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Reader Mail
Dec 27, 2007

Belief in UFOs proves unshakable

An AFP article last week quoted the "science minister" as saying he hopes aliens exist. In the delightful decades I've spent in Japan, of the wonderfully wacky beliefs that people discuss -- from blood-type personalities to unlucky calendar days to ghosts haunting mansions -- the most unbelievable is...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 27, 2007

The flash of the unflashy

Although much fanfare, excited TV coverage and celebrity casts accompanied the opening of new theatrical venues in Tokyo this year, such as Akasaka Red Theater, Theater Creation in Hibiya and Owl Spot in Ikebukuro, many would be hard pressed to truly wax lyrical about Japan's drama world over the last...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 27, 2007

Always thinking big

There's no shortage of pop musicians who reached their creative peak in their 20s, then struggled to remain productive and relevant after the flush of youth failed them. Think of Brian Wilson, Syd Barrett and even John Lennon.
COMMENTARY
Dec 26, 2007

A man of principles in desperate times

LOS ANGELES — There are times when — from a moral standpoint — men and women simply should not remain silent. In such times, seemingly fine lines need to be turned into unequivocal hard lines. This is when the men and women of conscience stand out.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Dec 26, 2007

Wrapping up the year with dollops of whale and tuna

With Christmas behind us and New Year's less than a week away, this month's column combines a bit of yearend desk clearing with some suggestions for belated stocking stuffers.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2007

Cabinet OKs slim budget hike for '08

The Cabinet on Monday approved a budget worth ¥83.06 trillion for fiscal 2008, featuring more tax grants and subsidies to rural areas to revive regional economies and cover higher social security costs, but some experts view the package as an attempt to woo voters at the expense of true fiscal reform....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Dec 25, 2007

Natsuki Maeda

Shop clerk Natsuki Maeda, 19, is a charismatic fashion leader in Tokyo's world-famous Shibuya 109 building, the epicenter of cool threads for girls and for women who, regardless of their age, would like to look as young as they feel. Working in one of the 100 shops here is synonymous with celebrity status,...
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 23, 2007

When World Series ball becomes chew toy, there's lesson to be learned

Leave it to a pooch to put things in perspective.
LIFE
Dec 23, 2007

One missionary's 'swamp' is another's 'religion allergy' challenge

"For 20 years I labored in the mission. The one thing I know is that our religion does not take root in this country."
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2007

Poor nutrition negates hi-tech treatment

ROME — For most people reading this, in an era of obesity, the idea of going to the doctor when we are sick and being told to eat more is bizarre. And yet, for millions of people in the developing world, undernutrition is the root cause of many of their ailments. Eating more of the right food is actually...
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2007

High court upholds 20-year term for Shigenobu

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a 20-year prison term for one of the most notorious members of the Japanese Red Army, saying she played an indispensable role in plotting and aiding the 1974 seizure of the French Embassy in The Hague.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Dec 21, 2007

Draft budget prompts head-scratching

The fiscal 2008 draft budget unveiled Thursday by the Finance Ministry has prompted many economists to wonder whether the government's fiscal reconstruction goal will ever be achieved.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Dec 21, 2007

"Estrellas de la Linea"

Director: Chema Rodriguez
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 21, 2007

'L'heure zero'

French filmmaker Pascal Thomas has a thing about Agatha Christie. "L'heure zero (Toward Zero)" is his second adaptation of a mystery by the "Queen of Crime" following "Mon petit doigt ma dit . . . (By the Pricking of My Thumbs . . .)," and he re-creates the Christie microcosm, as before, with the earnest...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 21, 2007

'I carry The Who brand with pride'

I first met The Who's Pete Townshend 10 years ago at a hotel near his home in London for an interview. He entered the first-floor suite energetically. When he sat down, his crossed legs bounced with barely contained passion in response to each question.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 21, 2007

'Persepolis'

When Art Spiegelman's "Maus" came out in 1986 (a later edition would win a Pulitzer Prize in 1992), many mused that the graphic novel had come of age. Finally, it seemed, it was possible to meld words and pictures with the richness, depth, and insight of a novel. All sorts of topics could be tabled now,...
JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
Dec 21, 2007

To survive a corporate scandal or to crumble

Reflecting a year that was jam-packed with food makers' scandals, including false labeling, the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation announced earlier this month that "nise," meaning "fake," best symbolized 2008 in a single character.
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Dec 21, 2007

Broncos, Rizing develop at different pace

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — Two teams walked off the basketball court on Monday night with identical 5-7 records. These teams, however, have different tales to tell about what they hope to accomplish this season in the bj-league.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Dec 19, 2007

Just how low can Isiah's Knicks go?

NEW YORK — If we've learned one thing — and that's debatable — it's clear there are no lethal losses in the warped sports world of James Dolan.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Dec 19, 2007

There's no time like snow time!

As much as I enjoy the rich biodiversity of the Tropics — as anyone who read my column here last month on the wildlife of Brazil will know — my favorite season is winter.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Dec 19, 2007

The Nintendo DS levels up, and phones make kids safer

Double vision: Nintendo's two-screened DS is set to become even more of a must-have product thanks to the DSVision, which will allow users to watch videos and read e-books and manga on the portable console. Users simply download the media to their computer, transfer the content to a microSD card, and...
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2007

Prison eased for killer of parents

The Tokyo High Court on Monday trimmed two years off the prison sentence of an 18-year-old youth convicted of stabbing his parents to death and causing an explosion at the family's Tokyo residence in 2005, acknowledging the boy suffered at the hands of an abusive father.
Reader Mail
Dec 18, 2007

Task force can't save babies

Regarding the Dec. 9 article "Panel to seek ¥6.8 trillion to boost low birthrate": Instead of allocating this amount to a "task force" to address the problem, you can buy a temporary bed for ¥7,000. That would solve birthrate problems a lot better than a panel wasting money to come up with more pathetic...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 18, 2007

Taking time for younger children

Every morning I trundle my daughter onto my bicycle and up the hill to her public day-care center in central Tokyo before heading off to work.
EDITORIALS
Dec 18, 2007

Lessons from the OECD tests

Japanese first-year high school students who took part in a 2006 international survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development scored lower in every field than the Japanese students who took the tests in 2003. The survey focuses on children's ability to solve problems in adult life...

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight