Search - world

 
 
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Jan 28, 2008

Nightmare becomes reality: Classic credit crunch leaves policymakers floundering

In this column last month, I talked about the nightmarish possibility of a global financial crash. Well, a month is a long time in economics, and the nightmare has well and truly become reality.
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 27, 2008

Japan, Chile scoreless in Okada's return

Japan kicked off coach Takeshi Okada's second spell in charge of the national team with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Chile at National Stadium on Saturday night.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2008

French reform a la Sarkozy

GENEVA — Eight months into his presidency, is Nicolas Sarkozy delivering the "rupture" from 30 years of French immobility that he promised? Dubbed the "hyper-president" by bewildered media, he has launched a vast number of reforms, many of which were once considered political suicide.
Reader Mail
Jan 27, 2008

If we're talking about tradition

If Japan truly believes its whale harvest is a tradition, then I have no problem with Japanese whalers following what the traditional owners of the land in Australia do: Do not use modern equipment, row out in traditional whale boats (what do they look like?), and hunt whales in the traditional manner. ...
Reader Mail
Jan 27, 2008

No humane way to make the kill

In the Jan. 22 "View from the street," one of those questioned wanted to know why Greenpeace was only interested in whales and not cows. There is no humane way to kill a whale, the animal must be tortured to death with harpoons.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 27, 2008

Modern Japanese women: dealing with sex, lies and the dried-flower syndrome

GOODBYE MADAME BUTTERFLY: Sex, Marriage and the Modern Japanese Woman, by Sumie Kawakami. Chin Music Press, 2007, 219 pp., $20 (cloth) Who wants to be a woman in Japan? Misery can't get much worse than the sexless relationships, dreary marriages, loneliness, patriarchal blues and stressed out women portrayed...
LIFE
Jan 27, 2008

Citizens routinely denied legal rights

The contrasts between constitutional provisions for crime suspects in Japan and their actual treatment are stark, say critics of the system.
Reader Mail
Jan 27, 2008

Japan must hone media skills

What surprised me the most in the recent whaling incident (Jan. 16) between pro-environment campaigners and Japan was the slowness of the Japanese media to address the issue. Shockingly, there was no official comment or report written in English that foreign people might access for general Japanese...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 27, 2008

Bae Yong Joon, superstar, how many hits have you had so far?

Few stars have been cannier with their stardom than Bae Yong Joon, the South Korean actor who won the hearts of Japanese women in the 2002 soap opera "Winter Sonata."
Japan Times
LIFE
Jan 27, 2008

Justice Minister talks in death-penalty riddles

What does Japan's justice minister, Kunio Hatoyama think of the looming introduction of citizens' juries, also known as the lay-judge system — which is potentially the most revolutionary change set to affect Japan's trial system since World War II?
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Jan 26, 2008

Planells confident expansion Golden Kings will blossom with time

SENDAI — Hernando Planells, the head coach of the expansion Ryukyu Golden Kings, sat down after his team's 87-78 loss to the Sendai 89ers on Sunday and spoke at length about his players, the challenges of building a team from scratch and his overall impressions of the bj-league.
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 25, 2008

Okubo promises more goals for Okada's Japan

Vissel Kobe striker Yoshito Okubo is targeting more goals for Japan after finally opening his national team account.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 25, 2008

Classic director remembered

The Japan Foundation will present the film series "Rediscovery of Yamamoto Satsuo" on Feb. 2-3 as it continues to promote cultural and arts exchange with non-Japanese. A selection of the most popular works by the celebrated director Yamamoto will be shown in Tokyo with English subtitles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Jan 25, 2008

"The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep"

Director: Jay Russell
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 25, 2008

'Bee Movie'

"Bee Movie," the latest animated feature from DreamWorks Animation, is about as funny as its title. B-movie, get it? It's a rather weak pun, more so considering there already was an ironically titled "B-Movie" made in 2004.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 25, 2008

Raphael Oleg's keen art of detection

Few concert violinists do more preparation than French virtuoso Raphael Oleg. For him, each performance requires meticulous research on the composer and the work.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 25, 2008

No deviation for celebrated techno star

In an era of dance music that sees almost every DJ attempt to defy genre, and producers seemingly incapable of making tracks without either screaming guitars or samples of pop hits from yesteryear, Sven Vath is refreshing in his conservatism.
EDITORIALS
Jan 25, 2008

A time for calm and patience

The U.S. Federal Reserve has moved quickly to avert a financial crisis. Earlier this week, the Fed slashed its key interest rate to calm international markets. The rush to provide liquidity is intended to head off a panic and the possibility of a global capital crunch. The Fed's action is only a first...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 25, 2008

Basking in the northern cold

Sapporo's famed Snow Festival — running this year from Feb. 5 to Feb 11. — began when a bunch of bored school kids in 1950 built a series of snow sculptures in Odori Park in the center of the city. Their enthusiasm during the hardships Japan was suffering after the war struck a chord with the population....
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2008

Kao's profit off 7% as cost of raw materials hits earnings

Kao Corp., the country's largest maker of personal-care products, said Wednesday its nine-month profit fell 7 percent as higher raw materials costs cut earnings from its soaps, shampoos and detergents.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2008

An Iranian lesson for Musharraf's critics

PRAGUE — As the future of both Pakistan and its president, Pervez Musharraf, wallow in uncertainty in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination, parallels are being drawn to the 1979 fall of the shah and the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Once again, a "pro-American" autocrat seems to be rapidly losing...
COMMENTARY
Jan 23, 2008

False choices for Tokyo

HONOLULU — A gloom is settling over Tokyo. A recent visit revealed deep and deepening frustration and anxiety as Japanese contemplate strategic options. Decision-makers in Tokyo have framed their choices in overly simple terms that do not reflect the range of possibilities in foreign and security policy....
Japan Times
JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
Jan 23, 2008

Mobage-town a rising-star site of mobile users, but filters loom

Just when mobile phone users may have thought the worldwide proliferation of video games and social networking services into the popular culture left little room for radical new tacks, the combination of the two has opened up new avenues.

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