Search - 2005

 
 
CULTURE / Books
Sep 28, 2008

Did Koizumi and Bush really destroy Japan?

CURING JAPAN'S AMERICA ADDICTION by Minoru Morita, Chin Music Press, Seattle, 2008, 224 pp., $15 (paper) Minoru Morita is one of Japan's most prominent and respected political analysts. And he's mad as hell at what he believes are the social and economic crimes committed by former Prime Minister Junichiro...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Sep 27, 2008

Lower House majority is minimum goal: Hosoda

The Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, New Komeito, have set their sights on securing at least a majority in the Lower House in the next general election, LDP Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda said Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2008

Tourism minister apologizes for gaffes

New tourism minister Nariaki Nakayama wasted no time putting his foot in it. The day after stating that Japanese do not like foreigners and that the country is ethnically homogeneous, Nakayama apologized Friday and retracted his statements.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2008

Shutdown of samurai bond mart roils investors

The fastest-growing part of the global corporate debt market, samurai bonds, has come to a standstill since Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. became the first borrower to default on the securities since Argentina in 2002.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 26, 2008

'Tokyo Sonata'

Kiyoshi Kurosawa has long been filed under "horror director," though his take on the genre is anything but standard. The villain of "Cure," his deeply creepy 1997 breakout film, is not a maniac with a sharp-edged weapon but a blank-faced drifter who hypnotizes his victims into killing themselves.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2008

Aso gets quick start, names new Cabinet

Hawkish Liberal Democratic Party President Taro Aso was elected prime minister Wednesday and immediately formed his new Cabinet.
BUSINESS
Sep 25, 2008

Kowa, Teva to form generic drug venture

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the world's biggest maker of generic drugs, and Kowa Co. have agreed to form a joint venture to gain a share of the growing market for cheaper medicines in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 25, 2008

Lindsay Kemp's Virgin Queen comes to Japan

It was a scorching day in July and the air in Tokyo's concrete jungle was shimmering in the heat. But on a visit here prior to next month's opening of his voluptuous production "Elizabeth I: the Last Dance" at Theatre Cocoon, avant-garde performance-art icon Lindsay Kemp — a self-described "stranger...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 24, 2008

USJ turnaround artist has all the moves

If asked to name the foreign business executive who has most dramatically turned around a financially troubled Japanese corporation, Glenn Gumpel might top the list.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2008

Aso elected LDP leader in landslide

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party chose Taro Aso as its 23rd president Monday, hoping to regain public popularity and win the next general election.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2008

'Manga' fans have been won over but what about the rest of Japan?

A curious thing happened to the stock market when Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced Sept. 1 his intention to step down: Shares in "manga"-related companies surged.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2008

Kansai turns its back on native-daughter Koike

OSAKA — Kansai supporters of the Liberal Democratic Party welcomed Monday's election of Taro Aso as party president and called on him to work to end the gridlock in the Diet.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2008

Indonesia's miraculous 'free' democracy

JAKARTA — Modern miracles do happen. Ten years ago, as the Asian financial crisis savaged Indonesia's economy, many experts predicted that the country would become unstable, if not splinter. Instead, Indonesia, the world's most populous Islamic country, has emerged as a beacon of freedom and democracy...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 21, 2008

Stairs still slugging away 15 years after Japan stint

Why is it some players are apparently not good enough to play in Japan but, after being discarded by a Japanese team, go back to the major leagues and play some meaningful games, seasons or, in some cases, enjoy a lengthy career?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / WEEK 3
Sep 21, 2008

Civility penalizes Japan's refs

My first reaction on hearing that a Japanese alliance of sports associations would hold a study weekend on international refereeing was that it was "too little — too late."
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Sep 21, 2008

Marshall bids bj-league farewell

Any new sports league will face bumps on the road to respectability. Players, coaches and front-office types will work incredibly long hours as they strive to give the fans a product they want to care about.
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2008

Industrial power demand falls 0.1%

Industry consumed less electricity for the first time in three years last month as slower export growth and high energy costs sapped demand.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight