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CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
May 30, 2001

'Lovers Leap': Dan Bryk

In art, confession treads a fine line between catharsis and showing off. A subset of current punk bands like Wheatus and Blink 182 utilizes the geek mode to comment on classic macho-rock poses, but since they have nothing original to say (girls ignore you at school? figure it out), geekiness turns out...
CULTURE / Art
May 30, 2001

Futura 2000 is now

A graffiti legend from the very earliest days of New York's underground hip-hop movement, Futura 2000 is presently being elevated to iconic status by his progeny. At 46, he is old enough not only to be their father but also to know better.
BUSINESS
May 30, 2001

Haseko marks first pretax profit in three years

Housing contractor Haseko Corp. said Tuesday it registered a consolidated pretax profit in fiscal 2000 for the first time in three years, helped by brisk demand for condominiums.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
May 30, 2001

'Exciter': Depeche Mode

With a name like a dubious aphrodisiac jelly, "Exciter," the latest effort by the ever-boyish Depeche Mode, promises more of the "pervy" lyrics and electronic pop/rock that has seen it sell 50 million albums since the early '80s.
CULTURE / Art
May 30, 2001

How a legend is born

Born Lenny Hilton McGurr, he first picked up a spray can in 1970, aged 15. An only child from a lower-middle class Manhattan home, graffiti provided him with "a solution to my identity crisis" -- a crisis brought on by the news he was adopted.
JAPAN
May 30, 2001

3,708 fewer visa violators deported

There were 51,459 foreigners deported for violation of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law in 2000, down 3,708 from the previous year, Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
May 30, 2001

'Come Dream With Me': Diana Krall

Female jazz vocalists have typically fallen into one of two categories: fresh-faced innocence or worldly wise sophistication. The most popular recent example of the latter is Diana Krall, who has had a stunning series of releases in the past few years. In contrast, the most recent newcomer, Jane Monheit,...
JAPAN
May 30, 2001

Environment Ministry plugs green tax in first white paper

In its inaugural white paper approved Tuesday by the Cabinet, the Environment Ministry is touting the merits of introducing an environment tax to help put Japan on a more environmentally sustainable path and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
CULTURE / Art
May 30, 2001

Inside angle on the subcontinent

From the scowl of a Calcutta street kid to the prayer-locked, wrinkled face and hands of Mother Theresa; from the quiet orange of a Taj Mahal sunrise to the bustle of a Delhi bazaar -- it seems the full breadth of India's people and places live in the photographs of Raghu Rai.
JAPAN
May 30, 2001

April jobless rate inches up to 4.8%

Japan's unemployment rate rose to a seasonally adjusted 4.8 percent in April, up 0.1 percentage point from the preceding month for the first upturn in four months, the government said Tuesday.
CULTURE / Art
May 30, 2001

Double-formed print visions

The first solo exhibition in Japan by print artist Sean Caulfield is currently on show at Session House Garden in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.
CULTURE / Art
May 30, 2001

Where corporate queen bees work and play

An exhibition by Dutch photographer Jacqueline Hassink will open Thursday at Galerie Deux in Tokyo's Meguro Ward.
CULTURE / Art
May 30, 2001

From darkness into light

At the turn of the 20th century, Odilon Redon (1840-1916) was one of the most intriguing and original painters in Paris, and his subject matter, the timeless world of myths and dreams, has ensured he is not forgotten. With the current exhibition of his works at the Odakyu Museum in Shinjuku, the curators...
COMMENTARY
May 30, 2001

Monarchy makes a comeback

LONDON -- The Crown Prince of Japan visited Britain last week and was warmly received all round.
JAPAN
May 30, 2001

Vote delayed on foreigners' suffrage bill

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday that a pending bill to allow permanent foreign residents to vote in local elections will not be put to vote during the current Diet session, which ends in late June.
CULTURE / Art
May 30, 2001

Transcend the frame

About 30 landscape monochromes by up-and-coming Italian photographer Lorenzo Nenchioni are currently on display at the Polaroid Gallery in Tokyo.
JAPAN
May 30, 2001

Postwar Croatia looks to Japan

It was a surprise contact from the Croatian Foreign Minister in October that led the 62-year-old Drogo Buvac, formerly a journalist specializing in economics and international relations, to bethe new Croatian Ambassador to Japan.
JAPAN
May 30, 2001

Koizumi to meet Bush June 30 at Camp David

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and U.S. President George W. Bush will hold their first summit on June 30 at Camp David, Md., Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda announced Tuesday.
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
May 30, 2001

Avant-garde work takes top honors at 16th biennial Nihon Togei Ten

The 16th biennial "Nihon Togei Ten (Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition)" at Tokyo's Daimaru Museum is a must-see for anyone interested in the current ceramics scene.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
May 30, 2001

Ex-Girl

Concert Preview by SIMON BARTZ Back in 1997, voices from outer space told three girls to start a band. Though they had never before picked up instruments in their lives, in true rock 'n' roll fashion, they snorted up the spirit of this unseen force, strapped on some guitars and became a gang of intergalactic...
EDITORIALS
May 29, 2001

Dead end in the Middle East

The violence between Israelis and Palestinians continues to escalate. Every day there are new reports of atrocities; the cycle of attack and retaliation is intensifying, the time between them shortening. The only reason for hope in this grim situation is the -- belated -- recognition by the government...
BUSINESS
May 29, 2001

Kamijo named Tokyu president

Kiyofumi Kamijo will replace Shinobu Shimizu as president of railway operator Tokyu Corp., with the appointment due to be formalized at a board of directors meeting June 28, Tokyu said Monday.
JAPAN
May 29, 2001

Australia's Downer urges Japan to help in East Timor

Visiting Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on Monday urged Japan to participate in peacekeeping operations in East Timor in addition to providing financial assistance to the area.
JAPAN
May 29, 2001

Diet asked to dismiss judge over teenage sex

The Supreme Court asked the Diet on Monday to dismiss a Tokyo High Court judge who was arrested May 19 on suspicion of paying a 14-year-old girl to have sex with him in January, court officials said.
JAPAN
May 29, 2001

No regrets about organ donation: husband

A man whose wife was pronounced legally brain dead has recounted the difficult experience of watching a loved one die, but said he has no regrets about his decision to donate her organs to transplant patients.
JAPAN
May 29, 2001

60% of flight attendants say abusive riders on rise

Almost 60 percent of flight attendants say problems such as verbal abuse and sexual harassment on planes have increased in recent years, with 16 percent saying they have been victimized, according to a survey released by airline unionists.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2001

Keidanren hopeful over Russia visit

Takashi Imai, chairman of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren), said Monday he hopes an upcoming government-sponsored economic mission to Russia will be an important opportunity to revitalize bilateral economic cooperation.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2001

Asahi Mutual plans out refinancing

Asahi Mutual Life Insurance Co. plans to refinance some 50 billion yen in loans from several financial institutions, including Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, to keep its foundation fund unchanged at 100 billion yen, company officials said Monday.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2001

China's quarantine steps not retaliatory: ministry

Japan believes that China's tightening of quarantine measures in April was not made in retaliation for import curbs Japan imposed on some of its farm products, Japanese Trade Ministry officials said Monday.

Longform

The students at Mitaka Municipal No. 7 Junior High School have access to various cooling devices for when they play sports.
Japan's extreme heat is causing a rethink of school sports