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BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2011

Osaka's allure increases

Japanese companies may rethink their century-long trend of concentrating resources in Tokyo after the nation's record earthquake crimped power supply to the capital and radiation concern spurred some residents to flee.
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2011

Nuke crisis scares foreign buyers off seafood

Exports of Japanese seafood have been canceled by foreign buyers on concern that the products may have been contaminated by radiation leaking from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, a government official said.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2011

How the world can assist Japan

Japan is known not only for its experience with devastating disasters, but also for innovations in disaster risk reduction. Back in 1990, when the United Nations started its first International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction (1990-1999), Japan was one of the strongest supporters.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2011

Unrequited hope for Kan

OSAKA/LONDON — More than two weeks after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake triggered a horrendous tsunami and crippling damage to a major nuclear plant in northeast Honshu, it is as if Japan is still sleeping through a raging nightmare. Initially, economists tried to play down the damage, saying that this...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 29, 2011

From raw emotion to relief: 'Quakebook'

What started as the "Quakebook," now titled "2:46" after the time the earthquake hit, originated in a shower in Abiko, Chiba Prefecture, a week after the earthquake and tsunami devastated the Pacific coast of northern Honshu. A longtime British resident of Japan, who blogs as Our Man in Abiko, trying...
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2011

Season of special poignancy

The cherry trees will soon blossom in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2011

Tohoku disaster may bring automakers to their knees

The auto industry disruptions triggered by the disaster in Tohoku are about to get worse.
EDITORIALS
Mar 28, 2011

Preparation begins now

Even though the damage from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami is only beginning to be cleaned up, people should take time to prepare for future disasters. It is unknown when another large quake will hit Japan, but the continued aftershocks are insistent reminders to get ready in sensible and reasonable...
SOCCER
Mar 28, 2011

Saitama J. League clubs put skills to good use to lift evacuees' spirits

SAITAMA — Tuesday's charity match between the national team and a J. League select XI gives soccer a high-profile platform to contribute to disaster relief efforts, but beneath the radar the desire to make a difference is just as strong.
BASKETBALL
Mar 28, 2011

Nakamura gets reward as focused Phoenix beat Northern Happinets

FUJIEDA, Shizuoka Pref. — Kazuo Nakamura, the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix's excellent coach, expects superior results from his players. And he usually gets them.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2011

Signs of disaster were there to see

On Feb. 23, 2005, Kobe University professor Katsuhiko Ishibashi appeared before the Lower House Budget Committee and pointed out the risks of operating nuclear power plants in earthquake-prone Japan.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 27, 2011

Circumstances certain to make for challenging season

When it finally gets under way, this is going to be what one fan has called a "patchwork" baseball season in Japan.
COMMENTARY
Mar 27, 2011

Warning to the wise on nuclear plant risks

SINGAPORE — Whether Japan's nuclear reactor and spent fuel crisis is contained or becomes worse, it has raised concerns about the risks of generating electricity from atomic power, especially in places that are prone to earthquakes and tsunami.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Mar 27, 2011

Don't destroy that invader, it was here first!

NEW YORK — Among the most recent invaders of the United States to be exterminated that I learned about is the red lionfish. Before that, the Asian carp got all the attention. About the time the carp scare was quieting down the yellow jacket — yes, the wasp — came forward as a heinous invader to...
EDITORIALS
Mar 27, 2011

Tepco's common sense

On Thursday three workers were exposed to high levels of radiation inside Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The next day, the three were sent to the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba to undergo advanced emergency treatment. The accident raises...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Mar 27, 2011

Time for JBA to give up charade on merger

Under normal circumstances things move at a snail's pace within the Japan Basketball Association. So it's anyone's guess if talks between JBA officials and their bj-league counterparts will pick up anytime soon and/or if any progress will be made in the months to come for the creation of a new "top league"...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 26, 2011

Hey, look! No loot!

People around the world have marveled at the lack of mass-looting in Japan among the survivors of the recent earthquake and tsunami. Many people are still asking: Why was there no mass-looting?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 26, 2011

Canadian writer draws on creators' support for Tohoku

News stories around the world reveal a deluge of incomprehensible sameness, the debris of aggregate destruction overshadowing an area known for its rugged beauty and strong individuals.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Mar 26, 2011

Measuring what has happened

This is supposed to be a humor column.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / GLOBAL HUMAN RESOURCES SYMPOSIUM
Mar 26, 2011

Mix globalization and localization: experts

Companies in advanced economies need to work out new management strategies on globalization, especially as emerging markets account for an increasing portion of worldwide demand, Japanese and German scholars and business executives told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Mar 26, 2011

Prices fell 0.3% in February but rise may be in works

Deflation moderated in February even before the country's worst earthquake on record and the ensuing tsunami and nuclear crisis this month push up energy and food costs.
JAPAN / Q&A
Mar 25, 2011

It's in the water, food, soil: But what are the risks?

Radioactive materials from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant have been spreading, contaminating milk, vegetables, water and soil in Fukushima and neighboring prefectures.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2011

Despair engulfs Pakistani asylum seekers

In a ramshackle Yokohama house smelling of damp and rotting wood, Nasir Qadri and his family await their fate.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 25, 2011

'The Illusionist'

"The Illusionist," Sylvain Chomet's sentimental animated film about a fading vaudeville magician and the young runaway who comes under his wing, is a parable worth viewing, especially in these troubled times. For while it is a film about magic and the illusion that tricks can create, before the curtain...
COMMENTARY
Mar 25, 2011

'Protect' the Syrians next?

LONDON — March 18 saw the first nationwide protests against the Ba'ath regime in Syria. If these protests develop into a full-scale revolt, the regime's response may dwarf that of Moammar Gadhafi in Libya.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2011

Reveal fallout data: ex-nuke chief

A former acting head of the Atomic Energy Commission called Thursday for the government to tell the public how radioactive emissions have spread from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in the past and to predict future radiation exposure risks according to distance for the most critical scenarios....
Reader Mail
Mar 24, 2011

Foreign media pumped up fears

The international media should hang their collective heads in shame at the way they've reported the unfolding tragedy in Japan. It's an old cliche, but now that I live on the other side of the fence, it seems all the more clear: The media are willing to whip up more panic and put more people in danger...

Longform

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