Search - (2006-01-27)

 
 
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Jun 12, 2007

Sumo at the Olympics or a dohyo too far?

Sumo in Japan is on the up and up. We now have two yokozuna with a good half decade of rivalry in the tanks, one young enough to still be around in 10 years time. Irrespective of reports in the Japanese-language media, the sport is not sinking into the abyss with the continued success of its foreign...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 12, 2007

Japan's green strides belie spotty record

Last month, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought a leading role in the fight against climate change when he proposed a global initiative to halve greenhouse gas emis sions by 2050.
BUSINESS
Jun 12, 2007

FSA orders megabank BTMU to improve poor investment trust service

The Financial Services Agency ordered the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ on Monday to improve its business practices after a probe by authorities exposed poor treatment of investment trust services customers.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jun 10, 2007

Shiraishi credits sailing career to mentor Tada

"Ask yourself when you last spent a single day with no human contact — then multiply this by 100!" — VELUX 5 OCEANS pre-race press release.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 10, 2007

Japan and Germany: worlds apart and yet so similar

CULTURE AND POWER IN GERMANY AND JAPAN: The Spirit of Renewal, by Nils-Johan Jorgensen. Global Oriental, 318 pp., 2006, £50 (cloth) The author of this interesting and thought-provoking study was a Norwegian diplomat who served in both Germany and Japan. He acquired a good knowledge of both countries...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jun 10, 2007

Bunroku Shishi: Finding humor in a recovering postwar Japan

SCHOOL OF FREEDOM, by Bunroku Shishi, translated and with an afterword by Lynne E. Riggs. Center for Japanese Studies, The University of Michigan: Ann Arbor, 2006, 256 pp., $29.95 (cloth). Bunroku Shishi (1893-1969), who was born as Toyoo Iwata, had two occupations, just as he had two names. He was...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 9, 2007

Koshu Project sets out to redefine Japanese wine

Ernest Singer is young at heart, with six children from three different families, and an office with staff members mostly half his age. "It's the young that have the passion that Millesimes thrives upon," he explains, navigating a sea of desks and concentrated faces.
EDITORIALS
Jun 8, 2007

Defection from the North

Four North Koreans — a married couple and their two adult sons — were spotted in a small boat off Fukaura port in Aomori Prefecture last Saturday and are now in custody. They arrived in a 7.3-meter-long open wooden boat equipped with an old outboard engine. They say they left a port near the northeastern...
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2007

Lee courts discord with Yasukuni visit

Just being here has caused a political stir, but former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui upped the ante Thursday by visiting Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine to offer a prayer for his brother, who died while fighting for Japan in World War II.
JAPAN / Q&A
Jun 8, 2007

What's behind the measles outbreak?

A measles epidemic is spreading, especially among people in their teens and 20s, forcing weeklong closures at 29 universities and 22 high schools nationwide between April 1 and May 26.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 7, 2007

A midsummer bonanza

Many of the hottest tickets theatergoers are after this summer come courtesy of one person — English director John Caird.
BASKETBALL
Jun 6, 2007

Benoit named Broncos' new coach

The Saitama Broncos promoted former NBA player David Benoit to head coach, the bj-league club announced on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 6, 2007

Family support gives Giants' newcomer Hollins a boost

The past year has been one of transition for Yomiuri Giants center fielder Damon Hollins.
EDITORIALS
Jun 6, 2007

A troubling decision in Thailand

Thailand's constitutional tribunal has disbanded the Thai Rak Thai party and banned its leader, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and 111 other members from contesting elections for five years. The move transforms Thailand's political map, and raises questions about the military government's...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Jun 5, 2007

'Takoyaki' czar looks to spread tentacles to U.S.

In Los Angeles last December, Morio Sase had a bout of nerves. What had made him think he could persuade Americans to cast off their culinary prejudices and warm to something with as great an "ick factor" as octopus?
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2007

Mirror images of arrogance

NEW YORK — This week's summit of the major Group of Eight nations will probably be the last such meeting for U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Jun 5, 2007

"The Great American Mousical," "Jake Cake: The Robot Dinner Lady"

"The Great American Mousical," Julie Andrews Edwards, Puffin Books; 2006; 133 pp. If you don't know who Julie Andrews is, ask your parents. They'll tell you how Andrews, the star actress of movie classics like "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music," brought cinema alive for children all over the world....
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 4, 2007

A torrid tale of three 'Swedish models'

STOCKHOLM — Sweden's economic and social system, sometimes called the "Swedish Model," is often depicted either as an ideal or an abnormality. But Sweden's system has varied considerably. In fact, broadly speaking there have been three different Swedish "models" since the late 19th century.

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