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COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2006

Japan bashing then, China bashing now

LONDON -- Pressure on China today to push up the value of the yuan against the dollar is eerily similar to the pressure on Japan 30 years ago to make the yen appreciate. Back then, "Japan bashing" came to mean the threat of U.S. trade sanctions unless Japan softened competitive pressure on American industries....
SUMO
Jun 14, 2006

Hakuho ready to climb another level in Nagoya

Despite having sumo's highest rank in sight, ozeki Hakuho is not necessarily getting himself all psyched up.
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2006

Death of deflation may soon be declared, Yosano says

Fiscal policy minister Kaoru Yosano indicated Tuesday the government could soon declare that deflation has ended and that business groups no longer feel deflationary pressure.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2006

Supreme Court to issue ruling June 23 on Yasukuni visit

capacity as prime minister." In July 2005, the Osaka High Court turned down the plaintiffs' appeal of the district court decision, issuing no opinion on the constitutionality of the shrine visit. The high court also refrained from ruling on whether the visit was official in nature.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2006

Arakawa tram rear-ends stopped trolley; 26 hurt

A trolley car slammed into the back of another one that was stopped for a safety test Tuesday morning on the Arakawa tram line that runs through Kita Ward, Tokyo, injuring 25 passengers and one safety inspector, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 13, 2006

Lackluster Portugal edges plucky Angola

COLOGNE, Germany -- The last time Portugal and Angola played each other the game had to be abandoned 20 minutes from time after four Angolans were sent off for violence and dissent.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 13, 2006

The beautiful game inspires sartorial sins

Soccer might be known as the beautiful game, but it has never inspired beautiful design. As the World Cup in Germany gets into full swing, patriotic fervor will move millions of fans to purchase their team's jersey, resulting in innumerable crimes against good taste.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 13, 2006

World Cup commentary a whole new ball game

It's the season of the Warudo Kappu (World Cup, duh!), the season that screams: Sakka fuan ni arazuba hito ni arazu (Those who aren't soccer fans aren't even people). At least until July 11 (the day after the World Cup final) that is, or until the sakka netsu (soccer fever) abates -- whichever comes...
COMMENTARY
Jun 12, 2006

A tenable vision of efficiency

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's structural reforms for creating a "simple, efficient government" have entered the final phase. In late May, the Diet enacted the administrative reform promotion law and four related bills aimed at continuing Koizumi's reform programs after he steps down in September...
COMMENTARY
Jun 12, 2006

Needed: new energy sources

LONDON -- Naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough used to be skeptical about how far climate change could be ascribed to human actions. He has now declared he is convinced that what we are doing or failing to do has had seriously damaging effects on the climate, and he has been demonstrating...
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 11, 2006

World Cup opens amid pageantry

MUNICH -- The 2006 World Cup got under way with a dazzling opening ceremony at Allianz Arena on Friday afternoon.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 11, 2006

Nihon TV's "Antenna 22" digs in to Shibuya's Center-gai culture and more

For 20 years the crucible of teen girl fashion and attitude has been Shibuya's Center-gai street in Tokyo.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 10, 2006

Being one with nature is ducky

The other morning I noticed some marine ducks out in the port quacking away. "Ohayo!" I yelled to them from my window. They looked at me and, much to my surprise, started swimming in my direction. Figuring they must be hungry, I went out and served them a slice of bread. And this is how I inadvertently...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2006

Intolerance to the arts is growing in India

MADRAS, India -- The recent anger against director Ron Howard's latest film, "The Da Vinci Code," reminds us that intolerance against artistic freedom is growing in a world that we thought was past caring about such issues.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jun 10, 2006

Stephen Salyer

The headquarters of the Salzburg Seminar are in Salzburg, Austria. Many of its year-round meetings take place in the 18th century castle Schloss Leopoldskron, known to moviegoers for its impressive presence in "The Sound of Music." "It is a very beautiful place," said Stephen Salyer, the Salzburg Seminar...
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 9, 2006

Fans' 'Bonn' voyage builds before kickoff

Japan fans staying in Bonn unable to head to Munich for the opening game of the World Cup between Germany and Costa Rica on Friday won't be missing out on the carnival atmosphere.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 9, 2006

Eye looks to tranquillity after his contrived chaos

"I don't really think I have any musicianship. I can't play any instruments. I have no technique. I really can't do anything. I have no professional skill at all. I'm also a crap DJ. I'm really not very deft! Really I'm crap . . . and I've been doing it for 10 years!" says Yamataka Eye, leader of the...
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2006

Massaging intruder faces new charge

Police served a fresh warrant Thursday on a South Korean man who was arrested last month on suspicion of breaking into a woman's apartment in Tokyo and robbing her of cash after giving her several hours of shoulder massage.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2006

Swimming in the same sea

Oceans have always been an important part of many cultures, and today we understand the oceans more than we ever have in any part of human history. The question now is, has this knowledge and understanding led us to conserve and protect this beauty and resource and its inextricable links to human lives?...
CULTURE / Music
Jun 9, 2006

Pet Shop Boys "Fundamental"

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so as England and New Labour hurtle into the void, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe retake the dance floor for all the not-so-young dudes who long for a more compassionate, morally relative world.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 9, 2006

Marshall Allen and James Harrar

The works of Sun Ra band member (and now leader) Marshall Allen and alternative filmmaker James Harrar don't fit neatly into simple genres like "jazz" or "film," but as collaborators, they ably create their own passionate hybrid.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2006

Prince Hotels falls further into red

The reorganized Seibu Group said Wednesday its Prince Hotels chain had a net loss of 37.2 billion yen in fiscal 2005, an increase from the previous year's loss of 32 billion yen.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 8, 2006

Child's play

The annual "No Border" exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, received unprecedented media coverage this year. Titled "From Nihonga to Nihonga," it ran from January to March, and featured fast-rising stars, including Hisashi Tenmyouya, Fuyuko Matsui and Kumi Machida, all of whom were spuriously...
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2006

Yasukuni spin on war out in pamphlet

Yasukuni Shrine has started offering brochures in Korean and Chinese to "enhance understanding" of the Tokyo shrine's nature, officials there said Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 8, 2006

A lifetime in search of Japan's true self

Shohei Imamura, who died on May 30, had one of the great careers of postwar Japanese film, winning the Cannes Palme d'Or twice, as well as many other awards and honors. But he spent much of that career on the fringes of the industry, like a bull elephant who separates himself from the herd and goes his...

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