Of course, the big news this last week has been the birth of the
royal princess. While many hoped the big event would give the
Japanese economy a shot in the arm, that doesn't look like happening.
Now, if it had been a boy...
Those entertainer types are nothing but trouble these days! "Satchi"
Nomura has finally got what's coming to her; Tashiro Masashi's
been up to his old tricks and there's the usual roundup of breakups,
divorces and...caught in the middle of it all, babies.
Mark McBennett
Webmaster, Japan Zone
* Looking for a cheap flight to Japan? Or a place to stay when
you
* get here? The Japan Zone has teamed up with Foraticket.com
and
* Bookings JP to provide quick and easy online access to the
best
* airfares and hotel rates. Check availability and rates in seconds
* and enjoy special online discounts.
* https://www.japan-zone.com/fly_stay.shtml
Contents
1. What's going on in Japan
2. Sports news
3. Gei-noh news
4. Links we like
5. Unsubscribe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. What's going on in Japan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The big news story was the birth of a new princess. Born at 2:43pm
on December 1st, First Princess Aiko, or Toshinomiya as she is
officially known, is the first child of Crown Prince Naruhito
(41) and Princess Masako (37). All media - TV, radio and newspapers
- carried specials on the birth and it is being seen as part of
a mini baby-boom. Thre were several tradition-bound ceremonies
carried out after the birth. The first of these was the "Shiken
no Gi", the presentation to the baby of a small sword from the
Emperor. The sword offers symbolic protection. A week after the
birth, the baby's official names were announced in the ceremony
known as "Meimei no Gi". In a break with tradition, the names
were chosen by the parents rather than the Emperor. Both names
are taken from Chinese clasic literature. Aiko (literally "love
child") represents the value of loving and being loved. The name
Toshi refers to the tenet that those who respect others will be
respected in return.
Unfortunately, this all still leaves the imperial family without
a young male heir. There have been no male births since the Crown
Prince's younger brother Akishino in 1965. He and Princess Kiko
have two daughters. The succession problem will inevitably lead
to renewed disussions on revising the Imperial House Law, which
stipulates that only male members of the Imperial family may ascend
to the throne.
https://www.japan-zone.com/culture/imperial.shtml
328 officials at the Foreign Ministry were punished by Minister
Tanaka Makiko following revelations of bill-padding to create
a slush fund in the hundreds of millions of yen. Much of the taxpayer's
money was used for official expenses but also for staff parties,
hotels and car hire. Two of the officials were dismissed and Tanaka
herself took responsibility by docking her own salary for one
month.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/tanaka_makiko.shtml
An ongoing embezzlement investigation involving pro-North Korean
organizations in Japan has led to arrests of executives from Chongryon
and the collapsed Chogin Tokyo credit union. The former is the
abbreviated name of the powerful General Association of Korean
Residents in Japan. Chongryon's Tokyo headquarters, which are
considered a de facto North Korean embassy, were searched by police
for the first time ever on November 29th. The search was protested
by an angry mob of several hundred North Korean residents shouting
slogans of "rascism" and "go home" (!).
A death sentence on a 28-year old man, who was convicted of multiple
murders commited when he was 19 and a minor, has been upheld by
the Supreme Court. The man, whose name is still being withheld,
killed four members of an extended family in Chiba Prefecture
in 1992. A fifth member, a 15-year old girl, was stabbed but survived.
In a case which received a lot of media attention a couple of
years back, Yamada Mitsuko (37) was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment
for the 1999 murder of her neighbor's 2-year old daughter. Yamada
developed problems with the girl's mother, formerly a friend,
who she believed was shunning her. She wanted to kil the woman
but found the child an easier target. She strangled little Wakayama
Haruna in a public toilet and buried the body nearby. She later
gave herself up to police.
At the beginning of December, Maritime and Air Self Defense forces
took part for the first time in support operations for the US
military's offensive against terrorists in Afghanistan.
Ikejima coal mine in Nagasaki Prefecture, one of only two operating
mines in Japan, was closed at the end of November, 42 years after
its opening. The only remaining mine, in Kushiro, Hokkaido, is
scheduled to close next January.
International ratings agencies have cut Japan's credit standing
to new lows, putting it on a par with Italy at the lowest level
among major developed countries. Japan also has the industrialized
world's worst debt burden, at 130% of GDP. Construction company
Aoki, which had its debts waived in 1999, last week became the
latest high-profile company to go bust. The unemployement rate
for October was announced at a record high of 5.4%. The number
of homeless is said to be 24,000.
Togo Shigehiko (56) is a veteran reporter for the Washington Post
who achieved some fame back in 1993 when he got a scoop on the
engagement of Crown Prince Naruhito and Owada Masako. But last
month he was in the news for less admirable behavior. Togo was
arrested for touching an 18-year old schoolgirl on a Tokyo subway.
He said he did it because he thought she was "cute".
The Kanagawa Prefectural police have had their reputation tainted
by several scandals over the last couple of years. The latest
case to come to light is a bizarre one of a police officer driving
his squad car for ten years without a license.
Three Osaka development firms were ordered to pay 4.2 million
yen in compensation to residents of two houses near the three
high-rise condominiums they had built. The residents claimed that
their houses were being buffeted by typhoon-strength winds created
by the neighboring buildings. It was the first ever ruling of
compensation for distress due to wind damage.
An OECD survey carried out in 32 countries placed Japanese students
at No.1 in basic math skills. Japan was ranked second for scientific
application and eighth in reading skills. One negative result
was that a low number of Japanese ranked very highly, indicating
the country's lack of support for more talented students.
A Japanese woman was found frozen to death in Minnesota recently.
It is believed she had been looking for hidden money, buried in
the state, as depicted in the movie Fargo. The plot, though based
on an actual incident, is fictional.
The silly awards are usually reserved for TV personalities but
a recent award for the best new popular phrases went to the prime
minister. Koizumi Junichiro is known for his open and frank style
and he was commended for several expressions at the award ceremony.
One referred to "100 sacks of rice", a traditional expression
that refers to making sacrifices for the future. The award for
Best Quote went to fisherman Takechi Mitsushige, who survived
for a month adrift at sea. He said simply, "Humans don't die easily."
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/koizumi_junichiro.shtml
As expected, the crowds have been turning out for the first Harry
Potter movie. The movie took almost 160 million yen from 1.4 million
"Potaraa's" at the box office on it's opening weekend, a new Japanese
record. It remains to be seen whether it can stay at the top long
enough to topple the record still being set by Miyazaki Hayao's
animated hit "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi". The animation was
given the honor of being named a Yokozuna (Grand Champion) in
this year's product sales ranking. The ranking is modelled after
the banzuke system used in sumo. It is the first time in four
years that a Yokozuna rank has been conferred, indicating the
movie's phenomenal success.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/miyazaki_hayao.shtml
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Sports news
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The draw for next year's FIFA World Cup was made in Pusan, South
Korea on December 1st. Japan and South Korea, as co-hosts, were
both seeded. This gave them an advantage in the draw and both
countries must fancy their chances of getting past the first round,
although there are no pushovers at this level. Japan was drawn
with Russia, Belgium and Tunisia. My own country, Ireland, ended
up in Germany's group along with Saudi Arabia and Cameroon. England
will get a chance for revenge against long-time rivals Argentina.
The tournament will be held between May 31st and June 30th.
The two-leg playoff to decide the champions of this year's J-League
was won by Kashima Antlers. Down 2-0 in the first leg away to
Jubilo Iwata, Kashima pulled back and earned a 2-2 draw despite
being down to 10 men. They won the second leg with an extra free-kick
by Ogasawara Mitsuo to take their fourth title in six years. Iwata,
the team that won the other two titles since 1996, were runaway
winners of the J-League first stage and beat Kashima by 17 points
in the overall combined points total for the season. But the playoff
system was less than kind to the team who were looking to complete
the first ever two-stage clean sweep. Iwata's attacking midfielder
Fujita Toshiya (30) had some consolation when he was named J-League
Player of the Year.
The annual Toyota Cup between European and South American club
champions returned to Europe. Defending chapions Boca Juniors
of Argentina lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich of Germany in the 120th
minute of a disappointing game. The matchwinner was scored by
Ghana international Samuel Kuffour. It was Bayern's first Toyota
Cup victory since 1976 and it may mark the last time the championship
is played in Japan.
Yokohama BayStars pitcher Komiyama Satoru (36) has signed with
the New York Mets for next season. Komiyama formerly played under
current Mets manager Bobby Valentine for the Chiba Lotte Marines.
In golf, Izawa Toshimitsu (33), ranked 21 in the world, broke
the season-earnings record held since 1994 by Jumbo Ozaki, when
he finished second in the season-ending JT Cup. Izawa earned 2.5
million yen in the event, taking his total to almost 218 million.
Meanwhile, Ozaki had his first season without a single victory
since 1982.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/jumbo_ozaki.shtml
In winter sports, Japanese athletes are showing signs of medal
contention in events leading up to the Salt Lake games. Harada
Masahiko and Funaki Kazuyoshi are among the strong contenders
in the ski jump, while new 500m national record holder Osuga Sayuri
is a rising star in speed skating.
Figure skater Sato Yuka won the women's title in the professional
Skater's Championship in Washington, beating American Kristi Yamaguchi.
Sato said, "This was the best moment of my career." She also skated
in the pairs event, finishing second with her husband Jason Dungjen.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Gei-noh news
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, as predicted here, the flamboyant and obnoxious Nomura "Satchi"
Sachiyo (69) has been arrested for tax evasion. It seems that
the companies she runs had undeclared income of over 600 million
yen and owe almost 300 million in taxes. The income was through
two companies, Nomura and D&K, that deal with her husband's salary
and the couple's various appearance fees. The latter company is
named after her two sons, Don (a sports agent for, among others,
Nomo Hideo) and Kenny, from her first marriage to an American.
It was evidence provided by her estranged son Kenny (41) that
seemed to seal the tax authorities' case. He said in interviews
that while his mother had published books on child-rearing, she
herself had taken almost no part in the early lives of her two
sons. Sachiyo's husband Nomura Katsuya (66), also a director of
the two companies, was forced to resign as manager of the Hanshin
Tigers baseball team following the incident. Their son Katsunori's
future as a Hanshin players must also be in some doubt. He has
never been much better than mediocre in his career, which has
followed that of his father from the Yakult Swallows to Hanshin.
Comedian and singer Tashiro Masashi (45) has been at it again.
The once-popular star was arrested last year for using a hidden
camera to film up a woman's skirt. He made an apologetic and subdued
comeback this summer after having paid a fine and done several
months of community service. But he was arrested again on December
9th after being caught looking in the bathroom window of a private
house in Tokyo. The man who had been bathing chased the star for
300 yards down the street in a bathtowel and handed him in to
the police. Tashiro has denied the "Peeping Tom" charges.
The big winners at the recent Japan Record Awards were Hamasaki
Ayumi and Kuwata Keisuke. Best new artists were w-inds and ZONE,
while acapella group The Gospellers won Best Album.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/hamasaki_ayumi.shtml
The annual Kohaku New Year song extravaganza will feature the
usual lineup of big names, including Utada Hikaru, Kuraki Mayu,
Kuwata Keisuke, Kinki Kids, Enari Kazuki, ZONE, Chemistry, Matsuura
Ami, Ulfuls & Downtown as Re:Japan.
More bits and bobs:
- This year's Best Dresser Awards went to stylish NY Mets outfielder
Shinjo Tsuyoshi (29) and hot actress Yonekura Ryoko (26).
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/shinjo_tsuyoshi.shtml
- TMR vocalist and sometime comedian Nishikawa Takanori (31) and
Puffy member Yoshimura Yumi (26) are said to be breaking up after
less than three years of marriage.
- Rumors of the breakup of Hazuki Riona (26) and her husband of
less than a month were strengthened when the actress was seen
back in Japan alone.
- It seems that Kato Koji (32), of the comedy duo Gokuraku-Tombo
had a shotgun wedding in July of this year.
- There are rumors that Nanbara Kiyotaka (36), one half of the
popular "U-chan Nan-chan" comedy duo has separated from his wife.
The other half of the duo, Uchimura Teruyoshi (37) is one of the
more eligible bachelors in the entertainment world. Nevertheless,
he's said to have been dumped for another guy by TV Asahi announcer
Shimohira Sayaka (28).
- Some 3,000 fans turned up for the unveiling ceremony of the
200-million yen grave of Suzuki Sonoko, the ghostly fashion guru
who died last year. The grave is in Narita Memorial Park in Chiba
Prefecture.
- Southern All Stars vocalist Kuwata Keisuke (45), who has enjoyed
a lot of solo success this year, played a concert of Beatles tunes
to raise awareness of AIDS. Meanwhile, Kuwata revealed in a recent
magazine article that he'd like to retire at 50.
- Actress Yamamoto Mirai (27) hit a motorcycle while doing a U-turn
last week. The biker is said to be in a coma. Yamamoto is the
daughter of famous fashion designer Yamamoto Kansai.
- J Friends, a group made of of 13 members of the Johnny's Jimusho
stable (including Tokio, Kinki Kids, V6) are to release a "song
for peace" later this month. Speaking of Tokio, member Jojima
Shigeru (31) and singer Yakushimaru Hiroko (37) are said to be
in the heat of passion.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/johnnys.shtml
- Singer Saijo Hideki (46) recently made the proud announcement
that his wife is 4 months pregnant. The couple married in May.
- Popular TV announcer Kisa Ayako (30), who is married to Yakult
Swallows pitcher Ishii Kazuhisa, has given birth to a baby boy.
- Anorexic singer Nakamori Akina (36) is rumored to be on the
verge of marriage to a member of her agency, five years her junior.
- Popular young enka singer Hikawa Kiyoshi (24) was recently rushed
to hospital during a Tokyo concert with a high fever. Hikawa shot
to fame in the last year with his androgenous good looks and the
hit single "Yadanettara, yadane". The song title was chosen as
one of the Top Ten Phrases for the year.
- Actor couple, Hosaka Naoki (34) and Takaoka Saki (29) are said
to be on the brink of divorce with rumors of both being involved
in affairs. Hosaka was just recently voted Father of the Year
2001. The couple have two sons, aged 3 and 1.
- Two of the big TV guide magazines, Shukan TV Gaido and Za Terebijon
feature SMAP, minus out-of-favor member Inagaki Goro (28), on
the cover for their year-end issues. However, there are rumors
of a comeback on the SMAPxSMAP show on January 7th. Meanwhile,
an NTT TV commercial featuring the group has been chosen as the
most popular of the year, while member Katori Shingo was selected
as the most popular TV CM male.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Links We Like
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ski Japan Guide
Ski season is upon us again. If you're looking to hit the slopes,
this web site will be invaluable.
http://www.skijapanguide.com/
2002 FIFA World Cup Korea Japan
There are several websites out there focusing on next year's big
event. This one is growing and offers a wide variety of information.
http://www.soccerphile.com/
The Black Moon
An interesting Japanese culture site run out of Los Angeles. Concentrates
equally on anime and traditional culture.
http://www.theblackmoon.com/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Unsubscribe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you ever want to cancel or stop receiving this newsletter temporarily,
you can unsubscribe easily. Just click the link below.
|
