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JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 18, 2007

Typhoons more predictable but still deadly

Most years, the typhoon season peaks in September, as illustrated by the recent Typhoon No. 9, called Fitow, which killed two, and Typhoon No. 11, also known as Nari, which approached Okinawa last week.
LIFE / Language
Sep 18, 2007

Lang-8 puts networking onto a linguistic level

W ith the current enthusiasm for online networking sites reaching a fever pitch with people flocking to MySpace and, recently, Facebook by the millions — not to mention mixi, which has 8 million users in Japan — it was only a matter of time before there would emerge a Web site devoted to foreign...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 18, 2007

Plane wrong?

Max Phillips Jr. wrote in after getting a nasty shock from his local travel agency.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 18, 2007

Looking on the bright side

Last in a two-part series
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Sep 18, 2007

Tokyo Look Book, Brazil Fashion Now, etc.

You get the look
COMMENTARY
Sep 17, 2007

How to downsize Bush's 'axis of evil'

LOS ANGELES — The "axis of evil" has certainly proven one tough triangle with which to tangle. But is it about to be downsized? As defined by U.S. President George Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address, this putative axis triangulates Iraq, Iran and North Korea. But is one of them on the verge...
BUSINESS
Sep 17, 2007

Whoever leads next must revive reform, fix Japan's economy

The moment Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned, pundits were out offering explanations. Weak diplomacy, scandals, verbal gaffes by Cabinet members, you name it. Yet Abe's undoing was the economy, period.
Reader Mail
Sep 16, 2007

How much liberty can be cut?

Roger Pulvers' Sept. 9 Counterpoint article, "Americans share blame for Bush's 9/11 'devil,' " belongs on the editorial page. The article simply demonstrates again that conspiracy theories are the last refuge of small minds closed to any facts that might persuade them to greater nuance.
Reader Mail
Sep 16, 2007

Poor sense of visitor comfort

Regarding a recent article on promoting tourism to Japan: It is true that Kyoto is struggling with how to change itself into one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. I think one reason Kyoto is not a popular travel destination is that the quality of people who professionally deal with...
EDITORIALS
Sep 16, 2007

Killing time on Mr. Bush's watch

United States Army Gen. David Petraeus has delivered his long-awaited progress report on the situation in Iraq. To no one's surprise, his conclusion is that there is slow progress and U.S. troops must remain in the country to avoid "rushing to failure." The general failed, however, to answer the most...
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2007

Fukuda enters race, vows to avoid Yasukuni

and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda shake hands at LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Saturday before holding a joint news conference. KYODO PHOTO
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 2007

Naval exercises that raise anxiety

Doubts do not just run one way. China has questions about the intentions of its neighbors, too. Last week, five countries — Japan, Australia, India, Singapore and the United States — held naval war games off the coast of India. While the stated aim of the exercises was to promote cooperation in the...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Sep 15, 2007

The fading pitter-patter of little feet

The flip-side of Japan's ever-aging population is that there are increasingly fewer kids. Record-low statistics from 2005 put the birthrate at 1.26 children per woman, a count that somehow sounds painful — but the real hurt is the one being put on Japanese society.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 14, 2007

Hyakunincho hangouts — a taste of Tokyo's most cosmopolitan district

If you're in the Hyakunincho area, Tokyo's unofficial Koreatown, blocks north of Shinjuku Ward's Kabukicho, be sure to take a trawl of these eclectic bars:
Rugby
Sep 14, 2007

Japan impresses fans despite loss to Fiji

Japan narrowly lost a pulsating Rugby World Cup game 35-31 to Fiji at the Stade Municipal of Toulouse on Wednesday but the Brave Blossoms still earned a standing ovation from a thrilled crowd of some 35,000 spectators.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 14, 2007

Taiko therapy

Mickey Hart, former Grateful Dead drummer, thinks Japanese drum troupe Kodo are "like a hot spring." He's right, and not just because "they make people feel good," as he explains. They also both involve views of seminaked people, both make you sweat, and both have been known to induce a not entirely...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 14, 2007

The guitar skeptic

For a guy who's routinely credited with revolutionizing the sound of jazz, Pat Metheny sounds surprisingly detached from his mode of musical expression.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2007

Twisting history for unpleasant purposes

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, New York — U.S. President George W. Bush is not generally known for his firm grasp of history. But this has not stopped him from using history to justify his policies. In a recent speech to American war veterans in Kansas City, he defended his aim to "stay the course" in Iraq by...
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2007

Stocks fall on Abe's decision to step down

Stock prices closed lower Wednesday following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's surprise announcement of his decision to resign.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2007

Ozawa says DPJ ready for election; still opposes MSDF law

Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa said Wednesday his party will be prepared for the possible dissolution of the Lower House and general election following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's surprise resignation announcement.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 13, 2007

Look inside the puppet's head

"One aspiring to become a puppet operator would have to spend 10 years to master the handling of the puppet's feet and another 10 years to be able to operate its left hand," says Yoshida Bunjaku, 79, one of two omozukai (principal puppeteers) awarded the title of Living National Treasure. "While he is...

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