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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 19, 2008

Sitting out but standing tall

In "Japan at War: An Oral History," Hideo Sato recalls being forced to hoist the Hinomaru flag in tandem with the playing of the "Kimigayo" — "His Majesty's Reign," the Japanese national anthem — as a schoolchild in the 1940s. If the flag reached the top of the pole too early the teachers would beat...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2008

The IMF as a global financial anchor

PRAGUE — Financial market turmoil has exposed weaknesses in the current global financial system, of which many were known but went unaddressed. This lack of action reflects the increased complexity and linkages of the global financial system, and the absence of an effective anchor for financial stability....
EDITORIALS
Feb 18, 2008

Facing off in family court

The Legislative Council of the Justice Ministry has handed Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama a report proposing that crime victims or family members of crime victims be allowed to attend juvenile court proceedings. In accordance with the proposal, the ministry plans to submit a bill revising the Juvenile...
BUSINESS / CLIMATE CHANGE SYMPOSIUM
Feb 18, 2008

Climate change, rising energy costs cloud security, geopolitical horizons

Climate change and rising energy prices pose new security and geopolitical challenges that require multinational responses, U.S. experts told the Feb. 1 symposium.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 17, 2008

Vultures circle as idol Koda licks her wounds

If the furor over comments that J-pop superidol Kumi Koda made on the radio a few weeks ago teaches us anything, it's to "be careful what you joke about." There are two problems with using humor in public: Either the joke falls flat and nobody laughs, or the topic is beyond the pale and people are offended...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2008

English-language papers offer unique take on Asia

English-language newspapers in East Asia provide unique perspectives on political, economic and cultural news in the region to a global community where English is the dominant tongue, speakers at a Tokyo symposium said Saturday.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 17, 2008

Organic food, JFK conspiracies, dealing with terminal cancer in a new way

Recent scandals concerning food produced in Japan and overseas have increased consumer interest in organic produce, which is seen as being both safer and healthier. On Tuesday, TV Tokyo's business-documentary program, "Gaia no Yuake (The Dawn of Gaia)" (10 p.m.), will look at organizations that are trying...
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2008

Bangladesh tries to shake corrupt image

DHAKA — Ever since its hard-won independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh has struggled to shake off something just as unwelcome as foreign rule: its image as an impoverished and politically corrupt backwater.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Feb 16, 2008

In the land of the statistically speaking

Numbers don't lie. Not in Japan anyway. Here, they tend rather to flatter. Or "fibulate." Or nourish.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2008

Sapporo's takeover fears not supported by facts, Steel says

U.S. hedge fund Steel Partners Japan denied Wednesday that its proposal to take over Sapporo Breweries Ltd., the nation's third-largest brewery, would seriously harm shareholder interests, as claimed last week by a Sapporo Holdings Ltd. panel.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 14, 2008

France's own proto-Andy Warhol

There are interesting parallels between Andy Warhol and the French fin-de-siecle artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Each was an instantly recognizable figure who moved in a Bohemian crowd, was obsessed with celebrity, and produced print works that embodied the relationship between art and commerce.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 14, 2008

A question of intention

How valid is the distinction between crafts and arts? A number of recent exhibitions, most notably "Roppongi Crossing" at Tokyo's Mori Art Museum and "Space for Your Future" at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Tokyo, have confronted us with this question, one that is of great relevance to Japanese art....
EDITORIALS
Feb 13, 2008

Reducing accidental deaths in hospitals

A health ministry study panel is pushing for the establishment of a third-party Medical Accidents Investigation Commission that would investigate medical accidents to prevent recurrences. This body would increase the quality and transparency of medical services, while reducing mutual distrust between...
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2008

Okinawa rape case sparks resentment

A U.S. Marine who allegedly raped a 14-year-old Okinawa girl was turned over to prosecutors Tuesday in a case that has prompted government officials to voice outrage and warn the incident could affect the Japan-U.S. alliance and the reorganization of U.S. bases in the prefecture.
BUSINESS
Feb 13, 2008

Daiwa SMBC to invest ¥200 billion more

Daiwa Securities SMBC Co. plans to invest about ¥200 billion of its own money in the coming year to restore profit that has been battered by a slump in underwriting fees.
BASKETBALL
Feb 11, 2008

Evessa maintain lead in Western Conference

Mikey Marshall scored 24 points, Matt Lottich had 18, Jeff Newton 16 and Naoto Nakamura 11 as the Osaka Evessa defeated the visiting Saitama Broncos 76-71 before 2,088 fans on Sunday.
Japan Times
LIFE
Feb 10, 2008

Eyewitness: Burma from the inside

Burma's Bloody September came home to people in Japan with the slaying of veteran freelance photojournalist Kenji Nagai on Sept. 27, 2007 in Yangon during a mass demonstration. The video clip showing him being gunned down by a Burmese soldier at point-blank range was repeatedly aired, arousing public...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2008

G7 finance chiefs vow to help markets

The Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank chiefs vowed Saturday to help stabilize volatile situations in financial markets but stopped short of proposing concrete measures, including unified interest rate cuts, to fend off a global recession.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2008

FSF urges financial firms to reveal bottom lines

The Financial Stability Forum, an advisory panel to the G7 composed of central bankers and regulators, urged financial institutions Saturday to spit out the bottom line on the losses they've taken from the U.S. subprime mortgage loan crisis.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 10, 2008

There's no way of stopping the poisoned food sent from abroad

Last week, when the Chinese government sent five experts to talk with Japanese counterparts about those pesticide-tainted frozen gyoza (Chinese dumplings) imported from their country, the head of the team, Li Chunfeng, expressed concern over the feelings of Japanese consumers. He also offered a veiled...
BUSINESS
Feb 9, 2008

TSE glitch halts Topix futures trade

The Tokyo Stock Exchange halted trading of Topix index futures Friday because of computer problems.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2008

Breaking the monopoly on econ theory

WASHINGTON — For 25 years, the so-called Washington Consensus — comprising measures aimed at expanding the role of markets and constraining the role of the state — has dominated economic development policy. As John Williamson, who coined the term, put it in 2002, these measures "are motherhood...

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