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LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 21, 2010

New JLPT format: boon for some, bane for most

For students trying to leap the cavernous divide between Level 3 and Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) (日本語能力試験), a new test being held for the first time on July 4 breaks the task into two smaller, more manageable hops. Other students, though, might find that progress...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Apr 20, 2010

Takada enjoying rookie season with Evessa

The Japan Times will be featuring periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. The league's fifth season began in October. Hirohisa Takada of the Osaka Evessa is the subject of this week's profile.
COMMENTARY
Apr 20, 2010

Methane has scent of potential

SINGAPORE — Starting this month and extending through May, South Korea will resume exploratory drilling in waters off its east coast to find out whether a long-hidden energy resource can be turned into a new wellspring of natural gas. Other major energy users and importers, including the United States,...
EDITORIALS
Apr 20, 2010

Slack air safety inexcusable

Budget carrier Skymark Airlines' failure to uphold the fundamentals of airline safety were underlined by the transport ministry. After a three-week inspection of Skymark's operations, the ministry on April 6 issued a warning, ordering it to rectify 12 safety-related problems. The airline submitted its...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Apr 20, 2010

DVD should be seen by all in divorce process

Dear Prime Minister Hatoyama,
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 19, 2010

Hair restoration and the economics of great expectations

Reportedly 8 million men in Japan 'worry' about thinning hair, which adds up to a lot of customers . . . and lab rats.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 19, 2010

Despite struggles at nationals, swimmer Kitajima regains confidence

At the end of the day, Kosuke Kitajima was another swimmer who needs constant and extraordinary hard work to get a "W." But it seems that once he gets back on track, he can still be on top.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 18, 2010

China executions should have more Japanese talking

Two weeks ago when China executed four Japanese nationals for drug-smuggling, the Japanese government's response amounted to little more than a shrug. The ruling Democratic Party of Japan continually expressed "concern" over the executions, with different officials qualifying this concern as being strong...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Apr 18, 2010

U.K. chef hails sake as 'sexy'

London-based chef and TV presenter Silvena Rowe is best-known in Britain as an expert on eastern Mediterranean cuisine. But in Japan last month, she had her compass set entirely elsewhere — promoting the "sex appeal" of sake to Japan's younger generations.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Apr 18, 2010

Artist and architect rethink the condo

Drab, repetitive, formulaic, plain: some of the more polite adjectives that might be applied to most condominium design in Japan.
TENNIS
Apr 16, 2010

Nadal cruises into third round

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (AP) Rafael Nadal easily beat Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-0 Wednesday to win his 28th straight match at the Monte Carlo Masters, and top-seeded Novak Djokovic also won in straight sets to advance to the third round.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 16, 2010

Earth event touts green life

Your green persona might find some kindred spirits at Yoyogi Park this weekend.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 16, 2010

Finding beauty in the simplest of things

The Japan Folk Crafts Museum in Tokyo's Komaba area was founded by Muneyoshi Yanagi (1889-1961) in 1936 and built in the style of a traditional Japanese house. With natural light filtering through shoji screens, its unusual setting enhances the wonderful displays from its collection of folk-craft items...
JAPAN / POSTAL REFORM ROLLBACK
Apr 15, 2010

Reversal on deposit limit a major gamble for DPJ

The Cabinet's recent decision to accept a plan to double the ceiling on postal savings accounts to ¥20 million, as proposed by postal reform minister Shizuka Kamei, marks a drastic policy shift for the Democratic Party of Japan, which in the past argued the maximum should be halved from the current...
COMMENTARY
Apr 15, 2010

Why precious is strategic

Water, food, mineral ores and fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas are resources of the greatest strategic import. They hold the key to human development and, in the case of water and food, to even human survival.
JAPAN / POSTAL REFORM ROLLBACK
Apr 15, 2010

Postal privatization retreat assailed by finance sector

The decision by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his Cabinet to roll back postal privatization has infuriated private financial institutions that assume there won't be a level playing field if the government keeps its stake in Japan Post's savings and insurance units.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 15, 2010

Old faces need new approach with World Cup looming

National team manager Takeshi Okada has run out of games to assess contenders for his World Cup squad, but the real question now is not so much who he takes to South Africa as how he uses them.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Apr 15, 2010

Ear rakes

Dear Alice,
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 11, 2010

NPB commissioner Kato has big plans for game

Nippon Professional Baseball commissioner Ryozo Kato has a vision for Japanese baseball that stretches far beyond the nation's borders.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Apr 11, 2010

With Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, is a hit for the PSP at hand?

Konami bets the farm on mobile gaming and product tie-ins with the highly anticipated release of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for the PSP.
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 11, 2010

Outlook cloudy as Japan Fashion Week turns 10 in style

Japan Fashion Week made it to its 10th birthday in Tokyo Midtown just recently with a lineup stronger than ever — though its growth from here on may be stunted due to a looming budget crisis and failure to ride on the rolling wave of Asian consumption.
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 11, 2010

Fast fashion is on a roll

The meteoric rise of fast fashion in Japan and around the world has been the major style story of this new century.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years