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JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 19, 2009

Weight of Imperial world on Princess Masako

Observers often liken Crown Princess Masako to Britain's Princess Diana. They both embody the fairy tale gone tragically wrong — women outside the royal circle wooed by the heir to the throne, only to end up clashing with the establishment and surrounded by controversy and speculation that has made...
COMMENTARY
May 17, 2009

California dream-makers in the driver's seat

LOS ANGELES — Sometimes it's not that easy living in Los Angeles. Despite splendid weather, sprawling beaches and gorgeous mountain ranges — not to mention the well-tanned Hollywood stars — you face the unrelenting, withering scorn of smug colleagues long established in New York and Washington....
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
May 17, 2009

Tokyo's 'song and dance man'

Three-dozen sozzled office types, teachers and the like are cradling their drinks in one hand and punching the air with the other, bawling, "Everybody must get STONED!"
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 16, 2009

Fated winds turn path to cyclone-hit Myanmar

When Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar just over a year ago on May 2, Naomi Kato was in Japan, wishing she wasn't. As life ended for some 140,000 people and changed drastically for countless others, the Yokohama native found herself on the brink of a far-less tumultuous change, in between jobs and about to...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 15, 2009

A promising young violinist to perform around Kanto

The project "Classical for Millions," which has staged a series of "concerts for the people" at halls around the Kanto region since 2007, will feature Korean-American violinist Esther Kim from June.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 15, 2009

Lights, mirror . . . reaction

S ometimes the cutting-edge is five years old. Take the current exhibition at the Mori Art Museum, "The Kaleidoscopic Eye: Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection." Featuring some of the best of what the contemporary art world has to offer, by the time it's made it to the museum, the art world...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 15, 2009

Gauguin: 'I shall never do anything better'

Was he just a "Sunday painter" who abandoned his wife and five children for a bohemian life in a distant island paradise — where he died of syphilis and poverty in the arms of a teenage mistress?
BASKETBALL
May 10, 2009

HeatDevils hoping to live to see fifth season

The Oita HeatDevils endured an 8-44 regular season, the worst record in the bj-league this season. And now the team is looking to find a way to remain in business.
Reader Mail
May 10, 2009

Spare us the tabloid shots, please

When did The Japan Times become a tabloid rag? On the morning of May 2, I turned over my copy of the paper to see a shocking, quarter-page photo titled "QUEEN'S DAY KILLINGS" on the front page. In it you can clearly see three victims being tossed through the air by a speeding car. Luckily my elementary...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 8, 2009

Government day care falling short

The line of children waiting to get into government-subsidized day care is swelling for the first time in five years, a sign of these recessionary times, some observers say. But for others it is merely the latest blow in a long-term problem, especially for working mothers unable to leave their toddlers...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
May 6, 2009

Bulls' Noah starting to come into his own

NEW YORK — How frequently do coaches warn defenders not to leave their feet, to "stay down" on jump shooters?
JAPAN
May 4, 2009

Both sides on constitutional change hold rallies

The pros and cons of changing the Constitution were on full display Sunday — the 62nd Constitution Day — with both opponents and proponents holding rallies to push their causes.
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2009

Peaceful nuclear hazards are bad enough

LUCKNOW, India — In the early hours of April 26, 1986, the world experienced one of its worst nuclear disasters. Reactor No. 4 of Chernobyl power station, near Pripyat in Ukraine, exploded. Two explosions blew the dome-shaped roof off the reactor, causing its contents to erupt out.
COMMENTARY
May 2, 2009

Jackie Chan wears a political jester's hat, too

LOS ANGELES — You might have already known that kung fu comic and actor Jackie Chan was crazy, but is he certifiably insane? Just the other day this legendary does-his- own-stunts man asserted that the Chinese people do not need Western-style freedom and democracy.
BASKETBALL
Apr 30, 2009

Tabuse shooting for spot on national team

After a nearly 20-month absence from action, the Japan men's basketball team is back with a big attraction in Yuta Tabuse, and is trying to move on to the next level with the one-time phenom.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2009

Cheap tolls may worsen traffic jams

Prime Minister Taro Aso's economic stimulus measures are about to unleash the nation's worst highway traffic jams, toll operators and police say.
Reader Mail
Apr 26, 2009

Dismayed by Thailand editorial

I am deeply dismayed by your April 15 editorial, "Humiliation in Thailand." Apart from giving, through its one-sided account, no justice and fairness to the Royal Thai government under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, this editorial contains many inaccurate statements that reflect a lack of real understanding...
EDITORIALS
Apr 25, 2009

Tent villages highlight shortfalls

The establishment of a tent village in Tokyo's Hibiya Park during the New Year's holidays to help unemployed temporary workers is a sobering reflection of these hard times. In the tent village, nonprofit organization and labor union activists gave advice on a variety of matters ranging from finding employment...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 24, 2009

Explaining the science of fear

We all have something to fear in our lives, whether it's death, the loss of money or natural disasters. But how do we develop these feelings of fear? How can we soften or overcome our experiences of fear? And would alcohol help ease it?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 24, 2009

Wishing Chong: from barbecue to demons

2008 was undoubtedly the year of "Yakiniku Dragon" ("Korean Barbecue Dragon"), a realistic, autobiographical work by the Korean-Japanese playwright Wishing Chong that premiered April 17 in the New National Theatre's Pit. When the curtain came down that night on the NNT/Seoul Arts Center collaboration...
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2009

DPJ slams strict bills on foreign residents

A Democratic Party of Japan legal affairs panel has drafted proposals to soften the rules and punishments stipulated in government-sponsored bills to tighten immigration regulations on foreign residents, DPJ lawmaker Ritsuo Hosokawa said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 17, 2009

Sparks plug away toward ultimate entertainment

Most successful pop musicians live in a strange world. Several years ago, Bono shocked conservative sensibilities and delighted antiestablishment types by uttering the F-word at the Grammys, but he was not being rebellious. The word slipped out because he was excited about receiving an award from the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2009

'Slumdog' Boyle celebrates beating the odds

At first glance, you could hardly find a more unlikely candidate for a Best Picture Oscar than "Slumdog Millionaire." With no stars and a cast of mostly Indian unknowns, a director best known for a controversially hip film about junkies, and — God forbid — subtitles, that would normally be three...
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 13, 2009

I Rub Your Brog

While many first-time visitors to Tokyo probably have a fuzzy idea of what to expect, they would do themselves a favor to first check out I Rub Your Brog, a Web blog that randomly documents "life, music and general weirdness in central Tokyo." This is where they'll find slices of technicolor life not...
Japan Times
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Apr 12, 2009

Setoguchi emerges as bright star

In his first full NHL season, San Jose Sharks right wing Devin Setoguchi has established himself as a formidable offensive force for the league's top team.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2009

Imperial Couple happy on 50th anniversary

The greatest joy of their marriage is that they have been able to enjoy their 50th anniversary in good health and Empress Michiko's good sense of humor has made their relationship even happier, Emperor Akihito told a news conference earlier this week to mark the matrimonial milestone.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2009

Aiiku Hospital, too, feeling pinch

Aiiku Hospital, a perinatal care center in Tokyo for high-risk pregnancies widely considered one of the best for expectant mothers, recently applied to the metropolitan government to end its emergency 24-hour status, underlining the serious shortage of doctors to treat pregnant women.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years