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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD
Jul 13, 2008

Honda makes more than a scooter, with not enough scoot

With gasoline prices skyrocketing, car drivers are increasingly turning to two wheels to lower their fuel bills. New riders often start out on scooters because, unlike motorcycles, they have automatic transmissions, making them a cinch to operate. The DN-01 is a bold attempt by Honda to bridge the gap...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2008

Toyota to idle U.S. pickup, SUV lines

Facing surging gasoline prices and strong demand for fuel-efficient cars, Toyota Motor Corp. will suspend production of large pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in the United States from early August to November.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 12, 2008

Aoki makes big impact

For the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, who have made substantial changes to their roster over the past year or two, Norichika Aoki serves as a stabilizer on and off the field.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 12, 2008

Leaving the Beijing bird's nest behind

BEIJING — Ai Weiwei, China's most famous living artist, lives and works in Caochangdi, which used to be a village to the east of Beijing but is now, thanks to the city's endless creep — locals call it Beijing Tan Da Bing, or spreading pancake — just another crowded suburb. It takes a long time...
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2008

Consumer gloom hits record level

Higher gasoline prices and food costs have eroded the spending power of Japanese consumers and sent them to their most pessimistic level ever, according to records that have been kept for the past 26 years.
COMMENTARY
Jul 11, 2008

Giving corruption the boot

LONDON — Some people regard corruption as a victimless crime. It is nothing of the kind. Corrupt practices lead to the granting of favors not available to those unwilling or unable to offer bribes, increase costs, and limit competition.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 11, 2008

Classic songs for summer

Greg Irwin, one of very few foreign singer-songwriters of classic Japanese songs, particularly doyo (children's songs) in English, will perform two shows in Shibuya on July 18.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 11, 2008

The rapid way to escape stress

Ahhhh! — that's the sound an overheated urbanite makes after cooling off in midsummer at Japan's finest whitewater rafting location, Tokushima Prefecture's Yoshino River. Its two gorges, the Oboke and Koboke, draw day-tripping beginners as well as more experienced enthusiasts, with their long stretches...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2008

Americans finally getting to taste high-quality ramen

Nearly four decades after the first instant ramen factory opened in the United States, Japan's beloved comfort food finally is making inroads — even achieving cult status — in a nation where burgers and pizza still rule.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 2008

Confucianism makes a comeback in China

BEIJING (Daniel A. Bell is professor of political theory at Tsinghua University (Beijing). His latest book is "China's New Confucianism: Politics and Everyday Life in a Changing Society."
BUSINESS / G8 SUMMIT 2008
Jul 10, 2008

Nuke plant makers cast eye abroad

The voice of Atsutoshi Nishida, president of Toshiba Corp., rose an octave as he talked about the electronic giant's quest to build atomic power plants.
JAPAN / G8 SUMMIT 2008
Jul 10, 2008

G8 handcuffed by economy

TOYAKO, Hokkaido — With global inflation and an economic slowdown looming over their heads, the Group of Eight industrialized nations ended their three-day summit Wednesday by exposing their inability to take effective action against soaring oil and food prices and the weak dollar.
JAPAN / G8 SUMMIT 2008
Jul 10, 2008

Summit outcome belies high expectations

TOYAKO, Hokkaido — The drive for economic prosperity by the major nations still outweighs the urgent need to save an ailing planet.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 10, 2008

Island chanteuse Hajime finds tranquillity on Saturn

It wouldn't be the obvious place to look. And yet singer Hajime Chitose was seeking a new peace of mind when, 1.3 billion km away, she found what she was looking for.
BUSINESS
Jul 10, 2008

Power utilities under pressure to clean up their act

In March, a report compiled by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on greenhouse gas emissions of about 9,000 companies rocked the electric power industry.
BASKETBALL
Jul 9, 2008

Tabuse makes debut with Nets

Yuta Tabuse made a low-key return on Monday to the NBA — albeit, the summer version of the world's top basketball league.
JAPAN / G8 SUMMIT 2008
Jul 9, 2008

Developing nations skewer G8 proposal

TOYAKO, Hokkaido — Five of the top developing nations on Tuesday denounced the Group of Eight's qualified proposal to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, saying the industrialized powers should slash their own emissions by up to 95 percent below 1990 levels.
Japan Times
JAPAN / G8 SUMMIT 2008
Jul 9, 2008

At People's Summit, NGOs plug the voices of 'ordinary' people

SAPPORO — Domestic and international nongovernmental organizations ended their three-day People's Summit on Tuesday vowing to keep pushing "rich" Group of Eight leaders to heed the voices of ordinary citizens.
JAPAN / G8 SUMMIT 2008
Jul 9, 2008

Fukuda, Medvedev favor isle row solution

TOYAKO, Hokkaido — Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed Tuesday they should resolve the territorial row over the four Russia-held islands off Hokkaido, saying the dispute hinders bilateral ties.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 9, 2008

Nature stifling wind power in Japan

CHOSHI, Chiba Pref. — About a 2 1/2-hour drive east of central Tokyo, on the edge of the Kanto plain, stands one of the closest wind farms to the capital, whirring away as it generates up to 25,500 kw of clean electricity.
JAPAN / G8 SUMMIT 2008
Jul 9, 2008

Actor's new role: to remind G8 of their pledges

SAPPORO — The Group of Eight leaders need to "act now" and place eradicating poverty at the top of their agenda because 30,000 children are dying every day in the developing world, British actor Bill Nighy said.
JAPAN / G8 SUMMIT 2008
Jul 9, 2008

G8 offers halving of emissions by 2050

TOYAKO, Hokkaido — The Group of Eight powers agreed Tuesday to "seek to share" with both developing and developed states the goal of at least halving global emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050, showing only scant progress from last year's summit in fighting global warming.

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