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EDITORIALS
Jun 2, 2008

Fifth most peaceful nation

Japan may no longer be No. 1 in economic efficiency, but it is now No. 5 in "peacefulness," according to the Global Peace Index (GPI), an annual report by the Economist Intelligence Unit. In the recently released survey on world peace, Japan moved up one place from 2007 to become the fifth most peaceful...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 30, 2008

Love 'em or hate 'em

Usually bands this challenging are doomed to wallow in dank flea-pit venues idolized by a few brave souls and sustained only by belief in their own genius.
JAPAN
May 30, 2008

Reform bill sidesteps 'amakudari'

The Lower House passed a bill Thursday to reform the civil servant system, but the legislation omitted any steps to curb the notoriously corrupt system of "amakudari," the practice whereby bureaucrats retire into lucrative posts in industries they had overseen.
EDITORIALS
May 29, 2008

Mr. Medvedev goes to Beijing

It is tempting to hyperventilate about Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to China last week. Some see the Beijing stopover as a reminder of the two countries' determination to counter Western or, more specifically, U.S. "hegemony" and the challenge they pose to the international order. By this...
CULTURE / Art / INSIDE ART
May 29, 2008

Permanent collection not pulling crowds

As seen in last month's "Inside Art," international rankings of art exhibition attendances present the achievements of Japanese museums in the best possible light. Look at annual attendance figures, however, and the picture is very different.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
May 28, 2008

Earthlings just can't resist the connection

Bluetooth as Big Brother: Humans are naturally gregarious, which is just as well since it seems that the intent of modern communications is to keep us all connected 24/7 — whether we want it or not.
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
May 23, 2008

Departure of Collins latest sign Buffaloes are in disarray

Something stinks in Kansai.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 23, 2008

Russell Watson

Britain's Russell Watson, the "people's tenor," is coming back to Japan. Renowned for his golden voice, he will be accompanied by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and up-and-coming violinist Emiri Miyamoto.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 22, 2008

Winding up in bondage

Consider, for a moment, tattoos. Removable and temporary tattoos are gaining in popularity. But there goes the whole cachet of tattoos, really. The very reason they're worth having is, in fact, the ordeal you go through to get them and the finality of the decision. Therein lies the line that separates...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
May 21, 2008

Field wide open in race to be GM of Knicks

NEW YORK — Billy King, Billy Knight, Bernie Bickerstaff and a mystery man are the exclusive competition for the Knicks' GM job, it says here.
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2008

Rescuing the revolution from Yushchenko

BRUSSELS — There is no more depressing sight in politics than a leader who, desperate to cling to power, ruins his country in the process. By his recent actions, President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine now looks like he has joined the long list of rulers who have sacrificed their country's future simply...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 16, 2008

Sex slaves struggle to keep plight in focus

SEOUL — They're the dwindling survivors of a war crime who have fought 17 years for justice. Now amid a gathering revisionist movement in Japan, they live out their final days in the South Korean countryside with the worst fear of all: that the world will forget what happened to them.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 15, 2008

School reborn as museum to help kids learn the joy of low-tech toys

A defunct 100-year-old elementary school in Tokyo that boasted 1,000 pupils in its heyday has been reborn as a museum that hopes to revive the passion of playing with toys that don't require batteries.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
May 12, 2008

Newton's steady play makes him most valuable player in bj-league

With a superbly consistent anchor in the middle, the Osaka Evessa captured their third title in as many bj-league seasons on May 4.
COMMENTARY
May 12, 2008

Clinton's surprise appeal on campaign trail

LOS ANGELES — How much suffering must a nation and its people go through before everyone says enough is enough?
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
May 10, 2008

Washington helped Evessa down stretch, but did not deserve MVP

The bj-league is working tirelessly around the clock to make itself a recognizable product — a collection of teams, coaches and players that is identifiable and popular — in a nation where basketball plays second fiddle to almost every other sport. And it deserves credit for elevating the profile...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 9, 2008

The Breeders: 'What took you so long?'

Despite being the indie buff's band of choice for the best part of two decades, you wouldn't call The Breeders prolific. "Mountain Battles," released this month, will be only the band's fourth album since it formed in Dayton, Ohio, in 1988, and its first since 2002's "Title TK." With a history dogged...
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2008

North Korea-Syria connection

The disclosure by the United States that North Korea helped Syria build a nuclear reactor demands that the North give a full explanation about its suspected nuclear proliferation activities. As there is the possibility that the six-party talks will hold another round this month, the U.S., Japan, South...
JAPAN
May 4, 2008

Hu summit overshadowed by risk

Next Tuesday's five-day visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao would have been one of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's finest moments. But now the summit appears to be a high-risk event fraught with diplomatic danger.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan