CENTER STAGE
Japanese musicians attracted a great deal of attention on the world stage during 2002. Seiji Ozawa began work as the musical director of the Vienna State Opera, young Japanese took top honors at international competitions, and a blind pianist made his debut at Carnegie Hall.
(January 29, 2003)

AT THE TOP OF THE LEADERBOARD
At the men's World Golf Championships held in Mexico in December 2002, the Japanese team of Shigeki Maruyama and Toshimitsu Izawa held off a powerful US team to claim victory.
(January 27, 2003)

DOUBLE HONORS

The 2002 Nobel Prize for physics will be shared by Masatoshi Koshiba, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, and two other scientists. The Nobel Prize for chemistry, meanwhile, will go to Koichi Tanaka, a researcher at Shimadzu Corp.
(October 31, 2002)

AN EMERGING "THUMB CULTURE"
Mobile phones have become a major provider of entertainment on the train. These phones are extremely versatile multimedia tools that allow users to do everything from doing e-mail to playing online games, and even listening to music.
(January 10, 2003)

REIKA UTSUGI
Trends in Japan interviewed softball player Reika Utsugi, a Chinese-born naturalized Japanese citizen who helped the Japanese national team to the silver medal in the Sydney Olympics.
(December 16, 2002)

ATTITUDES ON AGING
When asked about the image of the elderly in Japan, those aged 65 and older said that the elderly are healthy, enjoy satisfying lives, and are comfortable financially.
(November 11, 2002)