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COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2009

Stabilizing Africa's Horn

STRASBOURG, France — After almost two decades as a failed state torn by civil war, perhaps the world should begin to admit that Somalia — as it is currently constructed — is beyond repair.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2009

New environment chief will have a difficult task crafting CO 2 plan

Environment Minister Sakihito Ozawa said Sunday that Japan's new goal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions will put the country in a strong position at international negotiations on climate change.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 20, 2009

The forgotten DPJ promise on women's rights

In the weeks since the Democratic Party of Japan secured a majority in the Lower House, the new DPJ members of that institution have apparently been told to keep their mouths shut when they're around the media.
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 20, 2009

Loan moratorium in works: Kamei

Newly appointed financial and postal services minister Shizuka Kamei says lenders have an obligation to help borrowers survive tough times — one reason why he's pushing to pass a bill that would put a moratorium of about three years on loan payments for small and midsize companies.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 20, 2009

Put a hold on earlier explanation of the 'hold' rule

You may recall in the column of July 19 I explained what is a "hold" and how a relief pitcher gets credit for one. I quoted Boston Red Sox play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo, who on a Red Sox telecast had coincidentally defined the conditions under which a middle reliever or setup man qualifies for the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 19, 2009

Tokyo rabbi gives unconditionally

"Whatever we have, we give 100 percent," says Binyomin Edery, the 33-year-old chief rabbi at Chabad House in Tokyo. "Our bank account is at zero! If we have one, we give two; if we have two, we give four. That's what we do."
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 18, 2009

Okada plays cards close to vest

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada gave mixed signals Thursday on how far he will push Washington on the thorny issues of base relocation and Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 18, 2009

'The Limits of Control'

Anyone who's ever seen a film by New York indie auteur Jim Jarmusch knows that the director's work is an acquired taste. With his minimalist, deadpan sense of humor, his fixation on crossed signals and miscommunication, and that curious blend of existentialist angst and laconic cool intercut with moments...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 18, 2009

Nomiya shelves Barbie image

Elegance is not just having your clothes and personal grooming just so," says Maki Nomiya. "It's also doing even mundane things, like eating, with grace."
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2009

Okada to prioritize ties with Asian neighbors

To envision how Katsuya Okada will approach his new job as foreign minister, one need look no further than his grilling of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during budget deliberations at the Diet on June 2, 2005.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2009

Resurgent Kamei ready to make waves again

Shizuka Kamei, former policy chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, has emerged once again as a key player in a coalition government, overcoming a political setback suffered from his opposition to the postal privatization plan championed by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2009

Fukushima has fought for women, foreigners

Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party, has long been active in dealing with humanitarian and women's issues, ranging from sexual harassment to domestic violence to foreigners' rights.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 17, 2009

Why don't we eat bent cucumbers?

An aging agricultural workforce, a food self-sufficiency rate below 40 percent and the constant threat of environmental damage: How can tiny vegetable distribution companies in Chiba Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, tackle the issues facing Japan's farming industry?
EDITORIALS
Sep 14, 2009

Investing in Japan's posterity

Japan's rapidly graying population and shrinking population is casting a shadow on Japan's future. After hitting a low of 1.26 in 2005, the total fertility rate (TFR) has risen for three consecutive years and stood at 1.37 in 2008, a rise of 0.03 from 2007. Nonetheless, deaths still exceed births and...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 13, 2009

Golden Week 2 set to be windfall at gate for NPB

Golden Week has always been a golden time for Japanese baseball. That series of consecutive holidays between April 29 and May 5 usually sees capacity or near-sellout crowds at all games scheduled during the period.
EDITORIALS
Sep 11, 2009

Impetus for a low-carbon world

Mr. Yukio Hatoyama, head of the Democratic Party of Japan and the prime minister-in-waiting, has announced that Japan will seek a 25 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2020. This is an ambitious target that could put Japan on the path to a low-carbon society. It could also give...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 11, 2009

Breaking fairy-tale conventions of beauty

Against the tradition of bijinga (beautiful women pictures) that runs through Japanese art, there is an antithetical stream that draws attention to a grotesque and timeworn femininity. In noh plays, the celebrated early 9th-century beauty of the Heian Era, Ono no Komachi, is sometimes portrayed after...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 11, 2009

'Soldier's Tale' to hit Japan

Tokyo audiences have an opportunity this weekend to see a stage gem performed only 12 times before — and always in its birthplace of the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden, home of the fabled Royal Ballet.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 11, 2009

Concert marks Down syndrome milestone

Akihito Ochi is a gifted pianist. He also has Down syndrome.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2009

Gas giant duo to buy Chevron's Aussie LNG

Chevron Corp.'s Gorgon liquefied natural gas project completed agreements to sell stakes in the Western Australian venture and 70 billion Australian dollars ($60 billion) worth of the fuel to Japan and South Korea.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan