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COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2006

Chronically hungry children of America

NEW YORK -- While it is normal to expect high levels of hunger and poverty in a developing country, it may come as a surprise to observe such conditions in one of the richest countries in the world. The Food Bank for New York City recently reported that nearly 20 percent of children in the city rely...
EDITORIALS
Sep 18, 2006

Share of urban wealth

While the gap between the haves and have-nots -- which is believed to have widened under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration -- has become a political issue, another economic gap deserves attention. This is the gap between the nation's business and economic centers and the countryside....
EDITORIALS
Sep 17, 2006

Have a nice 'sol'

It's that time again. Every so often, life on our planet just seems so bleak there's nowhere to look but out. That was certainly the case this past week. Not only did the usual whack-a-mole wars keep flaring and simmering, even good things had their dark sides. Here in Japan, the welcome birth of a prince...
CULTURE / Books
Sep 17, 2006

Take a wild ride on the Orient Express

THE OTTOMAN CAGE by Barbara Nadel. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2005, 312 pp., $23.95 (cloth). DRAGON FIRE by William S. Cohen. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2006, 383 pp., $24.95 (cloth). "One of the most frequently asked questions that I get as a British author," Barbara Nadel tells the e-zine...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Sep 16, 2006

Cole's tall tale: Move to Chelsea not about money

LONDON -- I was halfway through writing this column when there was a knock at the door.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Sep 16, 2006

A train chock full o' nuts

They're not my family, they're not my friends. They're . . . my "famuters" -- those familiar commuters who ride the train with me each and every day.
BUSINESS
Sep 16, 2006

Lenders to get five years until 20% rate cap: LDP

A key Liberal Democratic Party panel agreed Friday to shorten a transition period for the creation of a single interest-rate ceiling for consumer loans to five years instead of the original nine proposed by the Finance Services Agency, panel members said.
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 2006

Mr. Ozawa on the offensive

Just as the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election campaign is making headlines, Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, formally announces his candidacy in the No. 1 opposition party's leadership race and discloses his platform. By emphasizing the need to rectify what some...
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2006

Aso, Nakagawa eyed for No. 2 LDP post

Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe is considering Foreign Minister Taro Aso and senior party colleague Hidenao Nakagawa as candidates for secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party if he becomes its next president, LDP sources have said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 15, 2006

Fishing around for a piece of history

"Enjoy it while you can," says Professor Theodore Bestor of Harvard University. He's referring partly to Tsukiji's famous fish market and partly to sushi and to the fact that "some species are at risk of becoming commercially extinct."
CULTURE / Music
Sep 15, 2006

Yuki "Wave"

With her Minnie-Mouse-on-helium voice and overt Bjorkisms, there's no denying that Yuki is one of J-pop's most colorful stars. But after her success fronting Judy And Mary, Yuki's solo sound was far from consistent until, after two dodgy albums, she hit her stride with 2005's "Joy," an out-and-out pop...
BUSINESS
Sep 15, 2006

Poor would lose more in tax hike: economist

Although the government has little choice but to raise the consumption tax to reduce Japan's mountain of debt, any increase is likely to hit the poor the hardest, an economist at a major think tank warned Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 15, 2006

Ristorante Lastricato: Such quality, such flavor. Bellissimo!

Lastricato lies on the main street of Ushigome, a quiet neighborhood not far from Kagurazaka but quite distinct in character. At first glance, it looks typical of the many mid-range little ristoranti that dot the city these days. Compact but not cramped, chic but not self-conscious, it is worth dressing...
EDITORIALS
Sep 14, 2006

Beware the dangers of drunk driving

The recent deaths of three young children in Fukuoka in a car accident caused by a drunk driver has highlighted Japanese society's misplaced tolerance toward driving under the influence of alcohol and the lack of awareness among drivers that it is illegal to drive after ingesting alcohol. Even worse,...
BUSINESS
Sep 14, 2006

GM tieup not critical, Nissan says

Nissan Motor Co. is not necessarily tied to the idea of investing in General Motors Corp., said Nissan Cochairman Itaru Koeda, referring to ongoing talks on a possible three-way alliance between Nissan, General Motors and Renault S.A.
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2006

Two former workers arrested in Nikkei fraud case

A former employee of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun Inc. was arrested Wednesday by Tokyo police on suspicion of defrauding an employment group linked to the labor ministry, Tokyo police said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Sep 14, 2006

Photographers lost in Hokkaido with models

It really shouldn't come as any surprise that corporations are getting involved in art exhibitions. Now that we've all but got used to bountiful product placement in movies, why shouldn't brands make their way into art shows? Where will it stop, I wonder -- will Harry Potter sip latte at Starbucks in...
BUSINESS
Sep 14, 2006

DoCoMo tests activity-tracking service

NTT DoCoMo Inc. began a test-run Wednesday of a new system that monitors cell phone customers' activities in certain areas and analyzes the patterns to ascertain their needs and send relevant information to their handsets.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2006

Access to resident info to be limited starting Nov. 1

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a decision to limit access to local governments' resident registry books to organizations and individuals acting in the public interest, ending the current practice of providing such access to anyone.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2006

If 9/11 hadn't happened, where would the world be?

LONDON -- Five years since 9/11, and we are still being told that the world has changed forever. But the attack on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, was a low-probability event that could just as easily not have happened. The often careless and sometimes incompetent hijackers might have been caught...
EDITORIALS
Sep 13, 2006

Rebels return to haunt LDP

An aftereffect of the legislative battle over postal service privatization a year ago now vexes the Liberal Democratic Party leadership. It is how to treat Diet members who rebelled against the party by voting against the privatization bills.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2006

Ozawa remains DPJ leader

Ichiro Ozawa was in effect named Tuesday to a second term as the Democratic Party of Japan president after no other candidates came forward to challenge him for the post.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2006

8.3 billion yen shot in the arm eyed for drugmakers

The government plans to give the nation's anemic pharmaceuticals industry a shot in the arm next year by boosting support by 80 percent so companies can better compete on a global scale, officials said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2006

Imperial imposters get 26 months

The Tokyo District Court on Monday sentenced a man and a woman to 26 months in prison for staging a fraudulent wedding reception in which they pretended to be members of the Imperial family and bilked guests out of 12 million yen in cash and a painting.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 12, 2006

Owning the bragging rights to work addiction

The Japanese were once famed for their work ethic. Now, shigoto-chudoku (workaholism) has been franchised out to the rest of the world and become a fact of globalized life.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’