September 17, 2002

Japan, which must import almost all its oil, is more dependent on Middle East crude than it was in 1973 despite spending decades of developing other sources of energy; disruption of oil flow from Middle East because of new Middle East war, could idle Japanese factories and throw Japan back into recession; Japan's Prime Min Junichiro Koizumi, reluctant to alienate oil-producing countries, has hedged his support for Pres Bush's campaign to attack Iraq; analysts say Japan may offer only moral support; Japan remains confident that it can secure enough oil to offset any temporary loss of Middle East crude; country has formidable stockpile of fuel, enough to last 171 days; graph (M)

Caryn James reviews ABC TV program Push, Nevada, featuring Derek Cecil; photo (M)

Six people in New York City metropolitan area die this summer of food-related illness listeriosis; health officials issue warnings to elderly, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems, advising them to avoid soft cheeses and deli meats; four of deaths are in New Jersey, and two in New York City (M)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration selects design team led by TRW Inc to build Next Generation Space Telescope; new observatory, half as big as Hubble telescope, will have light-gathering mirror six times the size of Hubble and suite of more sensitive instruments; launch is planned for 2010; drawing; diagrams (M)

French electronics group Alcatel has been approached by European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co with proposal to merge satellite businesses (S)

John Rockwell interviews composer John Adams, chosen by New York Philharmonic to create score memorializing Sept 11 attacks; work is entitled On the Transmigration of Souls; photo (M)

Georgetown University study finds that 21 percent of 354 prescription drugs released from 1980 to 1999 had their recommended doses corrected at later date, almost always to lower dose; finds that drugs released in last five years are even more likely to have instructions changed than older ones; findings support longstanding concerns among some experts that drugs are being studied at excessively high doses to emphasize their effects and marketed at same high doses to maximize profits; photo; chart (M)

Frank J Prial profiles Robert A Caro, author of multi-volume Lyndon Johnson biography, and wife Ina, author of Road From the Past, guide through historical France; photo; third volume of Caro biography, Master of the Senate, was published this year, and he is working on fourth (M)

Orlando Magic center Patrick Ewing, credited with revitalizing New York Knicks, will announce retirement, which comes after hugely productive career conspicuously devoid of NBA championship title; photos (M)

Samsung Sees Strong E

Russian beer producers, fastest-growing segment of Russian economy, are dealt blow by Russian legislators, who vote to significantly tighten restrictions on beer advertising; bill, which faces final vote, would ban beer advertising on prime-time television, and would restrict advertising content (S)

TV Shows Start This Week, Hoping to Get Early Jump No fewer than 12 new television series are beginning this week, a week before the official start of the new season. The networks are hoping to find viewers willing to give the new shows an early look. ''These are shows we're trying to get sampled before they have to go against the behemoths,'' said Susan Lyne, the president of ABC Entertainment. For ABC, which is facing one of the toughest challenges this television season, the tactic is one born of desperation as it struggles to rebuild prime-time ratings on the back of mostly new series. Advertising. [Page C16.]