Napa Valley College shortstop Shosei Tatsuno and pitcher Blake Goen get groundball outs before a strikeout ends Solano's half of the seventh inning Friday Blake Goen pitched a 5-hitter and Myles Gray and Owen Nelson homered as Napa Valley College closed its baseball season with a 4-1 win over Solano on Friday Friends and family of Berryessa's Turtle Rock bar collected the money pined to the ceiling of the cafe to donate to UCSF and celebrate the 15-year 'cancerversary' of Elijah Leung Most of Napa’s River Park Shopping Center tenants cater to locals Now a handful of tenants have left the center The sheriff's office reported seizing 13 roosters from a Carneros site where it said the birds were altered and trained to fight other male birds Take a ride around Napa on these motorized ADA-compliant scooters made to look like various critters and creatures Young denied a bid by Alan Jazeel Martinez to dismiss a second-degree murder charge for the death of 17-year-old Monica Flores after a fentanyl overdose in 2022 Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More HONOLULU — Rich Hill joined some prestigious company on Saturday night A sellout audience at Les Murakami Stadium saw the Hawaii baseball team rally to defeat Wichita State 4-2 giving the fourth-year Manoa coach his 100th victory with the program On an evening in which legendary UH pitcher Derek Tatsuno gave the ceremonial opening toss as the fastest to get to the century mark — 161 games has 1,179 career victories spanning 38 years he was adorned with a maile lei and handed a baseball marked with “100.” A night after UH (6-1) saw its 16-game home winning streak snapped it trailed WSU (2-4) by a run through four innings But Xaige Lancaster’s two-run double off Jack Mount in the sixth put the Rainbows ahead 3-2 and Ben Zeigler-Namoa added two-out RBI hit in the seventh for a 2-1 series lead Big-time clutch 😤@lancaster_xaige x #GoBows pic.twitter.com/pp0C0ydOyI nodding at the players making their way into the home dugout toward the locker room “That miracle year we had in Year 1 (in 2022) the year that Stone (Miyao) hit the walk off home run against Santa Barbara (to close the season) that's my favorite thing about this milestone.” Cooper Walls got a no-decision making his first start of the season two hits and two walks allowed with four strikeouts Cory Ronan and Isaiah Magdaleno kept the Shockers off the scoreboard over the final five innings Ronan picked up his first win of the year and Magdaleno his first save as they threw two innings apiece The Rainbows and Shockers throw out first pitch in the finale of their four-game series at 1:05 p.m Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com By Curtis Murayama Editors' PicksFeatured Columns Before helping the University of Hawaii to new heights and Derek Tatsuno helped Aiea win its first state title in 1973 Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading not that controversial fiasco from last week This one is about a milestone victory authored by a future legendary pitching combo I’m talking about Aiea’s first state baseball title in 1973 and specifically about Gerald Ako and Derek Tatsuno I would argue that Ako and Tatsuno are the best 1-2 punch ever produced for a Hawaii high school and University of Hawaii Their list of accomplishments is long and distinguished But for the purpose of this article — I’ll have another on their UH careers — I’ll focus their high school days was a three-time OIA West MVP from 1971 to 1973 and Tatsuno followed as OIA West MVP from 1974 to 1976 “Gerald being three years older than me I used to watch him pitch,” Tatsuno said in a telephone interview being how good he was at that time and how he used to dominate his demeanor and his attitude toward the game “He’s changing history,” Ako quipped when told about Tatsuno’s praise “Nobody taught Tatsuno too many things They made history by helping Aiea win its first state baseball title but it was in the state tournament and especially that championship game against Punahou where Ako and Tatsuno etched their names in high school lore pitching five shutout innings with eight strikeouts and no walks Senior Hugh Kishi pitched the final two with four strikeouts Ako beat ‘Iolani in the semifinals 4-1 striking out nine and allowing only an unearned run at Honolulu Stadium before a turnstile count of 3,033 “There was big discussion when we got into that championship game against Punahou about who was going to pitch because Derek was our No Nagamine (5-0 regular season) started for Aiea but got in trouble by walking the bases loaded with one out Coach George Anzai decided to make a change “I was fooling around in the bullpen at that time thinking I was freshman there’s no way I would be going in the game,” Tatsuno recalled “And we had a senior right-hander (Hugh Kishi) Coach is calling you’ So I run out to the mound As I was taking the warmup pitches I looked at who the batter (was) I was due to face my knees were shaking and everything.” I struck out Tatupu and the next batter came up Recalled Ako: “That’s when the world went Here he is like 5-7 and 115 pounds or whatever at that time (Tats said he was 5-8 For me that’s when everybody began to know who this guy was He always was.” From when he started when he was a little kid.” “So we got out of the first inning with no runs my knees were shaking so much I hope they don’t call a balk,” Tatsuno said pitching 61⁄3 innings while allowing two hits I walked the bases loaded and Gerald came in.” hurling the last 21⁄3 innings without giving up a hit while striking out one and walking two “All I remember is beating Punahou was a big deal just playing Punahou was a big deal,” Ako said “Punahou had a great team and nobody expected us to win Ako felt a little trepidation pitching in the semifinal knowing Aiea had never made it to a state final “I don’t know if you scared play them or what … kinda intimidating playing a private school at the time it was big deal not because it was so much the state tournament but because it was the state tournament and it was against the ‘Iolanis and Punahous now we’re playing against these guys.” Tatupu was Punahou’s catcher and he would go on to play 14 seasons in the NFL and had a college football special teams award named after him Ane became the ILH batting champion the next season who pitched a perfect game in the championship the year before Literally a man playing with boys,” Ako said While Ako would take his talent to Manoa after 1973 Tatsuno didn’t play in the state tournament his sophomore year because just before the playoffs he fractured his ankle while he was “messing around before practice.” Saint Louis would beat Aiea 4-2 for the title Tatsuno told his teammates when they got to Maui (site of the state tournament) he would bring his uniform and would take off his cast When coach Anzai saw Tatsuno on Maui without his cast “his jaw hit the floor.” Anzai then protected Tatsuno from himself Tatsuno won his semifinal game and pitched in relief in the final when the team was already behind in what would become a 3-0 loss to ‘Iolani but he also pitched in relief in the final with the team ahead and got credited with the win in a 4-2 win over McKinley before 4,572 at Aloha Stadium Tatsuno and Ako would enjoy more pitching excellence together on the next level These legends of the game are more gregarious now who was always more reserved and quiet than Tatsuno Today's print edition Home Delivery Prosecutors on Wednesday indicted a 46-year-old man on charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with two separate knife attacks in Hyogo Prefecture that took place in 2006 and 2007 involving two elementary school girls The Kobe District Public Prosecutor’s Office revealed that Kunihiko Katsuta — who is already serving a prison sentence for the murder of another young girl — has been indicted for the 2007 killing of a second-grade girl in the city of Kakogawa Hyogo Prefecture.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Katsuta also faces attempted murder charges for a 2006 attack on a fourth-grade girl in the city of Tatsuno Katsuta fatally stabbed the second-grade girl multiple times in the abdomen near her home he allegedly attacked the fourth grader on a street in Tatsuno as she was returning home from a cram school stabbing her several times in the abdomen and chest Both cases remained unsolved for years due to a lack of physical evidence Investigators began to connect the attacks while probing similar cases eventually identifying Katsuta as a suspect and authorities determined his statements aligned with the details of the cases Hyogo Prefectural Police arrested Katsuta last November for the Tatsuno attack and rearrested him for the Kakogawa killing shortly after According to sources close to the investigation Katsuta has remained silent following his arrest The prosecutor’s office began a three-month psychiatric evaluation in December to assess Katsuta’s mental state In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report KOBE—Hyogo prefectural police arrested Kunihiko Katsuta on Nov 7 on suspicion of stabbing a fourth-grade elementary school girl on a street in Tatsuno is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of another elementary school girl “I definitely stabbed the girl,” but police said he denied having the intent to kill her Police believe that Katsuta stabbed a 9-year-old girl several times in the stomach and chest with a knife-like object at around 6:20 p.m It took two months for the child to recover from the physical injuries she sustained The fourth-grader had been riding her bike home at the time Katsuta was arrested in May 2018 on suspicion of murdering a third-grader who was also 9 in Tsuyama prefectural police began to interview Katsuta voluntarily because of the similarities between the Tatsuno and the Tsuyama cases in terms of modus operandi Katsuta initially denied that he had done it but later began explaining his role in the child's stabbing In light of the girl’s injuries and the circumstances of the crime scene prefectural police concluded that Katsuta’s statement “was credible.”  Police are also thoroughly investigating a third case from October 2007 and his given statement on the murder of a 7-year old Second-grader Yuzuki Unose was stabbed to death in Kakogawa Katsuta has hinted at his involvement in this case as well Katsuta had already been imprisoned in May 2015 for attempted murder after stabbing a junior high school girl with a knife in Himeji According to the testimonies and statements made during the trial of the case Katsuta grew up in a family of four comprised of his parents and older sister and he “began to distrust people and lived in isolation.” A 77-year-old woman whose child was a classmate of Katsuta told The Asahi Shimbun that she remembers Katsuta visiting her home when he was a child She said she had the impression that he was adorable but she heard Katsuta’s father say that his son had “changed because of bullying.” Katsuta joined the Maritime Self-Defense Force He later studied English at a vocational school and went to the United States to study abroad A woman in her 80s who is a resident of the neighborhood in Kakogawa where Katsuta used to live said that she often saw him washing his car in front of his home Katsuta has a history of self-harm at odds with these outward impressions He began stabbing himself in the stomach when he was in his third year of junior high school Katsuta was hospitalized for a self-injury After speaking with a doctor who was concerned about his health “I decided to stab someone else because I could no longer stab myself.” He stated at the trial that he targeted a junior high school girl because “I thought she was weak and would not resist.” (This article was written by Natsu Miyasaka Convicted killer admits to other stabbings of young girls said Shibuya stabbing was a dry run for killing her family 61-year-old man admits to stabbing junior high student Teen held in Shibuya stabbing said she hoped to get death penalty Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission Future Friday: Q&A with Rika Tatsuno9/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis Rika Tatsuno (2008-11) was part of a four-member class that took Michigan women's tennis to new heights The group went 20-0 in Big Ten action during its last two seasons helping U-M win two conference championships (2010 the team set a then-program record for wins (24) and made its second straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearance was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and participated in the 2010 NCAA Doubles Tournament Tatsuno earned All-Big Ten honors in 2009 and graduated with a 94-51 career singles record she is one of five Wolverines in school history to have at least 100 career wins (100-44) She graduated from U-M with a degree in psychology and economics Tatsuno has become a model working in Japan As Japan readies to host the 2020 Olympics Tatsuno has her sights on working in the television or radio industry for that worldwide event the next steps in her career and how she wants to start a charity program to teach the importance of sport to children You have spent the last few years as a model in Japan I have always been interested in Japanese fashion Some days I will be shooting for magazines I will be working and doing interviews for a Japanese radio station I will be meeting and working directly with the top designers from all over the world Some new projects I've been working on are sports-related jobs in television and starting my own charity I am hoping to run the Tokyo Marathon next year to promote the importance of sports and to give back to children in need all over the world by sending athletics wear and goods This project is not 100 percent confirmed yet and I am still in a huge process of trying to make it happen Where are some of your favorite places to go with your job How is it being away from your family and parents in California but they come visit me every once in a while uncles and aunts and many cousins here in Japan Having that type of support system here has helped me make the transition here is actually a famous professional Japanese soccer player here who just got offered a huge contract to play for Mainz in Germany (Editor's note: Muto is on a contract through 2019 with FSV Mainz 05) What has been your favorite part about your job My favorite part of working in the fashion/entertainment industry is getting to work one-on-one with some of the industry's top influential people They give you great advice and a completely different perspective on work and life Do you have some next steps in mind as it pertains to your career I would like to do some kind of work where I can use my communication skills I would love to do something in television or radio Japan has a huge demand in the sports-related field right now since the Olympics will take place in Tokyo in 2020 So my goal is to do lots of sports-related work leading up to that I really want to develop a charity to help promote the importance sports and fitness in Japan as well How did your time at Michigan prepare you for the real world All of my experiences and knowledge I've gained communication skills and my great education in economics and psychology has helped gain my confidence and prepared me for the real world I learned so much while at Michigan It is hard though because reserving a court in Tokyo is quite expensive I have been doing lots of sports-related interviews and jobs where I get to play tennis I chose Michigan because of its great combination of education and athletics Professors and coaches know the importance of both and help all of the student-athletes to perform their best on the court and in the classrooms It was important for me to get both and there is no better place for that than Michigan What was your time like at Michigan as a student-athlete Being a student-athlete at one of the top universities was both very difficult and fun at the same time Having to juggle both school and tennis was extremely tough coaches and professors made sure that the time I spent at Michigan was memorable and an experience I will cherish forever I wouldn't have traded it for anything The Office of Alumni Engagement strives to foster a community recognize the holistic student-athlete and honor the great Michigan Athletics history This alumni spotlight illustrates the impact that our alumni are having around the world and how they stay engaged with Michigan Worldwide Gateway menu open a fire broke out at Tatsuno Factory of Konica Minolta Supplies Manufacturing Co. We would like to give our sincerest apologies to residents in neighboring communities relevant authorities and all those for the trouble The Konica Minolta Group sincerely addresses the incident and works on securing safety in the area Cooperating with the local fire department police department and relevant authorities we will thoroughly investigate the cause and work to prevent the recurrence Overview of Tatsuno Factory- Operation started in 2007- Production items: toner for multi-functional peripherals (MFPs) and other equipment- Ground area: 46,641 square meters- Number of employees: 44 Back to Newsroom Top Featured Columns the 1980 College World Series team and Kolten Wong adorn the outfield wall at Murakami Stadium on the University of Hawaii Manoa campus Former University of Hawaii baseball coach Les Murakami Pitched all 15 innings in a win over Florida State On the outfield wall at Les Murakami Stadium are images of the Rainbows’ greats of the past 14 and the 1980 team that went to the College World Series It could be argued that another image should be there — that of Gerald Ako “He should be up on the wall,” long-time UH baseball analyst Pal Eldredge said “Gerald Ako started the whole thing off.” “He’s a pioneer to the program,” Nomura said “He’s one that deserves to be up there.” What can’t be argued is that UH baseball exists today because of the fusion of Murakami’s big-picture vision and the program-altering talents of Ako and Tatsuno Murakami said there’s “no question” that the right-hander Ako and the lefty Tatsuno were UH’s best 1-2 pitching combo in their only season together in 1977 you don’t expect to lose,” the legendary skipper said.  Nomura said: “These two guys helped put UH on the map.” Murakami said they provided fans at the time with “the greatest weekend Everybody waited for the weekend because they knew they would see Gerald and Derek.” The program’s sudden growth also started a popularity shift away from the Hawaii Islanders a long-standing Triple-A franchise at the time Ako and Tatsuno still populate the UH record book >> ERA (minimum 50 innings pitched): Ako 2.00 (third) with second at 332); Ako 278 (tied sixth); >> Wins: Tatsuno 40 (first); Ako 34 (tied for second); >> Complete games: Tatsuno 34 (first); Ako 26 (third); >> Shutouts: Tatsuno 10 (first); Ako 6 (second); with big-time wins before standing-room-only crowds and signature games such as Ako’s 15-inning victory against Florida State in which he threw 198 pitches and Tatsuno’s 14-inning win against USC in which he threw 232 pitches Ako also went 43 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run The pair brought their legendary status from Aiea where they helped Na Alii to a 20-0 season and the school’s first state title in 1973 “That time (1974) I had only one scholarship and I felt Gerald was the best pitcher,” Murakami said from his home last week Punahou had a pitcher and hitter (in Glenn Goya) “It came down to those two guys and the reason why I picked Gerald Ako was because I felt he was the best pitcher I was just looking for a pitcher more than anything else.” “What a mistake he made,” the self-deprecating Ako said noting that Goya enjoyed a stellar career at Colorado State leading the nation in batting at .485 in 1977 “I was just thankful to be there,” Ako added … I was kind of a guy that was always intimidated by all these things Tatsuno says his favorite game was “probably my last start in the regionals With UH’s 4-3 victory over Indiana State in the Midwest Regional on May 25 Tatsuno became the first player in NCAA history to win 20 games in a single season He also set a single-season NCAA strikeout record with 234 after fanning 10 Sycamores “The coach for Indiana State mentioned Larry Bird was going to be on the team,” Tatsuno said Bird did play a game a month earlier and went 1-for-2 with two RBIs.) It also was the first time a UH team in any sport won an NCAA postseason game who broke a 3-all tie with a homer in the eighth who tied it with two runs in the bottom of the ninth and single runs in the 13th and 14th I was just going to go out there because (I thought) we just going to play one more … and then one more … and then one more,” Ako said The ’Bows won it on Mike Kelly’s two-out RBI double and Ako completed the game allowing eight hits and one earned run while walking four and striking out 14 Tatsuno’s 14-inning win against USC three days later almost became a footnote Tatsuno said he got “bachi” (bad luck) in the game The Rainbows led 6-0 after one inning and 6-2 going into the seventh when Tatsuno’s bad luck struck Tatsuno said the guys in the dugout told him ‘Why?’ Because he’s going for the hat trick so you have to strike him out I look towards our dugout and all our players are throwing their hats out of the dugout USC scored five runs in the seventh to take a 7-6 lead and Murakami headed toward the mound “(Carl) Furutani usually comes out (on the first mound visit) “I thought he threw enough,” Murakami said He still had good stuff,” Nomura said allowing one hit and retiring 17 in a row at one point six earned runs and five walks while striking out 14 It was a game that Tatsuno started shaky but got the last laugh in striking out 20 Oregon Ducks in a 9-1 win on May 20 “Those days they used to rag on each other,” he said I gave up three hits and I gave up one run “So from the second inning to the ninth “There were not many balls hit from the second to the ninth Ricki Bass in center — for them the game became boring because there were no balls hit in the outfield So they were talking story with each other with their gloves on their hats “The two guys were special,” Nomura said but “they’re different.” “Gerald was more quiet,” Murakami said after the game we’re in the locker room drinking beer but I did go to the library,” Ako admitted when they took the mound they were all business Ako was so workmanlike that he really doesn’t have a favorite game Murakami said Ako was the “master of the change of speed Nomura said Tatsuno “never said anything “They both had the mental part of the game “These guys took control of the game Nomura said the amount of energy that Tatsuno would generate on his “torque on his pitching form was unbelievable his back was facing you and he’s looking side-eye downhill at you … then all of a sudden it’s flying across the plate “I got arthritis up to this day because of him.” “He was mystical,” Ako said of Tatsuno “Derek was the best pitcher I ever played with and I’ve ever seen he was the Pied Piper … whenever he pitches to put UH on the national headlines.” Tatsuno skipped his senior year at UH to turn pro He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the summer of 1979 and was offered $100,000 But Tatsuno decided to sign with a semi-pro team in Japan “It was substantially more than San Diego,” Tatsuno said According to an article by former Star-Advertiser writer Ferd Lewis Tatsuno got a package that promised financial security where the staff altered his pitching delivery from three-quarters to over-the-top Tatsuno said the catchers “were having difficulty handling my fastball if you think the catcher can’t catch my fastball what do you think the hitters are going to do (with it)?” Tatsuno said he decided to “go with the flow” and then after two years decided “I’m done He said his arm wasn’t the same after that Tatsuno signed with the Brewers’ minor league club and played from 1982 to 1983 He also had stints with the Hawaii Islanders as part of the Pirates and White Sox organizations in 1986 and 1987 He retired last December as a visitor information specialist at Daniel K including for the Triple-A Vancouver Canadians in the Brewers organization He said he played against eventual greats such as Alan Trammell “I put a lot of them in the big leagues,” Ako said He also got to be a roommate with another great Royals Hall of Fame reliever Dan Quisenberry Ako was a union agent for the HGEA and became the Kauai division chief As for being on the wall at Les Murakami Stadium “My response would be you’re not up there because you’re not good enough to be up there That’s not what we played for.” Hyogo police have revealed that a 45-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in a 2006 stabbing incident that left a 9-year-old-girl seriously injured had no prior connection to the victim Kunihiko Katsuta — who was already imprisoned for separate stabbing incidents that occurred in 2004 and 2015 — was formally sent to prosecutors Friday While he has confessed to stabbing the girl with a knife Police are currently investigating his motives and other details surrounding the case.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Katsuta was arrested for allegedly attempting to kill the fourth grade girl by stabbing her multiple times in the chest with a knife on a street in the city of Tatsuno A 45-year-old inmate serving an indefinite prison sentence for the 2004 murder of a girl in Okayama Prefecture was arrested Thursday in a separate case in which another girl was stabbed and seriously injured in the neighboring prefecture of Hyogo in 2006 He has admitted to stabbing the girl with a knife but denied murderous intent according to investigative sources.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); As Katsuta has also hinted at his involvement in the 2007 murder of a 7-year-old girl in the Hyogo city of Kakogawa Tatsuno Tabbed Big Ten Player of the Week3/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Sophomore Rika Tatsuno(Rancho Palos Verdes Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) of the No 16-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team was named the Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Week the league office announced Tuesday (March 24) Tatsuno was victorious inthree of her four matches to help the Wolverines stay undefeated in Big Ten action with home wins over Minnesota and Iowalast weekend Minn./Edina HS) for an 8-7(4) victory over Iowa's Kelcie Klockenga and Lynne Poggensee-Wei at No 2 that completed a doubles sweep for the Maize and Blue Tatsuno holds a team-best 17-7 overall singles record including an 8-4 dual-match mark at the top two positions and has won 13 of her last 17 matches dating back to Nov She has gone 13-10 overall in doubles and 6-4 with Taney at No Michigan has garneredthree Big Ten Athlete of the Week awards this season. Senior Chisako Sugiyama(Parsippany N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) earned her conference-record sixth Big Ten weekly laurel on Feb 3 and Tatsuno received her first career weekly honor on Feb 3-0 Big Ten) continue Big Ten play this weekendat the Varsity Tennis Center hostingWisconsin on Saturday (March 28) at11 a.m.andNo 1-ranked Northwestern on Sunday (March 29) at 2 p.m By Ferd Lewis won an NCAA single-season record 20 games in 1979 as a junior with the University of Hawaii baseball team led by Les Murakami Tatsuno was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 Nineteen-year-old pitcher Carter Stewart is soon to become known for more than being a 6-foot 6-inch right-hander with a blur of a mid-90s mph fastball and a diabolical curve Terms such as “trail blazer” and “guinea pig” are being affixed after the announcement that he will forgo the MLB Draft next week to instead sign with Japan’s reigning powerhouse Word of this prompts something of a bemused chuckle from Derek Tatsuno who broke much of the same ground 40 years ago coming off a junior year in which he set NCAA records for single-season victories (20) and strikeouts (234) at the University of Hawaii to go play in Japan for the Seibu Corporation The reasons then — money and baseball’s restrictive salary structure — were much the same as Stewart today Stewart rejected a first-round deal from Atlanta last year and is vowing to turn down projected second-round status June 3 early-round draft bonuses weren’t nearly what they are today and minimum major league salaries were $27,000-$30,000 an industrial circuit where players were ostensibly company employees holding down regular jobs The Seibu Lions had a team in the Pacific League but per an understanding between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball at the time couldn’t sign with a pro team in Japan if he was drafted by an MLB team “I don’t know how he (Stewart) is doing it but he’s got a good agent (Scott Boras),” said the now 61-year old Tatsuno Inouye International Airport in the state’s visitor information program Stewart was the eighth overall selection last year coming out of high school in Melbourne But citing questions about a past wrist injury Signing bonuses are key because minor league salaries are notoriously low are not subject to many minimum wage and overtime regulations went to a junior college and got a new agent who was akamai enough to shop his talents in Japan to a team owned by one of the world’s largest telecommunication companies It will reportedly result in a $7 million deal over six years plus incentives it would allow Stewart to be a free agent in both countries at age 25 which is years sooner than if he stayed home he will have to adapt to a new language and culture and the elusive movement on his fastball was one of the things that made him so effective and sought after But it was also something his catchers in Japan struggled mightily with it was decided that instead of importing a catcher who could handle the movement of the pitch Tatsuno would be made to change his delivery from three-quarters to over-the-top to better suit his batterymates Pirates and White Sox organizations and got as high as the Triple-A level before calling it a career Whether Stewart opens a can of worms for MLB or hits a dead end “It is going to be very interesting to see how this all turns out,” said Tatsuno who knows a little bit about being a true trail blazer Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820 Tatsuno Earns First Career Big Ten Weekly Honor2/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis PARK RIDGE, Ill. --SophomoreRika Tatsuno(Rancho Palos Verdes 18-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team was named the Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Week the league office announced on Tuesday (Feb Tatsuno posted a combined record of 4-0 in singles and doublesandupset a nationally-ranked singles opponent for thefourth time this seasonduringU-M's matches against No 14-ranked Notre Dame and Yale this past weekend Tatsuno was one of two Wolverines to go undefeated in singles and doubles during Michigan's 4-3 road loss to the Fighting Irish on Friday (Feb After teaming withclassmate WhitneyTaney(Edina Minn./Edina HS) for the team's lone doubles win -- an 8-5 decision over Cosmina Ciobanu and Kali Krisik at No 2 -- Tatsunohanded Notre Dame's39th-ranked Kristy Frilling a 6-4 2 singles to give the Wolverines their first team point of the match It wasjust Frilling's second loss in 12 outingsin 2008-09 Tatsuno returned home to the Varsity Tennis Center on Sunday (Feb 8) and put together a brilliant performance during Michigan's 7-0 sweep of Yale surrendering just two of 22 games in her singles and doubles matches Tatsuno and Taney gave U-M the early momentum in doubles with a convincing 8-1 victory over Vicky Brook and Stevi Petrelli at No and Tatsuno wasted little time in her career debut at No Tatsuno carries a team-best 13-5 overall singles record and has been victorious in four out of six dual matches this season She has won nine of her last 11 matches dating back to fall with four of those wins coming against nationally-ranked opponents.Tatsuno and Taney hold a 4-1 dual-match mark at No Michigan has garnered the last two Big Ten Athlete of the Week awards. Senior Chisako Sugiyama(Parsippany The Wolverines open the Big Ten season next Wednesday when they welcome intrastate rival Michigan State to the Varsity Tennis Center for a 4 p.m atITA All-American Qualifying (Day 1) Tatsuno Wins Two Matches at ITA/All-American Qualifying10/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis (Riviera Tennis Club) Event: Riviera/ITA-American Qualifying (Day One) Scoring: Non-scoring Next U-M event: Wednesday 7 -- at Riviera/ITA-American Qualifying (Day Two) PACIFIC PALISADES -- On the first day of qualifying action at the Riviera ITA/All-American Championships today (Tuesday Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) of the University of Michigan women's tennis team won her first two matches won her first match of the day against William & Mary's Ragina Acharya bouncing back from a first-set loss to come away with a 2-6 Michigan's 32nd-ranked pair of Tatsuno and junior Whitney Taney (Edina 1 seeded and ninth-ranked duo of Karen Nijssen and Kristi Boxx of Mississippi Michigan's other duo of senior Tania Mahtani (Palos Verdes Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) and freshman Mimi Nguyen (Long Beach 30 pairing of Cal Poly's Amy Markhoff and Suzie Matzenauer Tatsuno will square at off at 12:45 PT tomorrow (Wednesday 7) against Southern Cal's Danielle Lao who won both her matches today in straight sets she will qualify for the singles main draw at the prestigious event Both doubles teams will also be back in action tomorrow in consolation matches N O T E S • Tania Mahtani competed in doubles qualifying for the second consecutive year The pair defeated Georgia's Cameron Ellis and Naoko Ueshima (8-6) in the first round before falling 8-6 to Ashley Joelson and Yasmin Schnack of UCLA Whitney Taney and Rika Tatsuno were all competing for the first time in their collegiate careers at the ITA/All-American Championships qualifying Michigan Head coach Ronni Bernstein On Rika Tatsuno's play in the second match.. The girl was basically stepping up and really controlling the match Rika changed it up and started stepping up in the court She decided in the second set that she was going to step it up and fire up She started to get the ball up on the girl She fought it out today and did a good job of fighting the whole time and playing really well." Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423 AD Who was Toeko Tatsuno? Why should you head out to the Museum of Modern Art, Saitama to see her latest retrospective Rieko Hiraide.Photo: Kei OkanoFor one thing Tatsuno was a driving force in Japanese Modernist painting she become the first woman and the youngest artist to have a solo show at the National Museum of Modern Art As well as being a professor at Tama Art University she was an active member in the acclaimed Shiseido Tsubaki Association from 1996-2001 Shiseido even commissioned her to produce prints and sent her to France to learn stone lithography Almost everything in “Toeko Tatsuno On Papers: A Retrospective 1969–2012” is displayed chronologically so viewers can see the similarities and changes in her work over time Sketches are positioned near more finished and larger pieces Because of the insights they provide and their usually more affordable prices works on paper can form the backbone of individual or institutional collections this show is a good education on what an aspiring collector should look for when purchasing art it also surveys trends in modern art over the past fifty years Curator Itaru Oura noted that among Tatsuno’s early work at the beginning of the show a painting of stones was significant as an indicator of motifs to come She started her trajectory like many career artists in Japan by studying at the Tokyo University of the Arts her early work from the 1960s imitated artists popular at that time: In the late ‘60 she mixed painting and silkscreening in the style of Robert Rauschenberg photography blurring the lines between reality and imagination increased in popularity This development could also be seen in printmaking with the use of photo negatives in silkscreens and lithographs Tatsuno established herself with prints using photographic negatives Similar to the work of Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns her politically relevant silkscreens 73-1 and 73-2 trap a piece of the vernacular and include what looks like an English newspaper’s headline about Nixon While the piece of torn newspaper and the tape are reproductions and the graph behind it is indicative of a change in Tatsuno’s style ‘Work 77-D-10’ (1977) silk screen print on paper The ‘60s and ‘70s also saw the rise of Minimalist artists like Sol LeWitt Tatsuno’s work reflects this trend––with her own twist: She based her abstracts on objects from everyday life such as composition notebooks scored with lines This was also the era in which photocopy machines were becoming ubiquitous and Tatsuno played with graphs to create abstract shapes within the lines or layered lined pages to produce something more than the original images themselves and minimal and tones greatly appealed to the art world Tatsuno’s prints became more painterly but were still largely restricted to graphic stripes She remained open to new trends and materials which are larger than oil pastels and more like oil paint She began doing one half of a work as a print and one half as a drawing The stripes gradually disappeared and mark-making came to the fore and objects like plants in her home or studio started appearing Critics complained that she was no longer doing Minimalistic work but Tatsuno insisted there was a reason for this new style it seems as if she might have been searching for fresh expressions uniquely her own––ones that suited her lifestyle as an artist outside of the incubator of university Tatsuno’s sketch-based abstractions of familiar objects on paper led to the larger vibrant paintings for which she is now renowned stacks of pillows––anything could be sketched These images would then evolve into more abstract geometric forms and this step-by-step progress is intriguing to see ‘Work 80-N-1’ (1980) silk screen print on paper atITA All-American Qualifying (Day 2) Tatsuno Falls on Final Day of ITA/All-American Qualifying10/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis (Riviera Tennis Club) Event: Riviera/ITA-American Qualifying (Day Two) Scoring: Non-scoring Next U-M event: Fri-Sun. 9-11 -- at Kentucky Invitational (Lexington -- On the second day of qualifying action at the Riviera ITA/All-American Championships today (Wednesday Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) of the University of Michigan women's tennis team fell to Danielle Lao of Southern California (4-6 while the Wolverines' pair of doubles teams sported a 4-0 mark on the day at the Riviera Tennis Club Tatsuno was unable to secure a spot in the main singles draw of the ITA/All-American event Tatsuno dropped the first set before storming back to take the second set The junior ran out of steam in the third to just fall short of qualifying for the main draw The Wolverines had a stellar showing in doubles action The tandem of senior Tania Mahtani (Palos Verdes Calif./Millikan) won its first doubles match of consolation action 22 pairing of Taylor Ormand and Jelena Stanivuk of Baylor The senior and freshman then won in a walkover over the Florida International duo of Maria Pazo and Mariana Muci Tatsuno also paired with junior Whitney Taney (Edina Minn./Edina) to sport a 2-0 doubles mark on the second day of action 26-ranked Sarah Fansler and Lyndsay Kintsler of Southern California the pair of juniors pushed its record to 3-2 on the season by beating Duke's Ellah Nze and Reka Zsilinska The Wolverines continue fall tournament action this weekend (Fri-Sun. Following are U-M's complete qualifying results: SINGLES No 74 Rika Tatsuno Main Draw first round (Tuesday): def 6-4 Main Draw second round (Tuesday): def 7-6 (4) Main Draw third round (Wednesday): l 6-4 DOUBLES No 32 Whitney Taney and Rika Tatsuno Main Draw first round (Tuesday): l Mississippi -- 8-5 Consolation first round (Wednesday): def Southern California -- 8-5 Consolation second round (Wednesday): def 50 Tania Mahtani and Mimi Nguyen Main Draw first round (Tuesday): l Cal Poly -- 9-7 Consolation first round (Wednesday): def Baylor -- 8-1 Consolation second round (Wednesday): walkover Florida International Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423 Next year visitors to Tatsuno ‘will once again see fireflies dance wonderfully’ As the sun sets in the Japanese town of Tatsuno producing a spectacle that usually draws crowds of delighted visitors the dance of the incandescent insects is being performed without spectators after coronavirus prevention measures forced organisers of a popular firefly festival to cancel the event The decision may have disappointed fans of the bugs but it provides an unusually serene atmosphere as the insects blink on and off appearing to dance through the black night air Fireflies on trees at Tatsuno Hotarudoyo Park in Tatsuno Photograph: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty ImagesThe natural spectacle lasts just 10 days in early summer and is the final chapter of a firefly’s life “The glowing is the courtship behaviour of fireflies They glow to communicate between the male and the female,” Katsunori Funaki they find a partner and lay eggs for the next year.” as many as 30,000 fireflies perform their magic during the 10-day period in Tatsuno we get a spectacular landscape full of lights with both stars and glowing fireflies reflected in the water,” Mayor Yasuo Takei said “Historical records say a massive number of fireflies were seen along the Tenryu river in the late 19th through early 20th century,” Takei said But the creature almost died out in the area as silk production and other industries flourished further upstream the town worked hard to restore the environment and protect fireflies and the insects now attract tens of thousands of visitors during the annual summer firefly festival Fireflies are often said to be evidence of a pristine natural environment but the insects only thrive when other conditions are also met we need to have a snail called ‘kawanina’,” Funaki said This long exposure picture taken on 16 June 2020 shows fireflies at Tatsuno Hotarudoyo Park in Tatsuno in Nagano Prefecture Photograph: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty ImagesFireflies spend about nine months of their year-long lifecycle growing in fresh water The town has also created a park complete with ditches to bring in fresh water from the river and waterfalls to produce an oxygen-rich aquatic home for the insects Festival organiser Tatsuki Komatsu said he felt the insects were “looking for a partner more freely with no humans around” but said he hoped the festival could be held again next year “We want to take care of them so that they will leave eggs for next year and we will once again see fireflies dance wonderfully.” The silence of this year’s mating season makes the ritual all the more poignant “The brief shining of the light is so impressive making me feel that I also have to live my best,” he said By George F. Lee Hawaii Photos As the sun sets in the Japanese town of Tatsuno after COVID-19 prevention measures forced organizers of a popular firefly festival to cancel the event The decision might have disappointed fans of the brilliant bugs The natural spectacle lasts just 10 days in early summer and is the final chapter of a firefly’s life “The glowing is the courtship behavior of fireflies They glow to communicate between the male and the female,” said Katsunori Funaki they find a partner and lay eggs for the next year,” he said a town set on a river in central Nagano Prefecture “Historical records say a massive number of fireflies were seen along the Tenryu River in the late 19th through early 20th century,” Tatsuno Mayor Yasuo Takei said as silk production and other industries flourished further upstream with both stars and glowing fireflies reflected in the water,” Takei said we need to have a snail called kawanina,” Funaki said Fireflies spend about nine months of their year-long lifecycle growing in fresh water Firefly festivals are staged around late June in many parts of Japan and the glowing courtship ritual has long been celebrated in the country “This may be part of Japan’s unique aesthetics but they are so precious to us because we can only see them for a short period of time,” Takei said Festival organizer Tatsuki Komatsu said he felt the insects were “looking for a partner more freely with no humans around,” but said he hoped the festival could be held again next year “Fireflies are a creature that grows over a year and flies for only 10 days to leave behind the next generation before dying,” he said “We want to take care of them so that they will leave eggs for next year and we will once again see fireflies dance wonderfully,” he said An explosion at a Japanese Konica Minolta toner factory last month has resulted in an impending likely shortage of toner supply The incident took place at Konica Minolta Supplies Manufacturing Co’s Tatsuno Factory in the Tatsuno Nagano Prefecture area of Japan on 12 August According to an earlier statement from the business employees of the factory confirmed it was “an explosion in the production line” and immediately called the local fire department and police department but one unit of production equipment on the second floor of the production building was damaged and the external wall of the third floor of the building was partially damaged Following a request from Printweek for an update on the implications of the explosion on supply Konica Minolta stated: “For the time being the operation has been stopped while Konica Minolta is evaluating the causes of the explosion in close collaboration with local fire and police departments “Implications will be an upcoming disruption in the steady supply for consumables we may experience a certain shortage of toner supply from mid-September for a certain period “Konica Minolta sincerely apologises for the impact this may create to customers and partners and are working at full speed and on many levels to improve the situation as quickly as possible Communication to customers and partners as well as tailored mitigation is already ongoing “Konica Minolta will continue to do everything possible to minimise the implications for customers and partners and resume production under safe conditions as soon as possible.” On 6 July the Tatsuno Factory had separately suffered a fire which based on process data at the time of occurrence was identified to have been caused by static electricity within the production equipment Following the completion of countermeasures which were applied to all production equipment of the same type as the one in which the fire broke out the factory had resumed operation on 7 August just prior to the explosion five days later The 46,641sqm Tatsuno Factory was opened in 2007 and as of July employed 44 people Printweek welcomes informed debate, but please read our House Rules before posting Printweek is the premier website for the print industry Vermont skier Ryan Hawks died this morning at a Reno, Nev., hospital following injuries sustained during the Freeskiing World Tour event at Kirkwood according to friends familiar with the situation Hawks—a widely-loved fixture of a crew of skiers known as Green Mountain Freeride—back flipped off a cliff apparently hitting hard set-up snow rather than soft powder which had blanketed the venue from a recent storm » Ryan Hawks Gallery » Hawks was immediately medevaced to a Reno hospital for treatment Sunday and his condition had seemed to stabilize yesterday "Some of the other guys who hit the same air as Hawks they landed right at the base of the cliff a fellow competitor and friend who was in tears today "And Hawks came in hot enough to throw a backflip and enough to get it around and land it to his feet he was easily another 10 feet down from the other guys’ landings was an engineering student at the University of Vermont He studied during the summer and fall semesters in order to pursue skiing full-time by winter he signed a professional contract with the Blizzard/Technica pro team he was living in a van traveling to all Freeskiing World Tour Stops with the Green Mountain Freeride crew "He had a good head about him as far as skiing was concerned What he did at the comp wasn’t outside his limits He had been training really hard this fall," said Tatsuno "And it wasn’t just the skiing that drove him—it was about the community and being part of that and living in a van with Lars and Silas [Chickering-Ayers] and going to the Freeskiing World Tour comps The Green Mountain Freeride crew built something basically out of nothing we’re going to represent the east coast,' and now Lars is basically now winning the Freeride World Tour and they're all on the rise." “Frank Shine described a trip [to Portillo] where Hawks was sick as a dog for most of the trip," continued Tatsuno "But even though he was sick as he was he was out everyday smiling and there was nothing that was going to bring him down you just feel welcome—then a bear hug." “The biggest loss is he cared so much for the community," Tatsuno said "He was judging the Junior Freeskiing Tour and he wanted to make it safe on the competitive side That's what he was working for." “I don’t know if anyone knows what to think about this one," Tatsuno continued everyone left the comp [at Kirkwood] and thought he was being taken care of But I don’t know what to take away from this one It wasn’t a five foot powder day—it was the day after a five foot powder day either bonding the snow or sending it somewhere else.. Those are the variables that make our sport so amazing We’d all be in the park and pipe if we needed that consistency but we don’t search for that—we look for the variables cultivated according to the traditional practice of niwaki inspired Rod Hardingham so much he has tried to grow a similar one in his B&B in Kent embodies not only his love of gardens and nature but also a decades-long affinity with Japan and Japanese culture “She was working for an American company in Tokyo so they sent her to the UK to improve.” Hardingham’s brother Stephen was her English teacher It was on Hardingham’s first trip to meet Etsuko’s parents that he visited Tatsuno “My wife’s family live in a town called Himeji in the west of Japan Her sister suggested we drive about 20 minutes over to Tatsuno because it still has a large number of samurai houses and other architectural remnants.” The tree stands outside the most prominent of these, Tatsuno Castle, which dates to the 16th century. “The castle itself is small, but it has these beautiful, old weathered trees, which are cultivated according to the traditional practice of niwaki,” says Hardingham “This pine has always stood out for me on account of its dramatic appearance It has been deliberately slanted to give the impression that it is struggling to grow against the wind and it is perched beside this huge rock I think the tree represents how nature forces changes on to living things while the rock is permanent Hardingham estimates the tree to be between 80 and 100 years old and considering that it is on the other side of the world from his Kent home he has done well to visit it frequently over the past three decades but we go back and forth to Japan quite often and I try and take a day trip to Tatsuno every time Given the current restrictions on international travel Hardingham will have to make do with his backup: a 20-year-old black pine he has been cultivating in the garden of the B&B he runs “I’ve given it a similar slant and even made an effort to cloud-prune it Tell us about your favourite tree by filling in this form. Embed on your websiteClose×Copy the code below to embed the WBUR audio player on your site<iframe width="100%" height="124" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://player.wbur.org/radioboston/2013/11/29/japanese-fashion-at-the-peabody-essex-museum"></iframe> A free human being does not desire such things." That unconventional philosophy is on full view at an exhibit called "Future Beauty: Avant-Garde Japanese Fashion," now at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem It's a collection of about 100 dresses and other items of clothing designed by Yamamoto himself and some of his peers But they're all considered groundbreaking Japanese designers who shook up the fashion world in the 1980s and continue to influence clothing styles to this day As an example, dresses by western designers are often very va-va-voom. But some of Kawakubo's dresses look like shapeless shredded frocks, with flaps of material dangling from the torso. WBUR's Sacha Pfeiffer toured the collection with the museum's chief curator, Lynda Hartigan, and asked how those torn-up dresses were publicly received. (TRANSCRIPT BELOW) Lynda Hartigan: What the press went after was, indeed, that the clothing looked tattered, like it was bombed. Some people described them as rags. But I think we can look at, for example, Rei Kawakubo's black outfit that's got very heavily knit interwoven parts that looks like a big bulky sweater. It was much less form-fitting? Almost making your body more shapeless? In terms of you don't have to sexualize clothing in that way because many of the Japanese traditionally believe that the more you conceal the body, the more mysterious it is and therefore the more seductive it is. So it's still about sex appeal. The other thing you notice visually, right where we are, is that these outfits are very drab. I mean, they're essentially either some shade of white or black. Some people do wear these — primary celebrities and runway models — but this looks to me almost totally impractical unless you're trying to make an extreme fashion statement. And let's face it: the fashion industry loves to make extreme fashion statements! I mean, when we look at this black Yamamoto evening gown, you could make an incredibly dramatic entrance in this. I mean, the skirt really sticks out. There are big curves of the black fabric and then this huge cowl collar and the organza up around her neck and then the flowing of the coat down on the floor. It's like the mannequin is swathed in fabric. Absolutely. Part of this is also a reference to western fashion because the Japanese were also very attentive to western fashion traditionally, so it's not completely about dissing what has come before or from another culture; it's really in the end the fusion of east meets west. There is, on the other side of the gallery, more traditional, somewhat western-looking clothing, at least some brighter colors. Could we walk over there? Oh, sure, absolutely. Before we move on to other parts of the show, we're looking at a piece by the designer [Koji] Tatsuno, and let's see how can I describe this: somewhere between a Brillo pad and smoke swirling around the figure. I mean, this is just bundles and bundles of cloth that has wire in it and the cloth itself is transparent, so she looks like she's totally enveloped in waves of clothing from head to about knee length. Like she's wearing a bow, a Christmas bow. Are these designers also trying to challenge our stereotype of beauty? There's a cluster of male mannequins here in crazy colors. One basically has an Italian tablecloth short and one has this houndstooth black and white… Ah, so interesting. You read those as male mannequins. Those are women. So let's walk over and talk about them. So these are three ensembles by Rei Kawakubo, and they're all women now that you can see the faces on the mannequins. They're from a collection that she named "Clothes Meets the Body, Body Meets the Clothes," otherwise nicknamed the "lumps and bumps collection." They look like shoulder pads that have slipped out of place or been put in the wrong place. Or gone nuts in terms of lots and lots of stuffing! But, nonetheless, what Kawakubo is trying to do is just say what parts of the body do you want to emphasize? What's your comfort level? Some of these fabrics are a stretch to even call fabrics. There's shredded newspaper and feathers and one looks like air bubble insulation packing. Lynda, usually museums are places where you can look but don't touch, but there's a try-on section here of some of the outfits. How often can you try on a high-end Japanese designer outfit? There's a hole and you can interpret that as for your arm or for your head or possibly for your leg. It feels very feminine, if there's a feminine feel. Yes, absolutely, and the color's extraordinarily striking — vivid red. But it's not silk. People might look at it and think that it's something like that, but it's total polyester. Polyester? Really? So you're right about polyester! Yes, polyester can be more than those leisure suits! Is there anything in this gallery that you really wish were in your bedroom closet? Sacha Pfeiffer Host All Things ConsideredSacha Pfeiffer was formerly the host of WBUR's All Things Considered an award-winning Japanese artist who specialized in prints and oil paintings received a lot of attention during the 1970s for her stripe motifs and distinct use of grids eventually becoming highly acclaimed for opening up new possibilities in abstract art.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); This exhibition celebrates Tatsuno's career and achievements by showcasing her wide range of art forms Her oil painting "Work 83-P-5" (1983) will also be on display The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama; 9-30-1 Tokiwa, Urawa-ku, Saitama. Kita-Urawa Stn. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. ¥1,100. Closed Mon. 048-824-0111; www.pref.spec.ed.jp/momas but definitely a station with the richest history While Shinjuku Station takes the title as the biggest and Shimbashi as Japan’s oldest Tokyo Station might have the richest and most fascinating history but the station only opened for use in 1914 with two platforms for electric trains and one for non-electric trains Prior to taking over the design of Tokyo Station from Franz Balzer Kingo Tatsuno had already crafted a reputation as the designer of the main office of the Bank of Japan and other prominent buildings erected during the Meiji Period (1868-1912) Balzer was removed from the project because the emperor wanted a more Western design and believed his design was “too Japanese.” Tatsuno subsequently took over but it was much smaller than the original due to the limited budget of ¥420,000 the budget was increased to ¥2.8 million since Japan launched a campaign to improve national prestige The final proposal in 1910 featured a large station with three stories Photo by Neil Howard Photo via Wikicommons The Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 caused a huge fire and other damage to surrounding buildings but barely damaged Tokyo Station most of the roof and interior was destroyed by air raids in May 1945 Reconstruction was completed within a year but only two of the original three floors were restored for safety reasons The domed roofs were also changed to octagonal shapes The station building was designated an important cultural property in 2003 then successfully preserved and restored in 2012 Photo via Wikicommons In 1921, Prime Minister Takashi Hara was stabbed to death by a radical conservative in front of the south wing of the station after he arrived to board a train for Kyoto Hara was the first Christian prime minister in Japan and allowed some degree of cultural freedom in Japan’s colonies a school curriculum that featured Korean language and history since Koreans thought his measures were inadequate and Japanese thought they were excessive he was assassinated by right-wing railroad switchman Prime Minister Osachi Hamaguchi was shot in Tokyo Station as he was walking towards the Tsubame express train He was headed to Okayama to observe special large-scale military maneuvers and was shot by a member of the Aikokusha ultranationalist secret society The attempt on his life was made because of his liberal policies toward Korea and his failed economic policies He died a year later from the wounds he obtained from the assassination attempt Visitors can observe the spot he was shot near the south exit on the Marunouchi side as it’s marked by a special tile Being within walking distance of the imperial palace, Tokyo Station is where imperial trains, or omeshi ressha, are specially operated for the imperial family. There are bulletproof glass shinkansen cars and disguised limited express trains where the vehicle number of the car isn’t announced so terrorists can’t target them. After Emperor Akihito ascended to the throne air travel or regularly scheduled trains with a reserved carriage became more common than imperial trains The first Shinkansen in Japan was the Tokaido Line It cut travel time in half from six-and-a-half hours on regular trains to three hours and 10 minutes people called it “yume no chotokkyu” (meaning: super-express of dreams.) It required an $80 million loan from the World Bank for construction and engineering Shinji Sogo and those who worked on it were called “the crazy gang.” Soon after the 0 Series Shinkansen became a symbol of Japan’s technological prowess Image by 663highland The Tokyo Central Post Office opened in 1933 located outside Tokyo Station’s south exit It was designed by Tetsuro Yoshida who designed many post offices and telegraph offices in Japan Mail was once transported by cart in an underground passage between the station and the post office during the Taisho (1912-1926) and Showa (1926-1989) periods Part of the original post office building is still preserved and now comprises the bottom layer building of JP Tower Tokyo Station Gallery opened in 1988 to introduce art to the masses at one of the busiest stations in Japan more than 2.3 million people have visited to admire the artwork It closed in 2006 and then reopened in 2012 after the renovation of the station building finished There are about five different exhibitions every year typically focused on modern art The exhibition floors are on the modern third floor and the historical second floor The second floor is the only place in the station where you can see original brick walls older than 100 years in one place It’s located in the Marunouchi building outside the north exit Editorial credit: Dick Thompson Johnson The hotel opened in the Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building in 1915 The stylish European-style hotel has 56 guest rooms and a banquet hall It was a popular meeting place after the Great Hanshin Earthquake It was temporarily closed from 2006 to 2012 due to conservation and restoration projects Nowadays Tokyo’s political elite still gather there for afternoon tea Financier Worldwide has been providing valuable information on corporate finance and board-level business issues through its monthly print magazine and exclusive website content. As a leading publisher of news and analysis on this dynamic global market the organisation is immediately recognisable as a valued source of intelligence to the corporate Please take a moment to join our free e-mailing list to receive notifications about the latest content JOIN MAILING LIST Corporate Disputes Risk & Compliance Follow Us February 2015  |  TALKINGPOINT  |  MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS FW speaks with Shigeki Tatsuno and Akitaka Anzai what factors have driven an increase in cross-border M&A activity involving Japanese companies Tatsuno: The Japanese market is shrinking due to Japan’s declining population This is encouraging Japanese companies to consider entering overseas markets as the cost of labour in Japan is comparatively high Japanese industries are looking for ways to reduce costs and increase their goods’ price competitiveness we are seeing an increasing number of Japanese companies expanding their businesses abroad areas which are both geographically near to Japan and have growing domestic markets but also in other emerging market economies the current weakness of the Japanese yen makes Japanese companies good acquisition targets Fortunately for acquisitive overseas companies such targets are readily available due to the recent trend of Japanese corporate reorganisations in which non-core or unprofitable businesses are sold off many major Japanese companies are seeking to adapt so that they are competitive in the global marketplace we are seeing a number of large Japanese corporates seeking large M&A deals with major European and American companies FW: Which sectors and regions seem to be particularly attractive to both Japanese outbound acquirers and foreign inbound acquirers Anzai: The emerging market economies are particularly attractive to Japanese outbound acquirers at the moment The emerging markets have rapidly growing populations and therefore large markets which are being targeted by Japanese companies through strategic M&A transactions in those overseas countries some of Japan’s biggest companies are car manufacturers which have embraced overseas expansion so that they now have a presence in many overseas markets it is natural for Japanese car parts manufacturers to expand their businesses in the countries in which their principal clients although primary industry continues to relocate to lower-cost emerging markets According to all publicly available statistics we have seen a notable amount of outbound M&A activity from Japanese companies in the finance Unprofitable or non-core businesses of struggling Japanese companies are good targets for foreign inbound acquirers Foreign acquisition is particularly strong in the electronic goods manufacturing and semi-conductor manufacturing industries FW: Could you outline some of the common issues that may arise when Japanese dealmakers are negotiating and closing cross-border mergers and acquisitions such as the general expectations and preconceptions of the process on both sides of the deal Tatsuno: One key difference is the speed of decision making Japanese companies are generally slower at making decisions because they tend to have complex internal approval processes and decisions have to be discussed and approved by many different layers of management Japanese deal teams also tend to have less authority to negotiate issues or conclude documentation than their foreign counterparts and will have to seek internal approval in a wider range of circumstances members of the Japanese deal team will be required to present material issues to senior management for review and approval Due to the need to obtain internal approvals a Japanese deal team is likely also to be more willing to spend time documenting and analysing all potential issues with a deal including those that are unlikely to occur in practice This is due to the more risk-averse business culture prevalent in Japan and a thorough consideration of all of the risks inherent in any decision may be a prerequisite for obtaining internal approval Japanese listed companies tend to be particularly risk-averse English is not the native language of Japanese people and the quality of English is very variable where negotiations or documents are in English the Japanese counterparty will require more support from their lawyers or may need to wait for translations of key documents or information which further lengthens the negotiation process FW: To what extent do cultural and regulatory differences play a part when a Japanese company pursues an overseas target Anzai: When negotiating and drafting required documents and agreements in transactions where a Japanese company acquires an overseas company Japanese companies may sometimes hesitate in presenting their requirements to counterparties due to their lack of facility in English and the Japanese cultural concern that making strong demands may undermine the transaction or their relationship with the counterparty we sometimes see transactions proceeding in favour of non-Japanese counterparties To prevent this from occurring Japanese law firms familiar with Japanese business culture can support such Japanese companies and negotiate their requests with foreign counterparties and counsel A major hurdle for Japanese companies seeking to expand in emerging markets is the foreign ownership restriction that features in many of those jurisdictions if a Japanese company wishes to own or incorporate an overseas company it cannot own 100 percent of the shares and must partner with a local entity there may be additional restrictions on foreign possession of necessary licences or ownership of land FW: What advice would you give to Japanese acquirers in terms of making their due diligence and risk management processes as effective as possible Tatsuno: Japanese companies are often faced with a large number of foreign language documents to review in the due diligence process Japanese acquirers will need to appoint and rely upon local professionals to conduct due diligence (DD) and review the risk management process The scope of DD in foreign countries generally is not notably different from DD undertaken in purely Japanese domestic matters Japanese companies will need to rely upon their local advisers to instruct them as to the key issues arising in the DD process Japanese acquirers should discuss the scope of DD with local advisers in advance and seek to understand the issues that are important in the jurisdiction of interest government filings and regulatory requirements are usually very jurisdiction-dependent and Japanese companies will need particular support in analysing such documents FW: What are the main challenges faced on both the buy and sell-side when undertaking post-deal integration Anzai: Japanese business culture is often very different to that in other areas of the world and therefore careful thinking is sometimes needed to integrate firms which come from very different cultural backgrounds labour issues are typically a major challenge Japanese companies are usually concerned about whether there are sufficient local employees in the overseas company in order to manage and operate the new acquisition the language barrier means that Japanese companies must typically rely on their local employees in overseas markets those Japanese employees who will be transferred to a foreign entity are typically very concerned This could cause low workforce morale and a drop in company loyalty a strong degree of understanding of local culture and good clear channels of communication can assist in resolving such integration issues Japanese companies have been shedding underperforming businesses to become much more efficient how might this trend shape the M&A market Tatsuno: Due to the weakness of the Japanese yen this is a good opportunity for non-Japanese corporations and non-Japanese funds to acquire Japanese companies and we are seeing increased activity in this area Participation of non-Japanese corporations or funds in Japanese businesses may also change the business culture inside those businesses Japanese companies were generally not friendly to foreign investors however this attitude has changed and the facts show that a number of Japanese companies now welcome foreign investment FW: In what ways might the revision of the Companies Act impact the appetite for dealmaking among Japanese companies and foreign acquirers Anzai: The revision of the Companies Act will take effect from 1 May 2015 and will contain several matters relevant to M&A transactions One helpful addition will be a new squeeze-out mechanism applying to minority shareholders holding less than 10 percent of the total voting rights The new provision would allow the major shareholder to buy out such minority shareholders using cash whereas the previous mechanism required an issuance of shares This is a welcome amendment as the current squeeze-out mechanism requires passage of a shareholders’ special resolution of the target company followed by issuance and allotment of shares to those shareholders Other amendments to the Companies Act increase the depth and scope of disclosures required in M&A transactions FW: What impact might the recent economic retraction in Japan have on M&A going forward What are your thoughts on the prime minister’s ‘Abenomics’ plan to revive the economy Tatsuno: ‘Abenomics’ has provided a boost to Japanese companies in recent years by making more cash available to companies for growth and investment Abenomics is currently considered a success most notably because share prices have generally risen since Prime Minister Abe took office and the Japanese yen exchange rate is favourable for exporters given his recent resounding victory in the national elections Japanese companies have shown an increased willingness to separate and dispose of non-core or unprofitable businesses of late Japanese companies which have recovered profitability have also been more aggressive in expanding their core business what are your expectations for cross-border M&A activity involving Japanese entities as we head into 2015 What are the key issues and developments to look out for Anzai: We expect continuing weakness in the Japanese yen and therefore a continued trend of foreign acquisitions of Japanese companies due to a shrinking domestic market and the continual pressure to reduce costs Japanese companies have no option but to expand into overseas markets and we therefore expect more M&A activity from Japanese companies overseas in 2015 The main issue for Japanese companies investing overseas is the political and economic stability of the target market the key issue will be whether growth in their own domestic markets is sufficient to fund acquisitions in Japan Shigeki Tatsuno is a partner at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and specialises in mergers and acquisitions joint ventures and cross-border investments Mr Tatsuno has extensive experience in advising venture companies and advising on private equity funds He also provides advice to foreign and domestic clients on intellectual property issues/transactions and general corporate matters He can be contacted on +81 3 6888 1124 or by email: shigeki.tatsuno@amt-law.com Akitaka Anzai is a partner of Anderson Mori & Tomotsune working primarily in the field of Japan-Southeast Asia related matters labour issues or disputes in Southeast Asia countries including Malaysia and Thailand and working on capital market transactions such as the issuance of equity or debt by domestic and foreign companies He can be contacted on +81 3 6888 5820 or by email: akitaka.anzai@amt-law.com Shigeki Tatsuno Akitaka Anzai Transport and Tourism recently uploaded a video that demonstrates a dam project that is currently underway in southwestern Japan There’s something unique about the recreation though – it has been created entirely using Minecraft An official YouTube account affiliated with Japan’s Ministry of Land and the level of detail in the build is quite astonishing uploaded on November 17 and titled “We tried making the Tatsuno Dam in Minecraft!,” shows a vast and detailed reconstruction of the Tatsuno Dam project in Kumamoto The Tatsuno Dam is a flood control dam that is planned to start operating in 2024.  The Minecraft recreation includes the entire damn embankment Although no information has been revealed as to how the recreation was made it’s possible that 3D topographical data was used in the process Perhaps due to View Distance settings or sluggish rendering we don’t get to see that far into the distance but it’s still apparent that the build is quite extensive The fact that the video was posted by none other than Japan’s Ministry of Land has resulted in a significant response from the Japanese online community with users praising the quality and scale of the build as well as the video itself – the vibe of the imagery and the song used give it the nostalgic feel you would expect from a 2016 Minecraft gameplay video some users were perplexed with the seemingly low performance PC used for the project given the modest View Distance and chunky rendering The Minecraft video of the Tatsuno Dam was preceded by a Tatsuno Dam Augmented Reality app and similar publicity campaigns, and it seems that the dam’s Construction Office plans to release the Minecraft world data to the public on their official website in the near future Written by. Amber V based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-11-21 18:03 JST) Dynasty Warriors Origins focused on balanced sex-appeal that doesn’t compromise female characters’ roles and backgrounds, says series producer  Japanese NFT game company’s currency crashes after users discover infinite money glitch Shin Megami Tensei artist Kazuma Kaneko says teaching AI to draw like him was more time-consuming than making art from scratch  and website in this browser for the next time I comment AUTOMATON WEST is operated by Active Gaming Media Inc.Reproduction in any form or medium without acknowledgment of Active Gaming Media Inc Copyright © 2025 - AUTOMATON WEST / Theme by Creative Themes Focus features two in-depth reviews each month of fine art architecture and design exhibitions and events at art museums galleries and alternative spaces around Japan The contributors are non-Japanese art critics living in Japan The Marunouchi side of Tokyo's gateway terminal turned 100 in December a milestone marked throughout the building and with an omnibus retrospective at Tokyo Station Gallery Left: Photo by Susan Rogers Chikuba; Right: Tokyo Station and the Beauty woodblock print by Shuho Yamakawa If you've passed through Tokyo Station even briefly over the past few months you know that centennial celebrations are underway -- there are banners and commemorative foods and souvenirs everywhere The iconic red-brick building on the station's west side opened to the public in December 1914 and the current exhibition at Tokyo Station Gallery leaves no brick unturned in its thoroughgoing review of the building's life since then An illustration of Tokyo Station by Hatsusaburo Yoshida from a popular 1924 travel guide illumining the late-1800s urban planning debates that eventually led to the decision for the station's construction and the hiring of architect Kingo Tatsuno the architect who drew up the first plans and elevation schemes for the building It's an interesting footnote of history: directly facing the Imperial Palace the new central terminal was from the outset conceived as both a gateway to the city and a monument for international prestige envisioned a station that reflected Japanese traditions of status as seen in Edo-period architecture hired a Japanese to deliver a "more suitable" Renaissance style A telling sample of Meiji-era architecture this collage of Kingo Tatsuno's major works brought together in one fictional setting was painted by Keiji Goto in 1916 and presented to Tatsuno by his students to mark his 60th birthday The white building in the center is the head office of the Bank of Japan still standing in Nihonbashi; Tokyo Station is seen in the background at right A dominant figure in the Meiji architectural world Tatsuno taught many aspiring architects at the Tokyo Imperial University Technical College now the University of Tokyo Faculty of Engineering his three-story station building spanned 335 meters in length an unprecedented size for a Western-style structure in Japan at the time Some 11,000 wooden piles and 3,157 tons of steel went into its foundation alone; in addition to nearly nine million structural bricks With granite ticket counters and octagonal rotundas at either end capped by vaulted domes sheathed in copper plating it spoke boldly of a new kind of architecture for a nation and capital bent on modernization An entire room is given over to a fascinating 1:200 model by yet another group of students led by Keisuke Tamura of the Department of Environmental Design at Showa Women's University recreates the labyrinth of stairwells and passages linking all of the rail and subway platforms on the Marunouchi side today "In fact the subterranean network extends even farther in two directions all the way to Otemachi and Higashi-Ginza," Tamura notes in the accompanying caption literally placing one at the station's underbelly is an impressive counterpart to the bird's-eye perspectives offered by the dioramas Together these exhibits show why those who run the terminal call it Tokyo Station City and sprawling both above and below ground as it serves 1.1 million ticketholders daily Having withstood the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 with no casualties and bounced back into service just two days after a 1945 firebomb destroyed its two domes and top floor the red-brick building faced what may have been its greatest threat in the postwar years when it was an oft-debated target for the wrecking ball amid shortsighted development schemes leaving this capital with a distinguished piece of its architectural legacy intact with a mind-boggling array of food and shopping options located within the ticket gates One can only imagine what the next 100 years will bring Sights of Tokyo: The Foreground of Tokyo Station With the NCAA baseball tournament in full swing and every team working so hard to win and advance it’s fun to remember the first time University of Hawaii earned a victory in the NCAA tournament who had started their baseball program with a part-time coach by the name of Les Murakami only eight seasons before first made it to the NCAA tournament in 1977 but they quickly were eliminated in just two games Howard Dashefsky slides home safely | Honolulu Star-Advertiser photos But 1979 would be a different story — a wonderful story It began on opening night at the old Rainbow Stadium Mark Olmos pitched a gem against powerful Oregon State and the Rainbows won 2-1 on Vern Ramie’s game-winning sacrifice fly Hawaii was one year away from joining the WAC and Murakami loaded it with powerhouse teams and played as many doubleheaders as opposing teams could stand The 1979 team included star leftie Derek Tatsuno the All-American pitching ace from Aiea High Ron Nomura and a young red-headed catcher by the name of Howard Dashefsky “I remember being the bullpen catcher and warming up Tats before games,” Dashefsky recalls “We would have more than 100-plus people sitting around just watching him warm up Tatsuno won his first 20 games that season on his way to one of the most dominating seasons in college baseball history “We were 60 and 3 at one point of the season but we did it against some very good competition,” Dashefsky says Excitement for the team grew by leaps and bounds until the bleacher seats at old Rainbow Stadium couldn’t contain all the fans “We went to Aloha Stadium and Tats threw in front of more than 20,000 people it was the largest crowd ever for a college baseball game,” Dashefsky adds “It was pretty freaky; sitting in the dugout but then you would go out on the field and the entire ballpark was filled from first to third base By the time the regular season came to an end Their first-ever NCAA tournament wins came against Indiana State and Oklahoma “I remember the regional at University of Arizona and hitting the game-winning home run that gave Tats his NCAA record,” Dashefsky says Hawaii made it all the way to the finals of the College World Series The ‘Bows played in the NCAA tournament six times during the ’80s But it was that 1979 team that really established them Tatsuno set all kinds of records and was voted one of the greatest college baseball players of last century still holds the all-time single season record for hits by a “I’ve never been a part of a team so tightly knit together and hammering everyone that dared play us,” Reece says today Many names became part of Hawaii baseball lore Nomura went on to a long career as Murakami’s assistant Ramie was the longtime Kamehameha head coach is still one of Hawaii’s top broadcasters the headline-makers in a season to remember for Rainbow baseball fans for all time Japanese version The New Zealand Plumbing Awards acknowledge the many positive achievements and success stories in the plumbing the national conference has been held for over 100 years "Insurers recognise that in the early stages of recovery many people may not be able to quickly lodge a claim," ICNZ chief executive Kris Faafoi said "While you should contact your insurer as soon as possible don’t wait to take steps to reduce further damage and begin recovery if it’s safe to do so." As most seasonal influenza vaccines are made using chicken eggs the SMC asked experts for background on seasonal flu vaccine manufacture and alternatives to the standard jab "ODF is much more than a technical specification: it is a symbol of freedom of choice support for interoperability and protection of users from the commercial strategies of Big Tech," said Eliane Domingos The Union says the loss of the rail-enabled Aratere a crucial link between the North and South Islands significantly weakens the resilience of New Zealand's national supply chain The construction of temporary port infrastructure for the Aratere is not part of the Ferry Holdings work programme We will continue working closely with both ports to finalise the specifications of the infrastructure required