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Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2008

Salaryman-turned-activist keeps island nation Tuvalu in the picture

Tanned and relaxed, 42-year-old Shuichi Endo has set himself a monumental task: Photograph 10,000 residents of the tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu, nearly the entire population.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2008

Lehman demise an opportunity for new dawn, Nomura chief says

The head of Nomura Holdings Inc., Japan's biggest brokerage, had been itching to shake things up since he began his new job in April.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 20, 2008

Japanning for southern barbarians

During the 16th-century age of exploration, Portuguese traders landed in Japan looking for exotic goods to sell in markets back in Europe and their newly founded colonies. Lacquerware was high on their list, not only for its decorative beauty but also for its more prosaic quality of being the only waterproof...
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2008

U.S. urged to reduce its deficits, cut borrowing to bolster dollar

The United States should work to reduce its deficits to ensure the world's reserve currency remains strong, Japan's top currency official said Wednesday. "We want the key currency to be stable. We want the key currency to be strong," Naoyuki Shinohara, vice finance minister for international affairs,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2008

Muscle cars giving 'otaku' new platforms to flex their fetishes

Masaya Taniguchi has a "heartache" plastered across the hood of his flaming red Audi TT Roadster.
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2008

Panasonic's takeover of Sanyo all about green technology

Panasonic Corp.'s plans to take over rival Sanyo Electric Co. would create the world's second-largest electronics maker. But Panasonic already has plenty of gadgets. Instead, the crown jewels Panasonic wants from Sanyo are green.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2008

Tezuka — keeper of 'manga' flame

"Manga" comics are ubiquitous in Japan and have become one of the country's most powerful cultural exports worldwide.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Nov 19, 2008

Be a walking drive-in with mini projector

Marketing 101: Make use of a brand, even if it is not your own. Electronics pioneer Texas Instruments does so with its DLP Pico projector, the PK-101. Sold under the Optoma brand, the PK-101 is said to be the world's smallest and lightest projector. It goes on sale from Dec. 1 at the Apple Store in Japan...
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2008

Further measures not ruled out if stimulus insufficient: Nakagawa

The government may consider further measures to jolt the economy out of a recession, Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Tuesday.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 18, 2008

'Enka' still strikes nostalgic nerve

A windy night, the whistle of the midnight train, and a bad breakup.
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Nov 17, 2008

Unlike blue chips, services firms' Japan quirks thwart global reach

Japan's firms are on an unprecedented shopping tour overseas. The value of January-October M&As hit a record ¥6.7 trillion, nearly four times more than a year earlier. The largest was Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group's $9 billion investment in Morgan Stanley.
EDITORIALS
Nov 16, 2008

Revising the list of kanji

A panel of the Council for Cultural Affairs is working to revise the official list of Chinese characters in common use (joyo kanji). The final proposal is expected in February. The revision should draw the attention of not only Japanese but also foreigners interested in Japanese culture.
Reader Mail
Nov 16, 2008

Right to bear arms still relevant

Regarding Roger Pulvers' Nov. 9 article, "What a world of difference that one momentous day could make": Pulvers refers to the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing the people the right to keep and bear arms, as "outdated and pernicious." Fortunately, most Americans do not share his...
Reader Mail
Nov 16, 2008

ASDF chief's views not unusual

In the Nov. 12 Kyodo article "Taipei demands redress, apology for sex slaves," we read that "In a rare show of unity, the island's ruling and opposition parties passed by a unanimous vote the Taiwan Comfort Women Resolution, calling on Tokyo to 'accept historical responsibility for its World War II sex...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 16, 2008

The expatriate whiner: fond of the homeland but lost abroad

E xpatriates can be the source of many positive things. They are contributors to the welfare of their host nation. They are often agents of trenchant criticism, perceiving things in their new nation that natives either do not, or refuse to, see. They educate and enrich.
EDITORIALS
Nov 16, 2008

Deviant thinking on defense

Prime Minister Taro Aso in an Upper House session Thursday said it was "extremely inappropriate" for Mr. Toshio Tamogami, the recently dismissed Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff, to write an essay that contradicted the government's official view on Japan's war-making in the 1930s and '40s.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD
Nov 16, 2008

The Griso 8V can walk the walk

Many motorcycle manufacturers are larger than Moto Guzzi, but few have as rich a heritage. Founded in 1921, the legendary Italian marquee has been continuously producing motorcycles longer than any other European maker.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 16, 2008

The billionaire bad boys' club

Takafumi Horie, the former CEO of Internet company Livedoor whose trial for insider trading continues in the courts, recently made his first TV appearance in three years on TBS's new talk show "Terebitte Yatsu wa?" ("What the Hell is TV?").
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Nov 15, 2008

Husband's support crucial for Yamauchi

Six pieces of "mochi" pounded rice patty in miso soup are an excessive amount of carbohydrate, and Atkins diet believers would freak out if they even thought about consuming that amount. In fact, that would even be too much for even normal adult males to have in a single meal.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2008

A doctor in the house? Do you feel lucky?

After being turned away by eight Tokyo hospitals last month, a 36-year-old woman died of brain hemorrhage after giving premature birth by Caesarian section. A month before, a 32-year-old pregnant stroke victim was bounced among six hospitals before one finally accepted her for treatment. She is currently...
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2008

Hard times for U.S. automakers

If there were any doubts about the severity of the economic downturn and its impact on the "real economy," they were put to rest last week by reports from U.S. automakers. General Motors Corp. warned that it may not have enough cash to keep operating through the year; Ford's situation is not as dire,...

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