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Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Apr 15, 2008

Pecha Kucha! Ping! Monozukuri gets hot!

Good things come from small packagers, according to new online design magazine PingMag MAKE.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 15, 2008

TSE shrugs off pitfalls in quest to be a hit

It was reported earlier this month that Tata Motors Ltd., India's largest automobile company, plans to debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange this year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2008

Russia's boom times stretch to Niigata

NIIGATA — Ripples from Russia's booming economy have crossed the Sea of Japan, lapping at the shores of Niigata Prefecture and leading to strengthened ties.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 11, 2008

A manga drunk on French wine

Hearing a 2001 Mont-Perat described as "just like a rock concert by Queen" is enough to make any self-respecting Frenchman expel a snort of derision from his finely-tuned nostrils.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 8, 2008

National holidays trace roots to China, ancients, harvests

Golden Week is approaching, covering four national holidays from late April to early May.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 1, 2008

BOJ finds itself in 'unpresidented' state

The divided Diet has left the Bank of Japan with a vacant seat at the top for the first time since the war. This came about after Toshihiko Fukui's five-year term ended in mid-March and the government's nominees to succeed him were vetoed.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 25, 2008

Basics of the U.S. military presence

The issue of U.S. military forces in Japan has come to the fore again following the alleged rape of a 14-year-old Okinawan girl by a U.S. Marine. Although the girl has withdrawn the accusation, locals and politicians have seized on the incident — a reminder of the 1995 gang rape of a 12-year-old girl...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 18, 2008

Scales of justice: Legal system looks for right balance of lawyers

Judicial reform is having a quick and dramatic impact on the legal profession, not least on the number of lawyers. In March 2002, the government decided to increase the number of those who pass the bar exam to 3,000 a year by 2010. Only 1,000 were passed in 1999.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2008

Key sectors to hike pay but amid caution

Major automakers and electronics companies said Wednesday they will raise base wages and bonuses for a third consecutive year but the increases will be moderate this time because of global economic uncertainties.
BASKETBALL
Mar 12, 2008

Diouf receives weekly accolade

Saitama Broncos small forward Mamadou Diouf played a pivotal role in his team's two-game sweep over the two-time defending champion Osaka Evessa last weekend.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 11, 2008

Solar power shines through as energy option

Solar power is in the spotlight as concerns over global warming mount. Many European countries, especially Germany, as well as Japan and others have embraced solar technologies as a green alternative to fossil fuels.
LIFE / Language
Mar 11, 2008

Smart tips for avoiding those 'White Day' blues

This coming Friday, March 14, is Howaito Dei (White Day), when males follow the custom of reciprocating the Valentine's Day chocolates (or other gifts) they received a month earlier.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 9, 2008

Crown Prince could lead the way in effort for mutt emancipation

Next month, the environment ministry and the health ministry will jointly implement a new law that provides subsidies to local government health centers for the feeding of abandoned or captured dogs and cats. The money is designed to make it possible for these centers to take care of the animals an extra...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 4, 2008

Politics in game of never-ending musical chairs

A nearly unbroken line of Liberal Democratic Party politicians has headed the government since the party's 1955 formation. This dominance, however, was shaken by the stunning victory of the Democratic Party of Japan in the July 2007 House of Councilors election. In this reshaped political landscape,...
EDITORIALS
Mar 2, 2008

Education reform in reverse

The education ministry has unveiled drafts of revised courses of study for elementary and middle schools. The new courses of study will become effective in fiscal 2011 for elementary schools and in fiscal 2012 for middle schools. For the first time in 30 years, the drafts call for increasing the number...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 26, 2008

Japan needs imports to keep itself fed

After a spate of food mislabeling frauds and the recent scare over pesticide-laced "gyoza" dumplings imported from China, consumers are perhaps more conscious than ever of the origin of what they eat. Many routinely check the origins of the foods they buy, especially imported products, which Japan relies...
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA / STYLE WISE
Feb 26, 2008

Harajuku's "Style Deficit Disorder," model Irina Lazareanu gets wicked and more

Cure for disorder The popular fashion hub Harajuku is the subject of a fascinating new book by Tokyo-based editor and creative consultant Tiffany Godoy. Rich in detail and accompanied by some remarkable images, her book, "Style Deficit Disorder" (Chronicle Books), documents the history of the area from...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 24, 2008

Coming of age mini-series, cop-thriller-drama, Kazakhstan documentary

Owing presumably to TV viewers' dwindling attention spans, drama series are becoming shorter. This week, Fuji TV presents a four-part dramatization of an award-winning novel over the course of four consecutive nights rather than four consecutive weeks.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2008

'Talk' therapy helps against inhibitions

Cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy are widely known abroad to be effective in treating depression.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 19, 2008

CO2 trading mirrors, but still smoke?

Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, the world has been spewing out greenhouse gases that now threaten the global ecosystem. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 379.1 parts per million in 2005, or 35 percent higher than the estimated level before...
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...
BASKETBALL
Feb 13, 2008

Oita's Ellis receives weekly award

Oita HeatDevils big man Andy Ellis missed all seven of his 3-point shots in Saturday's game against the Niigata Albirex BB. But he made his final shot of the game: a slam dunk with one second left after he grabbed an offensive rebound. That gave Oita a 73-72 victory. Ellis finished with 22 points and...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2008

Crown Princess panned for living high life

First, Crown Princess Masako feasted on classy Mexican fare from a 13-dish special menu in her honor. Then it was roast duck and shark's fin soup at a top Chinese eatery. A month later, she enjoyed a sumptuous repast at a French restaurant where the course featured exquisite black truffles.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 5, 2008

WiMAX set to alter wireless landscape

Now that the government has licensed use of the 2.5-gigahertz bandwidth, Japan will soon be joining South Korea, Taiwan and others in offering next-generation wireless services for users of mobile phones and computers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 2, 2008

Celebrating black Americans in Yamanashi

American diplomat Ayanna Hobbs is a dynamo of energy and enthusiasm. She's just finished her weekly Japanese class, and thinks it the most amazing coincidence that her wonderful teacher happens to be from Yamanashi, the prefecture that lies so close to her heart.
Reader Mail
Jan 31, 2008

Justice minister's cultural brains

David McNeill's Jan. 27 article, "Justice minister talks in death-penalty riddles," cites a clunky and faulty translation of an interview with Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama. However one may disagree with Hatoyama's civilization theories, his arguments are clear. According to the interview, as published...

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?