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Things were just a bit too quiet this month. There were the now
common stories of debts, bad loans and impending financial doom.
The successful international conference on Afghanistan was a bright
spot, but it was followed by a series of brutal attacks on the
homeless as figures showed crime levels again on the rise. Even
Snow Brand, one of the country's biggest food producers, have
decided to get in on the act.
Then the political world was thrown into turmoil on a day that
saw the popular Foreign Minister fired and the resignation of
a former TV presenter. It's all likely to hurt the up-till-now
unshakeable popularity of the Koizumi cabinet. An unfortunate
time for a mild-mannered Finnish missionary to get his seat in
the Diet.
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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General:
An international conference on the reconstruction of Afghanistan
was held in Tokyo last week and declared a success. Amid tight
security, representatives from 61 countries and 22 international
organizations were in attendance. The spotlight was on interim
leader Hamid Karzai, while Japan's special envoy and UN veteran
Ogata Sadako playing the key role for the host country (she is
also a candidate for the newly vacant post of Foreign Minister
- see below). Of the final $4.5 billion total aid package, Japan
has offered $500 million over the next 30 months.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/ogata_sadako.shtml
Of the 14 whales that were found beached in Kagoshima Prefecture
in southern Japan, only one was successfully returned alive to
the ocean. Meanwhile the International Whaling Commission is due
to meet in Japan in May. Japan is expected to again propose an
end to the 16-year ban on commercial whaling.
The latest list of the world's most expensive cities in The Economist
not surprisingly has Tokyo and Osaka in the top two spots. Figures
included the $229 taxi ride from Narita Airport to downtown Tokyo
- which few people splurge on unless the company is paying - and
the $185 cost of a "typical" meal for two in Tokyo. It makes you
wonder what kind of expense accounts the Economist reporters have
on their research trips to Japan. Meanwhile the nation's consumer
price index fell last year, marking the firt time since WWII that
it has fallen two years in a row.
Government:
The political world had quite a day on January 29th. Minshuto
(Democratic Party of Japan) Diet member Ohashi Kyosen gave a sudden
press conference to announce that he had quit out of disgust with
the reality of politics. The former TV variety show host was his
party's most popular candidate in last year's election. He claimed
that the party had used his fame to further its own aims and had
reneged on its policy of fighting against the reform program of
PM Koizumi Junichiro. Later that night, the media were caught
offguard when Foreign Minister Tanaka Makiko and a vice minister
were suddenly fired. Tanaka had been involved for days in yet
another war of "he said, she said", this time with Foreign Ministry
officials and arch-enemy Suzuki Muneo, over claims that Suzuki
had meddled in foreign affairs. Specifically, it was claimed that
Suzuki, something of a Japanese Newt Gingrich, had put pressure
on bureaucrats to not allow certain NGOs to take part in the recent
Afghanistan conference. He resigned as chairman of the House of
Representatives Rules and Administrative Committee. The dispute
had been holding up Diet budget deliberations for two days when
Koizumi decided enough was enough.
Female voters and Diet members were not impressed a few days back
when Koizumi made the remark "Tears are a woman's greatest weapon"
after recent events led to the embattled Tanaka giving a teary
statement to the press. Koizumi's decisions, especially his firing
of the popular Foreign Minister, are bound to affect the high
popularity of his cabinet, until recently at the 77% mark. A recent
poll showed the ruling LDP with the support of 39% of voters while
45% said they have no affiliation. This week's TV polls indicated
that the public's approval rating of the cabinet could drop to
as low as 30-40%, though this extreme drop would most likely be
temporary.
Altough the investigation into the causes of the crush that killed
11 people in the city of Akashi last July is still underway, the
city has started paying out compensation to some of the 247 people
injured. A total of 2.5 million yen has been paid to 52 people,
though most others have refused to discuss the issue until the
investigation finishes.
Actress Fujiwara Norika (30) recently paid a visit to South Korean
president Kim Dae Jung as a cultural ambassador. She and Korean
actress Kim Yung Jin (28) also had a photo op with PM Koizumi.
It's all part of a year of cultural exchanges between the two
countries, with the highlight being the summer's World Cup. But
planning a visit to Korea by Koizumi is proving difficult. Apart
from long-standing issues, plans for a visit in March are hindered
by fears of an econimic meltdown at that time. Being the end of
the fiscal year, many fear that March will see bad bank loans
and major company losses trigger a huge financial crisis. As a
result, officials are trying to limit the visit to two days, on
one of which the markets will be closed.
Crime:
A homeless man lost an arm and a leg when he set off a home-made
bomb in a park in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The device was made using a
fire extinguisher and fireworks. The bomb is believed to be connected
with two similar devices found earlier this month in the Shibuya
and Shinagawa areas of the capital.
Another homeless man was beaten to death by a group of junior
high school students in Tokyo after scolding them for being noisy
in a library. The 55-year old man was attacked with pieces of
lumber on three separate occasions by the 14-year old youths,
whose leader is said to be a "normal, intelligent boy". Another
boy cannot be held responsible for his actions because he is 13.
The tarnished image of Snow Brand (Yuki-jirushi), a major food
producer, was just recovering from the damage caused in 2000,
when it sold tainted dairy produce that caused some 1,000 people
to fall ill. But now the company has crossed the line into crime.
First it was discovered to have disguised imported Australian
beef as home-grown and claimed government subsidies after the
recent mad-cow disease scare. Then there were revelations that
beef had been relabeled to hide its place of origin (Hokkaido,
where cases of BSE had been found) or re-stamped to show a date
prior to the start of BSE testing. The company was barred from
the beef business and president Yoshida Shozo resigned in the
wake of the incident but things are unlikely to end there.
Sato Nobuyuki (39), the man who confined a nine-year old girl
in his home for nine years, was given the ridiculously lenient
sentence of 14 years in prison. Prosecutors had demanded a sentence
of 15 years, the maximum ten for confinement and five for stealing
underwear for the girl. Sato fed the girl just once a day and
abused her repeatedly during the confinement. His mother, who
lived downstairs the whole time, said she never knew about the
girl.
In a similar case, Osaka District Court, a 33-year old former
cram school teacher who kept one of his students, a junior high
school girl, confined at his home for seven months, was let off
with a suspended sentence for the crime. The judge said though
the man had left the girl with serious physical and psychological
problems, he had accepted responsibility and financially compensated
the victim's family.
Zota Hiroshi (26) was given the death sentence for murdering two
women and injuring six others in a random knife attack near Ikebukuro
station in 1999.
Crime was up 12% last year (serious crime by 17.8%) while the
rate of crimes solved dropped below 20% for the first time since
WWII. The National Police Agency plans to increase its force by
10,000 over three years.
Driving that causes injury or death has stood out in the news
recently. An unemployed man drove a van into a group of elementary
schoolchildren, killing one and injuring 11. It was later discovered
that the man had problems with one of the children's mother. There
were also two cases of truck tires coming off at speed and injuring
or killing others. Meanwhile, the courts seem to be becoming stricter
in such cases, placing more emphasis on the effects on victims'
families.
The image of the Hitachi company has been tarnished in its home
prefecture of Ibaraki, following the arrests of two employees
and a city mayor in a bid-rigging case. My wife's sister works
for the company and, off the record, says that the cases that
have come to light are barely the tip of the iceberg. The case
follows the recent arrests of politician's secretaries for simiar
crimes. The cosy but illegal relationship between politics and
business that shaped much of postwar Japan is obviously still
thriving. The government has proposed a law to prevent public
servants from being involved in such bidding processes.
The economy:
The TOPIX (Tokyo Stock Price Index) has been hovering below the
1000 yen mark for the last few weeks, occasionally dipping below
the post-bubble low of Y980.
The Daiei group has announced a three-year reconstruction program.
The group finalised a deal with its major creditor banks and will
close a third of its supermarkets as well as 150 other stores,
lay off some 7,000 workers and sell its landmark properties, the
Fukuoka Dome and Sea Hawks Hotel. There are no plans to sell the
Daiei Hawks baseball team, who are based at the dome. The company's
shares soared and then dropped sharply after the plan was announced.
Life Insurance companies Meiji and Yasuda Mutual have agreed to
merge in 2004 and will become the country's third-largest life
insurer. This is another until recently unthinkable inter-keiretsu
merger - Meiji has close ties with Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial
Group while Yasuda is conncted with Mizuho Financial Group.
Nissho Iwai, ranked sixth among Japan's nine major general trading
companies has announced plans to sell its Tokyo head office and
cut a quarter of its workforce over the next three years.
The foreign community:
The town of Maihara, Shiga Prefecture (pop. 12,700) became the
first local authority to give voting rights to its 30 or so foreign
residents. Though the measure was introduced in connection with
a fairly unimportant local referendum, it may signal a nationwide
change in foreigner's voting rights.
Not having the right to vote, any foreigner wanting to get involved
in politics might want to consider a different route. Following
the resignation of Diet member Ohashi Kyosen (see above), his
seat will be taken by Tsurunen Marutei, a naturalized Japanese
from Finland. Tsurunen (61) finished second to Ohashi in voting
for the Minshuto party in last year's Upper House election. He
came to Japan as a missionary in 1967, married a Japanese and
became a citizen in 1979.
Another "foreigner" making a name for himself is Alesandro Santos
(23). The Shimizu S-Pulse winger and 2000 J-League Player of the
Year is making a strong bid for inclusion in the national team
for the World Cup. Success would put him in the footsteps of two
fellow naturalized Brazilians, Ruy Ramos (1994) and Wagner Lopes
(1998).
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2. Sports news
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Sumo rikishi Tochiazuma became the first newly promoted Ozeki
(Champion) to win a tournament in 33 years. He is one of a group
of up-and-coming 25-year old stars that includes runner-up Chiyotaikai,
who Tochiazuma beat in a final-day playoff, and Kotomitsuki, who
finished with a strong 12-3 record. Chiyotaikai was kadoban for
the tournament, meaning he faced demotion if he had a losing record.
More experienced Ozeki Kaio and Musoyama failed to challenge for
the yusho.
https://www.japan-zone.com/omnibus/sumo.shtml
Japan will be represented at the upcoming Winter Olympics by 109
athletes and the same number of officials, the largest delegation
for a winter games held outside Japan. There are great expectations
for the ski-jump and speed-skating events.
There is growing speculation that Nakata Hidetoshi, Japan's star
soccer player, will not make the squad for the World Cup finals
this summer. Nakata has had some disagreements with manager Phillipe
Trussier, including last summer when he returned to play for his
Italian club team and missed the final of the Confederations Cup,
which Japan lost to France 1-0. Since then, he has had little
playing time with his new club Parma and was atrocious in a friendly
against Italy in November. Troussier says there is no rift but
has also said that "the team is not Nakata".
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/nakata_hidetoshi.shtml
Another star midfielder, Nakamura Shunsuke, is also vying for
a spot on the national team. The 2000 J-League Player of the Year
had a bad season last year and played only one game for his country.
Recently he has been linked with a transfer from Yokohama F. Marinos
to Real Madrid, though he may not actually move to Spain until
after the World Cup.
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3. Gei-noh news
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Actress Fujiwara Norika (30) has been busy on the international
scene. She is set to make her Hong Kong CD debut with a duet recorded
with Jackie Chan. She also paid a visit to South Korean president
Kim Dae Jung as part of her role as cultural ambassador in this
"year of friendship".
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/fujiwara_norika.shtml
So who's really earning what? Morning Musume member Goto Maki
is said to be building a 300 million yen home for her parents.
Meanwhile fellow Musume Ogawa Makoto is said to be threatening
to quit over her low salary. Still, at 80,000 yen a month that's
doing better than most 14-year olds. At least the ones who aren't
selling their "services" on the Internet.
The 25th Japan Academy Award show (March 8th) is to be hosted
by TV presenter Sekiguchi Hiroshi (58) and veteran actress Yoshinaga
Sayuri (56), who is also nominated for Best Actress. "GO", directed
by Yukisa Daisao (33) has received the most nominations with 12.
Veteran actor Takakura Ken, who was to be nominated for his performance
in Hotaru, declined saying the award should go to a younger actor.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/takakura_ken.shtml
More bits and bobs:
The drug investigation of actor Ishida Issei has led to the arrest
of another actor, 31-year old Nishina Takashi. Musician Mickey
Curtis and his wife Miyoko are said to be on the verge of divorce.
Their son Eugene (29) was also arrested last year on drug charges
and is said to be a friend of Nishina.
Actor Ozawa Ken (27) was arrested and later fined 200,000 yen
for drunk driving.
There is a rumor that Hamasaki Ayumi's younger sister is set to
make her entertainment debut "under the radar", presumably with
a stage name.
Actors Taira Kanjiro (68) and Sakuma Ryoko (62) are to appear
on stage together for the first time since their divorce in 1984.
Their Columbia University-educated son Takehiro (27) will make
his acting debut in the production.
The popularity of the Asayan TV show that launched Morning Musume
and other starlets has become so low that it is to be cancelled
in March.
The sexy Kano sisters, always with an eye on self-promotion, have
endorsed a set of dolls in their image. The set of four suitably
busty "gorgeous" dolls are made by toy company Takara and will
go on sale in March for a mere 19,800 yen. There are only 1,500
sets available so don't miss out!
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/kano_shimai.shtml
Presenter Tsuyuki Shigeru (61), considered the face of Fuji Television,
is to move to TBS this spring.
B'z guitarist Matsumoto Tak is to concurrently release two solo
albums next month.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/bz.shtml
Mori Tomomi (28), a presenter on the Yomiuri TV afternoon show
"The Wide" is to marry a producer of the show in March.
Hashimoto Kiyoko, the mother of actor/singer Peter (49) died of
heart failure on January 22nd. She was 76. Peter, who sometimes
acts under his real name of Ikehata Shinnosuke but usually appears
in drag, has been a regular on many variety shows over the last
couple of years.
"Honogurai Mizu no Tei Kara", the horror movie starring Kuroki
Hitomi and still showing in Japan is to be remade in Hollywood.
A similar remake of "Ring", a successful horror movie from 1998,
is set to open later this year.
24-year old Kikuchi Yoko became the first Japanese to win the
International Mozart Concours piano prize in Salzburg, Austria.
Meanwhile, fellow pianist Tateno Izumi (65) was hospitalized after
he collapsed during a concert in Finland, where he currently lives.
"Tasogare Seibei", the samurai movie debut for director Yamada
Yoji is to star Miyazawa Rie, Sanada Hiroyuki, Kobayashi Nenji
and Tanba Tetsuro, talented actors all. Yamada is best known as
the director of the long-running Tora-san movie series.
http://www.shochiku.co.jp/seibei/
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/miyazawa_rie.shtml
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/yamada_yoji.shtml
Soul singer Kubota Toshinobu has been stalked for the last nine
years by a 32-year old woman.
The Miyazaki Hayao animated movie "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi"
was named the Movie of the Year in the Mainichi Japan Movie Awards.
It is also entered in the Berlin Film Festival.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/miyazaki_hayao.shtml
An episode of the Denpa Shonen TV show that featured a Japanese
woman seeking a husband in Turkey has been postponed. It seemed
that the woman had a change of heart and the show's content angered
both Turks and Japanese living in the country.
Yaida Hitomi (23) has released a new album "UK Completion" under
her UK moniker of Yaiko. It features English versions of her Japanese
hits and live performances in the UK. It went straight to No.1
in the Oricon Indies chart.
Sexy TV personality Sugimoto Aya (33) has been having trouble
denying any involvement with popular Diet member Kobayashi Koki
(58).
Winners in the recent Jewellery Best Dresser awards included model
Kawahara Ayako (30), former Speed member Uehara Takako (19) and
TV "talento" Yonekura Ryoko (26). The Bag Up award for the best
handbag wearer (I swear I do not make this stuff up!) went to
another popular "talento", Kikukawa Rei (23).
Koizumi Kotaro (23), son of the PM, and Marion (21), daughter
of Hide and Roseanna are the new promotion models for popular
UK brand DAKS E1. Italian Roseanna Sanbon Kato and her late husband
were a popular folk duo in the 1970s.
The prominent features of Koike Eiko (21) currently the hot young
"gravure idol" (= busty bathing suit model/aspiring actress) are
said to be the result of breast enlargement. Shock, horror! She
recently made her movie debut in "Samurai Girl 21". Don't miss
it!
On the baby front: Actress/model Umemiya Anna (29) gave birth
to a daughter in LA; Ex-Boowy guitarist Hotei Tomoyasu (39, the
scary guy in black in KDDI's "au" mobile phone commercials) and
his wife, singer Imai Miki (38) are expecting their first child
this summer; Mina (24), of the pop group MAX, announced her pregnancy
and marriage to a 37-year old member of her tour staff; actress
Kokusho Sayuri (35) suffered a miscarriage six months into her
first pregnancy; singer Kudo Shizuka (31), wife of heart-throb
SMAP member Kimura Takuya (29), is to make her stage comeback
next month after becoming a mother last May.
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5. Links We Like
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The Japan Page
A site run by publishing company Kodansha. It has extensive information
for anyone interested in reading more about any aspect of Japan.
http://thejapanpage.com/
Japan in Your Palm
A site that is of most use to those of you who can't live without
your mobile Internet access.
http://www.japaninyourpalm.com/
ISSHO Kikaku
A non-profit, non-governmental organization established in 1992
that aims to monitor the multiculturalization process of Japan's
society.
http://www.issho.org/
Young Dudes Guide to Japan
Okay, perhaps "like" is not the right word for this one. But reading
through one of the essays reminded me a little of what I was like
when I first arrived in Japan - scary thought!
http://EvilKrisII.tripod.com/
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6. Japan Zone Updates
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New profile: diplomat Ogata Sadako, UN veteran instrumental in
recent efforts to help the reconstruction of Afghanistan and,
for a time, the leading candidate to be Foreign Minister.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/ogata_sadako.shtml
New profile: Imamura Shohei may not be the best known of Japan's
filmamkers but he is one of only three directors to have won the
Palme D'Or at Cannes twice.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/imamura_shohei.shtml
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