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Not much in the way of good news these days (unless you're a Swallows
or Marinos fan). Unemployment's up, production's down. But for
most foreigners, we pretty much have to read the paper or watch
the news to see any proof of the continuing recession (unless
you work for Merrill Lynch who I hear won't be paying a year-end
bonus). Elsewhere it's life as usual as entertainers get married,
go to court and do drugs.
Mark McBennett
Webmaster, Japan Zone
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Contents
1. What's going on in Japan
2. Sports news
3. Gei-noh news
4. Links we like
5. Japan Zone updates
6. Unsubscribe
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1. What's going on in Japan
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Three antiterrorism bills were passed on October 29th. One allows
the Self Defense forces to provide non-combat logistic support
to the US-led force in Afghanistan. The other two enable SDF troops
to guard US military facilities in Japan in an emergency. Amendments
proposed by the main opposition party Minshuto were voted down
in the House of Councillors session. All three bills were opposed
by the Social Democratic Party. The government plans to send Maritime
SDF vessels to the Indian Ocean later this month. The vessels
are expected to include a destroyer equipped with the Aegis air-defense
system. The advanced system is used only on ships operated by
Japan and the US.
Yanagida Daigen (37), a freelance journalist, is currently being
held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Yanagida is believed to have
entered the country to research a book on the Afghan people.
Less than two months after the fire in Tokyo's Kabukichi entertainment
district that killed 44 people, another fire in the area claimed
two lives on October 29th. The two men were in their fifties.
The fire broke out in an "adult entertainment establishment" (massage
parlor) on the fifth floor of a building just 300 meters from
the site of the September 1st blaze.
Foreign Minister Tanaka Makiko, who had been quiet for a while,
has been back in the news recently. A recent story told how she
kept the Iranian foreign minister waiting for 30 minutes while
she searched for a missing ring. She reportedly then asked one
of her aides if he had stolen it and ordered him to go and buy
a new one. She also showed a less than diplomatic side when asked
to visit Pakistan as a special envoy. "Refugee camps? I don't
want to visit such dirty places!" was her alleged reply. Her ongoing
battle with the bureaucrats and frequent emotional outbursts have
led to increasing calls for her replacement. But PM Koizumi seems
unlikely to back down from his support of Tanaka while she remains
so popular with the general public.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/tanaka_makiko.shtml
I haven't bothered mentioning anything about financial scandals
recently. Graft, extortion and skimming of funds is so often in
the news that it hardly seems like "news" anymore. As usual, recent
cases involve bureaucrats and public officials at: The Foreign
Ministry, Post Office chiefs in the Tohoku region, the Kinki Finance
Bureau, the All Japan Prefectural and Municipal Workers Union
(Jichiro) to name just a few.
The rate of unemployment has risen to a record high of 5.3% (3.57
million), with some 920,000 people out of work for more than a
year. The statistics are the worst since the government started
compiling figures in 1953. But having seen unemployment figures
in double digits in my own country, Ireland, I find the media's
calling the current figure "extremely high" a bit worrying. A
staggering global economy coupled with adverse effects of recent
terrorism, a financial system rotten to the core and unforseen
circumstances like the mad cow disease scare are sure to mean
the figures and the economy will only get worse. Is the total
collapse of the economy a worst case scenario or a real possibility?
A member of the Avispa Fukuoka J-League team was arrested on charges
of paying to fondle a 14-year old girl. The player (19), who was
not named as he is a minor, allegedly paid 20,000 yen to the girl.
16-year olds cost a bit more, judging from the case of a 57-year
old Saitama Prefecture public servant who was arrested for paying
70,000 yen for sex with a girl of that age. The two met through
a web dating (deai-kei) site.
The Global Network firm was ordered by Yokohama District Court
last month to stop sending spam messages to i-mode phones. The
company was sending up to 900,000 "meiwaku mail" messages per
hour to the DoCoMo phones using randomly generated addresses.
I saw on a recent TV show that the DoCoMo system is said to transfer
some 20 billion (200 oku) messages a day.
The latest census, taken a year ago, shows that the number of
foreigners in Japan has reached over 1.3 million and exceeds 1%
of the population for the first time since just after the war.
By nationality, the largest groups are Korean (530,000), Chinese
and Brazilian. The native population is made up of over 62 million
men and almost 65 million women.
Koizumi Yoshie, mother of the prime minister died on October 30th
aged 93.
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2. Sports news
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The Japan Series was won by Tokyo's Yakult Swallows. The Swallows
beat Osaka's Kintetsu Buffaloes 4-1 to capture their fifth title.
While I'm equaly split between being a Yakult fan and an anti-Giants
fan, I only went to one game at Jingu Stadium this season. Yakult
led the league pretty much all season and their yusho came as
something of an anti-climax. TV viewing figures for the series
were very low. The day after the series, home run sluggers Roberto
Petagine (Yakult) and Tuffy Rhodes (Kintetsu) were named as MVPs
in their respective leagues.
https://www.japan-zone.com/omnibus/baseball.shtml
Yokohama F Marinos, currently struggling to stay in J1, the J-League's
top tier, beat the Stage 1 winners Jubilo Iwata in a penalty shootout
to lift the Nabisco Cup on October 27th. Marinos keeper Enomoto
Tatsuya, who made one particularly amazing save during the shootout,
was the hero of the day. Enomoto more than filled the giant boots
left by Kawaguchi Yoshikatsu, who left the port city of Yokohama
to play in the English town of Portsmouth just a week before.
https://www.japan-zone.com/omnibus/soccer.shtml
Golfer Izawa Toshimitsu has been on a bit of a tear lately. Izawa
took home the top prize of 40 million yen at the Phillip Morris
Chamionship on October 28th, meaning he's won four of his last
five tournaments on the Japan tour. He leads the money rankings
and is only the second golfer to surpass the 200 million mark
for a season. Jumbo Ozaki did it in 1994 and 1996.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/jumbo_ozaki.shtml
Expecting an influx of violent soccer hooligans for next year's
World Cup, the government is planning to change the law pertaining
to the deportation of foreigners. Currently only foreigners convicted
of prostitution or sentenced to more than a year in prison can
be deported. They also hope to be able to prevent those with a
history of violence from entering the country at all.
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3. Gei-noh news
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It's looking increasingly likely that Nomura Sachiyo (69), wife
of Hanshin Tigers manager Nomura Katsuya (66), is in some deep
do-do. Stories of possible tax evasion did the rounds earlier
in the year but recent news reports go further. Recordings of
telephone conversations between Sacchi and her eldest son Kenny
(41), who lives in the US, leave no doubt that one of the most
feared women in Japan has been less than honest with the taxman.
What's more, it appears she has been using her son's name to launder
funds. He responded by testifying to the authorities and giving
his story to the media.
Other bits and bobs:
- In the latest drugs case, Kachisu Yuujin (Eugene Curtis) son
of Ventures member Mickey Curtis, has been arrested on marijuana
possession. He is a friend of Ishida Issei (26), currently also
on trial for similar offenses.
- During preparation for filming of the "Mecha Mecha Iketeru"
TV variety show, a section of scenery fell and fatally injured
one of the stage crew. The scheduled broadcast of the show was
replaced by Terminator 2.
- TV personality Tachikawa Noriko (31), until recently a presenter
on the Wonderful show, announced her engagement and retirement
from the gei-noh-kai (entertainment world). She is engaged to
a doctor one year her junior whom she met when the doctor administered
an IV during a check-up. Aaaah!
- Recently admitted to hospital: newly married singer Saijo Hideki,
with dehydration and comedian Tamori, after he was hit in the
eye by a golf ball.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/tamori.shtml
- The rumors of impending divorce are already circulating for
actress Hazuki Riona (26), who married a sushi chef in Hawaii
four days after they met.
- Veteran actress Ishikawa Sayuri has sold her 1-billion yen home
as part of an effort to repay some 5.6 billion in debts.
- Enka singer Kitajima Saburo's prize racehorse Kitasan Hibotan
is one of the big winners this season with four wins in a row.
All the sweeter because Sabu-chan is celebrating his 40th year
in show business.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/kitajima_saburo.shtml
- The Tokyo Film Festival relies on the arrival of a big Hollywood
star to bring some glitz and glamor to the event. But with most
Americans refusing to fly these days, the job was left to the
low-cut dress of Fujiwara Norika (30) and Downtown's Hamada Masatoshi
(38). The pair (no, not Fujiwara's) did the voiceovers for the
main characters in the SKG animated production Shrek. The K in
SKG, Jeffrey Katzenberg also showed up for the movie, which opened
the festival.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/fujiwara_norika.shtml
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/downtown.shtml
- Super-genki former marathon runner Matsuno Akemi (33) gave a
brief press conference recently to announce that she had had a
miscarriage. The reason for the announcement was that much fuss
had been made when Matsuno discovered her pregnancy after taking
a test on a live TV show. It would have been her first child.
- Actress Shimada Yoko (48) has been taken to court by her former
manager. The manager is trying to recover over 10 million yen
she claims she lent Shimada. Shimada, who has been in court over
debts in the past and is currently thought to be some 200 million
in debt, says she thought she had been given the money.
- This year has seen something of a boom in singers in their 40s.
Examples include Kuwata Keisuke (45) of Southern All Stars, Takeuchi
Mariya (46), Matsutoya Yumi (47) and Nakajima Miyuki (49). Nakajima
is the only Japanese artist to have had a No.1 single and album
in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
The latest Oricon CD Single rankings (Nov 5):
1. Kuwata Keisuke - Shiroi Koibito-tachi (White Love)
2. Morning Musume - Mr. Moonlight..Ai ni Bigu Bando
3. Steady & Co. - Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu
4. Rip Slyme - One
5. Chemistry - You Go Your Way
Kuwata Keisuke is having his second big solo hit of the year.
His "Nami-nori Johnny" was the song of the summer and the new
single looks to be this year's Christmas song, though it may have
peaked in the charts a bit early. The Morning Musume juggernaut
continues with their first single featuring the four newly added
members. Steady & Co is a new group made up of a couple of producers
plus Shigeo of the band Skebo King and Ilmari of Rip Slyme. The
single is from Chambers, their debut album due out later this
month. Rip Slyme are a five-member reggae/hip hop group who released
their first album this summer. Chemistry is a pair of 22-year
old guys who've become one of the big acts to break this year.
This is their third single.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/morning_musume.shtml
I only caught the end of the song on TV the other night but Suha,
the debut single by Mean Machine looks to be a winner. The band,
made up of five established female musicians, including Yuki (vocalist
of the defunct Judy and Mary) and Chara (J-Pop's answer to Bjork)
both on drums, has received a lot of hype leading up to the single's
release. The heavily-hyped band has an edge and the kind of attitude
that is exactly what's lacking in 99% of J-Pop. It's currently
No.19 in the Oricon chart.
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4. Links we like
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Cool Girls Japan
A nicely designed and flashy site with something to appeal to
all you girls (and boys).
http://coolgirlsjapan.com/
J@pan Inc
I've mentioned it before but the J@pan Inc site is worthing taking
a look at again if you're in any way interested in the technology
scene in Japan
http://www.japaninc.net/
Asiaweek Magazine
An interesting quick look at credit card use in Asia shows that
while almost three quarters of Japanese have a card, they're not
so keen to use it.
http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/magazine/yourspace/0,8782,176597,00.html
Invest Japan!
This may not be of use to most people but you never know. The
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) English website is the
place to look if you're thinking of investing or setting up shop
in Japan.
http://www.investjapan.org/
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5. Japan Zone updates
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Thanks to a bunch of new photos sent in, I've added yet another
new section to the Japan Gallery - Miscellaneous Pictures - and
expanded the existing galleries. Even more coming soon...
https://www.japan-zone.com/gallery/index.html
I've added a page for the weekly photo essays of Kjeld Duits,
a photo-journalist who's been in Japan for almost 20 years.
https://www.japan-zone.com/this_week.shtml
There's now a free currency converter on the site that you can
use to convert between yen and the major currencies (or dozens
of currencies worldwide).
https://www.japan-zone.com/currency.shtml
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6. Unsubscribe
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