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JAPAN
Jul 21, 2002

Deaths linked to dieting aids from China increase to four

The number of people who have died after taking slimming products imported from China has increased to four, according to a Kyodo News tally based on announcements by the health ministry and local governments.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 21, 2002

The men of the house

The TV show that has most successfully exploited the current housing "reform" boom is Asahi's "Daikozo! Gekiteki Before/After (Big Construction! Dramatic Before and After)" (Sundays, 7:56 p.m.), which was the only program during the recent World Cup that managed to pull in double-digit ratings opposite...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 21, 2002

Take a dee . . . p breath

Umberto Pelizzari sits deep in meditation on the side of a boat, his legs dangling in the water, his hands clasped on his lap. He pulls a swim cap over his head and crosses himself.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Jul 21, 2002

Right down to the nitty-gritty grains

Rice is not, as most readers know, simply rice. Good sake is made from proper sake rice, and cheaper sake is made from much less expensive rice. In fact, most run-of-the-mill sake is made with rice bought from the local agricultural co-op, and often the purchaser knows nothing about it other than it...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 21, 2002

The search for Mr. Purrfect

OF CATS AND KINGS, by Clare de Vries. Bloomsbury, 2002, 308 pp., $14.95 (cloth) In her first book, "I & Claudius," British writer Clare de Vries went on a tour of the United States with an unusual traveling companion: a dashing chocolate-brown Burmese cat called Claudius. De Vries and Claudius lived...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 21, 2002

Flawed assumptions that courted disaster

PEACE, POWER AND RESISTANCE IN CAMBODIA: Global Governance and the Failure of InternationalConflict Resolution, by Pierre P. Lizee. Macmillan/St. Martin's Press, 2000, 206 pp. (cloth) According to the famous dictum, war is the continuation of politics through other means. Is the reverse true? Is politics...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Jul 21, 2002

Great big balls of octopus — easy on the sauce

I have a love/hate relationship with takoyaki. I really like the little dumplings but I'm opposed to anything being drowned in too much sauce, and the trend, especially at summer festivals, is to slather on too much of that gooey, brown Bulldog sauce.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Jul 21, 2002

Whet your appetite

If you know Bourbon Street, the New Orleans-style restaurant in Roppongi, chances are a friend introduced you. Sohan Ahluwalia vowed that he would never directly promote his restaurant but would let satisfied customers spread the word. And it worked. Sohan has put his heart and soul into creating his...
CULTURE / Music / HOGAKU TODAY
Jul 21, 2002

They're out there, they're really out there

When I was a student in the United States during the 1970s, a classmate of mine went to a record shop in a large city and asked if they had any Japanese music. The shopkeeper excitedly pulled out a brand-new album titled "Koto and Shakuhachi" and talked about how wonderful and exotic the music was. Since...
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2002

Economic support to China necessary, Kawaguchi says

OSAKA -- Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Saturday she believes it is necessary for Japan to extend economic assistance to China, despite international concerns about the country's increasing military budget.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 21, 2002

Buffs start closing in on Lions

Tuffy Rhodes and Norihiro Nakamura hit back-to-back RBI singles for the go-ahead runs in the second inning and the Kintetsu Buffaloes added a run in the eighth as they beat the Seibu Lions 5-3 at the Osaka Dome on Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 21, 2002

Think aquatically, dive locally

Scuba diving in the waters of Palau, Hawaii, the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, Grand Cayman Island and the Red Sea certainly provides exciting and unforgettable experiences. I can say this with confidence because I have dived in then all.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 21, 2002

Basement beats and eats

So what do hip young French eat when they go out clubbing these days? Actually, that's a trick question. Nobody feels like eating much when there is a first-rate DJ working the turntables. But that doesn't mean there's nothing worth eating on the menu at La Fabrique Paris, the cutting-edge club-cum-diner...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 21, 2002

The Cro pipes off on juiced players, bad-karma Bud

Just wind him up and watch him go! Warren Cromartie, who thrilled Yomiuri Giants fans from 1984-1990 not only with his stellar play but also with his banzai-inducing antics in the outfield, was back in Japan recently over the All-Star break.
EDITORIALS
Jul 20, 2002

Crucial issue in Nagano poll

Nagano Prefecture, whose assembly early this month passed a no-confidence motion against Gov. Yasuo Tanaka, is bracing for the election of a new governor. The key candidate will be Mr. Tanaka himself, who on Monday automatically lost his job but vowed to seek a fresh mandate. The key question for voters...
Japan Times
JAPAN / HONING ENGLISH
Jul 20, 2002

Japan experiments with Super English Schools

Principal Katsutoshi Wakabayashi gives a speech in English through the school's public address system at Gunma Prefectural Chuo High School every Wednesday morning, and all notices around the school are now in English.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2002

Cabinet to have ministries cut their emissions by 7%

In an effort to lead by example, the Cabinet approved a plan Friday that commits the national government to cutting greenhouse gas emissions at ministries and affiliated bodies by 7 percent of fiscal 2001 levels by fiscal 2006.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2002

Slain pilot's family files three-way suit

The family of a pilot who was slain in the July 1999 hijacking of an All Nippon Airways airliner filed a damages suit Friday for 280 million yen against the government, the airline and the hijacker, the family's lawyer said.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2002

Hiranuma announces staff reshuffle

Seiji Murata, director general of the Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau, will become vice minister of economy, trade and industry on July 30, it was announced Friday by Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma.
SOCCER / J. League / ON THE BALL
Jul 20, 2002

'Father of Japanese soccer' voices opinions on World Cup

While Japan was battling to reach the Round of 16 during the recent World Cup, one man was closely watching over the cohost's performance as a coach -- and in some ways like a father.
Japan Times
JAPAN / MUSEUM MUSINGS
Jul 20, 2002

Printing technology through the ages awaits

How have advances in printing technology contributed to our society as a means of communication?
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2002

'Spy ship' salvage operation to resume

Four chartered ships departed Kagoshima Bay on Friday evening to prepare to salvage a suspected North Korean spy ship that sank 390 km off Amami Oshima Islands in December.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2002

Koizumi stands firm on deposit refund limit

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday rejected calls from senior legislators and bankers to postpone plans to cap deposit guarantees at failed banks, scheduled to take effect April 1.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2002

Business chiefs grapple with ethics of corporate behavior

KARUIZAWA, Nagano Pref. -- Business leaders grappled Friday with the question of what principles should guide corporate behavior.
JAPAN / KANSAI BEAT
Jul 20, 2002

Foreigners find public housing off-limits

OSAKA -- Human rights groups have welcomed Shiga Gov. Yoshitsugu Kunimatsu's promise to review the prefecture's policy of barring foreign residents from living in public housing if they are unable to speak Japanese.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2002

Follow the truth and not bureaucrats: Inose

People must share accurate information, not necessarily that issued by bureaucrats, in efforts to help a debt-ridden Japan, a key adviser on the streamlining of public corporations said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2002

CCC downgrades takeover plan

Culture Convenience Club Co. said Friday it now plans to take over only 19 of the 42 stores of Dai-Ichi Katei Denki Co., down from 32, because many employees at the failed consumer electronics retailer do not want to work for CCC.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2002

Better deal urged for part-timers

Japan should improve working conditions for part-time and contract workers and try to bring conditions for this sector of the workforce more in line with regular employees, an advisory panel to the labor ministry urged in a report released Friday.

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’