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JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
Oct 8, 2008

Kimutaku — enduring heartthrob

Of Japanese male celebrities, actors Ken Watanabe of "The Last Samurai" and Masi Oka of "Heroes" are among the better-known overseas. But domestically, no one beats Takuya Kimura.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2008

Aso gets quick start, names new Cabinet

Hawkish Liberal Democratic Party President Taro Aso was elected prime minister Wednesday and immediately formed his new Cabinet.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2008

Aso team likened to school classroom

Prime Minister Taro Aso's Cabinet lineup may look a bit subdued, but there's good reason for that: He deliberately picked low-profile politicians instead of factional bigwigs so he can lead them around like a "school teacher," experts said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2008

Nakasone, Hamada face tough issues right away

Prime Minister Taro Aso filled the key foreign and defense portfolios with hereditary Diet members, perhaps in the hope their prominent family names will serve the Liberal Democratic Party well in the looming Lower House election.
EDITORIALS
Sep 23, 2008

A new face for Israel

While global attention has been focused on U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, another woman has quietly climbed to the top politics, in Israel. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has been elected leader of the Kadima party — the main party in that country's ruling coalition — and...
JAPAN
Sep 18, 2008

Ainu seek law to fund support efforts

The Ainu Association of Hokkaido asked a government panel Wednesday to help establish a law to secure funding to better the lives of the indigenous group.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 18, 2008

Hitting skins to find sound's color

'It is amazing that I have participated in 12 out of the 31 performances of the 'Nihon no Taiko' program that started at the National Theater of Japan in 1977," says the drummer Eitetsu Hayashi, who helped start the wadaiko (Japanese drums used in festivals) boom that has lead to the formation of more...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2008

How EU should engage a born-again power

SOFIA — The post-Cold War order in Europe is finished, with Vladimir Putin its executioner. Russia's invasion of Georgia only marked its passing. Russia has emerged as a born-again 19th-century power determined to challenge the intellectual, moral and institutional foundations of the order.
BASKETBALL
Sep 14, 2008

Big changes across bj-league in offseason

The bj-league's offseason shakeup continues.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2008

Merrill's Kobayashi may head World Bank agency

Merrill Lynch & Co.'s top executive in Japan, Izumi Kobayashi, is in advanced talks with the World Bank to head its Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, sources said.
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2008

Hiroshima, Nagasaki leaders hit India nuke waiver

HIROSHIMA — Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki Gov. Genjiro Kaneko expressed disappointment Sunday that a U.S. proposal to lift the global ban on nuclear trade with India has received international approval.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2008

Fukuda gives LDP apology for quick exit

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told his fellow Liberal Democratic Party members in the Diet on Wednesday he was sorry about his surprise decision to step down earlier this week.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 4, 2008

Devo uphold their duty now for the future

As I sit down opposite the gray-haired man in a black shirt and glasses, someone comes to clear the clutter off the table — a stick-thin, retro-futuristic guitar that has been rigged for its strings to explode at the climax of a solo. His flame-haired partner takes a seat; he's wearing a full suit...
EDITORIALS
Aug 29, 2008

India's nuclear access

The Nuclear Suppliers Group ended last week's meeting inconclusively over the question of whether to grant India access to nuclear fuel and technologies for civilian use. The NSG, an international body composed of 45 member nations, including Japan, controls the trade in nuclear technologies and related...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Aug 27, 2008

Exploring Antarctica for key climate clues

The steamy hot days of summer make it very tempting to imagine an escape to the snow and ice of Antarctica, though few of us will ever have that chance. Shin Sugiyama, 39, a glaciologist at Hokkaido University, is one of the exceptions.
SPORTS / ODDS AND EVENS
Aug 17, 2008

Opening week creates stories the world over

BEIJING — More than a week has rapidly gone by since the Beijing Olympics started, and in that time dozens of heart-warming stories have filled up space in newspapers from Swaziland to Saitama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 14, 2008

Shock tactics return

"The only thing humans, rats and crows have in common is garbage," announced Ryuta Ushiro, leader of artist unit Chim ↑ Pom, with a mischievous smile.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2008

Ainu stepping out of social stigma

SAPPORO — For someone who grew up ashamed of her ethnic identity, they are powerful words.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 1, 2008

Rhodes, Sato share All-Star home run derby title

Four of baseball's top sluggers — Tuffy Rhodes of the Orix Buffaloes, Tomoaki Kanemoto of the Hanshin Tigers, G.G. Sato from the Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants outfielder Alex Ramirez — competed in a home run derby before the first game of Nippon Professional Baseball's All-Star Series on Thursday....
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2008

Inflation quickens as core prices rise 1.9%

Japan's consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in a decade in June as higher food and gasoline costs squeezed household budgets, slowing economic growth.
BUSINESS
Jul 25, 2008

No need now for rate hike: BOJ's Mizuno

Atsushi Mizuno, a member of the Bank of Japan's Policy Board, said Thursday the central bank's decision to keep interest rates on hold for now has a "positive meaning," indicating he sees no need for higher borrowing costs anytime soon.
OLYMPICS
Jul 24, 2008

Yoshida, Hoketsu provide compelling story lines

In less than two weeks, the bright lights in Beijing will shine on thousands of athletes.
Reader Mail
Jul 24, 2008

More questions than answers

Regarding the July 20 article "Teenager held in dad's stabbing": How bizarre we can get? A 15-year-old girl "admitted stabbing her father in the chest several times with a knife." She "didn't like to be told to study" by her parents. The police got a call "from the teen's family" saying "the daughter...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 22, 2008

Whaling: the meat of the matter

Whales are magnificent creatures I have always dreamt of seeing in the flesh. However, tucking into a slab of whale steak at a restaurant in Tokyo was not what I had in mind. Nevertheless, this was a close encounter with one of the world's largest mammals that I felt I could not duck out of: If I was...

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building