Search - 2012

 
 
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jan 6, 2013

Even gangsters live in fear of Japan's gun laws

It's almost impossible to get to a gun in Japan, and selling one or owning one is a serious crime. Fire the gun? Possibly life imprisonment. Gun-control laws are taken so seriously that police will pursue a violator all the way to the grave — and maybe beyond.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2013

Fewest traffic deaths seen since '51

The number of deaths from traffic accidents in 2012 declined for the 12th year in a row to 4,411, down 4.4 percent from 2011 and falling below 4,500 for the first time since 1951, the National Police Agency announced Friday.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 5, 2013

Reds' Suarez experiencing amazing turnaround

It would have been a close call, but at the beginning of the season Luis Suarez may just have pipped John Terry as the least popular player in English football (the other contender, Joey Barton, had been loaned from Queens Park Rangers to Olympique Marseille so he was no longer eligible).
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 5, 2013

Obama unilaterally reshapes immigration

The Obama administration's decision this week to ease visa requirements for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants represents its latest move to reshape immigration through executive action, even as the White House gears up for an uncertain political fight over a far more sweeping legislative package...
WORLD
Jan 5, 2013

Obama unilaterally reshapes immigration

The Obama administration's decision this week to ease visa requirements for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants represents its latest move to reshape immigration through executive action, even as the White House gears up for an uncertain political fight over a far more sweeping legislative package...
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
Jan 5, 2013

Burns, Ikeda share December honors on offense; Shimane's Parker, Davis recognized for defense

The Yokohama B-Corsairs and Niigata Albirex BB enter this weekend's marquee matchup as the hottest teams in the bj-league's Eastern Conference.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 4, 2013

'Freelancers'

To everything there is a season, even for Hollywood superstars such as Robert De Niro. Having starred in some of the best and most memorable American films of the 20th century, De Niro has remained enthroned in the Hollywood kingdom — but the time when he can walk into any scene and take immediate...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 4, 2013

NHK spotlights gunslinging daughter of the north in yearlong Sunday drama

How to rebuild when you've lost everything? In the immediate aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, as many thousands of people in northeastern Japan sought to answer that question for themselves, public broadcaster NHK began looking for a historical figure whose story might...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 3, 2013

January: Spirit of punk alive as Patti Smith, Death Grips come to Japan

The new year is starting out with a slew of potentially great gigs throughout the country.
BUSINESS
Jan 3, 2013

Abe hoopla aside, key economic challenges loom

Stocks are up, the yen is easing and there is a new prime minister pledging to splash trillions of yen to breathe life into the country's moribund economy: Last year ended on a high note for Japan Inc., and 2013 looks even more promising for some.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2013

LNG gains political value as Japan's needs soar

With Japan's nuclear power future clouded by discoveries of active faults near atomic plants in Fukui and Aomori prefectures, liquefied natural gas has become a critical resource and an area of great potential for strengthening relations with the United States.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 3, 2013

Old art building faces a new 'Junction' in life

In Yanaka, a 10-minute walk from Nippori Station in Tokyo, a new art center is being constructed in the shell of a 50-year-old house that had been the atelier and residence of students from Tokyo Art University since 2004. Like many buildings of its age, it suffered considerable damage during the Great...
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 1, 2013

Summer poll to keep Abe in check

While nearly 300 Liberal Democratic Party candidates nationwide rejoiced over their resounding success in the Dec. 16 Lower House election, the mood of some at party headquarters was more sober.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 1, 2013

The reasons behind India's alarming culture of sexual violence

Violence against Indian women is widespread and has deep roots. Here are some of the reasons behind the issue:
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2012

The fight to limit agricultural use of antibiotics can be won with the right political alliances

Ask a dozen food activists what political change they want to see in 2013 and you'll get a dozen different answers, maybe two dozen: Restrict sodium in packaged foods. Label genetically modified ingredients. End subsidies to big farms.
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Dec 31, 2012

Onodera to review defense plans, up spending

Amid China's military rise and the continued threat from North Korea, new Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera has vowed to bolster Japan's defensive capabilities by reviewing its strategies, increasing the defense budget and revising the guidelines in place with the United States.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 30, 2012

Landscaping the doors of perception in Japan

ZEN GARDENS: The Complete Works of Shunmyo Masuno, Japan's Leading Garden Designer, by Mira Locher. Tuttle Publishing, 2012, 224 pp., $39.95 (hardcover) Although the term zen-tei (Zen garden) exists in Japanese, its usage is a largely Western one, first coined by the American garden scholar Lorraine...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Dec 30, 2012

The wonderful worlds of 100 waka

The scene: England, Boxing Day 2012. The archetypical Carters are relaxing after a cold turkey lunch (with bread sauce) and are watching the Royal Family's latest sonnets being read on the goggle-box. Time for a game!
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Dec 30, 2012

Kyu Asakura's garden of wealth and privilege

BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Dec 30, 2012

Matsui should be remembered as one of Japan's best

In 2001 Ichiro Suzuki shattered expectations about what Japanese players could and could not do in Major League Baseball.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 30, 2012

This year's highlights and lowlights

Media figures of the year:

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