Search - world

 
 
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...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 17, 2009

Go swim with fishes high in the sky

Does the ocean glitter like a cool mirage in your overheated mind this summer? Rather than trek out to the real thing, all you have to do is dive up to the "Sky Aquarium III" exhibit running through Oct. 4 at Tokyo City View on the 52nd floor of Roppongi Hills' Mori Tower.
Reader Mail
Jul 16, 2009

'Spousal hire' par for 21st century

The May 25 reprinting of the Los Angeles Times' article "Support for women takes care of population" couldn't have been timelier. The Japanese Diet is debating an immigration bill that would end spouse visas for people doing "tanshin funin" (working at a post without one's family). Being forced to live...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 16, 2009

More challenges await Hillary Clinton in Asia

SINGAPORE — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is again scheduled to travel to Asia this month to meet foreign ministers at the ASEAN Regional Forum, and to visit India. On her first Asian trip in February, she provided a welcome contrast to the past with her openness to others' views, her willingness...
COMMENTARY
Jul 16, 2009

Reflecting on the lessons of Robert McNamara's war

The death of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara at age 93 has reopened the debate on his role, first as architect for the Vietnam War, and then later in apologizing for it with his 1995 book "In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam." Since a hawk with a conscience is a rare commodity,...
BUSINESS
Jul 16, 2009

Platinum bar sales tripled in first half

Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K., Japan's biggest precious metals retailer, said sales of platinum bars to local investors more than tripled in the first half from a year earlier as lower prices boosted demand.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2009

IMAX eyes Asia, 'Harry Potter' for expansion plan

Megascreen theater company IMAX Corp. is hoping the magic of "Harry Potter" will help catapult the company into a global smash hit.
COMMENTARY
Jul 15, 2009

China's false monoculture

By blanketing the oil-rich Xinjiang with troops, China's rulers may have subdued the Uighur revolt, which began in Urumqi, the regional capital, and spread to other heavily guarded towns like Hotan and Kashgar, the ancient cultural center whose old city is to be razed and redeveloped to help drain supposed...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 15, 2009

Anatomy of an Iranian revolution delayed

YPSILANTI, Mich. — The ongoing conflict between Iran's rulers and the Iranian public is the result of a head-on collision between two contradictory forces. In recent years, public attitudes in Iran have become more liberal. At the same time, power has shifted from conservative pragmatism toward a much...
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2009

Nagoya mayor blasts LDP economic policy

The Liberal Democratic Party may lose the next election because its economic policies, including spending cuts to trim the deficit, are "fundamentally wrong," according to Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 15, 2009

Japan resident, get set for your date with dentistry

They were four simple words that I never wanted to hear: "Ha wo warimasu, ne (歯を割りますね, I'm going to split your tooth, OK?)."
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2009

Five bag top toy awards

The Japan Toy Association announced five winners Tuesday of its second annual toy awards, leading up to the nation's biggest toy exhibition, the International Tokyo Toy Show, which kicks off Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2009

Diet calls shots on taxes: top finance bureaucrat

The Finance Ministry's top bureaucrat, Yasutake Tango, said this week his ministry will prepare to raise the consumption tax as stipulated by law, but it is also ready to change course if the Democratic Party of Japan, which is reportedly against a consumption tax hike over the next four years, takes...
COMMENTARY
Jul 14, 2009

Why is Japan introverted?

The number of students from China, South Korea and other Asian countries studying at American or European universities have, in general, been increasing over the years. Although there was a time when such a tendency was checked due to the increasing complexity of entry procedures into the United States,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 14, 2009

WWII labor redress efforts gain traction

APOWs at Aso Mining during World War II have captured most of the headlines since Taro Aso became prime minister last fall, but other forced labor redress efforts are gaining momentum that will continue regardless of who becomes Japan's next leader.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 14, 2009

For Hatoyamas, politics is considered birthright

Often compared to the Kennedy family for the impressive list of lawmakers and scholars hailing from its ranks, the Hatoyama clan is one of the nation's most prominent political dynasties.
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Jul 13, 2009

Japanese choices in aviation market reveal overreliance on U.S.

For decades, Japan's military partner of choice has been the United States. The reasons are well known: The influence of the Occupation after World War II and the adoption of an American-style Constitution that put strong restrictions on Japan's ability to maintain any kind of martial force.
EDITORIALS
Jul 13, 2009

More bricks in the wall

Facing opposition from Chinese citizens and foreign governments, Beijing has postponed a plan to reinforce the "Great Firewall of China." These efforts, ostensibly to protect against pornography, look more like a new campaign to crack down on dissent. One way to protest them is to demand that China respect...
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 12, 2009

What happens when day turns to night?

Eclipses happen all the time. It just depends on where you are at the time. Here on earth, we've got the best ones in the solar system.
Reader Mail
Jul 12, 2009

Much more deadly than tigers

If "India can live without its tigers" because they are "violent disgusting creatures," as Dipak Basu suggests in his June 28 letter, then Earth can do without Homo sapiens, the most destructive and pernicious animal to march, shoot, maim and kill, with the gall to yap incessantly of peace while preparing...

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