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Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2010

On a mission to save bankrupt city

Naomichi Suzuki walked away from a stable job at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government last month, deciding he'd rather run for mayor of a bankrupt city in Hokkaido.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 10, 2010

When followers outdo the master

R. D. Laing, the leading light of the 1960s anti-psychiatry movement, believed that mental illnesses were natural responses to the unnatural stresses and strains of modern life. Something similar can be said about Surrealist art, which, at times, seems like an artistic reaction to a world that throws...
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Dec 10, 2010

Time for league to get wise, promote names

Here's a brilliant idea: Expose the masses to the bj-league's most prized assets, its former NBA players — Kyoto Hannaryz guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Tokyo Apache center Robert Swift and Saitama Broncos guard Kenny Satterfield and Apache coach Bob Hill, a veteran bench boss of four NBA teams — during...
COMMENTARY
Dec 9, 2010

No emissions deal at Cancun

LONDON — The U.N. climate summit in Cancun, Mexico, is nearing its end, and while the ending will not be as rancorous as last year's train wreck in Copenhagen, there will be no global deal on cutting greenhouse gas emissions this year either. However, there is some hope for the longer run.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Dec 9, 2010

Hibiya Matsumotoro owner Tetsuro Kosaka

Tetsuro Kosaka, 78, is the owner of Hibiya Matsumotoro, one of Japan's most historical restaurants. A three-story building resembling a cozy country estate, Matsumotoro was designed to sit in the center of Japan's first Western-style park, Hibiya Koen, and it has been in business since the park opened...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 8, 2010

Euro crisis reaches midlife

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Now that the European Union and the International Monetary Fund have committed 67.5 billion euro to rescue Ireland's troubled banks, is the euro zone's debt crisis finally nearing a conclusion?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2010

'Tree of Hope' lit up for refugees

The Christmas "Tree of Hope" was set aglow in Tokyo's Marunouchi district Tuesday by Princess Kiko and a group of schoolchildren to show support for refugee kids worldwide suffering in conflicts and hardship.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2010

Kabuki star apologizes for drunken brawl

Kabuki star Ichikawa Ebizo, injured during a midnight brawl in a Tokyo bar late last month, apologized Tuesday for disappointing his fans and promised to keep away from alcohol.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Dec 8, 2010

'Father of the Internet in Japan' predicts the future of networked devices and tells us why Japan must deregulate online healthcare

In 1990, Jun Murai, at the time an associate professor at Keio University in Tokyo, made a prediction in an article in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. When asked what the future of computer systems would look like, he described a world where, on one level there would be a network, on a second level computers...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Dec 8, 2010

A relationship with the city

I magine you live in a house that communicates with you through an interface resembling the futuristic info-graphics in the science-fiction movie "Minority Report" — where actor Tom Cruise interacted with icons on an holographic touch screen. For example, a kitchen appliance, such as your fridge, displays...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 8, 2010

When even teachers run to get things done

It's here: Shiwasu (師走, the month of December), whose kanji characters are composed of shi (師, teacher) and hashiru (走る, running) — put them together and you get a month so busy and jam-packed with events that even teachers have to sprint to get everything done.
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2010

Autoliv has $1 billion for Japan acquisitions: CEO

Autoliv Inc., the world's largest maker of automotive air bags and seat belts, has about $1 billion to spend in Japan and fast-growing segments such as electronic accident prevention, according to Chief Executive Officer Jan Carlson. "We're better equipped to do acquisitions, and we are looking to do...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Dec 7, 2010

Japan loses, rest of the world gains from 'one citizenship fits all' policy

Dear Diet Member Keiichiro Asao:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 7, 2010

Abuse rife within trainee system, say NGOs

In October 1999, 19 Chinese trainees came to the Takefu city office pleading for help. In their first year in Japan as interns, the women had been promised ¥50,000 a month, but scraped by on ¥10,000. The next year, as technical trainees, they should have received ¥115,000 a month. After health insurance,...
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2010

Hitachi develops rare-earth recycling machine

Hitachi Ltd. said it has developed machinery to harvest rare earth metals from discarded hard-disk drives and compressors as electronics makers seek to reduce their reliance on Chinese supply.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2010

Uniqlo billionaire Yanai goes back to the basics

Tadashi Yanai, Japan's richest man, used advice from management guru Peter Drucker to build his Uniqlo clothing empire. To pull out of a slump that's hammered profits and shares, the billionaire is revisiting the lessons.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2010

India moving to pole position for Security Council challenge

LONDON — U.S. President Barack Obama made a splash in India recently when he indicated that the United States would back India's bid for a permanent seat on an expanded United Nations Security Council.
BASKETBALL
Dec 5, 2010

Hamamatsu holds off Saitama, wins 12th straight

The defending champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix extended their winning streak to 12 games on Saturday, beating the host Saitama Broncos 73-71.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 5, 2010

Privacy is losing its very meaning

Words come and words go. Times change, language evolves.
CULTURE / Books
Dec 5, 2010

Erotic destiny, palace intrigue

Based on apparent "past-life memories," this historical novel by shamanic witch, priestess and time-traveler Cerridwen Fallingstar takes place in 12th- century Japan in the period leading up to the Genpei War between the Taira (Heike) and the Minamoto (Genji) clans.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 5, 2010

Cabrera looking for work after injury-plagued season

There has been a lot of cross-traffic in recent days with players switching from one Japanese team to another or heading for the majors. One question yet to be answered, though, is: Where will Alex Cabrera play in 2011?
BASKETBALL
Dec 4, 2010

Apache, Alvark hold historic scrimmage

The bj-league's Tokyo Apache and JBL's Toyota Alvark have knocked down the first barrier separating the nation's two professional basketball leagues, even if it happened in secrecy, The Japan Times has learned.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Dec 4, 2010

Tigers and lions and bears, oh my!

I have always enjoyed a good zoo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2010

Sudan decision day looms: minister

The fate of Sudan will be decided in a referendum expected in January to let the strife-torn south determine whether to stay in the country or become independent.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 3, 2010

Carl Craig

In April 2000, Tokyo nightclub Womb opened its doors and became one of the cornerstones of Japan's dance-music scene. This weekend, the club brings music fans the third installment of their Womb Adventure event, which adopts the theme of "expansion of reality." Though the club is located in Tokyo's Shibuya...
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2010

Grad gets 18 years for killing professor

Lay and professional judges sentenced a Chuo University graduate Thursday to 18 years in prison for stabbing his professor to death last year on the school's Korakuen campus in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 3, 2010

There are no words to describe the mystery of the ancient 'rubber people'

That which we know the least about is often the most interesting. A case in point is the civilization of the Olmecs. This flourished in Mexico between 1500 B.C and 400 B.C., leaving behind much intriguing evidence in its art and archaeological remains but no written record to explain anything. Because...

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb