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COMMENTARY
Apr 15, 2010

Thailand's bloodshed is unbefitting of a king

Even viewing the spectacle from afar, it is utterly brutal on the emotions to observe an otherwise wondrous people and culture tearing itself in two. No one who has ever been treated to the endless charm and hospitality of the Thai people could be blamed for practically breaking into tears over the sight...
EDITORIALS
Apr 15, 2010

Weak prospects for new party

Five former Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers have formed a new party named Tachiagare Nippon (which translates as "stand up, Japan"). The party says that its primary goal is to prevent the Democratic Party of Japan from gaining a majority in the coming Upper House election. In that case, the party...
JAPAN / POSTAL REFORM ROLLBACK
Apr 15, 2010

Postal privatization retreat assailed by finance sector

The decision by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his Cabinet to roll back postal privatization has infuriated private financial institutions that assume there won't be a level playing field if the government keeps its stake in Japan Post's savings and insurance units.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2010

Yokota base bans 'Cove' to be neutral

The Academy Award-winning documentary "The Cove" has been banned from screening at the U.S. Air Force Yokota Air Base in Tokyo on the grounds that the film is politically sensitive, a spokesman said Monday.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2010

Evasion, snubbing court orders key Toyota tactics: lawyers

MIAMI — Toyota has routinely engaged in questionable, evasive and deceptive legal tactics when sued, frequently claiming it does not have information it is required to turn over and sometimes even ignoring court orders to produce key documents, an Associated Press investigation shows.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 13, 2010

'Sambo' racism row reignites over kids' play

"Little Black Sambo, Sambo, Sambo/His face and hands are completely black/Even his butt is completely black."
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2010

LDP defectors launch new political party

Former trade minister Takeo Hiranuma and four other ex-Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers launched a new party Saturday in a bid to create a viable alternative to the dominant players ahead of this summer's Upper House election.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2010

New party a boon to DPJ, thorn in divided LDP's side

Saturday's launch of marginal political party Tachiagare Nippon (The Sunrise Party of Japan) by former members of the Liberal Democratic Party has only accelerated the main opposition's downward spiral as lawmakers gear up for an Upper House election in July.
BASKETBALL
Apr 10, 2010

Brex embrace challenge of showdown with SeaHorses in JBL Finals

Link Tochigi Brex head coach Thomas Wisman described the challenge of facing the two-time reigning champion Aisin SeaHorses as "David vs. Goliath."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 9, 2010

Modernism put in perspective

Currently based in Seoul, Lee Bul is one of Korea's leading contemporary artists. She first became known for street performances incorporating provocative soft sculptures of her own design and then went on to create sculptures and installations commenting on contemporary culture and aesthetics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 9, 2010

Kaikoo Popwave Festival '10

Eagerly anticipating the upcoming outdoor music festival season? Spread over the course of two days and boasting nearly 70 acts on four open-air stages, the Kaikoo Popwave Festival should easily tide you over until the summer months arrive.
COMMENTARY
Apr 8, 2010

New tool to monitor climate change

Some of the most dramatic signs of climate change are taking place in the vast and frigid polar caps, where relatively few humans live. We would know much less about them than we do but for recent advances in satellite technology and remote sensing.
EDITORIALS
Apr 8, 2010

LDP lawmakers jumping ship

The Liberal Democratic Party leadership is losing ground in its efforts to unite the party. The departures of former Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano and former acting LDP secretary general Hiroyuki Sonoda — following the March exit of former Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama — makes LDP leader Sadakazu...
EDITORIALS
Apr 6, 2010

Amagasaki indictments proceed

Three former presidents of West Japan Railway Co. will be charged with professional negligence in the April 25, 2005, accident on the Fukuchiyama Line in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, which killed 106 passengers and the driver and injured 562 other people.
COMMENTARY
Apr 5, 2010

Governments have duty to aid citizens caught in a nightmare

WATERLOO, Canada — Australian businessman Stern Hu has been convicted of taking bribes and stealing state secrets and sentenced to 10 years jail in China. International standards of a free and fair trial do not seem to have been met.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Apr 4, 2010

70 times safer than the roads themselves

NEW YORK — The Toyota saga, though quiet for the moment, will continue. "Lawyers Vie for Lead Roles in Toyota Lawsuits," said a headline in The Wall Street Journal (March 15). The company's "legal bill for unintended-acceleration cases will be in the billions," predicted Jeremy Anwyl of Edmunds.com,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 2, 2010

Lights, camera, Sakanaction!

"I hope foreign listeners can persevere with Japanese music," laughs bespectacled musician Ichiro Yamaguchi. "Sure, there's a lot of crap music here, but there's a lot of good stuff, too. Intelligent music is in the minority now, but I believe it will become mainstream in the future."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 2, 2010

Cost-cutting brings classics to the masses

"Rather than managing an opera house, I wanted to create a 'structure' for a new event," says French producer Rene Martin in a book published in Japan last month titled "How a Classical Music Festival Gathered 1 Million People."
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Mar 28, 2010

Oita's Sato was inspired by Jordan

The Japan Times will be featuring periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. The league's fifth season began in October. Kimitake Sato of the Oita HeatDevils is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 26, 2010

'Konchu Tantei Yoshida Yoshimi (Insect Detective yoshimi yoshida)'

A lot of kids go through a bug phase, when dragonflies, fireflies and butterflies seem absolutely fascinating. But the Japanese carry bug love to heights unknown to the underage ant farmers of my native Ohio, a love that puzzled me when I first came here, since about the only bugs I normally encountered...

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