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EDITORIALS
Mar 12, 2011

Harvesting rare-earth metals

Rare-earth metals are called "vitamins for industry" because the addition of trace amounts to such metals as iron, copper and aluminum boost their quality, making them stronger, more pliable or more viscous. They are used in many products, including cell phones, electric cars, medical treatment devices,...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 12, 2011

Giant earthquake rattles players, fans at ballpark

There was nothing amiss at Yokohama Stadium.
BUSINESS
Mar 12, 2011

Nippon Life to buy stake in India insurer

Nippon Life Insurance Co. is in talks to purchase a stake in India's Reliance Life Insurance Co. to boost business overseas, a source said.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 11, 2011

Tyler raising his game as season progresses

Jeremy Tyler, still a few months shy of his 20th birthday, is no stranger to NBA talent evaluators. Though he's playing halfway around the world, the Tokyo Apache's highly touted 210-cm prospect is being closely watched.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 11, 2011

The National break past indie's borders

Formed in Brooklyn, New York, via Cincinnati, Ohio, The National have taken an equally oblique route to success. Twelve years into a career where every strand of recognition has been painstakingly hard-earned, The National's exquisite melancholy has resonated long enough to transform any cult-status...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 11, 2011

New dance-music label Diskotopia aims to bring Tokyo in step

Glance at the lineups of Tokyo's larger nightclubs on any given weekend and you'd be forgiven for feeling some deja vu. Mainstays such as Takkyu Ishino, Shinichi Osawa or Dexpistols are likely to be headlining, much as they have been doing for the past several years.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2011

October-December GDP setback exceeds government estimate

The economy contracted more than the government initially estimated in the calendar fourth quarter because of a downward revision to capital investment and consumer spending.
Reader Mail
Mar 10, 2011

Let human capital trump arms race

Regarding Hiroaki Sato's Feb. 27 article, "Indefensible costs of military one-upmanship ": When it comes to national defense, Japan needs to accumulate human capital instead of participating in the arms race. In the 21st century, when many countries are locked in fierce competition to obtain natural...
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2011

Challenges await next Tokyo leader

While many familiar faces, among them Kanagawa Gov. Shigefumi Matsuzawa, former Miyazaki Gov. Hideo Higashikokubaru and businessman Miki Watanabe, are likely to be seen in the April 10 Tokyo gubernatorial election, the capital's most prominent is expected to stand down.
Reader Mail
Mar 10, 2011

Cheating arrest misses real story

Minoru Matsutani's March 5 article, "Analysts call arrest over exam cheating overkill," is spot on. No one condones cheating, but the overkill by the police to persecute a young man who made a mistake is absurd.
COMMENTARY
Mar 10, 2011

A deathly silence grips Pakistan

LONDON — At least with a dictatorship, you know where you are — and if you know where you are, you may be able to find your way out. In Pakistan, it is not so simple.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2011

Briton excels at helping foreign women adjust

Japan got a little better last year in gender equality, according to the World Economic Forum: It moved up in the rankings to 94th place out of 134 countries, from 101st in 2009.
COMMENTARY
Mar 10, 2011

What to do about Gadhafi?

LONDON — There ought to be many more red faces among the world leaders who used to kowtow and suck up to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, an insane megalomaniac bully. But only a minority will ever admit that they were wrong.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2011

Toyota sets profit goal of ¥1 trillion

Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda said Wednesday the auto giant aims to earn more than ¥1 trillion in group operating profit as soon as possible as it tries to rebound from a record loss two years ago when it was hit by the global economic downturn and massive recalls.
EDITORIALS
Mar 9, 2011

Rise in food and oil prices

Political turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East triggered by the change of government in Tunisia is pushing up crude oil prices. Crude oil prices, which were rather stable in the range of $70 to $80 per barrel the past year, are now hovering above $100 per barrel.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Mar 8, 2011

A worrying period for all ALTs

Dear Education Minister Yoshiaki Takaki: "How tall are you?" "How much do you weigh?" "Ooh, your eyes look like sunflowers." I guess if I got ¥100 every time a Japanese junior high school student asked me one of those questions, I wouldn't be writing this letter today.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2011

JR West taps low bond yields to refinance loans

West Japan Railway Co., starting the nation's newest bullet train service this week, is slashing interest costs by using the world's lowest bond yields to refinance government loans.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2011

Spurred by Beijing, New Delhi moves to raise its profile in Iraq

LONDON — After seven long years, the Indian government has decided that the time has come to make its presence felt in Iraq by naming an envoy to the country. The previous ambassador to Iraq was withdrawn in 2004 when the security situation in the country was spiraling out of control.
Reader Mail
Mar 6, 2011

Blurry separation of generations

The March 2 Kyodo article " 'Kawaii' culture taking hold in U.K." gives an an interesting contrast of the differences in the perception of "kawaii" (cute) between the United Kingdom and Japan. But I'm surprised that the writer didn't look beyond street pop culture to examine publishing.
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2011

Vaccination policy booster

Japan's vaccination policy has taken a small step forward. The fiscal 2010 supplementary budget approved by the Diet in late November includes some ¥108.5 billion to financially help local governments subsidize the costs of inoculation with three types of vaccines: one to prevent haemophilus influenza...

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan