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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 23, 2012

Public works funds best spent fixing aging infrastructure

Last week's Lower House election was all about what people didn't want — the Democratic Party of Japan — but the issue foremost in voters' minds was the state of the economy, and new prime minister Shinzo Abe has made that his first priority by pledging to boost inflation through monetary easing...
JAPAN
Dec 23, 2012

Sony, state fund in battery unit talks

Sony Corp. is in talks to sell its battery business to a state-backed investment fund, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 23, 2012

Beware the nuclear village as it readies to rear-end docile Japan again

If you remember the Pinto, dear reader, then you may be as old as the hills — or at least as old as I am.
EDITORIALS
Dec 23, 2012

Facedown over privacy

In and around Tokyo, face-recognition cameras have started to take photos of passersby at various locations. Supermarket chains, shopping malls and vending machines inside JR East stations all have been using face-recognition software to identify the sex and age of individuals who come within line of...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 23, 2012

"Family History"; Top athletes in unimaginable contests; CM of the week: Sato Shokuhi

The portion of resident Korean nationals in the sports and show business worlds is higher than it is in the general population. Athletics and entertainment were and still are two traditional ways for non-Japanese to escape poverty.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / THE YEAR IN BOOKS
Dec 23, 2012

Revisiting Asia's past, present

"From the Ruins of Empire: The Revolt Against the West and the Remaking of Asia" (Allen Lane) by Pankaj Mishra. This is the story of the Asian intellectual's response to Western imperialism. It is an intelligent and rewarding read that crisscrosses time and space, helping readers better understand the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 22, 2012

Santa-san is coming to town — it's going to be different this year

Christmas is going to be different this year. Oh, you haven't heard? Read on.
EDITORIALS
Dec 22, 2012

How desperate is Damascus?

In diplomacy, red lines are problematic. While they are needed to signal resolve, they can also invite trouble. "Red lines often become red carpets," showing that what governments do to challenge their adversaries and test their credibility turns into an indication of how far they can go without inviting...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Dec 22, 2012

Will.i.am: social activist, pop star and tech evangelist

How smart is will.i.am? Pretty damned smart, I'd say. He might have the trappings of a rap star with an entourage that includes a film crew, but that's only a small part of it. He's also one of the most sought-after producers in the music industry and one of its shrewdest business brains.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / EVERYMAN EATS
Dec 21, 2012

Food festivals: all yesterday's parties

The best of 2012 The inaugural Tama Geta Shoku no Saiten in Hachioji offered locavores a chance to sample the creative cuisine of western Tokyo. Thirty vendors showed off dishes such as motsu yaki-udon, a bowl of beef tripe and noodles from the town of Mizuho in Nishitama, and the "Tokyo-X" hot dog,...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2012

Linchpin for Thai amnesty — or more violence

Last week the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) decided to press murder charges against former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban in connection with their role in a military crackdown against anti-government red-shirt protesters during April and May of 2010....
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 21, 2012

Big Pacific shark sanctuaries created

French Polynesia and the Cook Islands have created adjacent shark sanctuaries spanning roughly 6.7 million sq. km of ocean, a move that reflects a growing trend to protect sharks worldwide and more than doubles the area now off-limits to any shark fishing.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Dec 21, 2012

Kodo to spend Christmas Eve with drums and a crowd

Having performed all around the world, the taiko (drum) ensemble Kodo is back in Japan, ready to conclude its "One Earth Tour 2012: Legend" with a Christmas Eve show in Tokyo on Dec. 24.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 21, 2012

Lanza computer may hold key to massacre

Some of the most important clues about what drove Adam Lanza to mass murder probably sit on the computer that the reclusive, technical-minded 20-year-old used as one of his main contacts with the world, law enforcement authorities say.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2012

Toyota scores 'poor' on insurers' crash tests

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Camry, the best-selling midsize car in the U.S., and the Prius V hybrid earned the lowest ratings in a new crash test simulating a severe front-end collision, an insurance group found.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2012

James Bond can't fix Sony as Japan makers hit lows

Even James Bond and Spider-Man can't rescue Sony Corp.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 20, 2012

Expe "Emeralda"

As Expe, Takatoshi Yoshitake's October release "Emeralda" approaches the technical thresholds of guitar and percussion, but avoids the egotistical posturing that characterizes much progressive music. Instead, "Emeralda" dives deep into meter and timbre all while maintaining a cool, nuanced sensibility....
CULTURE / Music
Dec 20, 2012

Tokyo Girls' Style to perform first solo gig at legendary Budokan, but first — homework

The members of Tokyo Girls' Style have a lot to juggle in the next couple of months. This Saturday, the five-member pop group will perform a solo show at Japan's storied Budokan arena — a huge milestone for any musical outfit here. About a month later, their third album "Yakusoku" ("Promise") will...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 20, 2012

'Fans' fawn over 'Pingping'

Are vocal online fans of Communist Party leader Xi Jinping the real thing, or part of an elaborate and complex Potemkin village
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Dec 19, 2012

2012 has been a big year on the Japanese social-media scene

Twitter continues to ride high. Facebook has grown a lot, but newcomer Line seems set to overtake it. Social game companies Gree and Mobage have shifted their overseas expansion into high gear. And Mixi finally admits that it needs to try harder to understand what its members want. In this month's column,...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2012

'Motherly leader' in final poll push

South Korea has the chance Wednesday to elect a woman to its top office, an unprecedented step in a nation long dominated by boardrooms of men and ranked only slightly ahead of most Islamic countries when it comes to gender equality.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2012

Obama calls Abe, eyes summit in U.S. next month

When President Barack Obama phoned Shinzo Abe, the prime minister-in-waiting, on Tuesday, they agreed to arrange a summit in the U.S. as early as January, according to an official who took part in the 10-minute chat.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 19, 2012

Firms move some eggs out of China basket

Anti-Japan riots in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere in China in September triggered by Japan's nationalization of the disputed Senkaku Islands brought vandalism and violence to Japanese restaurants, stores and car dealers and a boycott of Japanese products.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2012

Does Abe win signal a Volcker moment?

Shinzo Abe was chief Cabinet secretary in 2006 when he backed the Bank of Japan's interest rate hike, a move that the prime minister-in-waiting, who is growing increasingly intolerant of the nation's chronic deflation, now says was a mistake.
LIFE / Travel / TRAVEL INSIDER
Dec 19, 2012

Win a futsal tournament, receive Liverpool tickets; new Korean Air benefits program

Liverpool FC tickets Virgin Atlantic Airways has announced that it will again cohost the third All England Cup Futsal Tournament in Japan in March with the international banking group Standard Chartered Bank.
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Dec 18, 2012

Tokyo: What does Christmas mean to you?

George Ianus

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years