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JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Toyama softens position on school deregulation proposal

Education minister Atsuko Toyama said Tuesday that her ministry may support moves to allow stock companies to run schools, marking a shift from its previous opposition toward the proposal.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Tokyo hoping for swift response to IAEA ultimatum

Japan wants North Korea to respond promptly to an International Atomic Energy Agency resolution giving it a final opportunity to halt the reactivation of its nuclear facilities and dismantle its nuclear weapons program, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told a news conference Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Chinatown to be more tourist-friendly

Yokohama Chinatown, proud of its 140-year history as a symbol of the city since the early days of the port's opening, is gearing up for a makeover that it hopes will draw tourists back to its streets.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

Seven-Eleven to sell 500 yen DVDs

DVDs featuring Warner Brothers cartoons will be available for 500 yen each at 200 outlets of Seven-Eleven Japan Co. in Saitama Prefecture starting later this month, Japan's largest convenience-store chain operator said Tuesday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 8, 2003

'Mr. Reds' explains the reasons behind retirement

"I just thought it would be difficult for me to play in another uniform except the Reds' uniform," Urawa Reds and former Japan striker Masahiro Fukuda emotionally said of the reasons for his retirement on Tuesday at a Saitama hotel.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 8, 2003

Doves

During the late-'80s halcyon days of rave, Jimi Goodwin and twin brothers Jez and Andy Williams congregated with other high priests of acid-house at Manchester's Hacienda, then the mecca of club culture. But as their group, Sub Sub, evolved from beat worship into melody-driven guitar pop, they began...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jan 8, 2003

Redeemers with feet of clay

Of the 14 ceramic objects designated as national treasures in Japan, the fact that no fewer than eight are chawan (tea bowls) is a clear sign of their importance in the culture.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

DoCoMo hit by Moody's downgrade

Moody's Investors Service Inc. said Tuesday it has changed the outlook for the Aa1 senior long-term debt ratings on NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan's dominant mobile phone operator, to negative from stable.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 8, 2003

What goes around, comes around . . .

The career of the Austrian author and playwright Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931) unfolded in Vienna during the heady 19th-century fin de siecle era, when major social and intellectual shifts were sweeping the city.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Jan 8, 2003

Chan Marshall

Singer-songwriter Chan Marshall, better known as Cat Power, was raised in the U.S. South by an itinerant pianist and didn't finish school, so it's easy to imagine that much of her childhood and adolescence was spent in her own head. Her songs, while not particularly morbid, nevertheless revel in detailed...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Two Nigerians arrested over fake U.S. bills

Two Nigerian nationals under arrest for allegedly overstaying their visas were served further warrants Tuesday on suspicion of trying to smuggle 20 fake $100 bills into the country, Metropolitan Police Department and Tokyo customs officials said.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

Takenaka to keep close eye on bank restructuring moves

Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka said Tuesday he intends to keep a strict watch on the restructuring plans of major banks to ensure they produce favorable results in reviving the nation's banking sector.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

Consumption tax may be raised

The government will consider raising the consumption tax to secure revenues, even though its priority remains the elimination of unnecessary spending, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 8, 2003

Calling to the gods with a true, independent female voice

The career of composer, vocalist and dancer Makiko Sakurai has followed a unique path. She is the only woman who has been trained in shomyo -- the Buddhist liturgical chanting that dates back to the ninth century and is traditionally practiced only by males.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2003

Extra DNA tests planned to identify more soldiers

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to increase its use of DNA testing to identify the remains of Japanese soldiers who were buried overseas, ministry officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 8, 2003

Music of the saints

Someone once said that the best way to start building a jazz collection would be to buy a couple albums from each decade that Miles Davis was recording and, after that, choose a sideman from each of these selections and buy one of his solo albums. The same could be said of John Zorn and his collaborators,...
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2003

Major banks opt to put greater emphasis on private banking

The banking industry has begun putting greater emphasis on private banking as it seeks to increase profitability and eradicate huge loan-loss charges.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2003

No plan for snap election, Koizumi says

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Monday he has no plan to dissolve the House of Representatives and call a snap election this year, and pledged to employ all possible measures to fight deflation.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 7, 2003

JOC board member dead at 54

Kawamori, a Japanese Olympic Committee executive board member, died of a liver ailment late last month, sports officials said Monday. She was 54.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’