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Reader Mail
Oct 4, 2012

Laws of economics and physics

A thank you to Timothy Bedwell for his Sept. 27 letter, "Why do producers finish last?," which was a response to my Sept. 23 letter soliciting a "rationale for redistribution." But there are a number of ambiguous statements in Bedwell's letter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 4, 2012

Young pianist Umi delighted to capture Osaka prize

Notwithstanding the best efforts of Typhoon Jelawat, which swept over Osaka on Saturday night, the 13th Osaka International Music Competition was held over the weekend, with more than 800 musicians from around the world competing in 40 categories and age groups.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 3, 2012

Nippon Ishin no Kai: Local but with national outlook

After months of preparation, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's new political party, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party), was formally inaugurated at a mid-September gathering that drew more than 3,000 supporters.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2012

Maehara vows extra scrutiny of BOJ

New economic and fiscal policy minister Seiji Maehara pledged a closer watch over the Bank of Japan to ensure it meets a 1 percent inflation goal, adding that purchases of foreign bonds may be a powerful tool for easing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Oct 2, 2012

Tokyo: Which theater form — kabuki, noh or Takarazuka — would you say best represents modern Japan?

Sayuri Nakajima
EDITORIALS
Oct 2, 2012

Somber marking of Japan-China ties

On Sept. 29, Japan and China marked the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations. Unfortunately, bilateral ties are in a sorry state, with mutual distrust the deepest since ties were normalized due to a dispute over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Leaders of both countries...
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2012

Sumitomo sees 'solar bubble' with rejection of nuclear power

As Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and billionaire Masayoshi Son lead a swarm of investors seeking to exploit Japan's solar power subsidies — the largest in the world — Sumitomo Corp. is betting on wind.
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Oct 1, 2012

Flip-flop on no-nuclear energy policy bodes ill for the future of Japan

On Sept. 14, the Japanese government presented to the public a new national energy strategy. This long-awaited plan included as its focal point the objective of eliminating nuclear power by the end of the 2030s. Less than a week later, however, Japan's hopes for a nuclear-free world were dashed. In the...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / BACKSTREET STORIES
Sep 30, 2012

Casting around for the past on Fish-basket Slope

Hoping to find traces of the fishing village that was Edo (present-day Tokyo) before the first Tokugawa Shogun chose the site for his new political capital in the early 1600s, I head to Gyoranzaka (Fish-basket Slope) in the city's central Mita district.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Sep 29, 2012

Terry's legacy tainted by scandals

Four Games.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Sep 29, 2012

Canadian musician pens piece for 'Tsunami violin' performances

Four months ago, Miguel Sosa, a composer, concert pianist, conductor and teacher was asked by Taizo Oba, organizer of the Bond Made of 1,000 Tones project, to write an original composition for one of the two "tsunami-debris" violins.
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 29, 2012

Olympic experience had profound impact on Omiya's Higashi

Escaping relegation would be the only thing on the mind of most teams sitting one place above the drop zone with just eight matches left to play, but Omiya Ardija midfielder Keigo Higashi has grander ambitions for his struggling side than mere survival.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / JAPAN-CHINA SYMPOSIUM
Sep 28, 2012

Media in Japan and China urged to help close perception gap

Just as Japan and China mark the 40th anniversary of the 1972 normalization of diplomatic ties amid ever-deepening economic relations, public sentiments toward each country appear to have fallen to the lowest point in decades. News over the past several weeks have been awash with reports of massive daily...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 28, 2012

Postelection fiscal cliff raises stakes for the world

As America's elections approach, with President Barack Obama slightly in front of his Republican challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, pollsters still rate the races for control of the presidency and the U.S. Senate too close to call, with the House of Representatives likely to remain in...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2012

Monstrous robotic behemoth brings anime fantasies to life

It's hard to say whether technology will ever catch up with sci-fi anime and realize an era when giant robots roam the earth, but for artist Kogoro Kurata and student Wataru Yoshizaki the future can't come soon enough.
Reader Mail
Sep 27, 2012

Nuclear assessment reliability

Michael Radcliffe's Sept. 20 letter, "Fear-mongering over fuel rods," makes dangerous and unsupported claims about the nuclear situation at Fukushima. Apparently we are to believe that a nuclear disaster is no big deal and that we should all just take a breather.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 27, 2012

"On the Agenda of the Arts 2012: In the Air"

Tokyo Wonder Site aims to foster worldwide cultural exchange from its Tokyo bases in Hongo, Shibuya and Aoyama. One of the institution's longest-running projects is "On the Agenda of the Arts," which invites artists and curators from around the world, hosts exhibitions, and organizes roundtable discussions...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 27, 2012

Tadanori Yokoo prepares to 'move on' in different ways

Tadanori Yokoo, bad boy of the Japanese art scene since the 1960s, is showing nine works, most of which were made within the last couple of years, at Scai The Bathhouse in the Yanaka district of Tokyo. The small exhibition, titled "Destination the Teshima Art House Project" serves to not only showcase...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2012

Roots of Japan-China rivalry

The anti-Japan protests that continue to roil China are just another indication of the rise of a potent Chinese nationalism. After a century slowly fomenting among Chinese intellectuals, national sentiment has captured and redefined the consciousness of the Chinese people during the last two decades...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 27, 2012

Kichizaemon X: Sound of Darkness and Light of Silence

Since his involvement in the establishment of Dumb Type, a collective on Kyoto-based artists, Shiro Takatani has spearheaded the group's works, playing a vital role in design and aesthetics. Kichizaemon Raku, on the other hand, is the latest heir apparent to the prestigious Raku family, whose traditional...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 27, 2012

The fabric of Okinawa design

With the typical "white box" museum, everything depends on the contents of the exhibition, but with the Mingeikan (The Japan Folk Crafts Museum), the museum itself is very much part of the experience. This is clear from the moment you slide open the entrance door and take off your shoes to shuffle around...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 27, 2012

"Hideo Nagai Solo Exhibition: Painkiller ..."

In 2001, Hideo Nagai surprised the world with a giant sculpture of a half-naked wrestler who was stretched out like a plank between two walls and appeared to be writhing in pain at his gravity-defying feat. The scale and visual impact of the sculpture was an example of what later became his main motif,...

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear