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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 22, 2011

Very different approaches to the struggling hero theme

James Gunn wrote the screenplay for 2000's "The Specials," a low-budget indie comedy that mocked superheroes, showing them kicking back, whining about their action figure deals or bloviating about their origin stories, but never once engaging in actual crime-fighting.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Jul 19, 2011

Former Carp, Marines pitcher Minchey happy to be involved in game

Nate Minchey hovered near the home dugout at Tokyo Dome as the Yomiuri Giants practiced, but there was no missing him. Being conspicuous isn't exactly a trait of many 203 cm and above.
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2011

Government may intervene to weaken yen: ex-finance minister Kato

The government may intervene to weaken the yen if currency moves become "disorderly" amid the debt crisis in Europe and the debt ceiling debate in the U.S., said former top currency official Takatoshi Kato.
COMMENTARY
Jul 13, 2011

Rupert Murdoch's troika

The troika hurtles across the frozen plain. The wolves are close behind, and from time to time a peasant is hurled from the sleigh in the hope of letting the more important people escape.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Jul 8, 2011

Kusuda makes NZ wine his own way

Pinot Noir is one of the world's most challenging grapes: Sensitive to frost and rot, this thin-skinned varietal really tests the limits of a winemaker's skill. But tenacious winemaker Hiroyuki Kusuda wouldn't have it any other way. This Japanese national has fought against the odds to set up his own...
COMMENTARY
Jul 7, 2011

Lebanon: another frame-up

Here we go again. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a United Nations-backed body investigating the killing of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005, has accused four people of his murder. They all belong to Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese Shiite movement that Israel and the United States define...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 7, 2011

Ming Wong re-casts classics to reveal our roles in modern society

Brightly colored billboards, draped curtains and theater seats have transformed the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, into a cinematic space. But there are no feature films being screened here — this is Singaporean artist Ming Wong's first solo show in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2011

Brace for a surge in Southeast Asian piracy

China's aggressive claims to parts of the South China Sea contested by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei is damaging regional cooperation against piracy, allowing more attacks — 41 so far this year after 30 last year. Naval exercises with the United States this week do include anti-piracy...
BUSINESS
Jul 6, 2011

Billionaire eyes Gree listing abroad

Yoshikazu Tanaka, the country's youngest billionaire, is considering an overseas listing of the Gree Inc. social-networking company he founded.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jun 29, 2011

Sale of Apache not on fast track; HeatDevils to play on

Technically, it's too early to say the Tokyo Apache are defunct.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jun 27, 2011

Power industry's chokehold

The electric power industry in Japan has such strong political clout that nobody, not even the government, seems capable of liberalizing the generation and distribution of electricity, let alone making a dent in the regional monopoly currently enjoyed by each of the 10 utilities.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 26, 2011

Disney collection appraisal; feline muses; CM of the week: Intel

The guest on the antique-appraisal show "Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan" ("Good Fortune! Team That Evaluates Anything"; TV Tokyo, Tues., 8:54 p.m.) is Hiroshi Yamamoto, the silver medalist in archery at the 2000 Athens Olympics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 24, 2011

'Tokyo Koen (Tokyo Park)'

Shinji Aoyama might be described as a Japanese arthouse version of Quentin Tarantino: A smart, dedicated cinephile who works his influences into his films while experimenting with various genres, from the gangster film ("Chinpira," 1996) to mystery ("Lakeside Murder Case," 2004). But whereas Tarantino's...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 24, 2011

'Biutiful'

Ninety percent of the time, it's too much to bear even for the audience, so imagine what those people up on the screen are going though. Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu revels in shoveling out far more than a fair share of atrocious luck and tremendous suffering to his characters, and...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 21, 2011

Reported epidemic of elder shoplifting may not be what it seems

Media may be missing the point when it reports on rise in crime among retirees.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2011

Nintendo may fail with new Wii U

Takaki Kawatsu, a 33-year-old real estate agent, says he'll be among Nintendo Co. customers who will pass on the company's next Wii game console.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 17, 2011

"Yves Saint Laurent Mis a Nu: Photographies De Jeanloup Sieff"

Fashion photographer Jeanloup Sieff, who was favored by Yves Saint Laurent, is renowned for sensual yet refined photos, many of which have now become iconic images. He was often commissioned by prestigious fashion publications, such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, and he worked on many global marketing...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2011

Just how new is Egypt's 'new' foreign policy?

In the months since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, his successors have signaled a shift in foreign policy by reaching out to former adversaries. Egypt's government has welcomed Iranian diplomats and embraced the Palestinian group Hamas.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2011

New budget carrier Peach hopes to fly high, charge low

Despite the huge impact the ongoing nuclear crisis is having on the nation's travel and aviation industries, the head of Japan's newest budget carrier said it is sticking to plans it made before March 11, including extremely low fares and black ink three years after its takeoff.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 13, 2011

More shopping refugees: Residents of planned community at the mercy of bureaucratic prerogatives

Elderly residents of a corner of Chiba New Town have been left without a supermarket to shop in.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jun 12, 2011

Heights of survival

When the March 11 tsunami hit the village of Yoshihama in Iwate Prefecture, the water overran a seawall, smashed through a coastal pine forest, poured over a large embankment and then surged up a long, low-lying valley. It was a scenario almost identical to that being played out at dozens of settlements...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jun 12, 2011

Warp-drive quest for the Big Bang's 'lost' material

What do these three things have in common: a mysterious, donut-shaped belt of plasma wrapped around the Earth; the warp engines on the starship USS Enterprise; and a laboratory at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) outside Geneva, Switzerland?
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 10, 2011

Miyamoto piece to open up Yokohama to Broadway gem

The first Broadway musical directed by a Japanese person will be performed in Yokohama from June 17 to July 3.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 10, 2011

"Yoshihiko Yoshida & Isao Hayashi"

Yoshihiko Yoshida (1912-2001), nihonga (Japanese painting) artist and professor at Tokyo University of the Arts, was inspired by the importance of learning from ancient masterpieces, as was taught to him by the nihonga painter Gyoshu Hayami (1894-1935). He later joined a group of artists to replicate...

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?