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JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 23, 2010

Greater peacekeeping role OK, not truce enforcement

Japan has often been criticized by the international community for resorting to "checkbook diplomacy" instead of committing uniformed personnel to danger zones as part of U.N. peacekeeping operations, but the ruling Democratic Party of Japan has signaled it wants that to change.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 16, 2010

Crisis-handling goes far beyond apology bow

Toyota Motor Corp. recent massive global recalls and subsequent safety worries should serve as a wakeup call for many Japanese companies seemingly ill-prepared to survive corporate crises.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 14, 2010

Beauty transformation, documentary on working poor; CM of the week: Kirin's Sekai no High Ball

The makeover variety show "Kasupe! Beauty Colosseum" was a weekly series up until a few years ago, and its return to Fuji TV this Tuesday at 7 p.m. is for a 2-hour " kiseki no daigekihen " (miracle super change) special.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 9, 2010

TV gets fickle fans flocking to fads to shed fat

Many people in Japan, especially young women, are keen to diet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 2, 2010

All movies subject to rating, even cuts

Moviegoers in Japan may have noticed that either during the opening or ending credits of a feature film, a mark appears on the screen bearing two kanji enclosed in a circle.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Feb 26, 2010

No excuse for poor results at free-throw line

Any league that doubles in size in its first five years will experience growing pains, and there's really no way to avoid this.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Feb 24, 2010

Pulse Rate: 社畜 (shachiku)

In our new series, Pulse Rate looks at why everyone seeking info on 'corporate cattle' and black-listed companies in Japan's search engines.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 23, 2010

Joint effort on track to take shinkansen system to U.S.

When U.S. President Barack Obama took office, one thing he pitched was a "Green New Deal" that would reduce fossil fuel use, and high-speed passenger trains like those in Japan and Europe were part of his sweeping plan.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Feb 19, 2010

Broncos appear content with mediocrity

If a team is winning most of its games, it's probably wise not to shake things up and make a major overhaul to its roster.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 16, 2010

Steeped in tradition, Shinto, sumo is also scandal-stained

The national sport of sumo traces its origins to an early Shinto ritual to pray for a bountiful harvest, and the professional tournaments of today date to the 17th century during the Edo Period.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Feb 12, 2010

Albirex lose leading scorer Butorac to injury

The Niigata Albirex BB will be without their leading scorer for a month. Center Paul Butorac sustained a broken bone on his pinkie finger at practice on Feb. 2, and he will be sidelined for four weeks, a team official confirmed on Monday.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 9, 2010

Japan team has foot in World Cup door but can it kick?

Japan established its presence in the baseball universe after winning the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 and repeating the feat in 2009. But when it comes to soccer, the national squad is seen by many as a nonfactor heading into June's World Cup in South Africa.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Feb 7, 2010

Taeko Tomiyama: Brushing with authority

I will never forget the day I went to a show titled "Embracing Asia: Taeko Tomiyama Retrospective 1950-2009," which was one of 370 art exhibits by creators from 40 countries comprising the fourth Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial staged over 50 days last autumn at locations across a huge area of rural Niigata...
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2010

Sumo failed to keep champ in check

Yokozuna Asashoryu, who announced his retirement Thursday, is one of the strongest sumo wrestlers of modern times.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 6, 2010

Journalist gives voice to voiceless

Shin Yamaaki is not familiar with the story of David and Goliath, but she has long understood the plight of the underdog. A chance experience in her 20s forged Yamaaki, 38, into who she is today: a woman who takes on global issues by giving voice to people who might go unheard.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2010

Is the Russian economy out of the woods?

MOSCOW — Has Russia's economic crisis ended? That depends on who you ask. Ask Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, or any official of his United Russia party, and you will be told, "Of course it is over." They will even produce proof in the form of an unemployment rate that does not rise, unprecedented increases...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 2, 2010

ETIC looks to lighten JAL's load

Japan Airlines Corp.'s bankruptcy filing last month has cast the spotlight on Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. of Japan, a government-backed corporate rehabilitation body.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2010

Ozawa undergoes second round of questioning

Democratic Party of Japan kingpin Ichiro Ozawa said Monday he has undergone a second round of questioning by prosecutors over accounting irregularities involving his fund management body.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 26, 2010

No solution in sight for fight over whales

A Japanese whaling ship's Jan. 6 collision with antiwhaling group Sea Shepherd's high-speed boat made headlines in Japan, Australia and other countries, illustrating the keen global interest in the issue.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan