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JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

Taiwan's Lee drops visa application after Keio University cancels speech

Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui withdrew his visa application Tuesday after it was revealed that Keio University has canceled a plan to let him give a speech there.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

McCartney meets underachieving English students

A group of 16 Tokyo high school students and two teachers who use Beatles songs to study English received an invitation from British rock legend Paul McCartney to attend his concert Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

Prison abuses in spotlight following guard arrests

The ongoing allegations of abuse of inmates at Nagoya Prison have highlighted human rights concerns that have been raised by domestic and international watchdogs over Japan's prison system.
COMMENTARY
Nov 13, 2002

Midterms heap accountability on Bush

HONOLULU -- U.S. President George W. Bush is basking in the results of last week's midterm elections. Bush's Republican Party increased its presence in Congress, an outcome that the president claims validates his policies and provides him with a mandate for the remaining two years of his term. Fears...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

Corporate whistle-blowers still left out in the cold

Prompted by a recent spate of corporate misdeeds, moves are afoot, albeit slowly, to provide legal protection for whistle-blowers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

'Ringu' remake raises hopes in Japan

The U.S. remake of "Ringu," a Japanese horror film released in January 1998, has been scaring audiences across North America.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

Bones not abductee's: Japan

In a finding that raises serious doubts over the credibility of Pyongyang's accounts of the kidnapping of Japanese nationals, authorities in Tokyo have concluded that bones North Korea claims are the remains of Kaoru Matsuki are probably not his.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 13, 2002

Dishonor avenged, love avowed

This month, following the lead of the Kabukiza, the National Theater in Tokyo also presents "Kanadehon Chushingura (The 47 Loyal Retainers)" to mark the upcoming 300th anniversary of the famous act of revenge carried out by the 47 ronin (masterless samurai) on the night of Dec. 14, 1702 (on the old calendar)....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 13, 2002

Little Creatures

Little Creatures' 12-year career is a catalog of restless musical curiosity. Though their first moody releases were vaguely trip hop, their subsequent work defies categorization. Recent releases have touched on drum 'n' bass and jazzy Tortoise-like turns. ,fusing traditional instruments and electronics...
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2002

Katayama seeks more capital for new posts body

The government must bolster the capital base of the planned public corporation set to take over postal savings and mail services from the Postal Services Agency in fiscal 2003, posts minister Toranosuke Katayama said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Nov 13, 2002

Look again at potting traditions

In the world of Japanese ceramics, certain styles have clearly defined identities that have been appreciated down the centuries. Mere mention of Bizen pottery will likely bring to mind a rustic, brown, natural ash-glazed style.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 13, 2002

"Tokyo: the Sex, the City, the Music"

Just what we need: another Japanese club-music compilation. I still get a lot of enjoyment out of the old "Dance 2 Noise" series, and the "Sushi 3003" collection is what I usually recommend to the uninitiated. However, "Sushi" came out in '96, and while even a cursory listen to "Tokyo: the Sex, the City,...
EDITORIALS
Nov 13, 2002

The media and a jury system

A government panel on judicial reform is working on a bill that would create a Japanese version of the jury system. The idea is to allow selected citizens to work together with professional judges in deciding major criminal cases. The worry is that the bill might impose undue restrictions on media contact...
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

Sand clouds from China hit Japan

Clouds of yellow sand carried by strong winds from China were observed across the nation from late Monday night to Tuesday morning, the first time the phenomenon has been observed nationwide in the autumn in six years, the Meteorological Agency said.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

Lower House approves legal education bills

The House of Representatives passed three bills Tuesday aimed at improving the educational system for legal professionals in a bid to increase both their quality and number.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

Cash won favors at Teikyo University

Students whose parents donated money to Teikyo University before their admission received preferential treatment in entrance exams if they were on the border between acceptance and rejection, sources said Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 13, 2002

Cabrera stealing Matsui's thunder so far

OSAKA -- Seibu Lions slugger Alex Cabrera tied the Japanese record for home runs in a single season, and next season, he thinks he'll reach No. 56.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 13, 2002

Locals make it three in a row

OSAKA -- It's probably about time someone came up with another nickname for Seibu Lions shortstop Kazuo Matsui.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2002

J-Phone success boosts Japan Telecom balance

Japan Telecom Holdings Co., the owner of Japan's third-largest telecom carrier, said Tuesday its group net balance for the fiscal first half to Sept. 30 swung back into the black due mainly to cost-cutting and growth in its J-Phone mobile phone services.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 13, 2002

Pavement: "Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe and Redux"

Pavement fans should prepare to be very happy. Ten years after their lo-fi opus, "Slanted and Enchanted," blew our minds, the folks at Matador Records have released "Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe and Redux," a double CD containing the original album along with 34 (count 'em, THIR-TY-FOUR) additional tracks....
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2002

Cost-cutting efforts drive Marubeni out of the red

Major trading house Marubeni Corp. said Tuesday it returned to the black on a consolidated basis for the six months through September, posting a group net profit of 17.8 billion yen thanks to a reduction in sales and administrative expenses and the removal of loss-making subsidiaries from its books.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2002

Diet panel to summon bank chiefs

A key Diet panel will summon the presidents of the nation's four major banking groups and the chiefs of banking industry bodies to testify on the bank shakeup plan devised by Financial Services Minister Heizo Takenaka, lawmakers said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

U.S. official backs transfer of FTC

A senior official of the U.S. Justice Department voiced support Tuesday for Japan's plan to transfer the Fair Trade Commission from the public management ministry to the Cabinet Office.
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

Online auction bill nears fruition

The House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday aimed at forcing operators of Internet auction sites to notify authorities of their dealings.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2002

Firms link in communication venture

Procket Networks Inc., a U.S. company specializing in the development of high-speed information communication systems, announced Tuesday that it has established a joint venture in Tokyo with three Japanese network companies.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2002

Industrial revival plan anticipated by yearend

The government said Tuesday it will formulate before the end of the year a basic policy on turning the stagnant industrial sector around.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 13, 2002

The garden of Escher delights

"Mathematicians," wrote M.C. Escher in a 1958 essay, "have opened the gate leading to an extensive domain, but they have not entered this domain themselves. By their very nature they are more interested in the way in which the gate is opened than in the garden lying behind it."
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2002

Japan puts progress before talks

Japan said Tuesday it is not ready to respond to North Korea's proposal to hold the next round of normalization talks later this month, citing slow progress on the issue of abducted Japanese.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 13, 2002

The Archie Shepp Quartet

Archie Shepp was handed the free-jazz mantle directly from John Coltrane. After contributing tenor sax to Coltrane's quintessential "Ascension" recording in 1965, Shepp went on to record his own series of visceral works in a similar revolutionary style. With a group of like-minded players, Shepp continued...

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’