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Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 27, 2009

No brown bagging it for students

Safe, healthy, tasty. That's the goal of "kyushoku" (school lunches) that are distributed nationwide.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Jan 27, 2009

'Marathon' ritual must change

Recently, my son ran an 800-meter "marathon" at his local elementary school. He received a congratulatory "certificate of achievement" noting his participation and the fact he placed 79th. He has come to dread this annual ritual. It is damaging his fragile self-esteem and emerging identity by blatantly...
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2009

Data on fish market toxin withheld

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Monday revealed it learned in June that the concentration of a toxic substance at the proposed site of a new fish market in Toyosu, Koto Ward, was 115 times higher than in a previous inspection but withheld the information for five months from a panel of soil pollution...
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2009

Dolphin slaughter film a hit at Sundance

Standing ovations greeted the judges' verdict Sunday that the documentary "The Cove" had won the prestigious U.S. Audience Award at the 25th annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
COMMENTARY
Jan 26, 2009

Recalling the one who mixed politics, poetry

NEW YORK — At a time when we plainly see the negative effects of politics and greed in the life of nations, it is important to remember Pablo Neruda, a Chilean writer whom Gabriel Garcia Marquez called "the greatest poet of the 20th century — in any language." He was an artist who knew very well...
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME NOTEBOOK
Jan 26, 2009

Hometown hero Suzuki pips Garrison in 3-Point Contest

Oita HeatDevils guard Yukinori Suzuki triumphed in the 3-Point Contest, ending Matt Garrison's two-year reign as champion.
Reader Mail
Jan 25, 2009

Teachers ready to use English

Regarding the Jan. 12 editorial "English taught in English" and Willie Taylor's Jan. 11 letter, "Education methods don't work": While I laud Taylor's efforts in espousing some (non-Japanese) views of Japanese teaching practices, I can't agree with either his or The Japan Times' view that Japanese teachers...
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 25, 2009

Can farmers keep tuna on the menu?

In December 2007, the Fisheries Laboratory fish farm of Kinki University in Wakayama Prefecture became the first facility in the world to "close the cycle" by breeding Pacific bluefin tuna (hon-maguro) from completely cultured sources. That is, a third generation of fish was bred from two generations...
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 25, 2009

Phoenix roll into All-Star break

The streak began on Dec. 20, and so much has changed since then — their season and, possibly, the foundation of the world's geopolitical order.
ENVIRONMENT / BACKSTREET STORIES
Jan 25, 2009

A west side love story

With Valentine's Day approaching, Tokyo's lovers dust off chocolate-tempering pots, scope out sweet shops and reserve bouquets of roses. Of course, savvy romantics know a midwinter stroll along a back street, with requisite snuggling for warmth, works nearly as well to stoke affection as edible or olfactory...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Jan 25, 2009

A west side love story

With Valentine's Day approaching, Tokyo's lovers dust off chocolate-tempering pots, scope out sweet shops and reserve bouquets of roses. Of course, savvy romantics know a midwinter stroll along a back street, with requisite snuggling for warmth, works nearly as well to stoke affection as edible or olfactory...
MORE SPORTS
Jan 24, 2009

Masters invitation excites Ishikawa

When he turned professional just over a year ago, Ryo Ishikawa listed winning the U.S. Masters as one of his goals in life. Now the 17-year-old high school student will get his first chance.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 24, 2009

Kaka-Bellamy tandem had unique potential

LONDON — The main sadness about Kaka not joining Manchester City is that there will almost certainly never be a conversation between the AC Milan maestro and Craig Bellamy, who signed from West Ham for £16 million.
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2009

Three nonlife insurers plan 2010 integration

Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group Holdings, Inc., Aioi Insurance Co. and Nissay Dowa General Insurance Co. announced Friday they have agreed to merge in April 2010, in a move that will create Japan's largest nonlife insurance group.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2009

2channel founder ponders next step after forum's sale

A short message recently posted on Hiroyuki Nishimura's personal blog sent shock waves across the online community. In a single sentence dated Jan. 2, he announced that he had sold 2channel, his wildly popular Internet forum.
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2009

Tepco to seek OK to test run quake-hit reactor

Tokyo Electric Power Co. will seek a ban on the operation of its quake-damaged nuclear plant lifted, paving the way for a test run when it completes repairs of one of the reactors next month.
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2009

Sanyo, Nippon Oil in battery tieup

Sanyo Electric Co., the world's largest rechargeable-battery maker, and Nippon Oil Corp. said Friday they each hold 50 percent of a venture established to tap demand for solar-battery panels.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 23, 2009

Toilets take center stage at exhibition

As if the scandals of the last few years were not enough, Japan's sumo fraternity must now suffer the indignity of having its toilets exhibited in public.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 23, 2009

The Ting Tings

When the hype machine in their native Britain sent newcomers The Ting Tings into overdrive in 2008, the Manchester duo had one advantage over other acts garnering similar column inches: The Ting Tings were actually good.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 23, 2009

Stuck on cellotape

Ryo Sehata is that often- mentioned but seldom- encountered individual, a truly unique artist. His art is so uncommon that his fame has now assumed viral form, spreading through the Internet via blogs, vlogs, Twitters, links, Diggs and other clickable whatchamacallits. The young artist and his unusual...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2009

'Kansen Retto'

Disaster movies became big in both Hollywood and Japan in the 1970s — an era of soaring gas prices, volatile exchange rates and a failed Republican presidency. Now, with history repeating itself (in spades), this much-derided genre is booming again.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2009

'Quantum of Solace'/'Elegy'

As a teen, I spent some time involved in youth theater, and auditions weren't always the most pleasant experience. I was a skinny youth, and one director — deciding to mess with me — requested that I act, in open audition, as if I were the strongest man in the world. I thought about that for a moment...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2009

'Quantum of Solace'/'Elegy'

As a teen, I spent some time involved in youth theater, and auditions weren't always the most pleasant experience. I was a skinny youth, and one director — deciding to mess with me — requested that I act, in open audition, as if I were the strongest man in the world. I thought about that for a moment...
BUSINESS
Jan 23, 2009

Marubeni exporting more scrap to China

Marubeni Corp., the nation's second-largest scrap steel trader, said its exports to China quadrupled in the past two months as demand improved in response to a planned government stimulus.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 23, 2009

Snow and sculpting on show in Sapporo

Perhaps it's a sign of how peaceful the last 54 years have been for Japan. Since 1955, many of the giant snow sculptures that have made the Sapporo Snow Festival famous around the world have been constructed by members of the Ground Self-Defense Force, which have several bases in Hokkaido. For this year's...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 23, 2009

Snow and sculpting on show in Sapporo

Perhaps it's a sign of how peaceful the last 54 years have been for Japan. Since 1955, many of the giant snow sculptures that have made the Sapporo Snow Festival famous around the world have been constructed by members of the Ground Self-Defense Force, which have several bases in Hokkaido. For this year's...

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes