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COMMENTARY
Oct 27, 2008

Noisy assaults on living

A bitter schism was created in the city of Yokosuka between those supporting and those opposing the stationing of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington at the U.S. naval base there. Calm was restored, however, when the ship actually entered port Sept. 25.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2008

The great Beijing-Moscow Central Asia game

HONG KONG — Although most world attention during the August Russia-Georgia crisis was on the reactions of the United States and Europe, China's response also made headlines. With China and Russia enjoying a strategic partnership, and sharing a distaste for U.S. "hegemony," Chinese support for Russia's...
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2008

GSDF officer dies during visit to Iwojima

A Ground Self-Defense Force major collapsed while visiting a wartime tunnel on Iwojima and later died, the first death on the island since World War II, officials said.
BUSINESS / GERMAN JOURNALIST SYMPOSIUM
Oct 27, 2008

Growth depends on companies' ability to adapt

Germany and Japan face some common challenges as they try to maintain growth amid the global financial crisis, veteran journalists from German media organizations told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
Reader Mail
Oct 26, 2008

Save us from a feel-good law

Regarding the Oct. 22 article "Bill would toughen knife, gun law": Once again we see a typical knee-jerk reaction. While nothing can detract from the awful tragedy at Akihabara or Sasebo this year, I cannot help but shake my head at yet another feel-good, do-nothing proposal. Sure, it may sound good...
Reader Mail
Oct 26, 2008

No commemorative stamp for spy

I found Jun Hongo's Oct. 21 article -- "Japan's spies: What cloak, dagger?" -- profoundly interesting, but I happened to notice a minor mistake. The article states that Richard Sorge, the German who spied for the Soviet Union in Japan during World War II, is currently "honored with commemorative stamps...
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 26, 2008

Motel of Lost Companions

It was a foolish argument . . . the worst kind of argument too, over food. And not even food exactly, but over salad dressing.
BUSINESS
Oct 26, 2008

Japan Post sets eyes on real estate development

Japan Post Holdings Co., with $30 billion' worth of properties across the nation, will redevelop sites in central Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya as it turns to real estate as a new source of profit, a company official said.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 26, 2008

TV tributes to an artificial heart innovator, Picasso and Sadaharu Oh

The subject of this week's edition of "Professional: Shigoto no Ryugi" ("The Professionals") (NHK-G, Tuesday, 10 p.m.) is 56-year-old Chisato Nojiri, the leader of a special-project team that recently developed a new type of artificial heart.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / INSIDE LOOK
Oct 25, 2008

K.J. Matsui looks to lead in final year at Columbia

NEW YORK — Tokyo native K.J. Matsui is the first Japanese to play Division I basketball in the United States. Now a senior, he is one of the top players for Columbia University in New York City. He is also one of the nation's best three 3-point shooters.
BUSINESS / Q&A
Oct 25, 2008

Lowdown on bank-aid bill

The credit crunch brought about by the collapse of the U.S. housing market is spreading throughout the world and has begun choking off funding to small and midsize Japanese companies.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 25, 2008

Burlesque dancer does it for laughs

A search of the Web for Murasaki Babydoll will likely snag you a six-minute Time video from this year's New York Burlesque Festival and with it a look at the Tokyo burlesque troupe's festival debut.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Oct 25, 2008

The melting pot of 2008

Today's fun fact is that 2008 marks the 100th year since the coining of the term "melting pot" to describe the multiethnic stew that then comprised the American populace. "Then" refers to the years when immigrants flooded over the ocean in a great global warming of the pursuit of opportunity.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 24, 2008

Ogasawara belts two home runs; fired-up Giants take 2-1 series lead

The Yomiuri Giants looked a bit sluggish in the first game of their series against the Chunichi Dragons.
COMMENTARY
Oct 24, 2008

There's no ignoring China

HONG KONG — Earlier this month, when Washington announced the sale of a $6.5 billion arms package to Taiwan, China reacted with anger. It has canceled a series of military and diplomatic contacts with the United States, including port calls by naval vessels, and indefinitely postponed meetings on halting...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 24, 2008

'Yume no Mani Mani'

Art directors are known as below-the-line talent in the movie business. That is, they are considered a rank below the director, producer and scriptwriter on the production pecking order, and they are paid accordingly.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 24, 2008

Nitin Sawhney "London Undersound"

Dostoevski was a terrible poet and T.S. Eliot couldn't sing. It's just a sad fact that sometimes being great in one artistic field means failing miserably at another. Nitin Sawhney — the English producer and composer widely acclaimed for his fusion of jazz, electronica and other influences from around...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / LIQUID CULTURE
Oct 24, 2008

Stir up memories in bars of yore

In hard times such as these you can always find solace in a drink; just make it one that reminds you of better days. Here are eight great Tokyo bars that ooze nostalgia. Some serve classic cocktails, some survived the war, and most of them seem to have served author Yukio Mishima.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 24, 2008

Closing weekend at TIFF to showcase Asia, ecology theme

One of the advantages of film festivals in Japan is the chance to see Japanese and Asian cinema with English subtitles. The 21st Tokyo International Film Festival may be ending this Sunday, but it still has such cinematic treats to offer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 24, 2008

The Neville Brothers

Three years after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans, the city is still struggling to get back on its feet. Many residents who fled, especially the poorer ones, have not returned and probably never will. However, according to Art Neville, the musicians who provided New Orleans with its unique...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 23, 2008

It's North Korea's choice to make

NEW YORK — When the Republic of Korea was established in 1948, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. GDP per capita was $67 in 1953, immediately following the Korean War, and rose to only $79 in 1960. At that time, North Korea's economy was much stronger than that of the South. Natural...
Reader Mail
Oct 23, 2008

Rules for unsubsidized whaling

Regarding Mark Brazil's Oct. 15 article, "Let them eat whales!": The author over-emphasizes, I think, the contamination dangers of eating whale meat insofar as it comes from Antarctic minke whales, although specific and monitored identification is needed, which evidently is not done at present. This...
BUSINESS / Q&A
Oct 23, 2008

Aso's team digging for 'buried funds'

With Prime Minister Taro Aso's government and ruling coalition lawmakers busy compiling a second economic stimulus package by the end of this month, the latest political catchphrase has become "Kasumigaseki maizokin," or buried funds in the Kasumigaseki district, the seat of the central government.
Reader Mail
Oct 23, 2008

A more self-reliant Japan

Regarding Robert Dujarric's Oct. 18 article, "Japan in a post-U.S. world,": I agree that Japan needs to chart a more self-reliant path. The financial decline of the United States has been hyped a bit too much and too much of the U.S. gains in southwest Asia have been ignored by left-friendly reporters....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2008

Kabuki mecca's days numbered

The Kabukiza Theatre, a Tokyo landmark and the mecca of the traditional performance art, will soon vanish to be replaced by a new office-theater complex despite pleas from architects to preserve the building.

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