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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 18, 2008

AIG Japan unit safe for time being

The U.S. Federal Reserve's emergency $85 billion rescue of the U.S. insurer American International Group eased concerns Wednesday that its Japanese unit will survive, at least for the time being.
COMMENTARY
Sep 17, 2008

Hope overwhelms reality on U.S.-India nuclear deal

The controversy that has dogged the vaunted U.S.-Indian civil nuclear deal is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon despite the recent rule change by the Nuclear Suppliers' Group. Deep-seated partisan rancor in India over the deal and the still-needed U.S. congressional ratification will ensure that. But...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / IN BLOOM
Sep 17, 2008

Fig

Across the sea a land there is,Where, if fate will, men may have bliss, For it is fair as any land: There hath the reaper a full hand, While in the orchard hangs aloft The purple fig, a-growing soft.
BUSINESS
Sep 17, 2008

Matsushita gearing up to market Panasonic brand, ditch National

Major electronics maker Matsushita will scrap its National domestic brand name and start a marketing blitz called "Hello Panasonic" in an ambitious drive to boost market share, company officials said Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Sep 17, 2008

Tokyo stocks plunge 5% to three-year low

The Tokyo Stock Exchange's key Nikkei average plunged 5 percent Tuesday to its lowest level in more than three years as the failure of the U.S. securities firm Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. spooked investors.
BUSINESS
Sep 17, 2008

Collapse echoes through Japan

Monday's bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., the fourth-biggest financial institution in the United States, sent shock waves through the global financial industry, and Japan was no exception.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2008

Forum addresses public's aversion to China

Chinese and Japanese political, economic and academic leaders shared their apprehensions about the ever-growing aversion to China among the Japanese public when they met for a two-day forum in Tokyo starting Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Sep 15, 2008

End the yearlong gridlock

First of all, I would like to express my respect to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda for his swift decision to step down. My view on Prime Minister Fukuda since he came into office is that his strongest point lies in his humility.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2008

How EU should engage a born-again power

SOFIA — The post-Cold War order in Europe is finished, with Vladimir Putin its executioner. Russia's invasion of Georgia only marked its passing. Russia has emerged as a born-again 19th-century power determined to challenge the intellectual, moral and institutional foundations of the order.
CULTURE / Books
Sep 14, 2008

Troubled by ghosts of East Asia

EAST ASIA'S HAUNTED PRESENT: Historical Memories and the Resurgence of Nationalism, edited by Tsuyoshi Hasegawa and Kazuhiko Togo. Westport, CT., Praeger Security International, 2008, 265 pp., $75 (cloth) Arguments over the past among nations are a sure sign of anxieties about the future. East Asia's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 14, 2008

Tokyo's fashion menu gets more appetizing

The Michelin Guide top-starred Tokyo as the world's gastronomic capital this year, but the city's sartorial scene may now be just as appetizing as it gradually garners more and more global attention with its fashion menu extending from streetwear avant-garde to "quirky-cute" confections and a veritable...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 14, 2008

Atelier Bravo, 'What's So Bad About Dictatorship' and 'Shanghai Typhoon'

Atelier Bravo is an artists collective based in Fukuoka whose eight members are developmentally disabled.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2008

WWE's U.S.-style rassling brings pay-per-view mat dramas here

Posing proudly for a snapshot with a glittery championship belt, Seigi Nishiyama was among some 600 wrestling fans packed into a Tokyo theater who can't get enough of World Wrestling Entertainment.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 13, 2008

Asahara awaits final race of track career

Hammer thrower Koji Murofushi, 400-meter hurdler Kenji Narisako and women's long jumper Kumiko Ikeda are among the well-known Japanese Olympics who will compete in the 2008 Seiko Super Track and Field Meet on Sept. 23.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2008

MSDF to start refueling of Danish ships

Denmark joined a group of nations Friday whose ships will receive fuel from the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Indian Ocean support mission, the Foreign Ministry said.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2008

Economy shrank 3% last quarter

The economy shrank 3 percent last quarter, the steepest contraction since 2001, as companies and households cut spending and exports fell.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2008

Hayashi stresses action in terrorism fight

In the fight against terrorism, Japan will earn more respect around the world through action than by just providing money, Defense Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 12, 2008

She, herself and AI

With her sights set on achieving her long-held ambition of winning a Grammy award, Los Angeles-born and Tokyo-based vocalist AI is adamant that dreams only come true with hard graft.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 12, 2008

'The Fall'

Director Tarsem Singh has been blessed with a successful career in commercials, but when it comes to the cinema, he's suffered the curse of bad timing. His debut feature, "The Cell" (2000), came out as the serial killer boom was starting to tank. His new film, "The Fall," is told through the eyes of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 12, 2008

Tarsem talks us through his fantasy world

A lot of people get out of film school full of ideas, but when faced with the reality of making a living, they decide to make commercials or a formulaic Hollywood movie or two. Still, they think, "Once I make some money, I'm gonna take my millions and make the films I really want to make."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 12, 2008

'Paco to Maho no Ehon'

Tetsuya Nakashima is being hailed as a genius by the Japanese film world, an epithet that didn't occur to many in the 1990s when his pitch-black comedies, including "Natsu Jikan no Otonatachi (Happy-Go-Lucky)" (1997) and "Beautiful Sunday" (1998), were playing to tiny audiences here and getting little...
CULTURE / Music
Sep 12, 2008

Various "Fresh Cuts from Japan — Hardcore — Volume 1" (JapanFiles.com)

American online MP3 store JapanFiles.com has done a commendable job of bringing lesser-known Japanese musicians to the attention of listeners around the world. After two well-received forays into indie, punk and hip-hop, its latest "Fresh Cuts" compilation turns its attention to heavier concerns.
EDITORIALS
Sep 12, 2008

Taking a chance with rice

It is outrageous that the president of an Osaka rice flour processor found to have resold contaminated rice to other companies was well aware of the dangers involved. The agriculture ministry and police must unravel the transaction routes and identify the end products. Consumers have the right to know...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 12, 2008

Tokyo Symphony Orchestra to perform Schubert, Berg

T okyo Symphony Orchestra will perform a concert featuring two symphonies by Austrian composer Franz Schubert along with Alban Berg's 1935 "Violin Concerto" on Sept. 26 and 27.

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