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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 14, 2008

Tora-san in English

This year marks the 40th birthday of arguably the most popular character in Japanese cinema — Tora-san. To celebrate the occasion, Shochiku is releasing the complete set of its Tora-san films, remastered and subtitled in English.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2008

Opera contest awards first Japanese

International Opera Competition, the first Japanese to take top honors in the contest, according to organizers.
JAPAN / History
Nov 14, 2008

Aso: What POW servitude?

Prime Minister Taro Aso was forced to defend his family firm's alleged wartime deeds Thursday, as the revisionist essay by ousted Air Self-Defense Force chief Gen. Toshio Tamogami continued to cause a political stir.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 14, 2008

From Mitsukuni to natto

Mito, the historic seat of ancient Hitachi Province — present-day Ibaraki Prefecture — has all the right prerequisites for a nonstrenuous daylong excursion from Tokyo: convenient access, plenty of attractive sites, exotic foods and hospitable people.
EDITORIALS
Nov 13, 2008

Mr. Tamogami toes his line

Mr. Toshio Tamogami, who was sacked as Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff over a controversial essay, testified Tuesday before an Upper House committee. His statements show that he does not understand what civilian control of the Self-Defense Forces means and how his essay could damage the reputation...
COMMENTARY
Nov 13, 2008

Advice on Asia for Obama

Foreign policy bloggers and pundits are already gushing forth with advice for President-elect Barack Obama. Allow me to add some of my own, at least as far as Asia policy is concerned.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Nov 13, 2008

Unsung heroes deserve spotlight

Gamba Osaka's Asian Champions League win may not be greeted with the same fanfare that heralded Urawa Reds' groundbreaking triumph in last year's edition, but then understated elegance has always been Gamba's style.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Nov 13, 2008

Japan looks for WBC warrior spirit

Japan is hoping to tap its samurai spirit when it defends its title at the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2008

A repugnant anachronism

Regarding T. Mamoru Hanami's Nov. 6 letter, "The right to express oneself": Perhaps Hanami is unaware of the long and sordid history of lynching in America. Literally hundreds, if not thousands, of African-Americans were brutally beaten, hanged and burned during the post-Civil War Era in the United States....
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2008

Not all firms hurting in hard times

While the yen's surge and the recession may be battering the sales and profits of the country's blue-chip firms, others are making headway through the storm, posting record half-year profits even as the global financial turmoil hammers financial firms and export-driven manufacturers such as Sony Corp....
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ASEAN JOURNALIST SYMPOSIUM
Nov 13, 2008

Asia must act as one to ride out global crisis

East Asia needs to work more closely together as the region tries to cope with the global financial crisis, journalists from Southeast Asian countries told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2008

Yes we can . . . what, Mr. Obama?

KYOTO — America appears to have been swept up in a feel-good moment. But as much as U.S. President-elect Barack Obama appeals to me as a public speaker and wordsmith, as much as I appreciate his candid, inclusive style as an antidote to everything redolent of President George W. Bush, as thrilled as...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ASEAN JOURNALIST SYMPOSIUM
Nov 13, 2008

Japan's help sought to protect environment from development

Rapid growth and urbanization have caused serious environmental and energy problems in some Southeast Asian economies, and expectations are high for Japan to provide models and technologies to support sustainable development at affordable costs, the journalists told the Oct. 30 symposium.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2008

Consumer sentiment falls to record low as economy worsens

Consumer confidence fell to its lowest level in at least 26 years, making it unlikely shoppers will spend to support an economy weakened by slower global demand and falling stock prices, the Cabinet Office said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2008

Ruling bloc OKs ¥2 trillion boost

The government and Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc officially adopted a ¥2 trillion cash handout program Wednesday, but officials said they don't know yet if foreign residents will get a piece of the pie.
EDITORIALS
Nov 12, 2008

Financial crisis hits home

The global financial crisis is hitting Japanese companies hard. Symbolic is Toyota Motor Co.'s prediction of its own business performance for the full year to March 2009. The rise of the yen's value and the slowing down of the world economy as seen in decreased auto sales in the United States and Europe...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2008

End of WWI remembered, 90 years on

KOBE — A small ceremony was held Tuesday morning at the Kobe Municipal Foreign Cemetery to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the end of the World War I.
EDITORIALS
Nov 11, 2008

Historic visit to Taiwan

The Taiwan Strait continues to narrow. Last week witnessed the highest-level contacts between Taiwan and mainland China since the 1949 civil war. The visit of Mr. Chen Yunlin to Taipei continues the bridge-building between the two sides and is a step forward in the eyes of all who seek peace and stability...
COMMENTARY
Nov 11, 2008

Laissez faire has taken a powder

In the wee hours of Oct. 11 Tokyo time, finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of Seven industrialized countries met in Washington to discuss how to resolve the global financial crisis and agreed to protect all depositors and inject public funds to rescue financial institutions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2008

In tough economic times, tourism boss finds visitor boost a tall order

Japan's ailing regional economies can be revitalized by tapping the sightseeing potential of growing Asian countries, according to Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Yoshiaki Hompo.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Nov 11, 2008

Nova refugees: Where are they now?

'All the schools are closed.'
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2008

Truffle auctioned for 'mere' $30,000

The collapse of the price of white truffles signals more than the wealthy, along with the rest of us, are feeling the pinch in these times of global financial upheaval. As the rich pare back on luxuries, it means fewer crumbs for charities.
Reader Mail
Nov 9, 2008

Shadow support for views

The firing of Tamogami casts serious doubts on the sincerity of the Japanese government to make amends for Japan's aggressive role in World War II. One does not get to be the ASDF chief without strong political support, so it is only fair to assume that the general benefited from the strong backing of...
Reader Mail
Nov 9, 2008

American stereotype broken

About a month ago, I exercised my right to vote in the U.S. presidential election as an absentee expat. I voted for Barack Obama because of the vision of the future he has inspired in us after eight long years of political and economic divisiveness.
Reader Mail
Nov 9, 2008

U.S. encourages rightwingers

Tamogami must be condemned for his distorted view of history, but he represents only the tip of an iceberg in the reactionary trend of political and military thinking in Japan that favors the revision of the war-renouncing Constitution so that Japan can exercise the right to collective self-defense with...
COMMENTARY
Nov 9, 2008

McCain's heart wasn't really in it

LOS ANGELES — History's losers can emerge later as history's winners, especially in U.S. politics. John F. Kennedy lost his bid to become the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 1956, but his televised concession speech helped to propel him into the White House four years later.

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