Search - 2004

 
 
EDITORIALS
Sep 23, 2010

Arrest of a public prosecutor

On Sept. 10 the Osaka District Court acquitted Ms. Atsuko Muraki, a former welfare ministry's bureau chief, of instructing her subordinate, Mr. Tsutomu Kamimura, to fabricate and issue a certificate that recognizes an organization as a group for the disabled, thus enabling it to use a postage discount...
EDITORIALS
Sep 23, 2010

China's hardening attitude

Relations between Japan and China are worsening over the arrest of the captain of a Chinese fishing boat that collided with two Japan Coast Guard patrol boats on Sept. 7 inside Japanese territorial waters of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Both Tokyo and Beijing must prevent nationalistic...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2010

Exposure abroad key to success for youths

As universities struggle to enroll more foreigners and internationalize their student bodies, some are raising concerns about a growing number of Japanese who are choosing to stay closer to home rather than studying abroad and tackling new challenges.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Sep 18, 2010

Is one subway system better than two?

Would merging the Tokyo Metro and Toei produce a profit, or more importantly, lower fares for commuters?
EDITORIALS
Sep 18, 2010

Incubator Bank lessons

The government and the Deposit Insurance Corp. of Japan, the state-appointed administrator of the Incubator Bank of Japan, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Sept. 10, have invoked the limited deposit protection plan for the first time since it was introduced in 1971. That means that deposits of...
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2010

Kan taps Okada for party's No. 2 post

Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Thursday tapped Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada as the party's secretary general, in what amounts to a test of whether Kan can achieve party unity after Tuesday's presidential election.
EDITORIALS
Sep 17, 2010

Currency intervention at last

The government and the Bank of Japan sent a strong message to foreign currency markets Wednesday by intervening in the currency trade for the first time since March 2004, to stem the rise in the value of the yen against the dollar. This was a surprise move because Prime Minister Naoto Kan had been considered...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 17, 2010

Noodles stir up instant indie rock on latest album

"In the beginning, I had no interest in touring abroad," says Yoko, guitarist and vocalist with indie-rock outfit Noodles, who have toured the United States nine times over the last seven years. "Then in 2003, we opened for The Breeders in Osaka, and they told us, 'You really should come to play in the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 17, 2010

New exhibition anticipates a design museum for Japan

In March, with the opening of the Design Museum Holon, Israel added its name to a long list of countries that have at least one full-fledged museum dedicated to design. Japan, despite its reputation as a design powerhouse — hard-earned during the 20th century by innovative work such as Sony's Walkman,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2010

CEOs learning 'globish' to expand overseas

Oki Matsumoto, chief executive officer of online trader Monex Group Inc. and a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. partner, has a solution to the stagnant economy: Learn "globish."
BUSINESS
Sep 16, 2010

Action on yen may bolster China's currency stance

Japan's first intervention in the foreign exchange market in almost six years may undermine calls for China to let its currency appreciate.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2010

Why Putin is good for Japan

For Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, it has been a hectic summer. He took a spin across 2,100 km of the Siberian tundra in a Lada, was initiated into the Hell's Angels, fired darts at gray whales with a crossbow and still found time to jump into the cockpit of a Be-200 jet to extinguish the wildfires...
CULTURE / Books
Sep 12, 2010

Japan's future: prolonged malaise or muddling through?

"Japan's best days are behind it," or so the common wisdom goes, and by reading Tokyo-based academic Jeff Kingston's latest work, it is easy to see why.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 10, 2010

Eat, pray, love, kiss and tell

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Javier Bardem sounds almost as happy as he was the night he won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for "No Country for Old Men" in 2008. No wonder. He is recently married, to fellow Spaniard and Oscar-winner Penelope Cruz — his memorable costar in Woody Allen's "Vicky...
COMMENTARY
Sep 5, 2010

The yin and yang of human rights in China

HONG KONG — The only lady vice minister in China's Foreign Ministry is Fu Ying, a well-coiffed, mild-mannered 57-year-old, an ethnic Mongol who speaks flawless English, who has served as ambassador to the Philippines, Australia and Britain, and who is known for her media skills.

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