search

 
 
COMMENTARY
Sep 22, 2003

Decentralization will finish road to democracy in Japan

Some independent or reformist prefectural governors have come out with their own plans to revitalize local politics and economies. Their ultimate goal is to end the centralization of administrative power that dates back to the Meiji Restoration and establish real local autonomy. To achieve the goal,...
COMMENTARY
Sep 22, 2003

Can 'Special K' save Japan?

For all the attention given to the rise of China, it is still not the most important nation in Asia. Japan, with the world's No. 2 economy and a growing list of problems, is.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2003

Nissan mulls bailout for diesel unit

Nissan Motor Co. is considering financial assistance amounting to around 20 billion yen for struggling truck manufacturer Nissan Diesel Motor Co., a core unit of its group, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2003

Losers want Koizumi to listen to his critics

The three candidates who unsuccessfully challenged Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday urged him to listen to his detractors in the party, despite his landslide victory in the election.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2003

Party fell into line despite deep policy differences

They're sleeping in the same bed, but dreaming different dreams.
EDITORIALS
Sep 21, 2003

Sweden sends a message to Europe

Sweden has voted to reject the euro. European governments may be inclined to see the results as an expression of Swedish exceptionalism. That would be a mistake. Despite an emotionally charged campaign, the outcome reflects a careful consideration of the country's national interests. European leaders...
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 21, 2003

Meiji University wins 1,000th game

Shigenori Kuremoto hit a "sayonara" homer as Meiji University beat Tokyo University 3-2 in the first round of the Tokyo Big Six Baseball League tournament on Saturday and became the second Japanese university team to record its 1,000th win.
COMMUNITY
Sep 21, 2003

Another ballgame altogether

Comparing cricket and baseball is like measuring a five-course dinner against a fast-food meal.
COMMUNITY
Sep 21, 2003

Howzat? This is what's what

Listening to a group of cricketers talking could, for the uninitiated, be like listening to a group of aliens discussing life on their planet. Therefore The Japan Times is proud to present an unofficial cricketing dictionary.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2003

U.S. hails prime minister's victory

The United States welcomed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's landslide victory Saturday in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, calling for continuing close cooperation between the two countries.
COMMUNITY
Sep 21, 2003

Did you say gentleman's sport?

"Sledging," or "mental disintegration" as it is referred to by the Australians, is the use of abusive or offensive words against an opponent. Sledge is taken from the Australian saying "as subtle as a sledgehammer" and the Aussies have gained a reputation as masters of the art. Here are a few classic...
COMMUNITY
Sep 21, 2003

Build a wicket and they will come

In 1996, a young bowler playing against the Bangladesh national cricket side dismissed two batsmen with consecutive balls -- the first delivered with his right arm, the second with his left.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2003

Lower House set to be dissolved in October for election, Koizumi hints

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi gave a strong hint Saturday that he will dissolve the House of Representatives in October, saying he will make a decision on the timing after taking into consideration Lower House by-elections scheduled for late October.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 21, 2003

Kabuki: the opera of Japan

KABUKI PLAYS ON STAGE: Volume IV -- Restoration and Reform, 1872-1905, edited by James R. Brandon and Samuel L. Leiter. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2003, 430 pp. with illustrations, $50, (cloth). This is the final volume in a monumental series that contains the texts of 52 plays, all of them...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 21, 2003

Russian masters play to bury Leningrad

It's been more than a decade since Russia changed the name of the former Czarist capital back to St. Petersburg, but in Japan, where commercial concerns overrule even historical destiny, it took a long time for the reversion to take hold. For most of the '90s, any orchestra or ballet company from the...
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2003

Magnitude 5.5 quake jolts Tokyo

An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 5.5 jolted Tokyo and surrounding areas Saturday, injuring at least seven people in Tokyo, officials said.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 21, 2003

An endless supply of meat for loan sharks

Half the job of solving social problems is getting the word out. This is especially true when it comes to criminal activities like fraud. Victims of fraud are by definition people who don't know enough about fraud to realize when they're being ripped off.
Japan Times
SUMO
Sep 21, 2003

Asashoryu bags Emperor's Cup

Yokozuna Asashoryu clinched his fourth Emperor's Cup on Saturday with a hard-fought win over Chiyotaikai on the penultimate day of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2003

Koizumi wins new mandate to lead LDP

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was re-elected head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday, a sweeping victory in a vote by LDP politicians and the party's local chapters over his three challengers.
COMMUNITY
Sep 21, 2003

I don't like cricket, oh no . . . I love it

It is often said that the future of a nation lies with its youth. If that is also true of sport, then Gunma could soon end up being the Barbados of Asia, producing cricketers on a par with the great Caribbean production line.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2003

Trade-environment debate deserves a judicial solution

The Cancun World Trade Organization Ministerial meeting concluded last weekend with little progress on a swath of issues it must try and complete by Jan. 1, 2005. Agriculture subsidies were the main stumbling block, but the talks really failed on a number of other fronts including trade and environment....
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 21, 2003

The role of politics and religion in the history of art

DISCOVERING THE ARTS OF JAPAN: A historical overview, by Tsuneko S. Sadao and Stephanie Wada. Kodansha International, 2003, 284 pp., 3,000 yen (cloth). According to this new publication from Kodansha International, "The insular culture of Japan can best be understood as a process whereby successive waves...
COMMUNITY
Sep 21, 2003

Introducing the legends of the ball

In the beginning, there was W.G. Grace. Perhaps not quite, as test cricket was already 4 years old when the English all-rounder strode on to its stage in 1880. But W.G. was the first superstar of the sport and enjoyed a phenomenal 43-year career in the game. On one occasion he was bowled out but refused...

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past