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August 2009
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JAPAN

JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 28, 2009
LDP heavyweight Koga running for his life
By Eric Johnston
OMUTA, Fukuoka Pref. — For decades, voters in the Fukuoka No. 7 district, which encompasses the southern part of the prefecture, have always said, "Makoto ni arigato gozaimasu" come election time.
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 28, 2009
Even Aso can't rely on shoo-in notion
By Eric Johnston
IIZUKA, Fukuoka Pref. — Given his nationwide unpopularity, not a few candidates from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party would prefer that their leader, Prime Minister Taro Aso, not visit them during the election campaign lest this worsens their chances.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2009
Brazilian delegation studies Japan's cremation technology
By Hiroko Nakata
In a country where most people are Roman Catholic, Brazilians have traditionally buried their loved ones in the ground under the doctrine of resurrection of the body.

BUSINESS

BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2009
Sony TV sales may exceed target
Sony Corp.'s domestic television sales may exceed its estimate, helped by government incentives to buy energy-saving home appliances, an executive said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2009
DPJ victory could boost consumer optimism and spur economy: analysts
A Democratic Party of Japan victory Sunday could spur consumer confidence just as the nation climbs out of its worst slump since the war, analysts say.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ELECTION 2009
Aug 28, 2009
Reduced pork would pit DPJ against builders
The opposition vows to slash public works spending if it wins the election. Keeping that promise may be tough in a nation where construction is the No. 5 employer and a political fundraiser.

Opinion

EDITORIALS
Aug 28, 2009
Face up to the pension crisis
Japan must prevent its pension system from being weakened by the low birthrate and the graying of the population, the pension records fiasco, the spread of poverty and the worsening employment situation. Yet, political parties' pension-related proposals contain many obscure points and need elaboration....
EDITORIALS
Aug 28, 2009
Tax-hike debate missing
In the campaigns for the Aug. 30 Lower House election, voter interest appears to be focused on domestic policies directly related to their daily lives, while issues related to diplomacy and security appear to have been put on the back burner. These issues are mentioned when Prime Minister Taro Aso attacks...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2009
ASEAN rights panel offers scant defense of victims
By Benny Teh Cheng Guan
PENANG, Malaysia — Last month the Term of Reference (TOR) for the establishment of a regional human rights body received the approval of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Phuket, Thailand.
COMMENTARY
Aug 28, 2009
American paranoia insults Muslims' dignity
By Gautaman Bhaskaran
CHENNAI, India — It did not come as a surprise recently when well-known Indian movie star Shahrukh Khan was detained at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Ironically, he had just finished shooting a film in the United States about racial profiling.

Sports

SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Aug 28, 2009
Liverpool already facing uphill battle
By Christopher Davies
LONDON — Is Liverpool's season over before it has barely begun?
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Aug 28, 2009
Ramirez sets record in reaching milestone
By Jason Coskrey
Earlier this year reigning Central League MVP Alex Ramirez insisted the best he had to offer in 2009 was still yet to come.

LIFE

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / LIQUID CULTURE
Aug 28, 2009
Crawling back down Center Gai
By Nicholas Coldicott
My Little Pony and Throbbing Gristle make strange bedfellows. No, not in that way. The plastic horse and a poster of the industrial noiseniks both decorate Shirokuma, a funny little bar on Shibuya's Center Gai.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Aug 28, 2009
Accommodation, Tsukiji Tour plan
The Royal Park Hotel in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, is offering accommodation with a guided tour of Tsukiji's fish market.

CULTURE

Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 28, 2009
Sadao Watanabe
By Yung-hsiang Kao
Age is just a number, but for 76-year-old alto saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, some numbers matter. September sees Watanabe — fans and admirers refer to him as "Nabesada" — celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sadao's Club, his yearly concert series. Watanabe started Sadao's Club to introduce new, usually...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 28, 2009
Dipping into modern art at Naoshima's bathhouse
By Andrew Maerkle
At 2 p.m. on July 26, operations commenced at the first public bathhouse on the island of Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea between the mainland of Honshu and Shikoku. Titled Naoshima Bathhouse "I Love Yu" (the "Love" represented by a heart symbol and "Yu" in kanji form) and designed by artist Shinro Ohtake...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 28, 2009
'Martyrs'
By Giovanni Fazio
What exactly is the definition of a horror film these days? The genre seems to have moved from its traditional goal of scaring the viewer to a more decadent phase in which extreme depictions of brutality and degradation seem to be its raison d'etre. Suspense and fright have been replaced by torture and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 28, 2009
Arctic Monkeys "Humbug"
By Shaun Curran
Hard to believe, but it is nearly four years since Arctic Monkeys were a precociously talented teenage quartet on the cusp of releasing the fastest selling U.K. debut album in history, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 28, 2009
'Ballad: Namonaki Koi no Uta'
By Mark Schilling
Takashi Yamazaki was known primarily as a computer-graphics whiz when he directed the ensemble drama "Always Sanchome no Yuhi" ("Always: Sunset on Third Street," 2005). True to form, the recreation of 1950s Tokyo by Yamazaki's team at the Shirogumi effects house was hyper-realistically detailed, while...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 28, 2009
the telephones get their disco on
By Shawn Despres
Saitama quartet the telephones are unabashed disco aficionados.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 28, 2009
Bathing in timeless memories
By Julian Worrall
Artist Shinro Ohtake discusses with The Japan Times "inside-out" buildings, private memories, public meanings and other inspirations underlying the "I Love Yu" bathhouse at Naoshima.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Aug 28, 2009
"Taken"
By Mizuho Aoki
Director: Pierre Morel
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 28, 2009
Swept away by the 'Tenpesuto'
By Rei Sasaguchi
"The Tempest," Shakespeare's play of sorcery, was originally planned for bunraku puppet theater for the 1991 Japan Festival in London. The script was to be written by Shoichi Yamada (b. 1925), the former executive director of bunraku at the National Theater, using a Japanese translation by Tsubouchi...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 28, 2009
'30 Days of Night'
By Kaori Shoji
Director David Slade, who gave the world the vein-freezing, hemoglobin-depleting "Hard Candy" four years ago, has turned his hand to making a genuine horror film — a vampire thriller that plops A-list actor Josh Hartnett in the middle of a seemingly low-rent basement production called "30 Days of Night."...
Japan Times
CULTURE
Aug 28, 2009
Cheeky for charity
By Brett Bull
It is no surprise that an adult entertainment broadcaster would be concerned about the spread of the HIV virus and AIDS. But for one satellite channel in Japan known for silly parodies and wacky porn programming, that concern goes beyond immediate commercial interests — to trying to reverse wilting...
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
Air India crash report to offer peek into last seconds
Members of the Indian Army's engineering arm prepare to remove the wreckage of an Air India aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 14.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.
NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya holds a board that reads "Japanese First" in Tokyo on July 2. In a joint statement on Tuesday, eight human rights nongovernmental organizations described the far-right party's stance as "hate speech."
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
“Giselle” lead Yuriko Kajiya (center), performing with Connor Walsh as Albrecht, is one of six Japanese dancers at Houston Ballet.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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