Search - special

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
Jan 10, 2009

Irishman lets chips fall, finds love

Neither Frankie Lafferty nor Saika Kojima ever thought they would wed a foreigner. But nine months after their first encounter in 2004, the two registered for marriage in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture.
COMMENTARY
Dec 30, 2008

No sign of a 'peace agreement'

More than six months have passed since the presidential election in Taiwan. After a hiatus of eight years, the Kuomintang is in power. This actually represents the restoration of the mainland-lineage forces for the first time in 20 years — if you count the Lee Teng-hui era as rule by non-mainland-lineage...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 30, 2008

Half century on, Tokyo Tower still dazzles as landmark

Tokyo Tower, a long-standing landmark of the capital, celebrated its 50th birthday on Dec. 23. It still attracts about 3 million visitors a year and has provided the metropolis with good TV reception for decades.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 26, 2008

2008 in Double vision

Since well before R&B became established in Japan I've been championing it through all my activities. This year was the 10th anniversary of my debut, so for me it was a celebratory year — with a "Best Of" release ("10 Years Best — We R&B"); a special collection celebrating all the collaborations...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Dec 26, 2008

Two capitals accommodation plan

The Hyatt Regency Kyoto, in collaboration with the Park Hyatt Tokyo, is offering an accommodation package that will introduce guests to two of Japan's most fascinating cities — Kyoto, the ancient capital, and Tokyo.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Dec 23, 2008

What's the best Christmas present you've ever given?

Midori Tsunekawa HousewifeI made a scarf for my husband 35 years ago. It took a while to knit, but it turned out really well. It's now my daughter's favorite winter item. She loves it.
EDITORIALS
Dec 22, 2008

What did the ASDF do there?

A unit of the Air-Self Defense Force has withdrawn from Iraq after completing its five-year-long transportation mission. Fortunately the ASDF unit suffered no casualties despite constant danger. Still, the Diet should examine whether the ASDF's activities in Iraq were proper from the viewpoint of the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2008

NPO chief helping out other charities

Daigo Sato, the man who founded the NPO that set up Japan's first political internship program, Dot-JP, 10 years ago, has embarked on a new mission this year to help the nonprofit organizations themselves.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Dec 19, 2008

Debut offers from the Shangri-La

The Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo, scheduled to open in March, has started taking reservations through its Web site ( www.shangri-la.com ).
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 5, 2008

In Fukuoka, we're walking in a winter ramen land

Winter whistles through the streets, slips its icy fingers down your coat, and you search for something, just about anything, to ward off the damp chill of a Japanese winter. Suddenly, you know with all certainty the one true cure — ramen.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2008

Order issued to pull ASDF from Kuwait, end airlift mission

The government finalized the order Friday to end the Air Self-Defense Force's airlift mission in the Middle East, terminating a nearly five-year Japanese military presence in Iraq.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2008

Diet extended for key bills as DPJ relents

The government and the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc officially ordered an extension to the current extraordinary Diet session until Dec. 25 to secure passage of two key bills.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 25, 2008

Harajuku in peril?

As a dedicated follower of Japanese pop culture and the coauthor of a book on Japanese teen fashion, I confess that I'm getting a bit concerned about the direction in which the Harajuku district is headed these days.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 23, 2008

'Tarento' on parade, featuring Sanma-san, Akiko Wada and Beat Takeshi

These days the ideal TV personality is someone who can talk nonstop about any subject for a long period of time. The person doesn't necessarily need to be knowledgeable about the subject, but he or she should certainly be funny. In this regard, comedian Sanma Akashiya is the gold standard. Several weeks...
EDITORIALS
Nov 17, 2008

Heavy burden for disabled people

Twenty-nine disabled people and one parent of a disabled person from eight prefectures — Tokyo, Saitama, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Hiroshima and Fukuoka — filed lawsuits Oct. 31 with district courts in their prefectural capitals contending that a law designed to help disabled people violates the...
EDITORIALS
Nov 15, 2008

Test for Taiwan's judiciary

Mr. Chen Shui-bian, an advocate of pro-independence policies vis-a-vis China, symbolized the democratization of Taiwan by winning a presidential election in March 2000. His victory ended the monopoly rule of the Nationalist Party, which opposes any moves to formally declare Taiwan's independence. He...
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2008

Opera contest awards first Japanese

International Opera Competition, the first Japanese to take top honors in the contest, according to organizers.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 9, 2008

Plastic surgery, ethical doctors and disability discrimination in public schools

Cosmetic-makeover show "Beauty Colosseum" (Fuji, Tues., 7 p.m.) returns to the airwaves this week with a two-hour special that features examples of some of the newest technological advances in plastic surgery.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Nov 5, 2008

'The proudest day of my life'

Apart from a few experimental trees, it is not our policy to grow non-native plants in our woodland trust here in the hills of Nagano Prefecture.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 3, 2008

Giants sluggers bring crowd into the action

The ushers blow whistles to call the fans' attention when batters hit into the outfield stands during the batting practice. And with the powerful Giants, the whistles are particularly heard more often when Michihiro Ogasawara and Alex Ramirez take the cages.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Nov 2, 2008

Probing the real Japan with Kenneth Pyle

Kenneth Pyle says his first memories of Japan were of watching war films when he was a child — "all the dogfights with Zero fighters and all that."
EDITORIALS
Nov 2, 2008

Handling info in the MSDF

The Yokohama District Court on Oct. 28 gave a suspended 2 1/2-year prison term to a lieutenant commander of the Maritime Self-Defense Force for passing information on the U.S.-developed Aegis weapons system to another lieutenant commander, an instructor at an MSDF school in Etajima, Hiroshima Prefecture....

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