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I've been following the Ing rules dispute and it got me thinking about how japanese pros play in tournaments and title games. If I understand correctly, japanese rules require filling of all dame. Do japanese pros do this, or do they stop after the last play which is worth points?
RobertJasiek: According to Sakai Takeshi, there was a recent rules or tournament rules change that explicitly requires filling of (which?) dame. However, I do not know practical reports of its application.
The main effect the Japanese '89 rules has had on my play is that I consistently fill dame before ending play. At first glance the rules appear to require that to be done, because stones with dame are in seki at the end of the game and score no territory. In fact, the commentary in Kido, then the premier Japanese magazine, recommended doing so. However, there was a loophole in the rules that allowed pros to continue their customary practice of filling dame informally after stopping play.
In recent years, though, there has been at least one incident where the practice has caused a problem. IIRC, one top pro thought that they were filling dame informally and left some stones in atari, while the other thought that play had not stopped. Big trouble! I suppose that this is the reason for the change that Robert mentions.