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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 29, 2008

'Detroit Metal City'

Soichi Negishi (Kenichi Matsuyama) hates what he does for a living. After every night on the job, he can't wait to strip off his work clothes and relax with his favorite light J-Pop tunes. With his pudding-bowl hairdo, goofy grin and foppy gestures, he looks like the younger Japanese brother of Jim Carrey's...
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2008

Toyota, Honda, Nissan set July global output records

Japan's top three automakers said global production in July rose to records for that month, highlighting solid growth riding on their reputation for fuel-efficient models amid soaring gasoline prices.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2008

What the West can do to support Georgia

TBILISI — Given the tremendous damage that Russia has inflicted on Georgia, it is easy to conclude that the Kremlin has achieved its objectives. But, so far, Russia has failed in its real goal — getting rid of Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia's prodemocracy, pro-American president. For three years, Russia...
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2008

Commission to lay foundation for NPT review

The world faces a pressing need to monitor civilian use of nuclear technology and maintain strong discipline in the face of weapons proliferation, former Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Monday in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY
Aug 26, 2008

Terms of amity for Britain, Japan

LONDON — On Aug. 26, 1858, in Edo (now Tokyo), the Treaty of Yedo was signed by six Japanese commissioners and Britain's Earl of Elgin. This treaty, when ratified in 1859, opened diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2008

Payback time for Russia

You have to admire the chutzpah of the neocons for their castigation of Russia for attacking another country and emulating, in the Caucasus, NATO's behavior in the Balkans. Who does Vladimir Putin think he is — U.S. President George W. Bush?
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
Aug 23, 2008

Long-distance becomes longtime romance

Felix Moesner met Makiko Aikawa in 1991 when he was doing a one-year robotics internship at Toshiba Corp. and a home-stay at her grandmother's house in Yokohama. Then a university student, she often visited after cooking classes at a restaurant nearby.
OLYMPICS / 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS
Aug 22, 2008

Japan outplays U.S. to win softball gold

BEIJING — This was on-field drama at its best: workhorse pitcher Yukiko Ueno playing the starring role, Ayumi Karino and Eri Yamada shining in their supporting roles and Japan destroying the U.S. softball team's aura of invincibility.
OLYMPICS
Aug 22, 2008

Team USA hoping for golden birthday treat

BEIJING — Kobe Bryant turns 30 on Saturday. U.S. basketball teammate Michael Redd celebrates his 29th birthday on Sunday.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 22, 2008

Champion 'turntablist' Kentaro gets mixed up

It's been a busy few years since DJ Kentaro won the 2002 DMC World DJ Championship and became the first Japanese to bring back the prize — a golden pair of Technics record decks (the turntable of choice in clubs around the world) — to the land where they were made.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 22, 2008

'Tokyo!'

Like any other big city, Tokyo does things to you. The three directors in the omnibus movie "Tokyo!" however, inflict their penetrating stare upon the city and don't flinch when the city gazes right back — they all give as good as they get. They know that what happens here is both unique and ubiquitous...
Reader Mail
Aug 21, 2008

Helping those closest to us

Regarding Roger Pulvers' Aug. 17 article, "There's a lot to learn from the life and times of Beate Sirota Gordon": Thank you for an inspiring article! I had read about Beate Sirota Gordon in her book, "The Only Woman in the Room," which moved me to actually read the full Japanese Constitution in English...
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2008

Japan to market mobile tech abroad

Japan will start an aggressive push to market its mobile technology abroad, especially the popular "wallet phone," a government official said.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Aug 20, 2008

Birds' heaven and hell

It is August already, and it's a matter of life and death for certain seabirds. While southern species will already have run the gauntlet of the gulls, in the north it's happening now.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Aug 20, 2008

The face that launched a thousand robots

KYOTO — Eighty years ago, an exhibition was held in Kyoto to celebrate Emperor Hirohito's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
COMMENTARY
Aug 19, 2008

Watch the post-Game meddling

LONDON — The Chinese government fought hard for the right to host this year's Olympic Games. It remains to be seen whether the huge costs involved in holding them will have brought commensurate benefits to China.
Japan Times
SPORTS / ODDS AND EVENS
Aug 19, 2008

Liu withdrawal shocks fans, athletes in Beijing

BEIJING — Two billion Chinese eyes shed a collective tear.
OLYMPICS
Aug 18, 2008

Gay has no excuses for failure

BEIJING — A year ago, Tyson Gay was on top of the world. He outdueled Jamaica's Asafa Powell in the 100-meter final at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Osaka. He also took home gold medals in the 200 and 4x100-relay as well.
COMMENTARY
Aug 18, 2008

Natural enemy of warming

Severe drought reduced wheat production in Australia by as much as 60 percent in 2006. Other forms of climate change led to lower harvests of other farm products throughout the world. In a market economy, a decline in crop output results in excessive demand and spiraling prices, which in turn causes...
OLYMPICS / 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS: TRACK AND FIELD
Aug 17, 2008

Bolt cruises to 100m Olympic gold

BEIJING — And the winner is — Usain "Lightning" Bolt!
OLYMPICS / 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS: SWIMMING
Aug 15, 2008

Double glory as Kitajima repeats feat

BEIJING — Fifteen minutes after repeating as a double gold medalist at the Water Cube on Thursday morning, these were the final words of breaststroke specialist Kosuke Kitajima: "Ashita oyasumi."
COMMENTARY
Aug 14, 2008

Growing energy disarray

The energy policies of European nations, and of Britain in particular, are in disarray. Admittedly the ferocious rise in crude oil prices has eased, but how long the present dip will last, with the Russians bombing one of the main oil transit pipelines from the Caspian region through Georgia and the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 14, 2008

Traditional delights

In a summertime exhibition to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Kokka, the authoritative Japanese journal on pre-modern Asian art, and the 130th anniversary of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, the (TNM) has taken an interesting change of direction in its curation.
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2008

Japan's insurers look abroad as profits fall

Slowing premium growth may force Japan's insurance companies to seek more takeovers abroad to counter declining profits in the world's most rapidly aging country.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS: SWIMMING
Aug 13, 2008

Phelps picks up third gold

Perfection is incredibly difficult to attain. Michael Phelps just makes it looks easy.
Reader Mail
Aug 10, 2008

Japan has a responsibility

I grieve, as all Americans do, for all the innocent Japanese civilians that were killed during World War II. They were the victims of the Imperial Japanese Army's and the government's warlords lust for power and its arrogant use at the expense of the Japanese people. But before Japan can condemn the...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 10, 2008

Celebrity rules as the Olympics strays far from its ideal

The big story this year in competitive swimming is the LZR Racer swimsuit, which was developed by the British sportswear manufacturer Speedo. At least six world records have been set by swimmers wearing the suit. Studies have shown that its drag-diminishing properties lower racing times by 1.9 to 2.2...
EDITORIALS
Aug 8, 2008

Let the dream-come-true begin

The Beijing Olympics which are being held from Friday through Aug. 24 under the slogan "One world, one dream" are a dream-come-true for China and its people. Chinese leaders in Beijing hope that the Games will showcase the country's economic development and modernization, and serve as a springboard for...

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