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COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2008

Reviving Pax Americana

SYDNEY — The euphoria and promise of Barack Obama's election triumph will soon be tempered by the stark prospect of U.S. weakness and decline. The new president has a mountain of work ahead of him if he is to restore the tarnished U.S. brand and repair the financial mess that is likely to be his predecessor's...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2008

If America fades, who will lead the world?

SINGAPORE — Barack Obama's election comes at a moment when a new bit of conventional wisdom is congealing. It concerns the end of America's global dominance.
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Nov 17, 2008

Unlike blue chips, services firms' Japan quirks thwart global reach

Japan's firms are on an unprecedented shopping tour overseas. The value of January-October M&As hit a record ¥6.7 trillion, nearly four times more than a year earlier. The largest was Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group's $9 billion investment in Morgan Stanley.
Reader Mail
Nov 16, 2008

Fake gesture to help economy

Regarding the Nov. 13 front-page article "Ruling bloc OKs ¥2 trillion boost": Although the ruling bloc has apparently approved giving every Japanese citizen a token handout to stimulate the economy, major figures within the Liberal Democratic Party vehemently oppose it, viewing it only as an attempt...
Reader Mail
Nov 16, 2008

ASDF chief's views not unusual

In the Nov. 12 Kyodo article "Taipei demands redress, apology for sex slaves," we read that "In a rare show of unity, the island's ruling and opposition parties passed by a unanimous vote the Taiwan Comfort Women Resolution, calling on Tokyo to 'accept historical responsibility for its World War II sex...
Reader Mail
Nov 16, 2008

Political action beyond words

Regarding Philip J. Cunningham's Nov. 13 article, "Yes we can . . . what, Mr. Obama?": I would like to commend The Japan Times for publishing an article written by somebody who is able to look past all the excitement and fervor of Barack Obama's election and analyze what the next U.S. president might...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Nov 15, 2008

Husband's support crucial for Yamauchi

Six pieces of "mochi" pounded rice patty in miso soup are an excessive amount of carbohydrate, and Atkins diet believers would freak out if they even thought about consuming that amount. In fact, that would even be too much for even normal adult males to have in a single meal.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2008

Prefecture-merging panel sets goal

A policy panel of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Thursday it will try to draw up by the end of December a bill to consolidate the nation's 47 prefectures into 10 larger, more powerful regional governments.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2008

Xstrata, J-Power in low-emission coal tech first

J-Power and Xstrata PLC have started a 206 million Australian dollar, or $137 million, project in Australia that will be the first in the world to use a low-emission coal-fired generating technology. The technology may cut typical carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired generation by about 90 percent....
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2008

Hard times for U.S. automakers

If there were any doubts about the severity of the economic downturn and its impact on the "real economy," they were put to rest last week by reports from U.S. automakers. General Motors Corp. warned that it may not have enough cash to keep operating through the year; Ford's situation is not as dire,...
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2008

TV comedian turns hero with burning-building rescue

Braving smoke and explosions, Iranian entertainer Rahim Arvanaghi, 40, better known as Randy Muscle, made another name for himself Wednesday when he ran into a burning building in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, and rescued its injured owner, Shinichi Yokoyama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 14, 2008

Getting scrappy with jazz-punks Midori

"I don't really listen to punk or know too much about what constitutes Japanese punk," declares Mariko Goto. "That said, if we're going to categorize ourselves, I'd say we're a punk band. But the sort of punk we make is nostalgic and lonely. It's like a four-tatami room with just one door and one window;...
EDITORIALS
Nov 13, 2008

Mr. Tamogami toes his line

Mr. Toshio Tamogami, who was sacked as Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff over a controversial essay, testified Tuesday before an Upper House committee. His statements show that he does not understand what civilian control of the Self-Defense Forces means and how his essay could damage the reputation...
Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2008

Sad repetition of argument

It is sad to see again an attempt to justify what the Imperial Japanese Army did before 1945. The most difficult aspect of the essay written by former Air Self-Defense Force chief Toshio Tamogami is that his view is uchimuki (inward-looking) -- only from the Japanese side. Japanese must think of the...
Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2008

Let's pay to maintain Mount Fuji

Regarding the Nov. 8 article "Towns float Mount Fuji 'entry fee' ": Having climbed Mount Fuji from both the Yamanashi and Shizuoka (Prefecture) sides a total of four times, I can guarantee that most visitors would prefer to pay a modest fee -- say, ¥1,000 -- in return for adequate restrooms and officials...
Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2008

Politics of currency declarations

Regarding M.J. Issott's Nov. 6 letter, "Rule, as is, discriminates": Issott still maintains that it is stupid to make him count up and declare his foreign currencies upon re-entry into Japan and feels that the government discriminates against him because Japanese nationals are exempt from this rule. ...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 13, 2008

Modern maki-e

I don't express otaku culture," says Tomotaka Yasui at the Megumi Ogita gallery in Ginza, where he is having a solo exhibition of three new works. "Now in foreign countries, all people hear about is otaku culture. I want to introduce other aspects of Japanese culture to other countries — Japanese style,...
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2008

New territorial row brewing

In the latest territorial flap between South Korea and Japan, a bipartisan group of lawmakers voiced concern Wednesday over growing South Korean capital investment in Nagasaki Prefecture's Tsushima, an island city only 50 km from the Korean Peninsula.
EDITORIALS
Nov 12, 2008

Financial crisis hits home

The global financial crisis is hitting Japanese companies hard. Symbolic is Toyota Motor Co.'s prediction of its own business performance for the full year to March 2009. The rise of the yen's value and the slowing down of the world economy as seen in decreased auto sales in the United States and Europe...
COMMENTARY
Nov 12, 2008

Afghanistan and Pakistan: Can terrorism be eradicated?

One of the most difficult problems facing U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, when he takes office next January, is how to deal with the terrorist threat from inside Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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