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COMMENTARY
Feb 2, 2011

Beijing should take a leaf out of Li Na's book

LOS ANGELES — A metaphor for our dramatic world geopolitical change occurred in Melbourne at the prestigious Australian Open. There, even as time-honored warriors Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal were eliminated, a Chinese woman slammed her way into history. The relentless Li Na became the first Asian...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Feb 1, 2011

Barred from Japan for a teenage pot conviction

Dear Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, Justice Minister Satsuki Eda and Prime Minister Naoto Kan: I am a 32-year-old student who was supposed to study for a semester at a Japanese university. I am a very good student; I have been a teaching assistant in my department for a year, and I have many professors...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 31, 2011

China's democratic steps

WASHINGTON — During the state visit to the United States of Chinese President Hu Jintao, President Barack Obama pressed Hu on human rights. He probably should have asked more about spreading democracy in China, because he might have been surprised by what he heard.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jan 30, 2011

Pushing the U.S. Constitution to the brink

NEW YORK — On opening day of the 112th session of the U.S. Congress, the members of the House of Representatives recited the U.S. Constitution. The Republican Party, now the majority, instituted the unprecedented step. The tea party instigated it.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2011

U.N. envoy vows to press North on abductions

A special rapporteur for the United Nations on human rights in North Korea urged Pyongyang on Friday to resolve the long-standing abduction issue and deal with wider matters relating to humanitarian and human rights regarding its people.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 27, 2011

Leaf reverses carmakers' flight abroad

YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa Pref. — The Leaf electric car is rolling down the bustling assembly line at Nissan's Oppama plant, taking the place of a gasoline-powered compact whose production was moved abroad last year.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 23, 2011

Forests worldwide: a primer

For those living in Japan, it's easy to forget that forests are not a given.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 23, 2011

Is 'Galapagos-thinking' Japan back at its evolutionary dead end?

There are expressions that buzz like busy little bees and ones that don't buzz anymore. One of the dead-bee buzzwords in Japan is shimaguni konjo, meaning "island mentality." As for a buzzword for 2011, you'd be hard put to find one more busily doing the rounds than garapagosu, which references the Galapagos...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 21, 2011

Hill, Blackwell poised for All-Star Game clash

Coaches with contrasting careers will lead their respective conferences during the bj-league's 2010-11 All-Star Game on Sunday in Osaka.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 18, 2011

Russian-held isles: So near, so far

On the morning of Nov. 1, Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to set foot on one of the four islands off Hokkaido seized by the Soviets at the end of World War II that Japan has long wanted returned.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2011

Indonesian penitentiary a school for crime

PADANG, West Sumatra — Scandals continue to plague Indonesia's penal system. In 2010, people were shocked to learn that Artalyta Suryani, a socialite and lobbyist who was serving a five-year sentence for bribing a senior prosecutor, had a spacious 64-square-meter room all to herself complete with amenities...
LIFE / Style & Design / Japan Pulse
Jan 8, 2011

Lucky bags give away secrets before purchase

Fukubukuro: It's all in the luck of the draw.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 4, 2011

The basics of being a lawmaker at the Diet

Diet members are often addressed as "sensei" (teacher) and seem to enjoy privileges ranging from high salaries and chauffeur-driven cars to free first-class flights and luxury "green car" seats in bullet trains.
EDITORIALS
Jan 4, 2011

Budget with stop-gap funding

The Kan administration has endorsed a general account budget that is a record-high ¥92.41 trillion for fiscal 2011 — the second budget to be formed under the Democratic Party of Japan government. The budget includes several measures that show the characteristics of the DPJ's policy orientation. But...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jan 4, 2011

Hawaii uses sports to attract Japanese

One of Hawaii's biggest traits is its Aloha Spirit. And the state is actively working on extending its warm-welcoming, positive state of mind through sports.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 24, 2010

Ueno Museum celebrates its new look

The Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park is ready to show off its new look.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / MIXED MATCHES
Dec 21, 2010

Javan culture brings couple together

Sumiyanto, 31, born and raised in the Klaten regency of central Java, and Ayako Nezu, 39, from Kawasaki, met in 2002 in the central part of the Indonesian island while they were studying at a national traditional arts college in Solo.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Nov 30, 2010

Bothered by night flight racket from Futenma air base

Reader M.A. lives next to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa and is bothered by the noise from the airport.
LIFE
Nov 28, 2010

Summiteering with Nobel peace laureates

Hiroshima is a beautiful city with cute trams cruising along its tree-lined streets.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 27, 2010

England unlikely to win 2018 bid

LONDON — Next Thursday at FIFA House in Zurich the host for the 2018 World Cup will be chosen. The best bid — England's — will probably not win.
EDITORIALS
Nov 23, 2010

Uncovering government waste

In a Nov. 5 report to Prime Minister Naoto Kan, the Board of Audit said that in fiscal 2009, ministries and agencies as well as other government entities wasted public money in 979 cases. The total reached a record ¥1.79 trillion — some 7.5 times the fiscal 2008 figure.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Nov 20, 2010

What's wrong with talking a little turkey?

Japan typically digs in its heels against outside customs. To win acceptance here, such customs must first measure up to Japan's high standards of cultural attainment.
COMMUNITY
Nov 20, 2010

A modern-day alchemist melds senses of sight, smell

On the back of Maurice Joosten's business card, a silvered phrase floats across the otherwise blank expanse: "Solve et Coagula" ("Dissolve and Unite"). For Joosten, 48, this ancient dictum of alchemy provides a motto linking his work as an artist, aroma designer and yoga instructor.
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Nov 19, 2010

Visit Nara again, stay for half-price

Nara Prefecture is attracting many visitors this year, as a range of events celebrate the 1,300th anniversary of the founding of Heijo-kyo as Japan's ancient capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 19, 2010

Rethinking traditional urushi lacquerware

London, it appears, is a good place to learn about both past and present Japan. Last year, as Britain celebrated 150 years of cultural exchange with Japan, it hosted a number of major shows, including a large-scale matsuri (festival) in Spitalfields Market, a comprehensive exhibition of Utagawa Kuniyoshi...

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan