2003.10.07

China-Japan Rock Band   Chinese witnesses say a near riot erupted at a concert when fans pelted Japanese band members with beer bottles. The band Brahman, which combines Japanese punk with Indian music, was attacked while on stage at the Beijing MiDi School of Music last Thursday. Some of the 10,000 fans unleashed bottles on the band both during their setup and when they re-emerged on stage to begin performing. Witnesses say the band was attack solely because they were Japanese. Many Chinese bear resentment against Japan for its brutal colonization of much of Asia early in the 20th century.   2003.10.07

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Back to the Basics (Mainichi)   A panel says the relaxed educational model to spur creativity is not working. The change came after it was acknowledged that the rote method was not preparing Japan for the future. The logic here, thus, is that Japan's education system is a failure no matter which system is used. 2003.10.07

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Toshiba demos cellphone fuel cell. [The Register] Recharge your batteries with methanol and water. 2003.10.07

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Mad Cow (Reuters)    (UPDATED) Farm Minister says Japanese bovine with mad cow suffers from an "unusual" form of BSE.   2003.10.07

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Japan-DPRK (CNN)   Japan says North Korea has no business trying to bar it from future multi-lateral talks concerning Pyongyang's nuclear programs.     2003.10.07

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JH Czar AWOL   The president of Japan Highways Public Corporation, Haruho Fujii, under fire by the Transportation Minister is nowhere to be found today. The Transportation Ministry says Fujii , known as "Mr. Asphalt," has not been in his office this week and his whereabouts are unknown. Transport Minister Nobuteru Ishihara on Monday escalated his campaign to fire Fujii, saying suggested. "I've  heard from those in JH that Fujii nstituted a reign of terror, exiling officials who dared to disagree with him." The newly-appointed minister, son of Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara,  is institutiing administrative proceedings to fire Fujii. Ishihara met with Fujii on Sunday and indicated he would resign. But since then Fujii, a graduate of elite Tokyo University and a veteran Construction Ministry bureaucrat,  has been defiant. It is rare in Japan for the head of a public corporation to be forcibly removed. Fujii has faced criticism since it was alleged that Japan Highway had commissioned, but not released, an audit showing its debts exceeded its assets by 618 billion yen (that's about 5.5 billion dollars. The horrible mismanagement of JH has embarrassed the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. LDP leaders, including Koizumi, are eager to see Fujii out of his post before the upcoming elections so that the opposition DPJ can't make an issue of it.     2003.10.07

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Japan to Investigate Orgy Complaints (AP). Japan will open an investigation into complaints that a group of Japanese tourists allegedly hired hundreds of prostitutes for an orgy in a Chinese hotel on a sensitive World War II anniversary, the top government spokesman said Tuesday. [Yahoo! News - World] 2003.10.07

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Japan-Markets (Reuters)   Nikkei  index gains 80 points in Tuesday session. Dollar still steady at 111 yen.   2003.10.07

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DPRK-Kim's Wife Critical? (Reuters)   Treat with suspicion -- Sankei Shimbun is an eager recipient of anti-DPRK propaganda. 2003.10.07

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Japan-U.S. POW Laborers (Kyodo)   U.S. Supreme Court declines to take up case of former U.S. POWs used as slave labor by Japan in WWII. Defendants Mitsui, Nippon Steel, Kajima and Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha now off the hook.   2003.10.07

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Mad Cow (CP) UPDATED Mad bull in Japan could be good news for Canada.   2003.10.07

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S. Korea Halts Consular Work in Beijing [AP World News] 2003.10.07

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