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Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2009

Power of words eludes politicians

Japanese prime ministers aren't known for the impact they make with their words, or straight talk with the public.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2009

Fading Aso's hour to shine

The government is elated that Prime Minister Taro Aso will become on Tuesday the first head of state to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2009

Tokyo relieved no drama in Obama's Japan policy

Prime Minister Taro Aso's political situation may be tenuous when he meets Tuesday in Washington with President Barack Obama, but so far the new administration's rhetoric and policies toward Japan appear mainly to be firmly rooted in that of his predecessor, George W. Bush.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2009

Opposition parties smell blood

The opposition parties, not satisfied with Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa's abrupt resignation Tuesday and scenting the possibility of a bigger scalp, demanded Wednesday that Prime Minister Taro Aso apologize for the political turmoil.
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2009

No way out left for Aso, experts say

The resignation of Finance Minister Shoichiro Nakagawa following his disgraceful display in Rome has further weakened Prime Minister Taro Aso and could prove to be the straw that breaks the Cabinet's back, political observers said Tuesday.
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
Feb 17, 2009

Correspondents, PR reps warm ties at annual 'Hacks & Flacks' dig

The relationship between a journalist and a corporate public relations representative can be a tense one. Journalists, pressured by deadlines, hound the PRs for precise and prompt information, while PRs, irritated and a bit bewildered by the incessant questioning, respond with gritted teeth.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 17, 2009

Accelerating Toyota forced to downshift

Figures for just the past five years show how much Toyota Motor Corp. has prospered. During that period, the carmaker continued to post record sales, profits, production and sales units, ultimately taking the top of the hill from General Motors Corp.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2009

Tokyo juiced up for Clinton visit

Bureaucrats in Tokyo are finally feeling the love from Washington as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton prepares to grace Japan with her first overseas visit Monday as America's top diplomat.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2009

Aso's handout foes face trump card: poll

Prime Minister Taro Aso's ¥2 trillion cash handout program, his key stimulus plan, is under threat after former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, arguably Japan's most popular lawmaker, openly dismissed its importance.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 8, 2009

In an 'Era of Decline,' let's look to youth to quell 'panic of the mind'

"We are living in extremely hard times. . . . I have been reading news- papers for 60 years, and I can't recall any era when the local news pages have appalled me more."
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 8, 2009

In an 'Era of Decline,' let's look to youth to quell 'panic of the mind'

"We are living in extremely hard times. . . . I have been reading news- papers for 60 years, and I can't recall any era when the local news pages have appalled me more."
COMMENTARY
Feb 5, 2009

What's wrong with the way English is taught in Japan

The good news is that Japan's education bureaucrats realize that despite six years of middle and high school study many Japanese are still unable to speak English well. The bad news is that the bureaucrats plan to solve this problem by giving us more of what caused the problem.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2009

A whale of a shortsighted subsidy program

BEPPU, Oita Pref. — After stepping off the train and onto the platform at Ogata station, in the Tosa area of Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku, travelers are greeted by a sign with two whales: "Welcome to Ogata, where the whales also greet you."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2009

2channel founder ponders next step after forum's sale

A short message recently posted on Hiroyuki Nishimura's personal blog sent shock waves across the online community. In a single sentence dated Jan. 2, he announced that he had sold 2channel, his wildly popular Internet forum.
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jan 24, 2009

Neumann analyzes Curry, recalls Pistol Pete

Every dozen years or so, a young athlete arrives on the scene — Cristiano Ronaldo, Usain Bolt or LeBron James, for instance — with the demeanor, athleticism and poise beyond their years to be the next standard-bearer of excellence in that sport.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2009

Aso's days said numbered

Now that Prime Minister Taro Aso managed Tuesday to force the second extra budget for fiscal 2008 through the Lower House, his next hurdle is the fiscal 2009 budget and related bills.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Jan 15, 2009

Wildlife attendant Pat Kim

Pat Kim is a wildlife attendant at the Hyatt Regency Guam, where she takes care of the exotic birds in the hotel's gardens. Since the arrival of a flock of baby parrots in Guam 15 years ago, Kim's been a virtual mom to them, nursing eight little macaws and two cockatoos into the magnificent creatures...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 14, 2009

'Change' is for the better in year's kanji highlights

The most popular kanji in headlines, blurbs and slogans last year had to do with disasters. Hen (変, to change, or metamorphose) was the most used character, according to the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, beating out close second and third choices kin (金 gold) and raku (落, to drop, or...
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2009

Ruling bloc steamrollers second extra budget

Overriding shouts of protest from the opposition parties, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito bloc rammed the second extra budget for fiscal 2008 through the Lower House on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2009

Ishihara urges Obama to act on abductees

A group of governors seeking the return of Japanese abducted by North Korea called the U.S. delisting of Pyongyang from its terrorism blacklist "incoherent" and urged President-elect Barack Obama to take prompt action on the matter.
EDITORIALS
Jan 14, 2009

Drop cash-benefit measure

As Diet discussions shifts into top gear, the confrontation between the ruling and opposition is growing fierce over a ¥2 trillion household cash-benefit package that is included in a second supplementary budget for fiscal 2008. The opposition wants the ¥2 trillion plan dropped from the budget and...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 11, 2009

Orioles did homework before deciding on Uehara

So Koji Uehara is going to sink his forkball in the major leagues and his fork into a plate of crab cakes from Chesapeake Bay, having agreed, according to all reports, to a two-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles.
COMMENTARY
Jan 8, 2009

Outlook is mixed for 2009

Looking at 2009, the good news is that the global economy is likely to recover much faster than predicted. The bad news is that global politics are likely to deteriorate much more rapidly than most expected.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 6, 2009

Japan makes progress in 2009

As we start 2009, let's recharge the batteries by reviewing last year's good news. Here is my list of top human rights advancements for Japan in 2009, in ascending order:

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear