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Silvio Berlusconi has failed in his attempt to topple the Italian government, leaving him weaker than ever and zapping the aura of invincibility that has surrounded him for two decades as he faces the possible loss of his Senate seat and a ban from ...
Hatsudai has a lot going for it. This quiet low-rise residential neighborhood just minutes west of Shinjuku boasts a friendly traditional shōtengai (shopping street) and a lively annual Awa Odori dance festival. Now add to that a really outstanding restaurant. Anis opened in early ...
International events undermine Japan's democracy. Shame on the International Olympic Committee for being a party to it.
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 ...
Reigning champion Kei Nishikori made quick work of Feliciano Lopez, walloping the Spaniard in a straight-sets victory Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Rakuten Japan Open. The world No. 13 Nishikori needed little over an hour to put away Lopez, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 ...
Tokyo’s quest to host the 2020 Olympics entered a new stage last week when it presented its candidature file to the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland. The final round will determine in September whether Tokyo has what it takes to hold off rival bidders ...
As diplomatic strains with China and South Korea worsen over territorial disputes, more and more Japanese are using the relative anonymity of cyberspace to vent their political spleens online. Enter “Net uyoku,” the people who freely post their ultranationalistic, xenophobic bluster online. Here is ...
They’re baaaack. After warming the opposition bench for more than three years, the Liberal Democratic Party has returned to power, hungrier and more eager than ever to rule. True, the LDP has a long history and vast experience as the ruling party. But times ...
Anti-Japan riots in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere in China in September triggered by Japan’s nationalization of the disputed Senkaku Islands brought vandalism and violence to Japanese restaurants, stores and car dealers and a boycott of Japanese products. The disturbances prompted Japanese companies to worry ...
From Hokkaido to Okinawa Prefecture, 1,504 candidates are campaigning for the 480 seats up for grabs in Sunday’s Lower House election. During the 12-day campaigning period, which officially began last Tuesday, the candidates must strictly follow the rules stipulated by the Public Offices Election ...
Education minister Makiko Tanaka drew immediate flak in early November when she outright refused her advisory panel’s recommendation to approve three new universities. The outspoken Tanaka justified her decision by asserting that higher education is in decline because there are too many universities. As ...
So far 16 political parties are fielding candidates for the Dec. 16 Lower House election. While polls say that voters are likely to return to power the nearly 60-year-old Liberal Democratic Party, which ruled for most of the postwar period, this year’s election is ...
The Ishiharas trail the Hatoyamas 2-0 in prime ministers. But when it comes to the variety, prominence and celebrity of each individual member, not many families in Japan today can compete with the Ishihara bunch. Following are questions and answers regarding the Ishihara family, ...
It used to be that pouring cash into public works projects was deemed the best way to kick-start an ailing economy. Those days are long gone. Now the government is more bent on cutting spending to ease the bloated national debt. In its quest ...
Softbank Corp. CEO Masayoshi Son took the world by surprise last month by announcing a $20 billion buyout of U.S.-based Sprint Nextel Corp. In 1980, his startup firm was a two-man computer wholesaler. Now through vigorous mergers and acquisitions it’s angling to be the ...
The triple-meltdown crisis that began last year at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant jarred the public out of its complacent attitude toward nuclear power and every other assurance made by the government and Japan Inc. Suddenly, thousands of people were fleeing their homes ...
Tokyo Station is a major commuter hub that draws throngs of people who visit every day just to admire the Marunouchi side’s century-old red-brick and stone facade or stay in its nostalgic hotel. After undergoing a 5½-year renovation, the historic landmark formally reopened on ...