2003.09.07

Wacky Corporate Japan (Shukan Gendai via Mainichi)   We can't vouch for total accuracy of the items in Mainichi's Wai Wai column, but if even half of this stuff is true it shows some of the eccentricities, for lack of a better word, in corporate Japan. 2003.09.07

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Snowed Under in Beijing (Bloomberg via Manila Times) Bloomberg's Pesek has one pretty somber analysis of what's going on with the yen-yuan-dollar game. Everyone knows Snow is out of his league in this arena -- he has basically conceded to the Chinese and in the course of a week turned his back on Tokyo. But the Japanese Finance Ministry didn't help its cause when it heavily intervened in the market just days after publicly muttering words of anti-intervention support for Snow during his visit here. Bottom line is, because of the political situation in the United States (Bush needs to pep up the economy for re-election) Beijing is the top dog in this game and second-in-line Washington is picking on the weaker pup -- Tokyo. Welcome to the 21st century guys. 2003.09.07

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Things That Go Boom (Mainichi) UPDATE More details emerging about how the JASDF NCO airman who blew himself up got his personal arsenal. 2003.09.07

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Emperor's Wallet (London Sunday Telegraph via Washington Times)   This articles details a new book that blows the lid off of what the Imperial Household Agency spends annually on the Emperor and a small number of the other members of the Japanese Imperial Family. Will be interesting to see what is the reaction. 2003.09.07

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Thunder Mountain Silenced (Mainichi)   UPDATE Thunder Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland is running again now. 2003.09.07

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Lost in Translation (Newsweek via MSNBC)   The Park Hyatt Tokyo's cool factor (already quite high) will go into stratospheric heights when this movie (Lost in Translation) is released. And we must admit, even with the opening of the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi Hills, we still feel the Park Hyatt remains THE hotel in town. 2003.09.07

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Sky High Costs (Kyodo)   Now that every road has been paved and every creek dammed throughout the country, pork barrell budgets have nowhere but to go into space. Sort of appropriate, isn't it, that trillions of yen from now on will literally go into a vacuum? 2003.09.07

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Biometric Passports (Japan Times)   We predict that in 30 years the microchips will be under our skin in addition to inside our passports. 2003.09.07

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Japan: Heaven for Has-been Bands (NY Times)   If you are an aging rocker with no following anymore in America, then Japan might be the place for you. 2003.09.07

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