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COMMENTARY
May 10, 2008

Japan needs a dose of Koizumi's old magic

I wish more people understood Japan better. I wish I understood Japan better.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
May 10, 2008

Washington helped Evessa down stretch, but did not deserve MVP

The bj-league is working tirelessly around the clock to make itself a recognizable product — a collection of teams, coaches and players that is identifiable and popular — in a nation where basketball plays second fiddle to almost every other sport. And it deserves credit for elevating the profile...
COMMENTARY
May 9, 2008

How to succeed in Burma with a practical approach

NEW DELHI — Such is the tragedy that Burma symbolizes that, in one week, it has been hit by new U.S. sanctions and by a tropical cyclone that left thousands dead.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 9, 2008

The Breeders: 'What took you so long?'

Despite being the indie buff's band of choice for the best part of two decades, you wouldn't call The Breeders prolific. "Mountain Battles," released this month, will be only the band's fourth album since it formed in Dayton, Ohio, in 1988, and its first since 2002's "Title TK." With a history dogged...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 9, 2008

Festival to serve up tastes, sounds of Thailand

Spicy tom yam kung (spicy shrimp soup) blende with Singha beer, beautiful Thai silk and traditional dancing.
EDITORIALS
May 9, 2008

Smoother path between rivals

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Chinese President Hu Jintao, in their meeting in Tokyo this week, reconfirmed the importance of the Japan-China relationship and showed their determination to put it on a smooth path through dialogue and cooperation by "looking toward the future." Mr. Hu's visit to Japan,...
BUSINESS
May 8, 2008

Market promising if MHI gets regional jet off ground

Backed by growing global demand for small, energy-efficient aircraft, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. officially decided last month to enter the promising market.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 8, 2008

Saskia Olde Wolbers: deceptive images, deceptive tales

If only every piece of video art started with the line: "Here I am lying next to my lover Jean, in intensive care."
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
May 6, 2008

Activism vs. academia

Back in January, I was a panelist at Waseda University's Global Institute for Asian Regional Integration, invited to give an "activist's perspective" to an academic crowd.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 5, 2008

Evessa turn back Tokyo

Matt Lottich, Mikey Marshall, Jeff Newton and Lynn Washington combined for 62 of the Evessa's 66 points in their 66-56 win over the Tokyo Apache in the bj-league championship game on Sunday at Ariake Colosseum.
BASKETBALL
May 4, 2008

Evessa rise to occasion

The Osaka Evessa booked a spot in the bj-league championship game for a third consecutive season, routing the upstart Rizing Fukuoka 100-73 in Saturday's first semifinal game at Ariake Colosseum.
BASKETBALL
May 4, 2008

Apache join Osaka in bj-league's title game

The Tokyo Apache's remarkable 2007-08 turnaround catapulted the team into the bj-league playoff semifinals. And a gritty, mettle-revealing performance on Saturday night pushed the team into the championship game against the Osaka Evessa.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 4, 2008

Hundreds flock to see 'Yasukuni'

A Tokyo movie theater on Saturday became the first in the nation to screen the controversial documentary "Yasukuni," drawing hundreds of viewers throughout the day despite drizzling rain.
Reader Mail
May 4, 2008

Nuclear attack would be disastrous

Asked what she would do if Iran carried out a nuclear attack on Israel, U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton replied: "If I'm president, we (would) attack Iran. . . . We would be able to totally obliterate them."
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
May 4, 2008

Hideki Noda: Acting with joy in his soul

Even in today's theater world in Japan, which tends to venerate age, at just 52 Hideki Noda is already a towering, legendary figure.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 4, 2008

Bringing beauty to all through surprisingly unrefined language

BASHO: The Complete Haiku, translated, annotated and with an introduction by Jane Reichhold; artwork by Shiro Tsujimura. Kodansha International, 2008, 432 pp., ¥2,600 (cloth) Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) is not only Japan's most revered poet, he is also the one most translated into other languages. Yet,...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 4, 2008

Japan's media plays nursemaid to nation's immature democracy

A major Japanese newspaper publishes an article denouncing the prime minister. Reporters hold a rally to criticize his Cabinet. The government responds by banning sales of the edition of the newspaper that carried the article, indicting its author for violation of the Newspaper Law. Rightwing agitators...
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 3, 2008

Some Japanese referees just don't get it

The referee is never the most popular person on a soccer pitch, but the man in charge of Tuesday's J. League clash between Oita Trinita and FC Tokyo certainly didn't do himself any favors.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 3, 2008

English clubs continue to flex muscles in Europe

LONDON — England's national team may not be traveling anywhere in Europe this summer, but the two best teams in the Premier League will meet in an English derby in the Champions League final in Moscow on May 21.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 3, 2008

To Gaijin Hell you'll go!

In Christian-predominant Western society, even if you don't grow up in a religious household, you have likely grown up hearing the common threat "You're going to go to hell if you do that!" For example, if you try to play a trick on your neighbor, your mother might say, "You'll go to hell for that!"...
COMMUNITY
May 3, 2008

Park cats need your help

The Japan Cat Network, a grassroots animal welfare group in Shiga Prefecture organized and run by David Wybenga and his wife, Susan Roberts, has put out a plea for help with its Hirakata City Project.
JAPAN
May 3, 2008

DPJ weighs voting rights for all permanent residents

A group of Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers is drafting a bill that would give foreign nationals with permanent residence status the right to vote in local elections. They plan to gear up after the Golden Week holidays and submit the bill during the current session of the Diet.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
May 2, 2008

Big man Newton an integral part of Evessa's run at third straight bj-league title

The Japan Times will be featuring periodic interviews with players in the bj-league — Japan's first professional basketball circuit — which is in its third season. Jeff Newton of the Osaka Evessa, who face the Rizing Fukuoka in Saturday's semifinal showdown at Ariake Colosseum, is the subject of...
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2008

The rape of Burma: where did the wealth go?

SYDNEY — Burma, once the richest countries in Southeast Asia, today is mired in deep poverty — its economy ruined by nearly 50 years of economic mismanagement under military rule. And yet, over the last few years Burma has also emerged as a significant producer of energy in Southeast Asia. Thanks...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 2, 2008

Voice of angels from Vienna

Get ready, Japan. The sopranos are coming. And they're bringing 10 altos as muscle. No, not "The Sopranos" from the U.S. TV drama series, but the Vienna Boys' Choir. Their angelic voices will grace concerts across Japan from May 3 until mid-June.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan