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Reader Mail
Jan 28, 2007

Information there for the taking

Jeff Kingston, in his Jan. 21 review of the book "Asian Labor in the Wartime Japanese Empire," states that "Knowledge among Japanese about wartime forced labor is sketchy and thus it might come as some surprise that there are five chapters on Indonesia." Apart from whether knowledge among Japanese about...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 28, 2007

Natto nonsense lands television show in sticky mess

Unless you're a big fan of natto, those sticky fermented soybeans, you probably didn't pay much attention to Kansai Telecasting Corporation's (KTV) sudden apology Jan. 20 for misinformation that was given on one of its variety shows. Anyone who watches TV regularly has probably developed the ability...
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2007

Horie ends trial in defiant, tearful plea

Livedoor Co. founder Takafumi Horie broke into tears during the closing arguments of his high-profile trial Friday, claiming prosecutors lacked impartiality and overlooked evidence in their drive to have him found guilty.
JAPAN / Q&A
Jan 20, 2007

How safe is our food? -- Some answers

With the revelations last week that Fujiya Co. had been using expired ingredients in its products, concerns about food safety are growing. Below are answers to some questions about sanitation rules and the Fujiya scandal.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 19, 2007

Recital reunites teacher with pupil

The contrabassist Isao Fukazawa will perform a bass recital to celebrate 20 years as principal bassist of Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, at Kioi Hall, Tokyo, on Jan. 25. The program, quipped the "ultimate" contrabass concert program, presents masterpieces spanning many musical eras.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2007

Widely awaited BOJ rate hike a no-show

The Bank of Japan held its key short-term interest rate steady Thursday, confounding predictions of a rate hike by market-watchers and avoiding an expected clash with lawmakers.
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2007

Fuji Fire boosts disaster service

Fuji Fire & Marine Insurance Co. said Wednesday it will start a service in March under which staff will be dispatched to disaster sites so customers can quickly complete paperwork and receive insurance payments in as little as three days.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2007

New security body may form policymaking core

A government panel planning a new, streamlined national security policymaking body agreed Monday that it should form an inner circle of the current Security Council of Japan and look at long-term policy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2007

Gore in town to push global-warming fight

Midway through a visit to Tokyo to promote his environmental documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth," former U.S. Vice President Al Gore on Monday made sure to praise Japan as the birthplace of the Kyoto Protocol.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 12, 2007

Iraqi play eschews straight acting

Next week, Tokyo audiences will have a rare chance to sample contemporary theater from Iraq, as one of the Middle East's most prominent directors, 56-year-old Salah Al-Kassab, presents his play "Dream in Baghdad," performed by five Iraqi actors. The play also tours Sendai and Sapporo.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 12, 2007

Folk spirit, dub groove

Like many aspects of Ainu culture, the music of Hokkaido's indigenous people is distinct from that of the rest of Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2007

Russia's progress and regress

SANTA MONICA, California -- Fifteen years after the Soviet Union collapsed and split apart, Russia still fits British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's characterization of Josef Stalin's Soviet Union nearly seven decades ago: "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 7, 2007

Japan is 'beautiful' -- and don't you dare disagree

Japanese tradition has it that your first dream of the new year (hatsuyume) is a portent of what is in store for you in the 12 months to come. There are three hatsuyume (wouldn't you just know that the Japanese would even designate dreams) they hold to be symbolic: If on the night of Jan. 1 you dream...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 7, 2007

How one merchant ship doomed a colony

Mrs Ferguson's Tea-Set, Japan, and The Second World War: The Global Consequences Following Germany's Sinking of The SS Automedon in 1940, by Eiji Seki. Global Oriental, 187 pp., 2007, £35 (cloth) On her way to Penang on Nov. 11, 1940, the Blue Funnel Line merchant vessel SS Automedon was sunk by the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 5, 2007

Rancid

It's been said many a time that all good things must come to an end. In the case of punk mainstays Rancid, 2006 saw two chapters in the band's career coming to a close.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 5, 2007

Win a chance to 'do' the Awa-odori

"Yokoso! Japan" is the government-led campaign that aims to increase the number of foreign visitors to Japan. As part of the campaign, on the third Friday of every month, it organizes a Japan Night.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 5, 2007

Donizetti's bel canto greats hit high notes

The Donizetti Theatre, one of Italy's best-known spaces for traditional opera, is currently touring Japan for the first time.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 4, 2007

Police look for killer of Williams

"Darrent was a guy that was always upbeat, always had a smile and he was a fierce competitor," said Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, fighting back tears.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2007

Foreign permanent residents on rise, filling gaps

Japan's population started declining in 2005, but in contrast, registered foreigners soared to a record high 2.01 million, a leap from 1.36 million a decade ago and accounting for 1.57 percent of the nation's total population.
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2006

Cops mark unsolved 2000 family killing

, speaks at the squad's meeting Saturday at Seijo Police Station in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo. KYODO PHOTO

Longform

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