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EDITORIALS
Mar 19, 2003

Mr. Koizumi's course is clear

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has faced the wrenching task of spelling out his foreign policy on Iraq. Until Monday he remained noncommittal on how Japan would respond if the United States goes to war without explicit U.N. backing. Now, with the U.S. having issued an ultimatum to Iraq and an invasion...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

Former Diet aide gets 30 months

A former secretary to a Diet member was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in prison for bribing the governor of Tokushima and two mayors in Ibaraki Prefecture.
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2003

Koizumi tells Cabinet to watch markets closely

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday urged his Cabinet to monitor financial markets carefully and cooperate closely with the Bank of Japan to prevent any disruptions as a result of the looming war in Iraq, government officials said.
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2003

Next BOJ chief sets sights on deflation but skirts inflation target debate

Incoming BOJ Gov. Toshihiko Fukui vowed Tuesday to combat the nation's persistent deflation, saying he wants to clear new paths for central bank funds to reach businesses.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

Clear line drawn as private water management debate opens

OSAKA -- Debate on private vs. public water management lived up to its billing as one of most divisive issues at the World Water Forum as a two- day plenary session opened here Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2003

Embattled Hayami bows out with self-belief intact

The markets are happy to see him go. He is the butt of jokes at the Finance Ministry, where bureaucrats mimic some of his well-worn phrases. Leading politicians in the ruling coalition blame him for the stagnant economy.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

North Korea survives on Japan lifeline

Yoshiaki Saito points to a row of live crabs at the front of his shop in Tokyo's largest seafood market. "Those are from Russia, those from Japan," he says.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2003

Market intervention not the right solution

GUATEMALA CITY -- Japan's Nikkei average is below 8,000 for the first time in 20 years, putting it 80 percent below its 1989 high. A fall in the Nikkei below 7,500 could mean that some Japanese banks would not meet their international capital adequacy requirements.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 19, 2003

MLB Tour promises fun for everyone

Yes, I know, it's fans prediction week for Japanese baseball, but there were more entries than expected from Japan, North America and even New Zealand, and there just is not enough space to include all the picks and comments. Instead, let me tell you something about the Major League tour set to begin...
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

Koizumi puts U.S. alliance ahead of U.N.

By announcing his support for a U.S.-led war on Iraq without a fresh United Nations resolution, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made it clear Tuesday that his government emphasizes Japan's alliance with the United States over U.N.-centered efforts for peace.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

Koizumi unequivocal on Iraq war

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed unequivocal support Tuesday for U.S. plans to forcibly disarm Iraq.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

Police-box thefts lead to arrest of Zama man, 20

A 20-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of stealing items from unmanned police boxes in Tokyo and three prefectures in the Kanto region, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

Opposition lambastes Koizumi over emphatic support for U.S. line

Opposition parties on Tuesday slammed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's emphatic support for the United States' ultimatum to Iraq, saying a peaceful solution to the crisis should be achieved through more U.N. inspections.
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2003

Japan Oil Development set to file for sheltered rehabilitation

Japan Oil Development Co. will file for court protection from creditors under the fast-track Civil Rehabilitation Law, with an estimated debt of more than 400 billion yen, sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Mar 19, 2003

Kenny Brown: "Stingray"

Some blues come smooth-planed and varnished. Other blues leave splinters. Kenny Brown's "Stingray" is the latter. Accompanied only by bass and drums, Brown eschews all slickness and gets to the core of hardworking blues.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

Prison chief defends withholding inmates' death records

The head of the Justice Ministry's Correctional Bureau apologized Tuesday for failing to inform Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama that "shibo-cho," or prisoner death records, have been kept at each of the nation's prisons for the past decade.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

Iraqis living in Japan worry about families back home

Iraqis residing in Japan expressed concern Tuesday for their loved ones back home who face imminent war following the 48-hour ultimatum issued by U.S. President George W. Bush.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Mar 19, 2003

Radio 4: "Gotham"

The new dance-punk that's been coming out of Brooklyn the past year or so has mostly been produced by out-of-towners. As one of the few affordable bohemian enclaves left in New York City, the borough attracts a sizable number of fledgling rock bands looking to make names for themselves.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 19, 2003

Double the beauty and pain

The Kabukiza Theater celebrates the advent of spring by offering an attractive selection of kabuki plays and dance numbers with excellent casts, including the two renowned onnagata, Nakamura Shikan and Bando Tamasaburo.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

Mold threatening tomb's frescoes

A panel of experts agreed Tuesday to finalize by late May a report on emergency measures to remove black mold threatening the colorful frescoes of the Takamatsuzuka Tumulus in the village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2003

War fears put water forum in jeopardy

KYOTO -- The remainder of the 3rd World Water Forum, which is scheduled to end Sunday, was thrown into confusion Tuesday by fears that a U.S.-led war on Iraq is imminent.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Mar 19, 2003

RASA: "The Unknighted Nations"

RASA's album "The Unknighted Nations" seems very long, not because it is boring or painful, but because it is so varied and interesting. You want ouds? We got your ouds. You want a cello? We got your cello. You want an African-American rapper or a freaky sounding guy with a synthesized voice? A woman...
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2003

Firms in Middle East gird for war

Japanese companies in the Middle East stepped up emergency plans Tuesday after U.S. President George W. Bush told Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to leave the country within 48 hours or face war.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2003

International system teeters on the cusp of tectonic change

As war looms in Iraq, the international system is on the cusp of tectonic change. Both the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are in crisis. So is the U.S. alliance with South Korea. What might all this mean for Japan?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 19, 2003

The conductor, his wife, her lover

A recent survey by Theater Guide magazine put Koki Mitani ahead of even Shakespeare as the dramatist best known in Japan.

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