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COMMENTARY
Oct 6, 2008

Counterproductive antiterrorism

Buried deep in the U.S. Pentagon somewhere is an official in charge of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. As he goes about his daily chores — organizing the floor shackles, bully guards, illegal confinements, arbitrary trials and occasional torture sessions — he no doubt thinks he is...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2008

After the Dear Leader has passed

SEOUL — Korea is a unique country. The Cold War ended when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and is now remembered only as history to most people around the world. The Korean Peninsula, however, remains divided along ideological lines, and the two Koreas coexist as living remnants of the Cold War....
EDITORIALS
Oct 5, 2008

U.S. bailout is a start

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed a revised bill to rescue ailing financial institutions following the Senate's approval Thursday. (The House had defeated the original bill Monday.) U.S. President George W. Bush quickly signed the bill into law. It allows the U.S. government to spend...
Japan Times
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
Oct 4, 2008

Brought together by fate — and a whim

Rajesh and Kayo Prasad have no doubt they were destined to marry.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Oct 3, 2008

Special California dinner

Special California dinner Hiro Sone, an award-wining Japanese chef based in California, will be preparing a special dinner Oct. 9 and 10 at his California restaurant, Silverado, in Ginza, Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2008

Industry's mood at five-year low

The business confidence of big manufacturers dipped below zero for the first time in more than five years in the latest Bank of Japan "tankan" survey released Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 2, 2008

Sound and vision — the eclectic end of anime theme tunes

Despite a prevalence of cute, otaku-friendly theme songs, with many recent ones providing dance routines for budding cosplayers to learn (look up "Hare Hare Yukai" on YouTube to experience the true horror), "Xam'd: Lost Memories" isn't the first time that an anime has drawn musical inspiration from rock...
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2008

Dire economic data show slump deepening

The economic slump deepened in August as industrial production fell at its fastest pace in at least five years, household spending tumbled and the unemployment rate rose to a two-year high, government figures showed Tuesday.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Sep 30, 2008

Rising giants and falling champs in the autumn basho

The Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament started under a cloud, with three Russian wrestlers freshly kicked out of the sport for drug use, but by the final bouts on Sunday sumo was enjoying clearer skies. With Musashigawa — former yokozuna Mienoumi — at the helm of the sport, the future looks brighter....
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Sep 30, 2008

Designer wine racks, light bulbs, place mats and more

Northern hangers
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 30, 2008

Foreign automakers race to set up in Thailand

AYUTTHAYA, Thailand — Empty of machinery, the new high-ceilinged, white-walled Honda assembly plant here is cavernous. By late October, though, the building will be humming with life when production begins. It's all part of the carmaker's plan for Thailand to play a bigger role in its global strategy....
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2008

Gaffe-prone Nakayama quits Cabinet

Prime Minister Taro Aso's Cabinet suffered a serious blow Sunday with the resignation of transport minister Nariaki Nakayama, who was under fire for several gaffes, including saying Japan is "ethnically homogenous."
CULTURE / Books
Sep 28, 2008

Western heroes in Asia: missing and believed dead

A certain thriller novel, whose title shall remain unnamed, was recently plopped into my hands by a friend whose career included an extended stint on a colonial police force. "I had trouble getting through it," he said, sounding glad to be rid of it.
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Sep 28, 2008

Fanfare greets Tabuse in return

UTSUNOMIYA, Tochigi Pref. — For 40 minutes of action, all eyes focused on him. Pride, curiosity and excitement characterized the occasion.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 27, 2008

Tell me 'taint so!

Dear Prime Minister Aso,
BUSINESS
Sep 26, 2008

Confidence likely to hit five-year low in next 'tankan': experts

The Bank of Japan's "tankan" survey due out next week will show that sentiment among the nation's largest manufacturers has fallen to a five-year low amid the worst global financial crisis since the Great Depression, many economists predict.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2008

Aso elected LDP leader in landslide

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party chose Taro Aso as its 23rd president Monday, hoping to regain public popularity and win the next general election.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2008

Self-styled hawk Aso displays a dovish side on foreign policy

Following back-to-back prime ministerial resignations by conservative star Shinzo Abe and political dove Yasuo Fukuda, where does the new president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party rate on the hawk-dove scale?
EDITORIALS
Sep 22, 2008

Trail of tainted rice

Although the scandal in which tainted rice was resold to some 380 companies in 24 prefectures highlights outrageous behavior on the part of an Osaka rice-flour processor, the resignation of farm minister Mr. Seiichi Ota indicates that the farm ministry was also to blame. The ministry should determine...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 21, 2008

Koizumi branded the bad boy in latest food scandal

Most of the recent food-related scandals were motivated by pure greed, so they were easy to understand. The current scandal involving inedible imported rice bought from the government and sold as edible rice is more complicated and raises some questions. How do the governments of the countries that produced...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 18, 2008

AIG Japan unit safe for time being

The U.S. Federal Reserve's emergency $85 billion rescue of the U.S. insurer American International Group eased concerns Wednesday that its Japanese unit will survive, at least for the time being.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji