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JAPAN / LOOMING CHALLENGES
Jan 4, 2010

Universities must look abroad to reverse Japan's brain drain

Japan appears to be suffering from brain drain. Examples include chemist Osamu Shimomura and physicist Yoichiro Nambu, both of whom won Nobel Prizes in 2008 for research conducted in U.S. universities.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 3, 2010

A world beyond the United States now beckons Japanese youth

'Shying away from study in America" screamed the front-page headline of the Dec. 11 evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun. The article beneath presented facts and analysis of an unmistakable phenomenon: Japanese students are not being drawn to the United States to pursue their studies as they once were....
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2009

All for the love of wearing kimono

in position. Others had sewn a Christmas-themed cloth together and made it into an obi or painted a snowman on a kimono jacket to suit the season. "You don't have to pay millions to enjoy kimono," said Kyoya, pointing out another female participant, who jokingly said the total amount she paid for her...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2009

HRW chief working to change diplomacy

Kanae Doi, a 34-year-old lawyer, has always wanted to be on the side of the weak. As a director of the Tokyo bureau of Human Rights Watch, a position she has held since 2008, she is trying to change Japanese politics to protect human rights.
LIFE / Digital
Dec 30, 2009

Cold War encryption is unrealistic in today's trenches

Sometimes mediocre encryption is better than strong encryption, and sometimes no encryption is better still.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2009

Ruling to help Aiful debt-holders

UBS AG's request for a ruling on credit contracts linked to Aiful Corp. was accepted by an international group governing swaps and derivatives, paving the way for debt holders of the consumer lender to get repaid.
Reader Mail
Dec 27, 2009

Act intelligently to make friends

I would like to comment on Shawna Ueyama's Dec. 22 Zeit Gist article, "Too innocent for prejudice?" I have lived in the United States for more than a decade — in various cities because of my husband's job — and have found that no matter where we go, my 8-year-old boy and I are discriminated against...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 25, 2009

Mexico Music Festival 2010

Yuriko Kuronuma, a renowned Japanese violinist based in Mexico, never gives up.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 25, 2009

Legendary, dirty samurai gets makeover

Singer and actor Masaharu Fukuyama hit the nail on the head when he said that Sakamoto Ryoma is the kind of person onto whom anyone can project themselves.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 25, 2009

Kids in Osaka get a taste of holidays past

Traditional New Year celebrations for families will be held at a museum in Osaka's Kita Ward from Jan. 3-11.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Dec 24, 2009

Web designer Peter Brune

Peter Brune, 45, is a Web designer and photographer who has been a Japanese resident for 10 years. Born and raised in East Berlin, Brune was a world traveler even before he set foot outside the walls of his home: Absorbed in books and glued to the television and radio, he was constantly crossing borders...
COMMENTARY
Dec 24, 2009

No winners emerge from COP15 conference

If the climate change conference in Copenhagen failed to meet the expectations of both developed and developing countries, it did make one thing clear: The United States remains the most powerful developed country and China is acknowledged as a leading representative of the developing countries, though...
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2009

Hatoyama one out of two on policy vows

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama decided Monday to stick with one of his key policy pledges but to abandon another, saying the government will not set an income cap on the child-care allowance but will maintain the current gasoline tax rate.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 21, 2009

Trends in Japan 2009: drinks

Let us raise a glass to the tippling trends of 2009: to cheap booze, less calories, more nostalgia and supposedly responsible drinking.
Japan Times
JAPAN / READERS' FUND
Dec 21, 2009

Refugees struggle to survive funding cuts

Last in a series
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 20, 2009

Alexandria's library: A phoenix amid the tea fields of Uji

Recalling the glorious Heian Period in Japan's history from 794 to 1185 at once conjures up images of a world of courtiers, 12-layered kimono, elegant poetry competitions beside winding streams — and secret trysts in scented chambers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2009

Mark Schreiber: Best books of 2009

Arimasa Osawa's hard-boiled tale follows police and gangsters in a race to track down a Taiwanese super-assassin who has been leaving bodies all over Shinjuku. This, the second in the "Shinjuku Shark" saga to appear in English, was originally published as "Dokuzaru" in 1991, when the bubble economy had...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2009

Jeff Kingston: Best books of 2009

Maybe not a comfortable read for the holidays, but this is a poignant reminder about the human consequences of aerial bombing. The authors in this collection of essays demonstrate that such bombing does not win wars but does devastate, and it is civilians who suffer disproportionately. It appears that...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 18, 2009

Looking for personal definition

Art is always a collaboration between the artist and the viewer. Whatever the artist paints, sculpts or photographs is just so much dead matter until it comes alive in the mind of the viewer.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2009

Hatoyama backpedals on pledges

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama indicated Thursday he may abandon key election pledges made by his Democratic Party of Japan, citing the need for "flexibility" in politics.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 18, 2009

Children can enjoy Santa Claus opera on Christmas Eve

Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall will hold an opera for small children (5 years and older) to commemorate 150 years since the opening of Yokohama's port.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 18, 2009

Kids sing holiday classics

When a concert bills itself as being "from age 0," you can be sure it'll be a family affair.

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