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BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2008

Matsushita gives way to Panasonic

A famous corporate brand name will disappear Wednesday when Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. abandons the name of its founder in an attempt to evolve into a truly global corporation.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Oct 1, 2008

Helping a healthy river flow

My eldest daughter, Miwako, gave birth to twin girls in March of this year, raising the number of my grandchildren to five. So, when my busy schedule finally permitted, I recently nipped over to Vancouver to see them all and to help out Miwako and her partner, Don McCubbing, by being houseboy and chief...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / IN BLOOM
Oct 1, 2008

Balloon vine

Whither does he make his way?Only where the autumn winds blow The little pilgrim!
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Oct 1, 2008

These babies offer a different perspective

Right angles: Photographic creativity lies in the choice of focus. Being able to isolate the subject while the rest of the picture is reduced to a blur is an eye-catching technique.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2008

Japan sweats as U.S. rescue stalls

The uncertainty swirling around the financial crisis in the United States has sparked concerns in Japan that more bad news is on the way for exporters, consumption and the economy, analysts said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 30, 2008

Election promises

With the next general elections expected to be held soon, both Prime Minister Taro Aso and the Democratic Party of Japan led by Mr. Ichiro Ozawa are making policy proposals designed to appeal to as many voters as possible. Given the nation's past experiences and its financial conditions, both need to...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 30, 2008

Foreign automakers race to set up in Thailand

AYUTTHAYA, Thailand — Empty of machinery, the new high-ceilinged, white-walled Honda assembly plant here is cavernous. By late October, though, the building will be humming with life when production begins. It's all part of the carmaker's plan for Thailand to play a bigger role in its global strategy....
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 28, 2008

Fall dramas about geisha, Ganesha and funereal pandemonium

NHK starts a new six-month-long asa-dora (morning drama) on Monday. These popular serials traditionally launch the careers of the young actresses who play the heroines, but "Dan Dan" (More and More; NHK-G, M-F, 8:15 a.m.; BS-2, M-F, 7:45 a.m.) stars twins Mana and Kana Mikura, who appeared in an asa-dora...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2008

Israel looks ready for an atypical leader

HAIFA, Israel — Famously irreverent, Israelis tend to call their leaders by their first name or childhood nickname. But don't be fooled: Tzipora "Tzipi" Livni is nobody's close friend. Her dry style, personal remoteness and forced smiles make her an atypical Israeli. Perhaps the country needs exactly...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 27, 2008

Tell me 'taint so!

Dear Prime Minister Aso,
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2008

Iwojima vet revisits 'Hell Island'

The tunnels of Iwojima snake deep beneath the volcanic rock and soil, their entrances camouflaged by a dense tangle of vines and tall grasses.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 26, 2008

Something fishy going on

I 'm just your average fish, so cormorants are a pretty scary prospect — even at the best of times.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Sep 26, 2008

"Wanted"

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 26, 2008

'Be Kind Rewind'

How much cute can a straight man generate (and we're not talking about his looks here) without getting thwacked on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper? If the man happens to be French filmmaker Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "The Science of Sleep") the answer is: TONS. During...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 26, 2008

'Tokyo Sonata'

Kiyoshi Kurosawa has long been filed under "horror director," though his take on the genre is anything but standard. The villain of "Cure," his deeply creepy 1997 breakout film, is not a maniac with a sharp-edged weapon but a blank-faced drifter who hypnotizes his victims into killing themselves.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / LIQUID CULTURE
Sep 26, 2008

Red Carpet treatment

Like Da Vinci or Mozart, every bartender wants to make something that lives on after they die," says Takahiro Watanabe of the Keio Plaza Hotel's Polestar bar. "A bartender's dream is to make a cocktail that appears on every bar's menu."
COMMENTARY
Sep 25, 2008

Bright side of the U.S. financial meltdown

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Rather than curse the current financial darkness, let us try to light candles. Without blowing our credibility entirely, let us see if we can illuminate the brighter side of this global meltdown. Here is a trio of pluses to try on for size.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 25, 2008

Aso policies seen as short-term fix

Prime Minister Taro Aso's choices for finance and economic ministers failed to impress economists Wednesday, who said they are not likely to take bold measures to shore up an economy threatened by the global economic downturn.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Sep 23, 2008

Vivienne Sato

Vivienne Sato is a unique cultural concierge in Tokyo, full of the lowdown on both high art and mass culture. Vivi knows what and who's happening in the city 24/365, and if she's present, the party is on till the wee-wee hours. Always dressed to the nines — and often to the nine hundreds — with her...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 23, 2008

Hat headaches, work woes

Alan wants to know where he can get a Panama hat cleaned and blocked.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Sep 23, 2008

Robot development takes a homeward turn

While Japanese robotics companies have made robots that look and move like human beings, the goal of making a society where human beings and robots interact in everyday life has remained out of reach.
TENNIS
Sep 22, 2008

Awesome Safina breezes to Toray Pan Pacific win

Russia's Dinara Safina hailed her "best ever tennis" as she swept past compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova to win the Toray Pan Pacific Open final in straight sets on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2008

Indonesia's miraculous 'free' democracy

JAKARTA — Modern miracles do happen. Ten years ago, as the Asian financial crisis savaged Indonesia's economy, many experts predicted that the country would become unstable, if not splinter. Instead, Indonesia, the world's most populous Islamic country, has emerged as a beacon of freedom and democracy...
EDITORIALS
Sep 21, 2008

New, centenarian society

This year's Respect for the Aged Day, last Monday, found a lot more aged to respect than ever before. According to Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry statistics, over 36,000 people in Japan are now over 100 years old. Many others are close behind. Over 28 million people were aged 65 and over, one-quarter...
Reader Mail
Sep 21, 2008

That missing native quality

In his Sept. 2 article, "Once a 'gaijin,' always a 'gaijin,' " Debito Arudou seems beside himself with the prospect that he, a naturalized Japanese who adopted Japan as his home and who made efforts to learn the language and customs, will likely never be fully accepted by the Japanese as a Japanese....
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / WEEK 3
Sep 21, 2008

Rail feat rained off

When the driver of a bullet train momentarily applies the brakes, passengers greet the reduction in speed with a slight, G-force-induced nod of the head, and not much else.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Sep 21, 2008

Marshall bids bj-league farewell

Any new sports league will face bumps on the road to respectability. Players, coaches and front-office types will work incredibly long hours as they strive to give the fans a product they want to care about.
EDITORIALS
Sep 19, 2008

Turning point for Zimbabwe

In what could be a historic moment for Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe and Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), have signed a power-sharing agreement.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan