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BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2008

Car ownership off for second year

The national car ownership rate is lower for the second straight year as record fuel costs keep customers out of auto showrooms.
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 13, 2008

Consumer gloom worst in 26 years

Consumers last month were the most pessimistic they've been in at least 26 years, indicating their spending is unlikely to trigger an economic recovery.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 12, 2008

'Gyoza' heaven for carnivores, plus help for hungry vegans

A vegan friend is coming over to visit B, and he's at a loss as to what to feed him.
EDITORIALS
Aug 12, 2008

Rough course to digital waves

About three years from now, the era of analog TV broadcasting will end as digital broadcasting takes over. A survey shows that 92 percent of those polled know there will be a switch from analog to digital broadcasting, but fewer people know when the switch will take place (65 percent) or that they will...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Aug 12, 2008

"Harry Potter" translator Yuko Matsuoka Harris

Yuko Matsuoka Harris, age 64, is the translator of the "Harry Potter" books in Japan and the president of the series' Japanese publisher, Say-zan-sha. Similar to the series' Hermione, Matsuoka has always been exceptional: As one of the best simultaneous interpreters in Japan, during her 30-year career...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 12, 2008

Custody battles: an unfair fight

"Sport at its best obliterates divisions between peoples, such as ostentatious flag-waving and exaggerated national sentiment." New York Times senior writer Howard W. French — who has covered China for the past five years, was Tokyo bureau chief from 1999 to 2003, and has lived overseas for all but...
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2008

Entity to change its spots

The pension-related functions of the Social Insurance Agency will be taken over by a new organization in January 2010. The organization will have to solve problems related to pension records. The government should take utmost care to ensure that the new body can fulfill its tasks.
Japan Times
Features
Aug 10, 2008

War and reconciliation: a tale of two countries

On July 7, 2008, officers of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force visited Nanjing, the ancient capital of China, for an artillery demonstration — a visit barely mentioned in the Chinese media, even though it was the first time Japanese soldiers returned to the scene of the crime — the Nanjing massacre...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 9, 2008

U.S.-India nuclear deal weakens nonproliferation

On Aug. 1 the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) endorsed a "safeguards agreement" with India that would allow inspections of nuclear facilities that India designates as "civilian."
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 8, 2008

Hiroshima anime gathering highlights Finnish creations

The biannual Hiroshima International Animation Festival, which started Thursday and ends Monday, caters to animation enthusiasts who do not necessarily rush after the latest Evangelion film or crave after round-eyed Sailor Moon girls.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Aug 7, 2008

Clarify rules to attract foreign investment, Motegi says

Japan must make clear its criteria for restricting foreign direct investment if it hopes to attract capital from abroad, financial services minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2008

ANA set to suspend or reduce 11 routes

All Nippon Airways Co. said Wednesday it will suspend or reduce 11 international and domestic routes beginning this fall as it struggles with surging jet fuel costs.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 7, 2008

Making art out of Article 9

Perhaps there are two types of Japanese people: those who stay in Japan, and those who leave for foreign shores. Distance means the two rarely interact, and it's just as well, because the results can be fiery.
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2008

FCCJ presses China to free up reporting

OSAKA — Japan-based journalists have joined growing international calls for China to stop restricting Internet access to journalists covering the Beijing Olympics.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2008

Nomura may ship water to Australia via empty coal-carriers

A Nomura Holdings Inc. unit plans to study exporting water from Japan to Australia for agricultural and industrial use as that nation recovers from its worst drought on record, two people familiar with the proposal said.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2008

Ending the silent Russian-European war

There has been little mutual trust lately between the governments of Russia and the European Union. European politicians viewed Russia's recent parliamentary and presidential elections skeptically. Diplomatic relations between Britain and the Kremlin are at a low since Alexander Litvinenko, a critic...
Reader Mail
Aug 3, 2008

Pets demonstrate sanctity of life

In Japan, around 400,000 dogs and cats are killed at public health centers every year. Most are taken there by their owners for "unavoidable reasons," as the owners put it. What that means is that the owners are going on a trip and won't be home to care for the pet, or they're just tired of taking care...
COMMENTARY
Aug 1, 2008

Blasts in India elicit sense of vulnerability

MADRAS, India — The series of bomb explosions last week in Bangalore and Ahmedabad that killed and wounded scores of people shook the confidence of the nation, particularly after a plot to attack an important and crowded flyover in Madras was uncovered.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 1, 2008

Ensemble aims to strengthen bonds between Japan, Brazil

Amanojaku, an ensemble of taiko Japanese drummers, will hold concerts on Aug. 13 and 14 in Tokyo to commemorate the centennial of Japanese migration to Brazil, which started in 1908.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 1, 2008

'Yami no Kodomotachi'

In our anything-goes age, pedophilia remains one subject that makes everyone from film industry executives to ordinary fans nervous, to put it mildly. In "Lolita," Stanley Kubrick made the title character older than the 12-year-old in Vladimir Nabokov's notorious novel, while suggesting the sex rather...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 1, 2008

Suzuran: Chilling with chuka soba

Japan's infatuation with ramen can seem bewildering to the uninitiated. When you see lines around the block outside nondescript noodle joints in remote locations, with waits of up to an hour, it's hard not think the obsession is verging on the pathological.

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