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CULTURE / Film
Nov 14, 2001

Coming to America 10 years too late

America is the foreign country most familiar to Japanese people -- and the hardest one for Japanese filmmakers to get right.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Japan, EU in sync on nuclear energy

After years of tough negotiations, Japan and the 15-nation European Union have reached a basic agreement on a landmark treaty aimed at promoting cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 14, 2001

What's wrong with a little joie de vivre ?

Le Fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain Rating: * * * * Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet Running time: 122 minutes Language: French Now showing
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

Asahi Mutual hawking sales division to Tokio Marine

Troubled life insurer Asahi Mutual Life Insurance Co. said Tuesday it is in talks to sell off its sales division to a Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co. subsidiary in the face of policy-holder flight and dismal market prospects.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 14, 2001

See how happy we are?

The Anniversary Party Rating: * * * * Director: Jennifer Jason Leigh / Alan Cumming Running time: 115 minutes Language: English Opens Nov.23 at Chanter Cine Theater
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

Shiokawa confident on cutting subsidies to public firms

Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Tuesday he was confident the government will fulfill its pledge to slash subsidies for special government-affiliated corporations by 1 trillion yen in the fiscal 2002 budget.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Keidanren support on Kyoto Protocol sought

Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Tuesday she has asked to meet the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) to seek industry support for Japan's plan to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on global warming.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 14, 2001

Ichiro named American League Rookie of the Year

NEW YORK -- Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, now a batting champion on both sides of the Pacific, was selected Monday as the American League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Ministry holds first online tender for public works project

The Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry on Tuesday staged the first online tender for a public works project in the nation's history.
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Nov 14, 2001

Prospects gloomy for world's economies

The unemployment rate hit a record high 5.3 percent in October, clouding prospects for yearend bonus payments and household spending.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

FTC to increase maximum monopoly fine

The Fair Trade Commission plans to raise the maximum fine imposed on companies that violate the Antimonopoly Law from 100 million yen to between 300 million yen and 500 million yen, FTC sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 14, 2001

Mercury Rev: 'All Is Dream'

On Sept. 11, Mercury Rev released the presciently titled album "All Is Dream." It was perfect timing because, although Mercury Rev will never be fashionable, the terrorist attacks on the U.S. must have upped the sales of their albums significantly. Who in America wanted to listen to the abrasive Limp...
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Two crew in JAL near miss suffer posttraumatic stress

Two of the 12 cabin crew on a Japan Airlines jetliner involved in a dramatic near miss with another JAL plane in January have been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, company officials said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 14, 2001

Revitalized kyogen to a crossroads

With the new century, it seems that the world of traditional Japanese theater has taken a long, hard look at itself and is seeking new means of expression.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

IHI, Toyota eye Thai turbochargers

Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. said Tuesday it has agreed with Toyota Motor Corp. to form a joint venture in Thailand for the manufacture and marketing of turbochargers there next spring.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Nov 14, 2001

To see a world in a bowl of tea

"Kokoro shugetsu ni nitari," which translates as "My mind is like the autumn moon," is a line from a Chinese poem expressing the Zen sensation felt strongly during this harvest season. Pure and reflecting without hesitation, the moon is a metaphor for our hearts and one that all of humanity could do...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Nov 14, 2001

Like Sheena, only happier

Like many people, when I first heard Hitomi Yaida's music, I immediately thought: Aha, Ringo Sheena Lite. With her high-pitched, keening voice and energetic, guitar-based pop-rock style, Yaida certainly has a lot in common with Sheena, that twisted pixie.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Over 100 million yen spent from illicit funds: Tanaka

Foreign Ministry personnel used more than 100 million yen in illicitly pooled funds at the ministry over the past six years by padding hotel bills and other means, Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 14, 2001

New rivals stage a tale of ancient rivalry

This month, the kabuki masterpiece "Yoshitsune Senbonzakura (Yoshitsune and One Thousand Cherry Trees)," adapted from the 1747 bunraku play written by Takeda Izumo, Mamiki Senryu and Miyoshi Shoraku, is being staged at two theaters in Tokyo: the National Theater of Japan in Hanzomon and the Nakamuraza...
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

Japan demands U.S. simplify power regulations

Japan for the first time called on the United States to improve regulations in the electricity industry during two days of energy talks that ended Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2001

Plan for Chichijima airport withdrawn

Tokyo officials said Tuesday they are withdrawing a plan to construct an airport on Chichijima Island in the Ogasawara Island chain, about 1,000 km south of Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 14, 2001

Dismemberment Plan: 'Change'

Travis Morrison sings as if words are pouring into his mouth faster than he can spit them out. On the first three albums from his band Dismemberment Plan, the lyrics shifted between self-deprecating irony and plain old self-deprecation. What Morrison was saying was honest and unsentimental, but there...
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Nov 14, 2001

Jim O'Rourke: 'Insignificance'

Jim O'Rourke has been around the block. A seminal postclassical composer, he can boast more than just the occasional side project. Indeed, if you add together the number of his solo albums and his collaborations and guest recordings with other bands, his output goes into the triple digits. He has placed...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 14, 2001

Where do we go from here?

Almost 20 minutes into my interview with Aidan and David, two members of the Montreal-based band Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Aidan said that he didn't think my questions were very good and that the interview was a waste of time. He expressed himself not angrily but with genuine frustration at my transparently...
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

DisneySea operator sees interim profit

Oriental Land Co., the operator of Tokyo Disneyland, said Tuesday its consolidated net account showed 1.89 billion yen profit in the first half of this business year.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2001

Consumer anxiety reaches record high

An index gauging consumer anxiety into the next 12 months has climbed to its highest level since 1977, a government-backed research institute said Tuesday.

Longform

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