Search - information

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Oct 12, 2006

Artist sees it upsidedown

The new exhibition at the Zenshi gallery in Kiyosumi is a breath of fresh air. Mikolaj Polinski's "One Day in Paradise" does not attempt to overwhelm the viewer with scale or new media technology, rather it operates from the simple but increasingly overlooked premise that good honest communication can...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 8, 2006

Mustering the will to prevent calamity

LONDON -- It's a law of physics that translates well into the behavior of human beings: The greater the mass involved, the more effort is needed to overcome its inertia. But it doesn't read very well as an epitaph for civilization.
EDITORIALS
Oct 8, 2006

Mr. Bush, a period and a comma

Copy editors and others who are persnickety about the English language probably know the witty American usage guide "Lapsing Into a Comma." The book is all about grammar and style and is well worth reading. But it's the title that's truly memorable -- and it has been in the air again recently thanks...
CULTURE / Books
Oct 8, 2006

Army specialist's take on Japanese studies

AMERICA'S JAPAN: The First Year 1945-1946, by Grant K. Goodman, translated by Barry D. Steben. New York: Fordham University Press, 2005, 155 pp., $24.95 (cloth). Grant K. Goodman is a professional historian of Japan, specializing in the relations between the Dutch and the Japanese in the Edo Period,...
EDITORIALS
Oct 7, 2006

Consequence of skating on thin ice

Mr. Katsuichiro Hisanaga, former head of the Japan Skating Federation, and two others have been arrested on suspicion of embezzling 5.8 million yen from the organization in 2002. The arrests are regrettable especially since Japan has produced world-class figure skaters in the past decade. This year Ms....
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 6, 2006

Rock, dance collide at outdoor fest

Billing itself as an outdoor festival in Tokyo "under the sun," the seventh Nagisa Music Festival takes place Oct. 14-15.
EDITORIALS
Oct 6, 2006

Encouragement for reporters

The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal filed by a U.S. health-food maker against a high court decision that upheld a reporter's right to keep a news source secret. The decision concerns an NHK report that the Japanese subsidiary of the company had underreported its revenues to reduce tax bills.
EDITORIALS
Oct 1, 2006

Mr. Abe takes the stage

I n his first Diet policy speech, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe emphasized opening the economy further, building a healthy, safe and "energized" society, carrying out financial reconstruction decisively, "resuscitating education" and switching to an assertive diplomacy.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2006

Abe makes reform pitch

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged Friday in his first Diet policy speech that the government will step up structural reforms, promote technological innovation to foster growth in the economy, and instill a nationalist mind-set.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Sep 30, 2006

Frances Fister-Stoga

The Linguapax Institute, located in Barcelona, Spain, is a nongovernmental organization affiliated with UNESCO. Linguapax Asia, associate of the Linguapax Institute, carries out the objectives of the institute and of UNESCO's Linguapax Project, with a special focus on Asia and the Pacific Rim. The objectives...
BUSINESS
Sep 30, 2006

Microsoft won't market Zune player in Japan

NEW YORK (Kyodo) Microsoft does not currently have plans to release its new Zune digital music player in Japan, Darren Huston, president and chief executive officer of Microsoft Co., the Japan unit of Microsoft Corp., told Kyodo News on Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 29, 2006

J-cool factor struggles to woo NYC

For someone who stands to gain from the hot topic of Japan's "Gross National Cool," Taeko Baba ought to be the last to pop the phenomenon's bubble.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 28, 2006

An Asian woman becomes aware

Thirty-one year-old playwright, director and actor Keishi Nagatsuka has been turning heads since he staged his first productions while still a student at Waseda University. In 1996 in Tokyo, he founded the Asagaya Spiders company, which has received glowing critical acclaim and regularly plays to full...
JAPAN
Sep 26, 2006

Abe to keep bureaucrat out of key post

In a bid to beef up the power of politicians, Shinzo Abe will not appoint an active bureaucrat to a key position in the prime minister's office that has been considered the top bureaucratic position in the entire country, a close aide to Abe said Monday night.
JAPAN
Sep 26, 2006

Ethnic minorities hope for better life post-Koizumi

Members of ethnic communities have expressed hope that the new administration, slated to be launched Tuesday by Shinzo Abe, will help improve their living conditions.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 26, 2006

Notary publics, free legal advice

Notary public K. thinks he has seen this question in Lifelines before, but he can't remember the answer.
Japan Times
LIFE
Sep 24, 2006

Koizumi's Shake, Rattle & Roll

Elvis impersonator? Japan's Thatcher? Faction buster? Nah, as the curtain falls on the Koizumi show, he will be remembered above all for his missed opportunities and self-indulgent gestures at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo -- that, and steamrollering the Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9 into oblivion....
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2006

Prince Hisahito's name added to royal registry

Newborn Prince Hisahito, the first heir to the throne born in 41 years, had his birth registered Thursday in the Imperial family registry, the Imperial Household Agency said.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2006

Government 'concerned' by Thai coup

Japan on Wednesday called the coup d'etat in Thailand "regrettable" and expressed strong hope that a democratic political system will be quickly restored to the country.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Sep 19, 2006

O-kyaku

Dear Alice,
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2006

Chronically hungry children of America

NEW YORK -- While it is normal to expect high levels of hunger and poverty in a developing country, it may come as a surprise to observe such conditions in one of the richest countries in the world. The Food Bank for New York City recently reported that nearly 20 percent of children in the city rely...
EDITORIALS
Sep 18, 2006

Share of urban wealth

While the gap between the haves and have-nots -- which is believed to have widened under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration -- has become a political issue, another economic gap deserves attention. This is the gap between the nation's business and economic centers and the countryside....
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 17, 2006

MLB scouts: Fukudome best Japanese position player in NPB

Who do you think is the best Japanese position player in Japanese baseball right now?
CULTURE / Books
Sep 17, 2006

Adding some passion to our plastic world

PLASTIC CULTURE: How Japanese Toys Conquered the World, by Woodrow Phoenix. Kodansha International, 2006, 112 pp., fully illustrated, 3,150 yen (cloth). Plastic toys were once considered cheap, disposable and replaceable -- bright and cheerful mass-manufactured dolls, model cars and trinkets that needed...
EDITORIALS
Sep 17, 2006

Have a nice 'sol'

It's that time again. Every so often, life on our planet just seems so bleak there's nowhere to look but out. That was certainly the case this past week. Not only did the usual whack-a-mole wars keep flaring and simmering, even good things had their dark sides. Here in Japan, the welcome birth of a prince...

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