June 2003 Issue

On the cover: Mario, the superstar New York plumber who has sold 165 million games for Nintendo, rushes into action to save his company's fortunes.

June 2003
No. 44

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June 2003 Issue

Upfront
	Contributors The Editor's page

	Oodles of Noodles for the Mobile Masses Kansai columnist Dominic Al-Badri traces the history of the region's globally ubiquitous postmodern invention: Instant ramen.

	To the Editor The Editor's page

	Karaoke Versus Keitai Is karaoke irrelevant to cellphone culture? As the industry woos an aging demographic, it looks increasingly desperate.

	Who Wrecked Japan's Economy? Misguided political elites, misappropriated policies and the domestic and foreign media are the targets of Gregory Clark's rage.

	Japan Steers American Autos into the Future Japan is notorious for mystifying addresses. No wonder they are leading the way forward in wireless car navigations systems, and selling them to the US.

	Fighting Tech Stress with Style The fabric industry tackles the invisible threats of technology with innovative materials and designs.

	Pleading Poverty Pays Off Author and economic commentator Eamonn Fingleton describes the brilliant diplomatic game Japan has played to keep the US at bay amid its current wars.

	Here comes the Egg Biz Mayumi Saito finds ova banks operating in Japan, despite questionable practices.

	The Pulse 2 Technology and Finance news

	The Pulse Technology and Finance News

	From the Editor JPY1 billion from the government to answer Japan's question of the moment: "Where did it all go wrong?"

Features
	Whaling and Japan As Japan renews its quest for whaling rights on the eve of this month's International Whaling Commission meeting in Berlin, Debbi Gardiner asks why the nation is singled-out for blame by anti-whaling forces -- and why it remains relentless.

	Game Over? Game giant Nintendo is best known for being clever and cute. But, as Leo Lewis discovers, the company is now struggling to survive fierce competition. Can it match the needs of mature gamers? In London, Lewis meets the company's creative genius, Shigeru Miyamoto, to find out.

	Shigeru Miyamoto: A Global Megastar THE EXTRAORDINARY SUCCESS OF Nintendo's characters has turned their creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, into a global megastar.

	From the Ashes In an exclusive interview, Richard Katz, author of Japanese Phoenix: The Long Road to Economic Revival, argues for Japan's economic revitalization against the odds.

	The Long and Bumpy Road to Revival An Excerpt from Richard Katz's Japanese Phoenix: The Long Road to Economic Revival.

Blowfish
	Blowfish: A Diet of Statistics Our scaly resident crank sounds off on whining salarymen, health food freaks and a whole lot more.