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EDITORIALS
Nov 23, 2010

Uncovering government waste

In a Nov. 5 report to Prime Minister Naoto Kan, the Board of Audit said that in fiscal 2009, ministries and agencies as well as other government entities wasted public money in 979 cases. The total reached a record ¥1.79 trillion — some 7.5 times the fiscal 2008 figure.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 21, 2010

'Freeter' drama reflects Japan's income gap

The American media keeps wondering whether or not the United States will have to endure a "lost decade" of sluggish growth and stagnant employment like the one Japan suffered through after the real-estate bubble burst in the early 1990s. It seems unlikely. The American economy is dynamic while Japan's...
LIFE / WEEK 3
Nov 21, 2010

Heading for the hills — in style

One sunny Saturday a couple of weeks ago, this writer joined five women and three men who met up at Ikusabata Station on the JR Ome Line in the mountains of western Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2010

Companies going all-out in English

Enhancing employee English-language skills has become a high-priority management challenge for Japanese corporations, regardless of their size and industry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 19, 2010

Van Gogh: Sanity behind madness

In recent years there has been a sea change in the official cult surrounding the Post-Impressionist Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). For the masses he is still the archetypal "crazy artist": razor blade in one hand, severed ear in the other, and a lovely picture of sunflowers on the easel...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2010

TPP signals commitment to Asia: Obama

YOKOHAMA — The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement will give Washington a strong presence in Asia and an opportunity to increase trade, U.S. President Barack Obama said Saturday in Yokohama.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 14, 2010

Revealing looks at a 'phantom chef' and city sparrows; CM of the Week: Lotte Xylitol gum

You've been thrilled by the skills of "Ryori no Tetsujin (The Iron Chef)" and impressed by the knowledge revealed by "Ryori no Meijin" ("The Master Chef"). Now you can enjoy the unique talents of "Ryori no Kaijin" ("The Phantom Chef"; TV Tokyo, Wed., 9 p.m.).
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2010

Imperial Hotel maintains its pride, 120 years on

Charles Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and Babe Ruth, and in recent years U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and former Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev are among the many celebrities who have lodged at the Imperial Hotel, Japan's first grand Western-style inn, which opened as a state guesthouse during...
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2010

Uniting APEC too tall an order for Kan?

Prime Minister Naoto Kan faces the huge task of forging consensus among the 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and paving the way for a regionwide free-trade zone as chair of the summit that kicks off Saturday in Yokohama.
EDITORIALS
Nov 12, 2010

Japan's push for open trade

The 2010 APEC forum meetings started in Yokohama on Monday and an APEC leaders summit will take place on Saturday and Sunday. As host and chair, Japan faces the task of leading the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation members to agree on steps to push for further liberalization of trade and investment....
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2010

Hotels find profit in catering to families

One autumn afternoon in Kobuchizawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, a group of children and their parents were driving to a field to pick fresh vegetables for pizzas they planned to make there.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2010

Five anti-recession imperatives for the G20

NEW YORK — The world's economies are becoming more interdependent than ever, but economic nationalism, protectionism and beggar-thy-neighbor attitudes are threatening the bonds of trust and cooperation that a truly globalized economy requires.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2010

Miniskirts hit Mount Fuji as 'yama girls' take on trekking

Forget the ice ax and ¥50,000 climbing boots. The "mode du jour" for today's mountain hikers is the miniskirt and leggings.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 9, 2010

Team unity carries Marines to title

NAGOYA — Norifumi Nishimura and the Chiba Lotte Marines have come full circle.
COMMENTARY
Nov 5, 2010

South Korea uniquely suited to host G20

WATERLOO, Ontario — In Pittsburgh, Pa., a year ago, the leaders of the world's 20 leading countries declared that the Group of 20 summit would henceforth be the world's premier forum for international economic governance. The group meets again in Seoul on Nov. 11-12.
EDITORIALS
Nov 4, 2010

Rare earths even rarer

It has been reported that the Chinese government has ended its embargo on exports of rare earths. That is a relief, although it is confusing since Beijing has denied for weeks that there was an embargo on those products. Whatever the cause of the interruption in trade, this incident raises disturbing...

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan