Consumption tax raise misdirected

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirms that the government will raise the sales tax from 5 to 8 percent beginning in April. But will the tax hike lead to an economic downturn

Pirates roar past Reds

Pirates roar past Reds

Francisco Liriano showed up at PNC Park on Tuesday afternoon in a suit with his suitcase packed for a trip St. Louis. The message reverberated through the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse. After 21 years away from the playoffs, it was time for the best story ...

October 2013
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Ebizo rethinks kabuki's strategy

Oct 3, 2013

Ebizo rethinks kabuki's strategy

by Tomoko Otake

In the glitzy and gossipy world of Japanese celebrity, hardly a week goes by without revelations being made about — or made by — Ichikawa Ebizo XI. For years, the charismatic young star of the kabuki world has never long been out of the ...

'R100'

Oct 3, 2013

'R100'

by Mark Schilling

The world premiere of Hitoshi Matsumoto’s “R100″ in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness section must be frustrating for all those Japanese auteurs out there who got rejection letters from North America’s most important festival. True, the section is devoted to quirk and ...

Oct 3, 2013

Service academy games to be held despite shutdown

U.S. military academy football teams will play this weekend, despite the government shutdown. A senior defense official said Wednesday the decision affects this weekend’s games only, and future games will be evaluated as events unfold. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter ...

'Hafu'

Oct 3, 2013

'Hafu'

by Kaori Shoji

Around one in 49 babies born in Japan today are of mixed heritage. That’s a surprising figure considering that the country was closed off to foreigners for close to three centuries, way back when. Until about two decades ago ha￣fu (meaning “half-Japanese”) were viewed ...

'Red Dawn'

Oct 3, 2013

'Red Dawn'

by Giovanni Fazio

One day we’ll wake up and the sky will be green, the grass will be blue and dogs will walk humans on leashes as gleeful gnomes burble in frothy rivers of chocolate. If all that seems like a reasonable proposition, then maybe you’re ready ...

'L'Ecume des Jours'

Oct 3, 2013

'L'Ecume des Jours'

by Kaori Shoji

Lovingly crafted by Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), modern cinema’s DIY auteur, “L’Ecume des Jours” is a celebration of the nicely weird. Gondry has always loved and nurtured society’s attractive misfits, wonderful people who happen to be allergic to office cubicles ...

'The Company You Keep'

Oct 3, 2013

'The Company You Keep'

by Giovanni Fazio

Robert Redford’s career as a director continues its “good liberal” phase, and he’s three for three now in films that feature a great cast, political relevance and a distinct inability to take off and soar. After Afghan War intrigue in “Lions for Lambs” and ...

Oct 3, 2013

Nara college gets crafty

by Magdalena Osumi

Japanese arts and crafts often emphasize simple beauty. This weekend, Ohara Wafuku Gakuen College welcomes visitors to see this up close at its school market. Wood, clay, glass and Japanese lacquer craft works will all be on sale. Japan’s Traditional Art Craft Market in ...

German band to feature at Oktoberfest

Oct 3, 2013

German band to feature at Oktoberfest

by Tomoko Otake

In Japan, Oktoberfest tends to be a year-round celebration. Beer companies here will hold the traditional German party whenever they feel like a break. This month (or maybe we should say, this week) it’s Yokohama’s turn. Yokohama Oktoberfest, which has been held every year ...

'E no Naka no Boku no Mura (Village of Dreams)'

Oct 3, 2013

'E no Naka no Boku no Mura (Village of Dreams)'

by Mark Schilling

Director: Yoichi Higashi Language: Japanese (subtitled in English) “E no Naka no Boku no Mura (Village of Dreams)” is now available in Japan as an English-subbed DVD. Based on the memoirs of identical-twin painters, this 1996 film depicts their early postwar childhoods with realism, ...

'Killing Them Softly (Jackie Cogan)'

Oct 3, 2013

'Killing Them Softly (Jackie Cogan)'

by Giovanni Fazio

Director: Andrew Dominik Language: English Much like “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” director Andrew Dominik’s “Killing Them Softly” stars Brad Pitt and resembles a genre film (gangsters) while not delivering the thrills. Pitt plays a mob enforcer who has ...

'Kiss of the Spider Woman (Kumo Onna no Kiss)'

Oct 3, 2013

'Kiss of the Spider Woman (Kumo Onna no Kiss)'

by Kaori Shoji

Director: Hector Babenco Language: English, French, Portuguese, German (subtitled in Japanese) William Hurt plays homosexual convict Luis Molina, languishing in a South American prison, where he recounts romantic movie scenes to cell mate Valentin (Raul Julia), a leftist activist who begins to find consolation ...

Oct 3, 2013

Stronger anti-stalking law comes into force

The revised anti-stalking law, passed in June in response to recent high-profile murder cases involving stalkers, took effect Thursday. The revision, the first since the law was enacted in November 2000, requires the police to explain to a victim in writing if they don’t ...

Oct 3, 2013

Dollar climbs back close to ¥98

The dollar bounced back to levels just below ¥98 in Tokyo trading Thursday, mainly supported by short covering, while the euro staged a relief rally after Italy avoided a government collapse. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥97.84-88, up from ¥97.36-38 at the ...