Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri articles from August 2000

Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri archives from August 2000

Police seek evidence to build case against Snow Brand.
August 31, 2000... Police seek evidence to build case against Snow Brand Yomiuri OSAKA Osaka prefectural police at 10 a.m. Wednesday began searching Snow Brand Milk Products Co.'s Tokyo and Osaka offices in connection with an outbreak of food poisoning in which...

Miyakejima kids taken to Tokyo high school.
August 31, 2000... Miyakejima kids taken to Tokyo high school Yomiuri A total of 140 children from Miyakejima island, who were evacuated after the eruption of Mt. Oyama on the island, were taken from Takeshiba Wharf in Tokyo, where they had arrived on Tuesday...

World Bank eyes environment fund.
August 31, 2000... World Bank eyes environment fund Masashi Amano Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent Yomiuri WASHINGTON The World Bank plans to establish a new fund for developing countries to conserve the habitats of animals and plants in danger of extinction, The...

Govt panel plans police units on juvenile crime.
August 31, 2000... Govt panel plans police units on juvenile crime Yomiuri A government panel decided Wednesday to set up special police investigation units on juvenile crime at the Metropolitan Police Department and all prefectural police headquarters in the...

Court urges pollution suit settlement.
August 31, 2000... OSAKA: The Osaka High Court on Tuesday called on the central government, the Hanshin Expressway Public Corporation and a group of residents of Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, to reach agreement on an air pollution suit before oral pleadings...

Soldiers in China after WWII to seek pensions.
August 31, 2000... A group of former Japanese Imperial Army soldiers, who claim they were ordered by their superior officers to fight in the Chinese civil war after the end of World War II, plan to file a lawsuit against the government demanding...

Net use in Japan peaks late at night.
August 31, 2000... Japanese are Internet night owls, while Americans usually use the Net during the day and early evening, according to survey results released Tuesday. The survey was conducted by the Japanese and U.S. Internet research companies...

Jottings.
August 31, 2000... The following is a translation of the Henshu Techo column in The Yomiuri Shimbun's Aug. 30 issue. Shizuka Kamei, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council, is known for his intimidating ways. But he must feel...

Lake Biwa water supply cut eyed after 2-month drought.
August 31, 2000... OTSU: The lack of rainfall over the past two months and the intense summer heat have caused Lake Biwa's water level to drop to a record low this year of 82 centimeters below normal and may require reductions in water supplied by the lake,...

Govt working on bill to reform special public bodies.
August 31, 2000... The Liberal Democratic Party and its two coalition partners have started work on a bill to reform special public corporations that also will be aimed at restricting the so-called amakudari practice of securing cushy post-retirement positions...

Japan mulls northern territories stance.
August 31, 2000... Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Tokyo on Monday to resume full-fledged talks over the conclusion of a peace treaty. Japan will officially maintain its stance of calling for a...

Editorial Public has disaster readiness role.
August 31, 2000... Primary, middle and high school students have been evacuated en masse from Miyakejima island, where a series of eruptions has occurred on Mt. Oyama, to seek refuge at Akikawa High School in western Tokyo. Meanwhile, directives or...

Jane Birkin not your average bag lady.
August 31, 2000... If there are two words that drive the economic mechanisms of Japanese pop culture, they are "kawaii" (cute) and "handbags." And if anything could explain the enduring popularity of British songstress-actress-playwright Jane Birkin in this...

Variety the keyword for wunderkind maestro.
August 31, 2000... The planet has its share of musical prodigies, but there are rather fewer enfants terribles in the world of conducting, mostly because we take it for granted that years of experience is essential to the art. Apparently, this received wisdom...

Japanese tenor's quiet revolution.
August 31, 2000... Taro Ichihara, arguably the most sought-after Japanese tenor on the international opera circuit, will celebrate 20 years in opera Sept. 6 with a recital at Tokyo's Suntory Hall. A graduate of Tokyo National University of Fine Art and...

The epicures.
August 31, 2000... Earlier this summer, when we sipped our way around the VinExpo wine trade fair, we found ourselves returning to the wineries from Austria. Their wines consistently stood out for handcrafted quality and distinctive, indigenous Austrian...

Alberto's U.S. debut covers new ground.
August 31, 2000... What do Marc Anthony and Alberto Shiroma have in common? At first sight, not a great deal, except that the U.S. salsa sensation and the lead singer of Okinawan symbolic rock band Diamantes both speak Spanish. But Alberto's solo release...

A musical feast fit for a king.
August 31, 2000... Anyone who missed Salif Keita's gigantic one-week stand at Tokyo Blue Note earlier this month missed more than just a night on the town. They missed a musical tour de force from the man dubbed "The Golden Voice of Africa" and a chance to see...

Monthly TV commercial highlights / Leave it up to the chief treasurer.
August 31, 2000... What have I been missing? Why didn't anyone tell me that kabuki actors and fans alike have this much fun among themselves? For all this time, they've been keeping it to themselves? In a way, there is nothing unusual about Haiyu-sai, an...

Televiews / What a difference a decade makes.
August 31, 2000... The networks are putting forth their plans for the autumn of 2000, and there seem to be a few surprises on the horizon and a lot of the same old thing. Perhaps the biggest news for those with children is that soon you will be able to tune...

Boston boy gets back to his roots.
August 31, 2000... Davidlee Willson, an actor and independent filmmaker, makes no bones about being thoroughly tired of independent movies. It is as if, as he put it in an interview during his recent visit to Tokyo, "independent films need to be about this...

Forming artistic first impressions.
August 31, 2000... If you find yourself moving excitedly about the latest exhibition by the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, staring wide-eyed at the massive swirls, electric colors and undulating shapes, know that your inner child is alive and well. The...

In search of highest form of love.
August 31, 2000... Sometimes the story of how precious collections of art survive close brushes with oblivion before finally reaching the public domain and becoming part of our common cultural heritage can be almost as fascinating as the story of the works'...

Buckets of fun.
August 31, 2000... For Shinji Shishikura, plastic buckets are much more than containers for water. Seeing in such buckets a metaphor for today's consumer society, the 38-year-old artist has invited small children to play with a number of plastic pails and...

Kitchen-sink drama with a musical twist.
August 31, 2000... What would you expect from a play set in the kitchen of a busy restaurant during the lunchtime shift? Cooks preparing food, waitresses chatting, quarrels galore--yes, these are all included in Arnold Wesker's hit play The Kitchen, which...

East and West fail to gel in Cleopatra.
August 31, 2000... Productions that seek to meld wildly disparate genres can be very difficult to evaluate. Some performances end up as a mere "coexistence" of different genres, whereas other combinations bring about a coherent artistic achievement. This noh...

Drug firms compete to take advantage of gene medicine.
August 31, 2000... With a working draft of the human genome completed and more genetic information being decoded every day, domestic pharmaceutical firms are racing to strengthen ties with bio-ventures and upgrade their research facilities so they can take...

Party crashers liven up pennant races.
August 31, 2000... The pennant races looked cut and dried. The Yomiuri Giants were going to coast to victory in the Central League, while the Pacific League was going to go down to the wire with either the Seibu Lions or the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks coming out on...

Grampus rattle 6 goals by S-Pulse.
August 31, 2000... While the Kawasaki derby between Verdy and Frontale fizzled out into a dreary 0-0 draw at Todoroki Stadium on Wednesday night, the goals flowed in the other three J.League Nabisco Cup quarterfinal, first legs. Notably at Kusanagi Athletic...

Takahashi's 2 homers power Giants by Tigers.
August 31, 2000... Yoshinobu Takahashi hit two home runs and drove in three runs as the struggling Yomiuri Giants snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Hanshin Tigers at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday night. The Giants took advantage of a...

Izu Islands school starts new term 2 days early.
August 31, 2000... Izu Islands school starts new term 2 days early Yomiuri Students at Wakago Primary School on Niijima island in the earthquake-hit Izu Island chain held an opening ceremony for the second term of the academic year Wednesday, two days earlier...

Man killed as elevator falls 90 meters.
August 31, 2000... Man killed as elevator falls 90 meters Yomiuri A 32-year-old employee of a Toshiba Corp. affiliate died Wednesday when an elevator on which he was carrying out maintenance work plunged from the 24th floor to the third basement of an elavator...

Ex-Hiroo Hospital executive denies malpractice charges.
August 31, 2000... Ex-Hiroo Hospital executive denies malpractice charges Yomiuri The former director of Tokyo metropolitan government-run Hiroo Hospital and a former official of the metropolitan government denied charges of violating the Medical Law in...

New panel to draw up plan for IT society.
August 31, 2000... New panel to draw up plan for IT society Yomiuri The government decided Wednesday to draw up a national strategy for information technology by the end of the year to turn Japan into an IT-literate society, sources said. A committee will be...

Soldiers in China after WWII to seek pensions.
August 31, 2000... Soldiers in China after WWII to seek pensions Yomiuri A group of former Japanese Imperial Army soldiers, who claim they were ordered by their superior officers to fight in the Chinese civil war after the end of World War II, plan to file a...

Jane Birkin not your average bag lady.
August 31, 2000... Jane Birkin not your average bag lady Bill Bradley Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri If there are two words that drive the economic mechanisms of Japanese pop culture, they are "kawaii" (cute) and "handbags." And if anything could explain...

Monthly TV commercial highlights / Leave it up to the chie.
August 31, 2000... Monthly TV commercial highlights / Leave it up to the chief treasurer Junko Hanna Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri W hat have I been missing? Why didn't anyone tell me that kabuki actors and fans alike have this much fun among themselves?...

East and West fail to gel in Cleopatra CLEOPATRA New Natio.
August 31, 2000... East and West fail to gel in Cleopatra CLEOPATRA New National Theater Tokyo, Aug. 19 Miki Takashima Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri Productions that seek to meld wildly disparate genres can be very difficult to evaluate. Some performances...

Drug firms compete to take advantage of gene medicine.
August 31, 2000... Drug firms compete to take advantage of gene medicine Yomiuri With a working draft of the human genome completed and more genetic information being decoded every day, domestic pharmaceutical firms are racing to strengthen ties with...

Kitchen-sink drama with a musical twist MUSICAL THE KITCHE.
August 31, 2000... Kitchen-sink drama with a musical twist MUSICAL THE KITCHEN Setagaya Public Theater, Tokyo, Aug. 26 Yoko Mizui Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri What would you expect from a play set in the kitchen of a busy restaurant during the lunchtime...

Grampus rattle 6 goals by S-Pulse.
August 31, 2000... Grampus rattle 6 goals by S-Pulse Jeremy Walker Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter Yomiuri KAWASAKI While the Kawasaki derby between Verdy and Frontale fizzled out into a dreary 0-0 draw at Todoroki Stadium on Wednesday night, the goals flowed in the...

[2] Police seek evidence to build case against Snow Brand.
August 31, 2000... OSAKA: Osaka prefectural police at 10 a.m. Wednesday began searching Snow Brand Milk Products Co.'s Tokyo and Osaka offices in connection with an outbreak of food poisoning in which about 15,000 people became sick after drinking low-fat milk...

World Bank eyes environment fund.
August 31, 2000... WASHINGTON: The World Bank plans to establish a new fund for developing countries to conserve the habitats of animals and plants in danger of extinction, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Wednesday. The fund is expected to be financed with 150...

[2] Man killed as elevator falls 90 meters.
August 31, 2000... A 32-year-old employee of a Toshiba Corp. affiliate died Wednesday when an elevator on which he was carrying out maintenance work plunged from the 24th floor to the third basement of an elavator test tower at a Toshiba plant in Fuchu, Tokyo,...

[2] Izu Islands school starts new term 2 days early.
August 31, 2000... Students at Wakago Primary School on Niijima island in the earthquake-hit Izu Island chain held an opening ceremony for the second term of the academic year Wednesday, two days earlier than most other schools in the country. On July 15,...

[2] Ex-Hiroo Hospital executive denies malpractice charges.
August 31, 2000... The former director of Tokyo metropolitan government-run Hiroo Hospital and a former official of the metropolitan government denied charges of violating the Medical Law in connection with the accidental death of a female patient in February...

[2] New panel to draw up plan for IT society.
August 31, 2000... The government decided Wednesday to draw up a national strategy for information technology by the end of the year to turn Japan into an IT-literate society, sources said. A committee will be established to draft the plan, they added. ...

[2] Miyakejima kids taken to Tokyo high school.
August 31, 2000... A total of 140 children from Miyakejima island, who were evacuated after the eruption of Mt. Oyama on the island, were taken from Takeshiba Wharf in Tokyo, where they had arrived on Tuesday night, to Akikawa High School in Akiruno, Tokyo, on...

[2] Govt panel plans police units on juvenile crime.
August 31, 2000... A government panel decided Wednesday to set up special police investigation units on juvenile crime at the Metropolitan Police Department and all prefectural police headquarters in the next few years in the wake of the rise in the number of...

[0] A musical feast fit for a king.
August 31, 2000... A musical feast fit for a king Bill Bradley Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri Anyone who missed Salif Keita's gigantic one-week stand at Tokyo Blue Note earlier this month missed more than just a night on the town. They missed a musical tour...

[0] Alberto's U.S. debut covers new ground.
August 31, 2000... Alberto's U.S. debut covers new ground Atsushi Kodera Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri What do Marc Anthony and Alberto Shiroma have in common? At first sight, not a great deal, except that the U.S. salsa sensation and the lead singer of...

[0] Court urges pollution suit settlement.
August 31, 2000... Court urges pollution suit settlement Yomiuri OSAKA The Osaka High Court on Tuesday called on the central government, the Hanshin Expressway Public Corporation and a group of residents of Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, to reach agreement on an...

[0] Net use in Japan peaks late at night.
August 31, 2000... Net use in Japan peaks late at night Yomiuri Japanese are Internet night owls, while Americans usually use the Net during the day and early evening, according to survey results released Tuesday. The survey was conducted by the Japanese and...

[0] Lake Biwa water supply cut eyed after 2-month drought.
August 31, 2000... Lake Biwa water supply cut eyed after 2-month drought Yomiuri OTSU The lack of rainfall over the past two months and the intense summer heat have caused Lake Biwa's water level to drop to a record low this year of 82 centimeters below normal...

[0] Govt working on bill to reform special public bodies.
August 31, 2000... Govt working on bill to reform special public bodies Yomiuri The Liberal Democratic Party and its two coalition partners have started work on a bill to reform special public corporations that also will be aimed at restricting the so-called...

[0] Japan mulls northern territories stance.
August 31, 2000... Japan mulls northern territories stance Yomiuri Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Tokyo on Monday to resume full-fledged talks over the conclusion of a peace treaty. Japan will...

[0] Japanese tenor's quiet revolution.
August 31, 2000... Japanese tenor's quiet revolution Hiroshi Miyashita Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Yomiuri Taro Ichihara, arguably the most sought-after Japanese tenor on the international opera circuit, will celebrate 20 years in opera Sept. 6 with a recital...

[0] Variety the keyword for wunderkind maestro.
August 31, 2000... Variety the keyword for wunderkind maestro Yukiko Kishinami Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri The planet has its share of musical prodigies, but there are rather fewer enfants terribles in the world of conducting, mostly because we take it...

[0] The epicures.
August 31, 2000... The epicures Melanie Campbell-Drane and Michele Bambling Special to The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri Earlier this summer, when we sipped our way around the VinExpo wine trade fair, we found ourselves returning to the wineries from Austria. Their...

[0] Televiews / What a difference a decade makes.
August 31, 2000... Televiews / What a difference a decade makes Wm. Penn Special to The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri The networks are putting forth their plans for the autumn of 2000, and there seem to be a few surprises on the horizon and a lot of the same old thing....

[0] Boston boy gets back to his roots.
August 31, 2000... Boston boy gets back to his roots Isabel Reynolds Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri Davidlee Willson, an actor and independent filmmaker, makes no bones about being thoroughly tired of independent movies. It is as if, as he put it in an...

[0] Party crashers liven up pennant races.
August 31, 2000... Party crashers liven up pennant races Yomiuri The pennant races looked cut and dried. The Yomiuri Giants were going to coast to victory in the Central League, while the Pacific League was going to go down to the wire with either the Seibu...

[0] Takahashi's 2 homers power Giants by Tigers.
August 31, 2000... Takahashi's 2 homers power Giants by Tigers Yomiuri Yoshinobu Takahashi hit two home runs and drove in three runs as the struggling Yomiuri Giants snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Hanshin Tigers at Tokyo Dome on...

[0] Buckets of fun.
August 31, 2000... Buckets of fun Yomiuri For Shinji Shishikura, plastic buckets are much more than containers for water. Seeing in such buckets a metaphor for today's consumer society, the 38-year-old artist has invited small children to play with a number of...

[0] Forming artistic first impressions.
August 31, 2000... Forming artistic first impressions Bill Bradley Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer Yomiuri If you find yourself moving excitedly about the latest exhibition by the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, staring wide-eyed at the massive swirls,...

[0] In search of highest form of love.
August 31, 2000... In search of highest form of love Robert Reed Special to The Daily Yomiuri Yomiuri Sometimes the story of how precious collections of art survive close brushes with oblivion before finally reaching the public domain and becoming part of our...

[0] Local governments voice opposition to scrapping projects.
August 30, 2000... Some local governments involved in public works projects have voiced opposition to a proposal made Monday by the ruling parties to review some of the projects. One of those voicing opposition is the Chiba prefectural government, which is...

[0] Corporate extortionists' pranks no joke.
August 30, 2000... Looking back on the various crimes committed around the country this summer, I cannot help but feel frustration over the infuriating number of attempts to extort money from the nation's major food and pharmaceutical companies. They...

[0] Taisho Life suspected of deceiving policyholders.
August 30, 2000... As Taisho Life Insurance Co. began bankruptcy proceedings Tuesday, after being ordered by the Financial Services Agency (FSA) to suspend part of its operations a day earlier, some people in the nation's insurance industry are asking whether...

[0] July household spending down 3.6% from last year.
August 30, 2000... The July figure for average monthly spending by salaried workers' families decreased by 3.6 percent to 352,196 yen from a year earlier, according to provisional figures on household spending released by the Management and Coordination Agency...

[0] FSA selects Taisho Life overseers.
August 30, 2000... The Financial Services Agency on Tuesday selected the Life Insurance Association of Japan and two individuals as administrators for Taisho Life Insurance Co., which effectively has collapsed. The individuals are Hiroshi Misawa, a...

[0] Late Tigers rally hands Giants 4th straight loss.
August 30, 2000... The Tigers' Tomochika Tsuboi doubled in two runs in the top of the ninth as Hanshin defeated the Yomiuri Giants 3-1 at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday night and handed the Central League-leading Giants their fourth straight loss. With two outs and...

[0] Ono must look to 2002.
August 30, 2000... Two summers ago, Shinji Ono had the world at his feet. Aged just 18, the Urawa Reds midfielder had provided a glimpse of the promised land during the 12 minutes he was given as a substitute against Jamaica in Japan's final World Cup game in...

[0] MMC executive approved 4 recall concealments.
August 30, 2000... An executive of Mitsubishi Motors Corp., which was raided Sunday by police for covering up customer complaints, approved the concealment of four recalls, sources close to the automaker said Tuesday. Police also suspect the executive was...

[0] July jobless rate unchanged at 4.7%.
August 30, 2000... The nation's unemployment rate for July, seasonally adjusted, stood at a still significant 4.7 percent, the same level as in June, the Management and Coordination Agency said Tuesday. The 3.07 million people who sought work but could not...

[0] Coalition parties draft outline of antigraft bill.
August 30, 2000... The ruling coalition Tuesday drafted an outline of a bill that would ban Diet members, their secretaries, heads of municipal governments and members of municipal assemblies from receiving money or goods in return for mediating with government...

[0] Welcome mat demanded for unwanted Russians.
August 30, 2000... SAPPORO: Controversy over the human rights of Russian sailors has heated up in Monbetsu, Hokkaido, with a foreigners' human rights group demanding that the municipal government make local restaurants stop discriminating against Russians. ...

[0] Govt tackles bureaucratic resistance.
August 30, 2000... The ongoing campaign conducted by the three ruling parties to reevaluate planned public works projects represents a triumph for politicians in the first round of their battle with bureaucrats struggling to keep such projects in place. On...

[0] Mt. Oyama blows its top again.
August 30, 2000... Mt. Oyama blows its top again Yomiuri Mt. Oyama erupted early Tuesday morning, sending smoke billowing about 8,000 meters above Miyakejima island, south of Tokyo, the Meteorological Agency said. The eruption of the island's 813-meter volcano...

[0] Govt to draw up IT strategy law.
August 30, 2000... Govt to draw up IT strategy law Yomiuri The government plans to submit a bill to create a law stipulating basic policies and national strategy pertaining to information technology to an extraordinary Diet session in the autumn, Chief Cabinet...

[0] Data shows Osaka bid lacks selling point.
August 30, 2000... Data shows Osaka bid lacks selling point By Atsushi Nishii and Kenji Kawashima Yomiuri LAUSANNEC Switzerland Osaka, which has been placed on a shortlist of candidates to host the 2008 Olympics, was given high marks for its infrastructure by...

[0] Miyakejima students evacuated 2 days early.
August 30, 2000... Miyakejima students evacuated 2 days early Yomiuri A total of 136 Miyakejima primary, middle and high school students still on the volcanic island in the Izu chain, left by ship Tuesday afternoon for a high school in Akiruno, western Tokyo,...

Agency set to sue Mitsubishi Heavy.
August 30, 2000... The Defense Agency is expected to file a lawsuit against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. over an accident in which one of the main rotors on a Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter produced by the company came off and caught fire, injuring...

Pyongyang seeks rapid conclusion to talks.
August 30, 2000... North Korea showed its intention to move negotiations forward to normalize diplomatic ties with Japan during the 10th round of bilateral talks that ended Thursday. Pyongyang is thought to have decided that improving relations with Japan...