A very happy Valentine's Day to all you Japan lovers! Of course,
in Japan it's a day for the girls to give chocolates and cookies
to the boys (and their brothers, the boss, the teacher...).
Political shuffling and Snow Brand labeling still dominate the
news. The appointment of a new Foreign Minister has not appeased
an angry public. A series of killings of family members has the
news shows frowning again.
Hopes were high that Japanese athletes would get their share of
the medals at the Winter Olympics but they are off the pace set
in Nagano in 1998. Soccer players are manouvering to earn themselves
a place on the squad for the World Cup, while yet another baseball
star is going to the US to test his mettle.
Mark McBennett
Webmaster, Japan Zone
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Contents
1. Japan Zone Updates
2. What's going on in Japan
3. Sports news
4. Gei-noh news
5. Links we like
6. Unsubscribe
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1. Japan Zone Updates
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New profile: You've probably seen the face. You may have heard
the name. But did you know that she's the most popular woman in
Japan?
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/hisamoto_masami.shtml
New Topic: The subtle art of paper folding. Origami is recognized
by some as a true art form. Find out why.
https://www.japan-zone.com/culture/origami.shtml
Forum: "I have a question. I know I can go to Japan on tourist
visa for 90 days. I have landed a job but I am waiting for my
Cert. of Eligibility to arrive. Can I go to Japan and when my
Certificate shows up, have it mail to Japan and get my visa changed
from Tourist to a Working Visa? - Guedo
https://www.japan-zone.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?6/146
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2. What's going on in Japan
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General:
The 8.5 billion yen launch of a pair of probes onboard an H-2A
rocket became the latest failure for the National Space Development
Agency. While one probe deployed successfully, the other failed,
leading to doubts about Japan's aerospace future. The government
is now considering using a European Arian rocket for an important
satellite launch next summer.
The country is gearing up for the first visit to Japan by US President
George W Bush on February 17th. He is scheduled to meet the Emperor,
Empress and PM Koizumi during his three-day visit. He is expected
to thank the Japanese people for their country's support of the
war against terrorism and encourage the government in its struggle
with the economy. Bush will also visit Korea and China.
The country's population is expected to peak at almost 128 million
in 2006 and fall back to 100 million by 2050. The peak is predicted
to come a year earlier than previously thought, compounding fears
about how the country is going to support its aging society (see
next story). And currently at the top of that "heap" is Fukuoka
native Chuganji Yukichi, at 112 officially the world's oldest
man.
The government is planning to introduce a bill later this month
that will increase both health insurance premiums and the percentage
of medical costs to be borne by the insured from next year. Premiums
are set to increase by about 16,000 yen a year for an average
worker, while we will have to pay 30% of medical costs, up from
20%.
Some 2 million people visited Sapporo for the 53rd annual Snow
Festival. The festival featured hundreds of huge snow and ice
sculptures, which had started to melt before the end of the week-long
festival due to unseasonal warm weather.
February 3rd was Setsubun, the eve of the beginning of spring,
and events were held all over the country. People throw beans
to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. At various shrines,
sumo wrestlers and young actresses were the biggest celebrity
draws.
Foreign practicioners of the martial arts may be interested in
the 14th International Seminar of Budo Culture, to be held at
the Nippon Budokan Training Center in Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture
from March 8th to 11th. For more info, tel/fax (03) 3216-5134/3216-5117.
Government:
As expected, the popularity of the Koizumi cabinet plunged after
the firing of Foreign Minister Tanaka Makiko. The approval rating
had been hovering around the 80% mark for months but fell to below
50% after the affair. There were claims that opposition parties
were trying to court Tanaka to defect from the LDP but she denied
having any such intentions.
Also as expected, the government approached Ogata Sadako about
the vacant Foreign Minister post but the UN veteran declined,
citing commitments to the UN and her family. The position was
filled by former Environment Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko (61), who
impressed many people during the 2000 COP6 conference on climate
change. Kawaguchi is the first person from the private sector
to be appointed to the post in 23 years. In her diplomatic debut,
she confessed her lack of experience to the visiting Russian Foreign
Minister but surprised and impressed everyone with her tough negotiating
skills. Kawaguchi was succeeded at the Environment Ministry by
Oki Hiroshi, a former director general of the Environment Agency,
the ministry's former incarnation.
Meanwhile, the shadow of Tanaka still hangs over the Foreign Ministry,
as she complained of being snubbed by Kawaguchi when she requested
a meeting to discuss the handing over of the reins. Kawaguchi
countered that technically she took over the post from Koizumi,
who held it for several days, and as the PM had told her that
such a meeting as unnecessary, she declined. Tanaka has since
been very visibly trying to keep her mouth shut.
Suzuki Muneo, the lawmaker whose influence over the Foreign Ministry
was at the center of last month's political storm, was seen by
some as the victor on that occasion. Suzuki's influence dates
back to 1997 when his lobbying helped keep the corruption-riddled
ministry intact during streamlining by the Hashimoto administration.
But when Kawaguchi was appointed to the ministry, PM Koizumi made
it clear that he will not allow "any particular politician" to
have external influence over its affairs. Meanwhile, the ministry
released a list of which divisions kept how much money in illegal
slush funds. The full amount is due to be repaid by the end of
March.
Taking responsibility for the involvement of members of his staff
in a recent bid-rigging scandal, Minshuto (Democratic Party of
Japan) Deputy Leader Kano Michihiko resigned from the party but
has said he will not quit the Diet. The resignation is the second
blow in as many weeks to the largest opposition party, after former
TV star Ohashi Kyosen resigned last month.
Agriculture Minister Takebe Tsutomu survived a no-confidence vote
in the Diet. Takebe has had a rocky couple of months between the
BSE scare and the beef-labeling scandal at Snow Brand Food Co.
But voices, both within and outside the ruling coalition, have
been calling for his resignation and his days seem numbered.
South Korea has dropped its long-standing protest over Japanese
history textbooks as both governments have agreed to a joint research
project for studying their shared history.
Crime:
Police searched the Tokyo headquarters and other facilities of
Snow Brand Food Co (Yuki-jirushi) at the beginning of the month.
Executives of the company have been charged with ordering the
relabeling of imported beef products to claim government subsidies
following last year's BSE scare. It has been reported that senior
executives carried out the illegal operations themselves against
the resistance of junior employees. The scope of the investigation
has widened to include the false labeling of pork products over
the last several years.
A few different murder cases, some new some at trial, have been
in the news lately. They illustrate the fact that most muders
in Japan involve family members. Without wanting to get into the
gory details, here are some recent headlines:
*Parents get 6 years for starving murder of 3-year-old*
*Mom fatally bludgeons baby*
*Retarded man chokes on chain his mother used as a restrainer*
*Man arrested over fatal stabbing of sick aunt*
*Gunma family starves 'lazy' woman to death*
The chief and ten officers of the Saitama Prefectural police were
reprimanded for their involvement in the cover-up of a drugs case
involving a former gang member in 1995.
Togo Shigehiko (57), the Washington Post reporter on trial for
groping an 18-year old schoolgirl, was given eight months in prison.
The economy:
80-year old Finance Minister Shiokawa Masajuro, who you may remember
last year took over from the then 81-year old Miyazawa Kichi,
was in Canada recently for the G7 meeting. Shioji (Old Shio),
as he is affectionately known at home, reassured his counterparts
that Japan will fight deflation and accelerate structural reforms,
despite declining public support for the Koizumi cabinet. By the
way, is it just me or does he bear an uncanny resemblence to Mr.
Burns of The Simpsons?
In a move that some commentators attribute more to the upcoming
Bush visit than to the prime minister's stance to date, PM Koizumi
called for his cabinet to draw up a package of anti-deflation
measures and said the government and the Bank of Japan must act
in unison. The latter certainly doesn't reflect their recent relationship.
He also left open the option of using public funds to bail out
banks struggling with bad loans.
The Snow Brand Milk Products company, already suffering a big
drop in sales since a food-poisoning outbreak in 2000, may considerably
downsize its operations and sell its 65% stake in the scandal-tainted
Snow Brand Food Co. There was talk of the company looking for
tie-ups with other companies to help it restructure. The government
stepped in to ask that the company not consider such tie-ups with
foreign firms, fearing damage to the domestic dairy industry,
which is not competitive internationally.
The Nikkei Stock Average fell to an 18-year low in the first week
of February before recovering some of its losses later. The Tokyo
Stock Price Index also hit new, 16-year lows. The government is
said to have emergency plans in place if the struggling economy
and weak yen combine to push the Nikkei below the psychological
9,000 yen barrier.
The foreign community:
Marutei Tsurunen (61) officially became the first western-born
member of the nation's legislature. The Finnish-born former missionary
says that his agenda is to tackle environmental and internationalization
issues. He and his wife Sachiko live a largely self-sufficient
lifestyle in the seaside spa town of Yagawaramachi, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Of 353 applications for refugee status in 2001, the government
approved just 26, up from 22 the year before. Half of the accepted
refugees were from Burma (Myanmar), though the largest number
of applicants were from Turkey.
On the subject of Nihonjin as "gaijin", the number of Japanese
living abroad has increased to over 839,000. Around 40% live in
the US, with almost 60,000 in New York and 43,000 in Los Angeles.
Brazil has 73,500 and the UK 53,600.
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3. Sports news
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Ski jumper Funaki Kazuyoshi (26) was one of the eight people who
carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony of the Salt Lake
Winter Games. The 218-strong Japanese delegation was led by speedskater
Sanmiya Eriko (27). Funaki was expected to do well in the solo
events but all four Japanese jumpers finished out of the medals
and have to try again in the team event. Japan's first medal came
in the women's moguls, when skier Satoya Tae (25) won the bronze.
Satoya became the first female Japanese Winter Olympic gold medalist
in Nagano four years ago and is now the first to have two medals.
On day 5, Nagano speedskating gold medallist Shimizu Hiroyasu
(27) settled for the silver medal in the 500m sprint. Even after
his comeback from a season disrupted by back problems, Shimizu
was visibly disppointed. High school snowboarder Nakai Takaharu
(17) can consider himself unlucky to have finished 5th and without
a medal in the men's halfpipe event. The Japanese team leader
and Nakai's coach were both upset about the result but made no
complaint. The event was a 1-2-3 for the US. Figure skater Honda
Takeshi (20) is second after the short program.
Japan's struggling soccer stars have been in the news recently.
Nakata Hidetoshi, who has been in poor form for some time, scored
a wonder goal to help put Parma through to the final of the Italian
Cup. But Parma are still stuck in the middle of the 18-team Serie
A league. Takahara Naohiro, on loan for a year to Boca Juniors,
came home six months early to rejoin the Jubilo Iwata team following
a disapointing stint in Argentina. The forward made seven appearances
and scored just one goal. And national starting keeper Kawaguchi
Yoshikatsu (26) looks like ending his miserable run at English
First Division team Portsmouth. He conceded 24 goals in 12 games
and lost his place to a player 16 years his senior.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/nakata_hidetoshi.shtml
Tokyo Verdy defender Nakazawa Yuji became the J-League's third
most expensive player following a 160 million yen move to Yokohama
F Marinos. The 23-year old player has earned 9 caps for Japan
and was said to want to play for a stronger team prior to the
World Cup. One player who will no longer be making the squad is
Sanfrecce Hiroshima center-back Uemura Kenichi (27), who suffered
an eight-month knee injury in training.
Former Yakult Swallows star pitcher Ishii Kazuhisa (28) finally
signed with the LA Dodgers, in a deal worth $12.2 million over
four years. Combined with options, bonusses and the posting fee
paid to the Swallows for the right to negotiate with Ishii, the
total cost to the Dodgers could add up to $23.5 million. Ishii
had a 78-46 record and a 3.38 ERA over nine seasons with the Swallows.
He will join countryman Nomo Hideo in LA.
Former Yokozuna (Grand Champion) Kitanoumi (48) is the new chairman
of the Japan Sumo Association. He won 24 Emperor's Cups, third
most after greats Taiho and Chiyonofuji, before retiring in 1985.
Meanwhile, an application for full Olympic status for sumo has
been denied by the IOC.
https://www.japan-zone.com/omnibus/sumo.shtml
The Tokyo International Marathon was won by Tokyo-based Kenyan
Eric Wainaina, who finished ahead of three Spaniards. The best
placed Japanese runner was full-time ramen chef Mano Toshio, who
came fifth.
Sato Osamu failed in his attempt to wrest the super bantamweight
boxing title from champion Willie Jorrin of the US. The Tokyo
bout ended in a draw but may have earned Sato a rematch.
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4. Gei-noh news
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No big stories so far this month. Just lots of bits and bobs:
So many fans turned up for the debut solo event of Tamura Ryo
(30), the blonde half of the popular London Boots comedy duo,
that the event had to be cancelled for safety reasons. Tamura
has been making a lot of solo TV appearances lately, wearing what
has to be described as light S&M gear.
Award winner extraordinaire Hamasaki Ayumi (23) won her first
foreign silverware at the MTV Asia Awards. She will set a new
record for a female artist with a stadium tour playing to 440,000
fans this summer. Also, there's been a rumor doing the rounds
on the net for the last couple of weeks about Hamasaki. It seems
she complained that, instead of standing like everyone else, someone
was sitting in the front row of her New Year countdown concert.
It turns out, supposedly, that the girl in question is handicapped
and was greatly traumatized by the "discrimination". The story
has been refuted by the Avex record label.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/hamasaki_ayumi.shtml
The official World Cup song is to be titled "Let's Get Together
Now". It is a collaboration between Japanese and Korean musicians.
An album of conductor Ozawa Seiji's recent concert with the Vienna
Philharmonic went to No. 2 in the Oricon charts. The CD is made
up mostly of waltzes and is popular with middle-aged and older
women. The world-renowned Ozawa (66) was the first Japanese to
conduct the orchestra's annual New Year Concert, which dates back
to 1941.
Singer Mikawa Kenichi (55), who always appears in drag, is rumored
to be trying to father a child through artificial insemination.
Kawase Tomoko (27), on temporary leave from her vocal duties with
pop band The Brilliant Green, has her first solo No.1 album "Tommy",
under the moniker "Tommy February 6".
Following the investigation into his mother's tax affairs, it
is rumored that Kenny Nomura (42) is being officially disowned
by his parents.
Pop duo Access, who made a big splash back in the early 1990s,
are set to make a comeback after seven years absence.
Britney Spears is to play one night only at Tokyo Dome on April
25th.
Actress Shimada Yoko (48) lost in the court case by her former
manager, who is trying to recover over 10 million yen she claims
she lent Shimada. Shimada is now some 250 million in debt.
The pop duo 19 (Juukyu) are to break up next month.
A thousand eager fans turned up to hear the first talk show by
recently retired Takarazuka star Aika Mire (37).
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/takarazuka.shtml
Need an MC for your party? Housewive's favorite Mino Monta is
said to command an hourly fee of 5 million yen.
Popular actor Harada Ryuji (31) announced that he quietly married
his 28-year old girlfriend of ten years last December. The new
Mrs Harada "looks like a model" but is not in entertainment.
Matsuda Ryuhei (18), son of the late, great actor Matsuda Yuusaku,
will make his CM debut in an ad featuring his father. "Oni Musha
2" is a new Play Station II game whose leading character is based
on the elder Matsuda.
http://www.oni-musha.com/
Former tennis star Date Kimiko (31) and husband Micahael Krum
(31) will appear together in a new TV commercial for "Sokenbicha"
tea later this month.
80s idol superstar and anorexia poster girl Nakamori Akina (36)
is back in business with her first new album in over 2 years.
The TV Asahi cooking program "Ryori Banzai" is to be pulled in
March due to the scandals involving its sponsor, the Snow Brand
company.
Comedian Akashiya Sanma (46) and heartthrob Kimura Takuya (29)
are to team up for a Fuji TV drama in the magical Monday 9pm time
slot.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/akashiya_sanma.shtml
Lightning divorcee Hazuki Riona (26) has officially rejoined the
entertainment world, signing up with the K-dash agency and is
set to do the movie "Spy Sorge". Meanwhile, her Hawaiian sushi
chef ex-husband has claimed that she demanded a wedding ring even
after deciding on the divorce.
The January 31st "Mo Taihen Deshita" Morning Musume show, tried
to boost sagging ratings by giving away 10 million yen. The show
received some 54 million telephone calls but fell far short of
its target audience ratings.
https://www.japan-zone.com/modern/morning_musume.shtml
Yuuki, of the group EE JUMP and younger brother of Musume Goto
Maki, made a radio appearance six months after doing a runner
from the stress and strain of stardom. His agency made him shave
his head - a common sign of repentance.
Kyogen star Izumi Motoya (27), who recently married actress Hano
Aki (33) against the objections of his mother, held a press conference
to announce that his wife is seven months pregnant. Ahhh!
Mitsui Yuri (33), wife of singer Noguchi Goro (45), announced
that she's pregnant.
Entertainers Behaving Badly
- Comedian/singer Tashiro Masashi (45) broke down in tears during
his first court hearing on drugs charges. His eldest daughter,
meanwhile, passed the entrance exam for a private middle school.
- Actor Emoto Akira (53), married to actress Tsunogae Kazue (47),
is said to be having an affair with a woman 20 years younger.
- The reason for actor Kase Taishu's divorce last year is said
to have been a child born with another woman.
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5. Links We Like
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Mt Fuji Flyby
If you have the bandwidth, this is an interesting way to spend
a minute or two. Don't bother otherwise.
http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/viewrecord?255
Downloadable Japanese Fonts
If you'd like some free and funky Japanese fonts, check these
sites. A couple of the fonts at the second site seemed to be unavailable
the last time I checked.
http://www.orange.ne.jp/~den7/index.html
http://www2.wind.ne.jp/maniackers/designfont.html
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