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COMMENTARY / World
May 30, 2006

Putin fantasizes like a czar

LONDON — In his recent State of the Nation speech, President Vladimir Putin said that "Russia's modern foreign policy is based on the principles of pragmatism, predictability and the supremacy of international law."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 30, 2006

Japan ready to battle 'culinary imperialists'

Earlier this year I was commissioned by a British newspaper to research a Japanese company called Hakudai, which was reputed to be putting whale meat into dog food.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 30, 2006

'Gokiburi,' new law and residency

Cockroaches One of our readers has been having problems with cockroaches recently. She has been cleaning the apartment regularly, placing cockroach traps and even used a "bomb" to try and get rid of them, all to no avail.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 30, 2006

Fitness for kicks and more

The yearly ritual of storing away our winter duds and unpacking skimpy summer styles often leads to a common conclusion: It's time to get into shape, and fast.
EDITORIALS
May 29, 2006

Banks are halfway back

The nation's six major banking groups have posted record consolidated net profits of 3.12 trillion yen for the business year ended March 31 -- 4.3 times more than for the previous year and the highest in 17 years. This nearly doubles the previous record of 1.7 trillion yen logged by major banks in fiscal...
BUSINESS
May 29, 2006

Japanese capitalism proved naysayers wrong, scholar says

Japan has successfully modified and reinforced its own economic model -- rather than surrendering to the American one -- while fighting its way out of the prolonged stagnation it got mired in when the bubble economy imploded in the early 1990s, an American scholar said at a recent seminar in Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE
May 28, 2006

Manga by any other name is . . .

With the video-game business now outgrossing Hollywood's box office, and anime being distributed to destinations as diverse as Patagonia and Phuket, the influence of Japan's entertainment industry on young people worldwide has never been as powerful.
BASKETBALL
May 27, 2006

Igarashi counting on World Championship to show his stuff

The higher the goal you set, the more chances you have to achieve it.
JAPAN
May 27, 2006

Ruling coalition, DPJ submit own bills for referendum

The ruling bloc -- the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito -- and the Democratic Party of Japan submitted separate bills Friday to the Diet with their separate visions for procedures for holding a national referendum to amend the Constitution.
JAPAN
May 26, 2006

Canon exits film cameras amid digital dominance

Following in the footsteps of camera giants Nikon Corp. and Konika Minolta Holdings Inc., Canon Inc. will stop developing new film-based camera products because of the shrinking analogue market and dramatically growing digital demand, the company's president said Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2006

Customers push megabanks to share the wealth

The top six banking groups' record profits from 2005 are being criticized not only by customers who have put up with years of bad service and token interest rates, but also regional banks seriously affected by their advances.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 25, 2006

Playing for his master

"I entered the world of bunraku by accident, without knowing anything about it," says shamisen player Tsuruzawa Enjiro, who has just received the prestigious stage name Tsuruzawa Enza (VI) previously held by his master.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 25, 2006

Art of Africa

Everyone has an idea about "Africa." Pestilence, famine and genocide top many people's lists. Others think of boundless natural wonder and sprawling metropolises bursting with life. But the truth of it is, there is no one "Africa." There are only Africans, and they defy generalization.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 25, 2006

Writing a challenge in clay for his proteges

When asked "What kind of ware do you make?," ceramic artist Kimpei Nakamura's tongue-in-cheek response is "Tokyo yaki (Tokyo Ware)." It's a label of his own invention that pokes fun at the traditional system of classifying ceramics by their ties to ancient kiln sites that existed long before the city...
BUSINESS
May 25, 2006

New Keidanren chief urges Asia diplomatic thaw

The new chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) has urged the government to swiftly resolve the nation's conflict with its Asian neighbors over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 25, 2006

Determined Giants knock down Fighters

There was no way the Yomiuri Giants were going to fall out of first place Wednesday night.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 23, 2006

Air con fury and posting

What? AH in Hokkaido wonders if I have been in Japan too long.
JAPAN
May 23, 2006

'Pool fever' outbreak a big worry

Officials at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases warned Monday that this summer could see the worst outbreak in a decade of a virus-induced fever that often strikes young children who swim in public pools.
EDITORIALS
May 20, 2006

Business profits pose challenges

One company after another is announcing good business results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006. Firms listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange are reporting increased revenues and profits for the fourth consecutive year. They are expected to post record recurring profits for the...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
May 20, 2006

How sweet it is -- or isn't

My wife bakes in flurries and when the storm hits hardest, our kitchen becomes a virtual hurricane of flour and dough, not to mention Category 5 aromas.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 20, 2006

It's a dog's life and I wan it!

The last time I went home to the U.S., my parents told me sternly over the telephone: "This time when you come home, bury your dog. He's been on that shelf in the garage for years now." And they were right. My dog, Dammit, had died while I was in Japan, and the few times I went home, I was either too...

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes