X Japan leader Yoshiki has filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against the music production company Nexstar Corporation, seeking approximately 375 million yen in damages. However, that figure could grow by another 600 million yen.

According to the lawsuit, after X Japan reunited, they entered a contract with Nexstar Corporation in January 2008, which included the use of some recordings. That initial deal was for the sum of 600 million yen in advance royalties and contract money, which has so far been entirely unpaid.

Between 2008 and 2009, the company also sponsored ten of the band’s concerts in Japan and other parts of Asia. About 320 million yen in performance fees and merchandise sales from those concerts is due to the band as well. In all, the total unpaid amount is more than 900 million yen.

Yoshiki’s side points out that the ticket and merchandise sales have earned more than 2.5 billion yen in revenue for Nexstar, making it unreasonable that the company still has not paid any of it. Although attempts were initially made to resolve the dispute between the two parties, a lack of progress led Yoshiki to take the matter to court.

The lawsuit is currently seeking only 375 million yen for the revenue earned from the concerts, but should the case go to trial, Yoshiki’s side plans to file an additional claim for the 600 million yen in the initial contract.

When reached for comment, Nexstar stated that they have not yet received the lawsuit. The company reportedly acknowledged that there is some unpaid money due to the band, but they said that the amount is different from Yoshiki’s claim.

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Japan-based Korean singer Iconiq (25) is making a splash and is about to be in a wave of new commercials aired in Japan. She will be in commercials for no less than seven different corporations at the same time only three months after making her debut in Japan. This is said to be a record. Even funnier is that all seven commercials will air together on TV Asahi March 13th. Some of the corporations involved are ANA, Starbucks, and Maserati. With all this momentum, her Japan debut album “Change Myself,” will no doubt begin to top the charts as her face becomes instantly recognizable.

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On Tuesday, director Takeshi Kitano (63) was in Paris to receive the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, France’s highest honor for arts and culture. The award was presented to him by Frédéric Mitterrand, the country’s Minister of Culture and Communication, at the Fondation Cartier art museum.

Kitano is active as an actor, comedian, television personality, and many other things, but he is perhaps best known internationally as a filmmaker. He debuted in 1989 with “Violent Cop” (”Sono Otoko, Kyobo ni Tsuki”) and went on to direct other critically acclaimed films such as “HANA-BI” in 1997 and “Zatoichi” in 2003.

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Panasonic Corp. on Wednesday revealed the price for its first 3-D TV set, confirming that $3,000 is about what it takes to be among the first to watch 3-D movies in the home.

The Japanese company put its first 3-D sets on sale at an event in New York on Wednesday. Panasonic’s suggested retail price is $2,900 for a 50-inch plasma set, one pair of glasses and a 3-D Blu-ray player. An extra pair of glasses costs $150.

Read the rest of the story: Best Buy Seeks First-Mover Advantage With 3D TV

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The Oscar win for documentary “The Cove” is not getting much applause in Taiji, the port city in western Japan where Louie Psihoyos and his crew secretly filmed the annual dolphin slaughter.

“This film has mistakes of fact,” mayor Kazutaka Sangen told local press. “I’m surprised that it won the award even though its content is not truthful.”

Tokyo-based Medallion Media will release the doc in Japan this summer.

Read the rest of the story: Japanese politicians pan Oscar winner

At the Awards

“The Cove” Trailer

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Japanese wine from Nagano Prefecture

The words “Japan, wine exporter” have a somewhat unlikely ring but that is the aim of a new organisation, Koshu of Japan, which is keen to shine an international spotlight on a grape variety that is often dismissed within its native country.

I have just made my second visit in 12 years to Yamanashi prefecture, the Bordeaux of Japan in terms of winemaking. Except it reminds me more of Switzerland than Bordeaux. Every square metre in the heavily populated Kofu basin overlooked by Mount Fuji is cosseted. Individual vineyards are tiny, partly thanks to the postwar policy, implemented by General Douglas MacArthur, who oversaw Japan’s reconstruction, of weakening the powerful landowners by redistribution. Farmers are protected. Labour costs are high. And the most-planted vine variety, like the Chasselas that is known as Fendant in French-speaking Switzerland, is also a table grape.

Perhaps it is this familiarity with the pink-skinned Koshu in the fruit basket that makes many of Japan’s army of wine lovers suspicious of wine made from it. Perhaps it is the fact that Koshu’s thick skins, which help make it resistant to the fungal diseases that can plague other varieties in Japan’s exceptionally humid summers, can all too easily translate in the glass into bitterness. Or perhaps it is simply that Koshu is just too much a part of the national furniture to be taken seriously.

Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are regarded as much more foreign and, therefore, glamorous in Japan. Certainly the likes of Chateau Mercian’s Private Reserve Hokushin Chardonnay 2006 and Suntory’s Tomi Réserve Special 1997 mature red bordeaux blend, top Yamanashi wines from two of the biggest companies, are thoroughly admirable. But it seems unlikely that anyone other than the Japanese would be prepared to pay around £100 a bottle for such wines and, besides, they are made in such small quantities that exporting is hardly viable.

Read the rest of the story: Are you ready for wines from Japan?

Wine Regions in Japan:

• Hokkaidō: Tokachi Wine (十勝ワイン), Ikeda. Furano Wine (ふらのワイン), Furano.
• Yamagata Prefecture: Tendō Wine (天童ワイン), Tendō.
• Niigata Prefecture: Iwanohara Wine (岩の原ワイン), Jōetsu.
• Yamanashi Prefecture: Katsunuma Wine (勝沼ワイン), Kōshū. “Rubaiyat”, Kōshū. 100% Domestically grown grapes.
• Nagano Prefecture: Shinshū Wine (信州ワイン), Shiojiri.
• Shiga Prefecture: Hitomi Wine (ヒトミワイン), Higashiōmi.
• Tochigi Prefecture：Nasu Wine (那須ワイン), Nasushiobara.
• Kyoto Prefecture: Tanba Wine (丹波ワイン), Kyōtanba.
• Osaka Prefecture: Kawachi Wine (河内ワイン), Kashiwara and Habikino.
• Hyōgo Prefecture: Kobe Wine (神戸ワイン), Kobe
• Miyazaki Prefecture: Aya Wine (綾ワイン), Aya. Tsuno Wine (都農ワイン), Tsuno.

In Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe City has developed regional agriculture and tourism with independent wineries and has launched city-brand products.

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Preparatory education for university entrance examinations is an important rite of passage for many Japanese teenagers. This period of preparation can be a time of profound personal growth, confidence-building, and personal triumph for many of these ambitious youths. Toward that end, Tokyo-based, Mustard Seed Academy (MSA) recently celebrated the debut of its new campus in Shizuoka City last month, introducing to the community a unique approach to preparatory education in Japan. According to author, school dean, and senior English instructor Hajime Nakazawa, “If students deeply experience their worth and value, then they will be empowered to do above and beyond what they think they can do. We strive to provide that kind of uncompromising quality in student care, education and guidance, down to the smallest detail — including the restroom sinks.”

The “sinks”—is he serious, one might ask? The commitment to demonstrate “love, faith and hope” to the students, as stated in the school’s mission statement, is clearly evident in the school’s polished interior design by Ms. Yokoyama of Kukan Kosei Co. Ltd. in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Walking into the school, you cannot help but notice the chandeliers before you, flickering soothing light against the baby-blue colored walls. As you enter across the marbled-floor lobby, you’re greeted by a sienna-colored uketsuke, or front desk which might, at first, lead you to believe you had just walked into a hotel. However, allowing your eyes to follow the white crown molding along the chocolate-colored walls into the two adjacent classrooms for a momentary glance reveals that you’ve indeed entered a very “classy” sort of school.

“We want our students to have a vision of the best things in life. Of what’s possible. That they deserve the very best,” says Mr. Nakazawa, “The atmosphere we create here for learning is not only one of high academic standards but also of high personal and moral standards. Our students deserve all that we can give them. Wouldn’t you want the best for your child?” As this is the fruition of a dream over 10 years in the making, he emphasized that he envisioned a prep school with quality student care likened to a five-star hotel and restaurant, catering to the specific needs of every student like valued guests. “What can I say, we all like to be treated well.”

And yes, down to the sinks. The women’s powder room (and rightly called, as “restroom” would seem quite inadequate) is a sight to behold in a prep school. A chandelier lamp reminiscent of the lobby’s design rests comfortably upon a white half-moon table, decorated sparsely yet elegantly. And yes, the pink flowery-glossed porcelain sink rests below the stylish faucets beyond comparison to those of any school any of us are familiar with. A trip down the hall to the men’s restroom reveals the equally elegant yet tastefully spartan facility appropriate for maturing teens.

Ian Shen, Mustard Seed Academy’s full-time native English-speaking Instructor and Chaplain, explains, “Though it may seem a bit excessive as a cram school to some, I’m very proud that our school reflects of our strong commitment to our students in every way. There’s nothing that compares as far as I know.”

The desire to enter a top university in Japan is the first of many dreams a young man or woman may have. Mustard Seed Academy Shizuoka campus nurtures and educates these students in this five-star, hospitality-based atmosphere, offering its educational philosophy of cultivating hope, faith and love in the next generation of Japanese teenagers, as it has been doing faithfully since 2005 in Tokyo.

Class registration period is currently open for the 2010 school year. Introduction Open School Sessions in Shizuoka are held March 13, 20, 27, or April 1 and 10 from 3PM to 5PM, and in Tokyo on March 10, 14, 17 and 21 from 1:30PM to 3:30PM. For more information, visit http://mustardseedacademy.com or call 03-5261-5217.

Original Press Release at http://mustardseedacademy.com/download/5
Additional photos at http://mustardseedacademy.com/download/4

MSA Shizuoka web.zip (398 KB)

This post was submitted by im3ngs.

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Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan on Sunday began a three-day official visit to Ghana at the head of a 30-strong delegation. He was welcomed at Kotoka international airport by Vice President John Dramani Mahama to traditional Ashanti drumming and dance, an AFP reporter saw. The visit is at the invitation of Ghana and is aimed at boosting ties between the two countries, officials said.

The prince is expected to hold talks with President John Atta-Mills on Monday at the presidential palace, known as the Castle.

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Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images AsiaPac

The 33rd Japan Academy Awards were presented on Friday at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa. The film “Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki,” received 6 of the 15 awards presented. The film is the directorial debut of cinematographer Daisaku Kimura.

Actress Matsu Takako (32) won the Best Actress Award for her role in “Villon’s Wife”. She beat several strong rivals such as Ayase Haruka (24) or Hirosue Ryoko (29). Actor Ken Watanabe won best actor in a leading role for the film “Shizumanu Taiyou.”

Best Picture went to Setsuro Wakamatsu’s “Shizumanu Taiyo,” which won a total of three awards.

• Best Picture: Shizumanu Taiyo (Setsuro Wakamatsu)
• Best Animated Picture: Summer Wars (Mamoru Hosoda)
• Best Director: Daisaku Kimura (Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki)
• Best Screenplay: Miwa Nishikawa (Dear Doctor)
• Best Actor: Ken Watanabe (Shizumanu Taiyo)
• Best Actress: Takako Matsu (Viyon no Tsuma)
• Best Supporting Actor: Teruyuki Kagawa (Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki)
• Best Supporting Actress: Kimiko Yo (Dear Doctor)
• Best Music: Shinichiro Ikebe (Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki)
• Best Cinematography: Daisaku Kimura (Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki)
• Best Lighting Direction: Takayuki Kawabe (Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki)
• Best Art Direction: Yohei Taneda, Kyoko Yauchi (Viyon no Tsuma)
• Best Sound Recording: Kenichi Ishidera (Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki)
• Best Film Editing: Takao Arai (Shizumanu Taiyo)
• Best Foreign Language Film: Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood)

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It goes without saying that Japan loves robots. Japanese pop culture has had a love affair with our metallic friends since the ’50s, and slowly but surely science is catching up to their imagination. fuRo, a Japanese robotic research & development firm, has taken their first tentative steps towards realizing a glorious future of wirelessly controlled robotic surrogates.

fuRo’s WIND (Wireless Intelligent Networked Device) Robot System uses a vest-mounted series of System in Package (SiP) chips (the same all-in-one chips used in MP3 players and cell phones) and positional sensors to allow the user to wirelessly control a robot through bodily movement.

The applications could be extended for use in video games as well.

Read the rest of the story: WIND System Could Change How We Control Robots

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