen umbrellas on a rainy day. Like those cheap plastic parapluies, though, manga seem little more than a temporary feature of daily commuting. Those young furiita and salarymen who thumb through the pages with barely a pause can't be getting much from...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 23, 2003

Practice makes perfect

COPYING THE MASTER AND STEALING HIS SECRETS, edited by Brenda Jordan and Victoria Weston, with an introduction by J. Thomas Rimer. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2003, 248 pp., 14 color plates, 52 monochrome photos, $50 (cloth) As Thomas Rimer writes in his introduction to this interesting collection...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2003

U.S. must rethink North Korea strategy

MONTEREY, Calif. -- On the eve of South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun's swearing-in ceremony, North Korea lobbed a land-to-ship cruise missile into the Sea of Japan. This provocation took place as the world's dignitaries -- among them U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi...
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2003

Japan in talks to provide humanitarian aid

Japan has begun discussions with governments in the Middle East to coordinate airlifts of humanitarian aid by the Self-Defense Forces to countries neighboring Iraq that expect an influx of refugees, government sources said Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 23, 2003

English text lays bare a secret

Fanc a trip to a not-so-secret but hitherto inaccessible part of Japan?
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ARCHIPELA-GO
Mar 23, 2003

Some culture with your coffee?

KANAZAWA, Ishikawa Pref. -- As orderly creatures, Japanese generally have a fondness for numbers and happily assimilate the world in neat numerical packages. Of these, the triad has always beguiled. Japan has its Three Most Beautiful Landscapes, its Three Imperial Regalia, its Three Plants of Good Fortune...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 23, 2003

Japan's dumb leaders fail to exercise tongues

In the weeks leading up to the invasion of Iraq, it was common for reporters throughout the world to sample public opinion about it. As journalism, man-on-the-street interviews are more or less a sideshow, since, depending on the country, they offer little of substance in terms of information. Americans,...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2003

More relevant now than ever

"A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, set in revolutionary France, begins with the observation that it was the best of times and the worst of times. So might it be said, thanks in no small measure to France, of the tale of two cities of contemporary times, namely Washington and New York, the political...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 23, 2003

Women on top

Shows about and for women will highlight the second week of Japan's pre-spring TV specials. Fuji TV will present the eighth in its occasional series of talk shows, "Ganbare! Onna Bakari no Jinsei Tatenaoshi Hitori Mi, Issho Kenmei Special" (Monday, 7 p.m.), in which a dozen or so single female celebrities...
MORE SPORTS
Mar 22, 2003

Onda, Suguri leave for Washington

Japan's Yoshie Onda and Fumie Suguri departed Friday for next week's Figure Skating World Championships in Washington despite the war on Iraq putting the United States on heightened terror alert.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 22, 2003

RWC to be aired live in its entirety

Rugby fans in Japan will be heartened to hear that all 48 games of the 2003 Rugby World Cup will be shown live in Japan on JSky Sports, it was announced on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 22, 2003

Kiyohara sidelined until mid-April

Yomiuri Giants slugger Kazuhiro Kiyohara, who injured his right hamstring while jogging late last month, will be out of action until mid-April, manager Tatsunori Hara said Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PREFECTURAL FARE
Mar 22, 2003

Tokyo gets taste of Okinawa longevity

Last in a series Okinawa is well-known for the longevity of its people. Its subtropical climate may be one reason, but a major contributing factor is most likely the southern-most prefecture's healthy foods.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 22, 2003

Swallows pick up pitcher Beverlin

The Yakult Swallows said Thursday they have acquired right-hander Jason Beverlin, formerly of the Detroit Tigers, for the upcoming season.

Longform

The volunteer lifesavers of Nishihama Surf Lifesaving Club never know what's in store at the start of their day.
It's no simple day at the beach for Japan's volunteer lifesavers