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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 24, 2009

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Earth Celebration is certainly in touch with the times: Last year the taiko drumming troupe Kodo marked the 100th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Brazil with the Afro-Brazilian culture group Olodum; this year they are celebrating the 400th anniversary of trade relations between Japan and the Netherlands...
CULTURE / Art
Jul 24, 2009

'Last' homage to Suzushi Hanayagi

During the 1960s, Suzushi Hanayagi ventured alone to New York in an unusual act of courage for a Japanese woman of her generation and armed only with training in traditional dance to forge a new form of Western-style modern dance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 24, 2009

Japan gets a taste of bracing 'in-yer-face theater'

The auditorium at Setagaya Public Theatre in Tokyo's Sangengaya district was filled with the mostly female fans of actor Masaaki Uchino, patiently waiting for the play "Blackbird" by David Harrower to begin. The taunt and provocative drama that subsequently unfolded no doubt caught some of them by surprise....
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 24, 2009

Dinosaurs to invade the nation

Makuhari Messe International Convention Complex in Chiba will be home to a replica of the world's largest dinosaur skeleton until Sept. 27. The Giant Mamenchisaurus, which is an impressive 35 meters long, is one of the main attractions of Dinosaur Expo 2009 — The Miracle of Deserts. While the mammoth...
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2009

'Anpanman' sets record for most characters

The TV program "Anpanman" has been recognized by Guinness World Records as having the most characters in an animated series, Nippon TV said.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2009

Fujitsu takes aim at ¥130 billion profit in business 2011

Fujitsu Ltd. said it is targeting record profits in the 2011 business year as spending on software and information-technology infrastructure recovers.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2009

BHP, smelters reduce copper fees

Japanese smelters and BHP Billiton Ltd., the world's biggest mining company, have settled copper-processing fees for the period that started July 1 at 33 percent less than those agreed upon on Jan. 1, an industry group said.
Reader Mail
Jul 23, 2009

Human trafficking into America

Regarding the July 18 article "Human-trafficking not addressed: U.N. envoy": Although this story focused on Japan alone, I thought you may be interested in knowing that between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year as well. They come from places all over the world like...
Reader Mail
Jul 23, 2009

Numbers alone don't tell the story

Roger Pulvers' comparison with the United States — in his July 12 article, "Crimes happen, but are the criminals 'one of us' or 'one of them?'" — looked like more of an apple-to-plum comparison. The Australian and Japanese societies are both offshoots of European socialism. The U.S. is not socialist,...
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2009

DKR Oasis former analyst to start Japan-focused equity hedge fund

Frederic Eechaute, a former senior analyst at DKR Oasis Management Co. LP, will start a Japan-focused equity hedge fund that trades stocks using its own analyst database.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2009

Lifer freed by a single smuggled hair strand

In the end, Toshikazu Sugaya may owe his freedom to a single strand of hair. As he languished in prison on a life sentence for a murder he did not commit, his lawyer told him there was only one way out: disprove the false DNA evidence that had put him inside.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 22, 2009

Are the finance sector's halcyon days over?

LONDON — For at least a quarter-century, the financial sector has grown far more rapidly than the economy as a whole, both in developed and in most developing countries. The ratio of total financial assets (stocks, bonds, and bank deposits) to gross domestic product (GDP) in the United Kingdom was...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 22, 2009

The world's best one-stop shop for Nihongo

"The number of people learning Japanese has increased and is currently estimated to be more than 3 million worldwide," says Nobuyuki Suzuki, deputy manager of a very special store in Tokyo.
Reader Mail
Jul 19, 2009

The real battle of civilizations

Regarding the July 9 editorial "McNamara's tragedy and triumph": Some Vietnamese political commentators have pointed out Robert McNamara's naive snobbery concerning the Vietnam War while he was U.S. defense secretary. A look through history shows that Western political and military leaders like to count...
Reader Mail
Jul 19, 2009

Even 24 missiles are too many

Regarding Gwynne Dyer's July 12 article, "It's up to the five powers to bottle the nuclear genie": The can of worms was opened 64 years ago and the worms are unlikely ever to return to the can. Even if, say, the United States shed its entire nuclear arsenal and kept only one Trident submarine with 24...
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2009

NEETs on the rise

The number of NEETs (people Not in Employment, Education or Training) now totals 640,000 people in Japan, according to a government white paper released in July. At the current rate of increase, NEETs may approach a million within five years, becoming a significant social problem that the government...
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Jul 19, 2009

Yokohama port anniversary, population boom, Zen bus-drivers and Japanese longevity

100 YEARS AGO
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 19, 2009

A bird's-eye view of Japanese arts

Books on the specifics of Japanese culture (as compared to those on cultural generalities) were not always as available as they are now. The concept of culture did not have the political intentions that are now so much a part of it. Books on the purported uniqueness of the Japanese "national character"...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 19, 2009

We all live in a 'yellow peril' submarine

This 454-page thriller, written in the time frame between the outbreak of SARS and swine influenza, puts a new twist on biological warfare. Indeed, what if an insidious crime syndicate were to infiltrate medical research and then, seeking huge profits, practice extortion on a worldwide scale?
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jul 19, 2009

A different kind of hardball

It's as English as dancing round a Maypole on the village green. But, wedged between a rugby pitch and fields full of practicing Little Leaguers, the University of Tokyo Cricket Club and their counterparts across town from Chuo are doing their best to put this most civilized of pastimes on Japan's sporting...
Reader Mail
Jul 19, 2009

Japan's 'qualitative' contribution

I think Kazuo Ogoura's July 14 article, "Why is Japan introverted?," is hard to understand. The main topic is why Japanese people prefer not to study or work abroad, yet the article finishes with the statement that Japan needs to increase its international appeal. The conclusion is unrelated to the beginning...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jul 18, 2009

JBA's reputation sinks lower after Hobbs' dismissal

Here's what the Japan Basketball Association set forth in new policies about the men's national team for its restart in January: It wanted to establish a strong squad and eventually gain a spot in an Olympics.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 17, 2009

Indie film fans can graze at The Pink Cow

More than a century ago in the basement of the Grand Cafe in Paris, pioneer filmmakers Auguste and Louis Lumiere dazzled audiences with one of the world's first public viewings of a motion picture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jul 17, 2009

Miele Guide charity month

The Miele Guide, an annual restaurant profile and ranking survey for Asia, will launch a monthlong charity initiative in cooperation with more than 50 restaurants in the region.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 17, 2009

Perfume "Triangle"

In a pop industry where music is usually a mere marketing tool to help sell an idol's image, Japan's busiest producer, Nakata Yasutaka, has pulled off a rare success by the way his music utterly subsumes the identities of Perfume's three female members, turning them simply into girl-shaped robotic campaign...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji