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JAPAN
Jun 29, 2010

No regrets about exit: Fukushima

Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima said she has no regrets about leaving the ruling coalition and will only consider returning if the Democratic Party of Japan rules out the Henoko coast as the relocation site for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / INSIDE ART
Jun 25, 2010

Japan learns about itself from the outside

Corporate Japan's high-profile purchases of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces during the bubble-economy in the late 1980s and early 1990s are generally seen as examples of senseless posturing. But imagine how those paintings — the ones that remain in this country, that is — would...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 25, 2010

It is safe to bank on this hard-boiled man

Eiji Okuda doesn't fit into any of the usual boxes for actors in Japan — or anywhere else for that matter. He's had his share of leading roles over a three-decade career, often as a world-weary cop or gangster, but he's not what the local industry considers a star.
Reader Mail
Jun 20, 2010

Scant teachings about human 'soul'

When it comes to the Catholic Church, Rowan Hooper evidently writes with a proverbial chip on his shoulder, as in his June 13 Natural Selections column, "Synthetic life zaps 'the soul.' " He forgets that the Catholic Church consists of human beings and that there are as many opinions as there are human...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 20, 2010

Drama about women ex-cons; comedians' managers tell all; CM of the week: Alsok

TBS offers a rare look at the lives of female ex-cons in the eighth episode of occasional drama series, "Joshi Keimusho Higashi Sangoto" ("Women's Prison East Number 3 Block"; Mon., 9 p.m.).
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 17, 2010

Don't be afraid to ask questions about giving birth in Japan

With women in Japan making inroads into various career fields and having more options to choose from, it's only natural that more of them are starting families in their late 30s or even in their 40s.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 11, 2010

From pretty-boy star to grizzled veteran

HOLLYWOOD — "My next movie is a sequel to the one I did where I play a guy trapped inside a video game," says Jeff Bridges, veteran of over 60 films.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2010

Henoko residents harbor hopes and fears about new U.S. air base

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. — People in the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, have mixed feelings about the planned relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to their shores.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 2010

It'd be wise to think about Japan

HONG KONG — U.S. President Barack Obama has so many things on his plate — including a spreading oil spill that threatens America's fisheries and wildlife, Democratic Party prospects in the midterm elections, the jobless recovery, repercussions of the financial crisis, relentless war in Afghanistan,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jun 8, 2010

Futenma divides Okinawa's expats

Peter Simpson had just left his students at Okinawa International University and was on his way home when a helicopter slammed into the campus administration building. That no one was killed or seriously injured in the crash was remarkable given that the three-story concrete building had to be demolished...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 4, 2010

'Koko no Mesu'

Hollywood once used permanent sets for the dozens of Westerns it cranked out annually — the frontier town, ranch house and corral all in one convenient location, built to last. I sometimes imagine something similar for Japan's endless procession of hospital dramas. They all seem to use one generic...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 4, 2010

Meisa gets high fives all round

Halfway through the first-ever Girls Award fashion show at Tokyo's Yoyogi National Stadium last month, 22-year-old Meisa Kuroki strides down the catwalk, glistening in a sleeveless gold dress and black stockings while delivering her pulsing dance tune "Shock."
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jun 3, 2010

Resignation deepens unease about country's direction

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's surprise announcement that he is stepping down before the July Upper House election is likely to deepen uncertainty about Japan's politics and raise more concerns about its still fragile economic recovery, economists and analysts said Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 28, 2010

Henoko to be named base site

The government will name the Henoko coast of Nago in Okinawa as the relocation site for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in a joint statement with the United States to be issued Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 28, 2010

Learn about a river's life

Classes in canoeing, fishing and other outdoor activities will be held in Ibaraki Prefecture May 29 and 30. Kawa asobi kyoshitsu (Class for playing on a river) is organized by canoeist Tomosuke Noda, who has written many books about his experiences canoeing on rivers around the world.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 21, 2010

Globally minded director goes native

It's sad but true that Japanese directors with big reputations abroad are often odd men (or women) out back home.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
May 4, 2010

Mayweather plays coy about Pacquiao fight

LAS VEGAS — Floyd Mayweather Jr. wanted to put on a show and he did, from the moment he entered the arena accompanied by acrobats on stilts tossing fake $100 bills to the final seconds of the 12th round when he finished giving Shane Mosley a beating.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
May 3, 2010

Accusations about Japan's youths lacking 'animal spirits' off mark

The old are invariably critical of the young. Japan is no exception. The older generation finds much to bemoan in the attitudes and behaviors of their successors.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 15, 2010

Why do English teachers have to be native speakers?

In Japan, non-native English-language instructors from South Asian countries are challenging cultural stereotypes and putting a new face on the industry. And it hasn't been any easy task.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 6, 2010

What do you think about businesses that prohibit the entry of foreign — or Japanese — customers?

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Apr 4, 2010

Mika Tsutsumi: Spotlight on the States

Mika Tsutsumi is a spirited journalist and writer whose work turns a spotlight on the widespread hardships and poverty caused by official policies and the behavior of businesses in the United States.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Mar 23, 2010

What will you remember about this winter?

Masaaki KawashimaIT worker, 24I went to see AC/DC live this winter. Angus Young must be around 60 now but he and the rest of the band are still very cool.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2010

Nuke pact files may have been chucked

A former senior Foreign Ministry official testified Friday in the Diet that key documents related to the secret nuclear pacts between Japan and the U.S. that he had filed were missing, and suggested they were deliberately destroyed.
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Mar 15, 2010

1000 Things About Japan/Japanese Snack Reviews

When Shari Custer arrived in Japan with her American husband, the original plan was to stay for "five years." That was 20 years ago. During her extended time in Japan, Custer wanted to chronicle some of the little things that many overlook, and her ongoing list comprises one of her blogs: 1000 Things...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 12, 2010

Yazaki opens up about 'Lies'

A leader of Japanese cinema's 1990s New Wave, Hitoshi Yazaki dropped off the radar for more than a decade, returning in 2006 with "Strawberry Shortcakes," a widely praised drama about four lonely women in search of, not just a partner, but reasons for living. In his new film, "Sweet Little Lies," the...

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight