Search - (2006-01-27)

 
 
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Dec 1, 2007

Winless Grouses shooting for turnaround

This is a tale of two expansion teams. One had a banner season in 2006-07; the other experienced growing pains from the get-go.
EDITORIALS
Nov 27, 2007

Spending without accountability

A report submitted by the Board of Audit to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda shows that government organizations and state-financed corporations still waste public money. The board uncovered 451 cases of inappropriate or illegal accounting amounting to ¥31 billion in fiscal 2006. Some cases border on crimes....
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD
Nov 18, 2007

Roadside profits and the parking lottery

For my stationary sins, I have been slapped with parking tickets from Los Angeles to London, and I used to think all fines were basically the same. Eagle-eyed traffic wardens pinpoint infringers and litter windscreens with $100 fines before you can say "Gimme a break!" Then you either pay up in person...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2007

What the Kaczynksi twins taught Poles

WASHINGTON — The defeat of the Kaczynski twins' Law and Justice Party (PiS) in Poland brought sighs of relief across Europe. But, as Donald Tusk's new government assumes office, it is important to learn the lessons that their defeat holds for all of us.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 17, 2007

England needs help from Israel to keep Euro hopes alive

LONDON — In August, England head coach Steve McClaren said the media should "judge me on results," so if the results are not good enough the man in charge will have his wish and be judged. The verdict will be guilty and the sentence loss of job.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2007

Toto ads take aim at America's great unwashed

In the summer, sanitary ware manufacturer Toto Ltd., best known for its Washlet bidet toilets, launched an aggressive advertising blitz in the United States to woo Americans who have long shied away from such a product as strange, unnecessary — and a little bit embarrassing.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2007

U.S. recession fears lift yen, slam Nikkei

The yen surged to an 18-month high against the dollar Monday while the benchmark Nikkei index briefly dipped below 15,000 as fears mounted that ballooning subprime loan losses will trigger a recession in the U.S.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 8, 2007

New MOT curator aims to do a lot with a little

Yuko Hasegawa delivers instructions to her staff in an even, polite manner that often belies the burden they impose. It's a style perhaps more suited to a corporate boardroom than an art museum. But, since she took over as chief curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT), in April last year,...
BASKETBALL
Oct 29, 2007

Standouts prepare for roles with new clubs

As the bj-league prepares to open its third season on Tuesday, four standout players continue their adjustments with new teams.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2007

Carmakers look to emerging India to drive sales

With the 40th Tokyo Motor Show officially opening Saturday, Japanese automakers are hoping the biennial event will encourage visitors to buy new cars and help curb the domestic sales slump.
EDITORIALS
Oct 19, 2007

Confidentiality of a murderous motive

Public prosecutors have arrested a Kyoto psychiatrist on suspicion of leaking secret investigative materials to a journalist on a 17-year-old boy who was tried in family court in connection with a fire that killed his stepmother and two siblings. The freelance journalist later published a book using...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 9, 2007

ODA shrinking but still key tool

Official development assistance is an important diplomatic tool for Japan, which relies heavily on other countries for resources, food and many other economic necessities.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 25, 2007

Pachinko seeks to shed shady image as market shrinks

Filled with noise, bright lights and cigarette smoke, the attraction of the pachinko parlor is hard for many to fathom.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 23, 2007

Nomura deserves credit for making Eagles respectable

A few words of praise this week for the 2007 performance of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
EDITORIALS
Sep 18, 2007

Self-sufficiency amid diversity

Japan's food self-sufficiency rate for fiscal 2006 declined to 39 percent in terms of calories supplied. This is the first time the rate has dipped below 40 percent since fiscal 1993 when the rate fell to 37 percent due to a poor rice crop. Japan's food self-sufficiency rate is clearly low when compared...
COMMENTARY
Sep 8, 2007

ASEAN at 40: coming of age?

KUALA LUMPUR — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations turned 40 this summer. Is it facing a mid-life crisis? Or is it on the verge of maturing into a more cohesive, more relevant organization capable of promoting peace and stability not only in Southeast Asia but beyond, given its self-proclaimed...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 28, 2007

The blame game

We live in interesting times. With the shortage and high cost of domestic labor, the Japanese government has brought over record numbers of cheap foreign workers. Even though whole industrial sectors now depend on foreign labor, few publicly accept the symbiosis as permanent. Instead, foreigners are...
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2007

Abe to lead huge biz entourage to India

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who says relations with India may become more important than Japan's links with the U.S. or China, will lead his biggest corporate mission to the South Asian country Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Aug 20, 2007

Downturn in economic recovery

The Cabinet Office has announced that Japan's gross domestic product for the April-June period grew 0.1 percent, or an annualized 0.5 percent, in real terms from the previous quarter. This points to slowing economic growth in Japan, although economic activities as a whole continue to expand.
EDITORIALS
Aug 18, 2007

Nuclear safety at stake

The Nuclear Safety Commission made public its 2006 white paper on the safety of nuclear power last week. The fact that its publication came after two postponements shows that the safety of the nation's nuclear power plants cannot be taken for granted. It will take tremendous efforts on the part of the...

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan