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JAPAN
Jan 1, 2009

Ozawa bids to win over young on Aso's 'otaku' turf

On the last day of 2008, Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa showed up at an event held in Tokyo's Akihabara district — home to Prime Minister Taro Aso's "otaku" geeks fan base — apparently to steal some of Aso's thunder.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2008

Blood types — do they shape a personality or mere stereotypes?

Can blood type determine character?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 23, 2008

Children say the darndest things

Another holiday season is upon us. There is a nip in the air, lights of all colors twinkle throughout neighborhoods and cityscapes across the country, and holiday cheer radiates throughout our schools, workplaces and communities. During this festive time, friends and families often come together in true...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 23, 2008

Gay scene: Tolerance, legal limbo

Some countries see homosexuality as a crime punishable by death, while others are open to diversity and make no judgment on the basis of one's sexual orientation.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 16, 2008

Japan aches for a political rescue

Time appears to be ripe for a complete overhaul of the Japanese political landscape, but it is utterly impossible to predict how political parties will line up after the next general election.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 9, 2008

Plastic surgery, ethical doctors and disability discrimination in public schools

Cosmetic-makeover show "Beauty Colosseum" (Fuji, Tues., 7 p.m.) returns to the airwaves this week with a two-hour special that features examples of some of the newest technological advances in plastic surgery.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2008

'Freeter' marchers get leg up online

Thwarted in the real world in their attempt to glimpse Prime Minister Taro Aso's famously grand Tokyo mansion, a group of young people is finding better success at getting their message out in cyberspace.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2008

Dalai Lama admits his approach to Tibet greater autonomy has failed

The Dalai Lama said Monday that his approach to Tibet's greater autonomy has so far failed, and that Tibetans should decide for themselves the future direction the region should take.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Nov 4, 2008

Truth: a delicate matter of give and take

Every activist and essayist must deal with a singular phenomenon when addressing the public: just how "truthful" one should be.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 24, 2008

Film fest offers the Himalayas

The stunning snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas are certainly a joy to behold — or, for some, to climb. For those not up to the cost or exertion of such an endeavor, the Himalaya Film Festival from Nov. 1 to 3 offers an experience in armchair mountaineering.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 12, 2008

Murasaki Shikibu glimpsed behind the screens of time

"Genius" is one of those overused words, but few would argue that it is rightly applied to Murasaki Shikibu, whose book "The Tale of Genji" is not only the world's first novel, but is a work that has delighted and perhaps even guided countless millions of people in the 1,000 years since she wrote it....
Reader Mail
Oct 2, 2008

Education remark on target

Regarding the Sept. 28 article "Nakayama to quit Cabinet after gaffes": It is interesting that former transport minister Nariaki Nakayama took heat because of his verbal gaffe about (among other topics) the teachers union in Japan. I'm a teacher in the United States and a member of a huge teachers union....
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2008

Ozawa, DPJ have to prove they can govern

Now that Ichiro Ozawa has officially been handed a third term as president of the Democratic Party of Japan, the DPJ is gearing up for the upcoming general election in hopes of taking control of the government under Ozawa's leadership.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Sep 10, 2008

NihonHacks.com

Japan is not the cheapest place to live, and it can be frustratingly confusing, even for long-timers. Fortunately, there is NihonHacks.com, the blog devoted to tips for stretching your yen and saving time, courtesy of American-born, Japan-based blogger Thomas Hjelm (with some input from his wife and...
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2008

'Manga' viewed as vibrant info conduit

KYOTO — In Japan and other parts of Asia, "manga" comic books are not only escapist entertainment but also a powerful and effective medium to educate a broad range of people on important topics like environmental conservation and food safety.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2008

Horie resumes blog after long cybersilence

Former Internet venture star Takafumi Horie is staging a comeback, but quietly, and with far less attention than he sought during his high-tech heyday a few years ago.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Aug 16, 2008

Geeks I have known

The meeting itself is not unusual. I have had students seek my consul before — on all kinds of topics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 8, 2008

'The Dark Knight'

Like a plague of locusts, the superhero movies descend on us this summer. August brings us "Hancock," with Will Smith as an alcoholic, irresponsible and quite unfunny superhero; "The Incredible Hulk," which is practically a remake of 2003's "Hulk (presumably Ang Lee's version wasn't stupid enough); and...
CULTURE / Books
Aug 3, 2008

Japan politics in the 'short 20th century'

MARUYAMA MASAO and THE FATE OF LIBERALISM IN TWENTIETH- CENTURY JAPAN by Karube Tadashi, translated by David Noble. I-House Press, 2008, 212 pp., ¥2,500 (cloth) Masao Maruyama was one of the most influential contemporary Japanese intellectuals. Tadashi Karube is his heir in the sense that he is a professor...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Aug 3, 2008

Jiang Rong: Writing in a world of wolves

Jiang Rong (pen name of Lu Jiamin), who is now 62, was born in Jiangsu Province, China, and educated in Beijing. In 1967, at age 21, he volunteered to go and work in Inner Mongolia, where he'd heard about the practice of people there paying homage to "wolf totems" erected in the rolling grasslands that...
OLYMPICS
Jul 29, 2008

Olympians get spirited sendoff

Four years after Japan's best-ever performance in the Summer Olympics — a 37-medal effort in Athens — the nation is gearing up for 2008's biggest sporting extravaganza in style.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jul 29, 2008

Dealing with the fairer sex; getting more from rail passes

Mac has a Japanese girlfriend and sometimes feels completely lost as to what is going on.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 22, 2008

Clustering with the Europeans

Japan was among the 111 countries that took part in an international conference held in Dublin, Ireland, in May and unanimously adopted a treaty that, in principle, prohibits all signatories from using, developing, producing, stockpiling, retaining or transferring cluster munitions.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 20, 2008

Tokyo: A guide for a certain type of resident

TOKYO: The Complete Residents' Guide, by Andy Sharp, Beau Miller, Frank Spignese, Jennifer Geaconne-Cruz, Julian Satterthwaite, Karryn Cartelle, Tamsin Bradshaw. Dubai: Explorer Group, Ltd., 2008, 444 pp., profusely illustrated, $14.99 (paper) This book, says the introduction, "is going to help you to...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Jul 19, 2008

My Life as a Gaijin, Kimono Reincarnate

My Life as a Gaijin and Kimono Reincarnate are two different blogs written by Melanie Gray Augustin. The former centers around the experiences of an Australian native living and teaching English in a foreign land, while the latter offers a taste of her artistic interests and entrepreneurial efforts...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 15, 2008

Keidanren hedging bets on LDP

The Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) is showing signs of changing its unflinching support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as it seeks closer ties with the No. 1 opposition Democratic Party of Japan.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past