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BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2010

Toyota plans green-car blitz

Toyota is planning to sell a plug-in hybrid car in the U.S., Japan and Europe in 2012, targeting sales of 50,000 vehicles a year at ¥3 million each without subsidies as it strengthens its green lineup to keep pace with growing competition.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 19, 2010

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1'

Somewhere, deep in the offices of Warner Bros., one can faintly hear the sound of gnashing teeth and torn hair; something equivalent to postpartum depression is setting in as the "Harry Potter" franchise nears its final chapter. The series has been an incredible cash cow for Warner, with a reported $5.4...
Japan Times
JAPAN / LIVING IN LUXURY
Nov 19, 2010

Kiun-kaku, a touch of elegance in Atami

About 40 minutes from Tokyo by bullet train, the city of Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, has long been a popular hot spa spot, attracting some 3 million visitors a year.
COMMENTARY
Nov 18, 2010

Release of Suu Kyi is no 'Mandela moment'

People love historical analogies, so it's easy to think of Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest Nov. 13 as Burma's "Mandela moment." When Nelson Mandela was freed from 27 years of imprisonment in 1990, it marked the start of a process that saw the negotiated end of the apartheid regime and genuinely...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Nov 17, 2010

Can PET bottles and Hello Kitty rescue Beaujolais Nouveau?

Beaujolais Nouveau has seen better days. Can cheaper prices and clever marketing lift it out of the gutter?
LIFE / Language / KANJI CLINIC
Nov 17, 2010

Autumn is the perfect season to view leaf-kanji

A mosaic carpet of autumn foliage tinted in shades of green, yellow, orange, and red is currently rolling southward through the archipelago of Japan. 紅葉 (kōyō, crimson/leaves), the Japanese word for "autumn leaves," only hints at the splendor of this multihued natural phenomenon.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2010

Media bent on derailing ruling DPJ: van Wolferen

The domestic media's penchant for focusing on political power games instead of policies is hampering the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's attempts to govern, veteran correspondent and Japan expert Karel van Wolferen said Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2010

Kan ducks the rice problem

HONG KONG — Has Prime Minister Naoto Kan finally woken up to the fact that the world is changing rapidly and Japan risks being left behind? In recent days he has spoken of a fresh fleet of "black ships" off the coast of Japan, and has noted nostalgically that he comes from Choshu (now Yamaguchi Prefecture)...
COMMENTARY
Nov 17, 2010

Unrepentant Bush still backs use of torture

In his recently published memoirs called "Decision Points," and in interviews publicizing those memoirs, former U.S. President George W. Bush makes it clear his stand on what many consider a basic human rights violation: the use of waterboarding as a torture technique. With characteristic insouciance,...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2010

Consumers should demand diamond clarity

PRINCETON, New Jersey — Diamonds have an image of purity and light. They are given as a pledge of love and worn as a symbol of commitment. Yet diamonds have led to gruesome murders, rapes and amputations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2010

TPP signals commitment to Asia: Obama

YOKOHAMA — The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement will give Washington a strong presence in Asia and an opportunity to increase trade, U.S. President Barack Obama said Saturday in Yokohama.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2010

Kan holds talks on disputes with Hu, Medvedev

YOKOHAMA — Prime Minister Naoto Kan finally managed to hold bilateral meetings Saturday with his Chinese and Russian counterparts in Yokohama, giving him a chance to sort out diplomatic tensions that have emerged over separate territorial rows.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2010

Kan thanks Obama for U.S. siding with Japan

YOKOHAMA — Prime Minister Naoto Kan expressed gratitude Saturday to President Barack Obama for Washington's support during Japan's territorial tensions with China and Russia.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2010

Islamic community lays down roots

Noon prayers at Tokyo Camii, also known as Tokyo Mosque, began peacefully with Imam Ensari Yenturk reciting verses from the Quran, while worshippers, who included a middle-aged Japanese man, bowed and offered prayers toward Mecca.
SOCCER
Nov 14, 2010

Seongnam Ilhwa capture ACL title

Seongnam Ilhwa secured South Korea's third Asian Champions League trophy with a 3-1 win over Iranian club Zob Ahan on Saturday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 14, 2010

Mind who you call a 'birdbrain'

Eiichi Izawa of Keio University in Tokyo calls them "feathered primates." In Japanese folklore they are the origin of the forest demons known as karasu tengu. Scientists classify them as Corvus macrorhynchos.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 14, 2010

A tale of one city (but two airports)

For the last three decades, air travelers on the Tokyo-Taipei route have utilized Narita International Airport and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 14, 2010

Back in the mists of time

It was November, and the leaves were ocher on the trees swathing the hills behind the reconstructed wooden buildings. Gaggles of chattering exchange students ducked in and out of the faux historical shops and houses, obviously enjoying themselves and their day out.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 14, 2010

Media sheepish over island disputes

Last Tuesday, when Tokyo prosecutors raided the offices of YouTube in order to find the person who leaked those videos of a Chinese fishing boat ramming a Japan Coast Guard vessel near the Senkaku Islands, the Asahi Shimbun published a letter from a man who said he had worked in media for 30 years. He...
CULTURE / Books
Nov 14, 2010

Bloody imperial rumble in Burma's jungle

The prologue to this stupendous book opens in Yamagata, where a Japanese general from World War II is struggling to atone for the deaths of soldiers who lost their lives under his command in India. They had been trying to mount an assault from Burma, which Japan had already conquered.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 14, 2010

Revealing looks at a 'phantom chef' and city sparrows; CM of the Week: Lotte Xylitol gum

You've been thrilled by the skills of "Ryori no Tetsujin (The Iron Chef)" and impressed by the knowledge revealed by "Ryori no Meijin" ("The Master Chef"). Now you can enjoy the unique talents of "Ryori no Kaijin" ("The Phantom Chef"; TV Tokyo, Wed., 9 p.m.).

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’