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COMMENTARY
Feb 10, 2010

In search of a big, new idea

Governments everywhere are nowadays being overpowered by the problems and tasks they face.
BASEBALL
Feb 7, 2010

History, tradition helped to undermine Valentine

Fourth in a four-part series
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 5, 2010

This 'Garden of Painting' needs to be perennial

I can imagine walking out of "Garden of Painting: Japanese Art of the '00s" and feeling immensely satisfied.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2010

Islamic case for religious liberty

ANKARA — Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Orthodox Church recently said on American TV that he feels "crucified" in Turkey, upsetting many Turks. Sadly, he is right. Yet his complaint is not with Islam but with the secular Turkish Republic.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Feb 2, 2010

Non-Japanese suffrage and the racist element

On Jan. 17, Takeo Hiranuma made this statement about fellow Diet member Renho:
Japan Times
LIFE
Jan 31, 2010

Sorge's spy is brought in from the cold

Toshiko Tokuyama was 14 years old when she found out that her uncle had been a spy, and that he had just died in a prison in Tokyo. It was 1943 then, and she was too young to really know what the word "spy" meant, let alone allow it to alter her impression of the man she respected like a father.
COMMENTARY
Jan 29, 2010

Building on Copenhagen

Last month the 15th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP15) closed by announcing the Copenhagen Accord drawn up by major participating countries. Although the process produced some positive results — such as calls for steps to hold the global temperature...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 29, 2010

Chocolate bars for whisky lovers

A tawny port pairs wonderfully with Stilton. Grand Marnier tastes great on vanilla ice cream. Chianti seems to suit a Margherita pizza. And whisky? Well, that goes with haggis.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2010

Ozawa's sway over DPJ remains absolute

Defying prosecutors and claiming his innocence over a shady 2004 land purchase, Ichiro Ozawa has shown no indications of giving up his status as the administration's kingpin.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jan 27, 2010

Van Gundy the definition of disingenuous

NEW YORK — Jeff Van Gundy's insincerity, his most important product, was on full display Friday throughout ESPN's coverage of the Lakers' victory over the Knicks.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Jan 26, 2010

Artist perseveres to embrace life in Japan, keep tapped to Iran roots

Award-winning Iranian artist Mansour Kordbacheh has lived in Japan for 21 years and feels the weight of it on his shoulders.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jan 24, 2010

'The wartime leaders of Japan were heroes'

General Toshio Tamogami, 61, was the chief of staff of Japan's Air Self-Defense Force between March 2007 and November 2008 despite having a history of lobbing verbal missiles at "leftists," China and Japan's so-called war-renouncing Constitution. In 2008, he pulled these and other themes together in...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 24, 2010

A 'stable' life for Ozawa, yakuza, sumo stars

In the Jan. 25 issue of Aera, show-business reporter Yoshiko Matsumoto, writing about the persistence of image, related an anecdote about Seiji Maehara. The land minister was traveling coach on a domestic JAL flight and after the airplane landed he helped other passengers remove their belongings from...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 24, 2010

Saving the planet through its trees

Negotiators at the COP15 conference in Copenhagen didn't see eye to eye on much last month, but almost everyone agreed on one thing: To protect the planet we need to save its forests.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jan 24, 2010

Once mighty Apache in complete disarray

First in a two-part series
COMMENTARY
Jan 21, 2010

Citizens lose in Google vs. China

The challenge thrown down by Google last week seemed unequivocal: Either China accepts uncensored information on Google.cn or the Internet giant will shut down its operations in the country.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2010

Nago mayor vote a referendum on base

OSAKA — In an election with major implications for Japan-U.S. relations, voters in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, will head to the polls Jan. 24 to either re-elect a mayor who supports relocating the Futenma air base nearby or install a challenger who wants the base out of the prefecture and, preferably,...
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2010

Treaty withstands strains of time, politics

OSAKA — A half century after it was signed, the 1960 Japan-U.S. security treaty remains the foundation for bilateral cooperation, even as the world it was forged in has changed drastically.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Jan 17, 2010

Sugawara steps up game for Golden Kings

The Japan Times will be featuring periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. The league's fifth season bean in October. Yosuke Sugawara of the Ryukyu Golden Kings is the subject of this week's profile.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jan 17, 2010

Clandestine campaign led to Valentine's demise

First in a four-part series
BUSINESS
Jan 15, 2010

A JAL-Delta tieup draws flak

As the world's two largest carriers vie to form a strategic tieup with crippled Japan Airlines Corp., opinions are split over whether a JAL alliance with Delta Air Lines, the biggest, would create unfair competition and sting consumers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 15, 2010

Days of being wild

HOLLYWOOD — 'I think 'Where the Wild Things Are' is a fantastic book," says writer-director Spike Jonze.
EDITORIALS
Jan 13, 2010

JAL's layover in bankruptcy court

The government has decided to seek reconstruction of struggling Japan Airlines Corp. through filing for court-backed bankruptcy protection under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law. Divided opinion within the Hatoyama administration saw its position zigzag before reaching this conclusion. Opting for a reconstruction...
COMMENTARY
Jan 11, 2010

Incredible shrinking media

SEATTLE — As you flip through a range of channels on your TV or browse through a stack of newspapers and magazines at a newsstand, you may feel lucky to live in a world where such a plethora of viewpoints is available. It might also seem that the apparent increase in media choices also increases the...
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2010

New finance chief Kan faces fiscal test

Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan officially replaced Hirohisa Fujii as finance minister Thursday after the veteran financial expert resigned for health reasons.
COMMENTARY
Jan 8, 2010

Public hopes fade to fears over the DPJ's capabilities

The Hatoyama Cabinet's approval rating is falling rapidly. In the Lower House election last August, people in Japan rejected the Liberal Democratic Party's long years of reliance on vested interests in favor of the Democratic Party of Japan for a change of government.

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