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COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2011

The long road to Arab democracy

During the turmoil of the French Revolution, a popular saying arose: "How beautiful was the republic — under the monarchy." The revolution aimed at achieving liberty, equality and fraternity. Instead, it wrought for France Jacobin terror, rightwing counterterror, decades of war and then Napoleonic...
CULTURE / Art
May 12, 2011

'Zhu Wei: Utopia'

Tobin Ohashi Gallery Closes June 5
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2011

The Thai-Cambodian battle of the temples

The military skirmishes between Thailand and Cambodia that have claimed more than two dozen lives, caused scores of injuries, and displaced tens of thousands of people since February are primarily attributable to domestic politics in both countries. Rooted in ancient enmities and the legacy of the colonial...
COMMENTARY
May 11, 2011

Justified, but we're no safer

U.S. President Barack Obama was justified in ordering the elimination of Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al-Qaida group of jihadists and terrorists, who have caused such widespread suffering and mayhem not only in Western countries but also in Muslim states. But his death does not necessarily make...
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 10, 2011

Bringing nihonshu into the mix

Purists will surely balk, but some alcohol companies are hoping the sake cocktail catches on with a new generation, like the highball before it.
COMMENTARY
May 10, 2011

China anticipates 'explosion' over anything

"They feel they are sitting on a volcano," said a prominent Chinese academic when explaining the government's crackdown on its critics.
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
May 10, 2011

Culinary expedition explores cultures

People often get to know about another country's culture through its cuisine -where the ingredients come from, how the dishes are cooked and how the dishes originated.
COMMENTARY / World
May 10, 2011

Will Islamists rule post-revolution Egypt?

For the first time in Egypt's modern history, Islamists, the most organized political group on the ground with a recognizable outreach to every corner of the country, seem close to governing Egypt, after decades of social influence.
JAPAN
May 10, 2011

Kansai bids to be 'backup capital'

Kansai's political and business leaders are stepping up efforts to convince those in Tokyo that Osaka, Kyoto, or Kobe should be designated Japan's backup capital to ensure that companies, government organs, foreign delegations and even the Imperial Family will continue to function in the event of a Kanto-area...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
May 9, 2011

Standridge keeps Ala. citizens close to heart

Trussville, Ala., is a typical southern U.S. city. Spread out along the Cahaba River with scenic streets lined by trees that help form a picturesque escape in the northern half of the state.
Reader Mail
May 8, 2011

Bin Laden's execution disappoints

In American schools, we were taught about equality before the law. If a person commits a crime, he or she is brought to court where innocence or guilt is decided. The penalty for the crime is decided by a judge.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 8, 2011

Scandals through history; high school restaurant; CM of the week: Kincho

Scandals are timeless, but the reporting of them has changed considerably over the millennia. The series "Seiki no Wide Show; Konya wa History" ("Century Wide Show: Tonight is History"; TBS, Mon., 7 p.m.) looks at famous historical events through the lens of a typical daytime television scandal reporter....
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 8, 2011

Checking the time on the Doomsday Clock

In 1902, an American science writer named Robert Kennedy Duncan wrote a magazine piece titled "Radio-Activity: A New Property of Matter." Its subject is French physicist Henri Becquerel's discovery, in 1896, of the rays that now bear his name. Duncan's tone is so radiant with hope, so luminous with the...
CULTURE / Books
May 8, 2011

Unfractured folk tales, and fantastic fables

SPECULATIVE JAPAN 2: "The Man Who Watched the Sea" and Other Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy. Kurodahan Press, 2010, 269 pp., $16 (paper) A good anthology, particularly one that aims to provide an overview of an unfamiliar subset of a nation's literature, should not please all its readers...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 8, 2011

Hearty bunch enjoyed Japan tour

Earthquake, tsunami, radiation threat; despite it all, five dedicated fans from overseas followed through on a planned trip to Japan to watch Japanese professional baseball games in mid-April, just a few weeks after the devastating events that occurred in the Tohoku region of the country beginning...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 8, 2011

New drama addresses the politics of surrogate pregnancy in Japan

Keiko Matsuzaka started out as a glamorous ingenue who sang and acted. Her career didn't differ greatly from those of other late Showa Era (1926-89) idols, except that she gave in to the unflattering changes her body underwent after entering middle age. Most other actresses who are still working in their...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 7, 2011

American's food import firm has grown organically

Jack Bayles, owner of Alishan Organic Center and founder of Tengu Natural Foods, has lived within a 5-km radius his entire time in Japan in the shadow of the verdant, hazy mountains of Chichibu near the Koma River in Hidaka, Saitama Prefecture.
Reader Mail
May 5, 2011

Reconstruction a matter of time

Takeshi Kanno, a Japanese doctor selected as one of Time magazine's "100 most influential people," recently commented in New York that his selection symbolized the recognition of all people who have been courageously working to help disaster victims in the Tohoku-Pacific region since March 11.
Reader Mail
May 5, 2011

Kan serves as convenient target

Regarding the May 2 article "Kan's leadership poor" (poll): No matter how poor Prime Minister Naoto Kan's handling of the recent tragedies may or may not be, it withers in comparison with the news media's thirst for the blood of a hapless scapegoat.
Reader Mail
May 5, 2011

Need for better entrance exams

Regarding the March 14 editorial, "Cheating and the cheated": Japanese universities need to introduce a system for evaluating the ability to take advantage of information.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’