what's new in the j-views?


	Japanese TV Many of us have laughed in the past at the quaint Japanese programs (silly game shows and so on) aired by Clive James and so on. But the truth is worse. A staggering lack of technical incompetence makes the TV more interesting and adult fare when turned off than when turned on. Find out more.		Life in school Japanese schools are often seen as a mixture of child factories dedicated to the mass-production of little robots, and torture chambers staffed and inhabited by sadists and bullies. But what's the real truth. Jordan C., an American student currently in a Japanese high school, has provided us with a list of differences between Japanese and American high schools.

	Japan's getting old The average age of Japanese people is increasing as the birthrate falls. How is Japan going to pay for itself and its pensions over the next few years? The politicians don't seem to know, but Michael Turner has some suggestions. Mr. Koizumi, are you reading this?

			Koto today The koto is usually seens as a traditional instrument, often played by women. So what's a guy working in a state-of-the art electronics company doing playing koto? We talked to Mr. Katsumi Yanagisawa. We have recently added some photos to the page!

	News, news, news! We added a newswire which provides stories from different sources on Japan and related issues. Check out the j-views news page!

			Other new things Recently, we have added the following: Sumo pictures Top LDP politician removes the "Democratic" from his party Whether Japan needs a Japanese Prime Minister And don't forget to check out the exclusive RealAudio soundtrack!

	We want your views!!! We've added a message board, where you're free to sound off or ask questions about anything in Japan. We want your opinions and questions. Let us have them! Also, at the bottom of this page, there's a link which you can click to chat in real time with the j-views people (if you catch them at the right time!). Give it a try.