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JAPAN
Apr 17, 2010

Media get glimpse of Nara's 1,300th anniversary celebrations

NARA — A press preview of the celebrations for the 1,300th anniversary of the founding of Heijyo-kyo as Japan's ancient capital, which officially begin on April 24, was held Friday, as Nara officials scramble to put the final touches on an event they hope will boost the area's appeal as a tourist destination....
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 17, 2010

You know you live in the countryside when . . .

Okayama Prefecture is considered Japan's inaka (countryside). When I first came to teach at a university here, my students, who were all from the local small towns, would introduce themselves as being from inaka, and then laugh as if this was the funniest thing in the world. To me, the word "countryside"...
EDITORIALS
Apr 16, 2010

Understanding U.S. nuclear policy

While Japan has made nuclear disarmament a pillar of its diplomacy, in fact the existence of U.S. nuclear weapons has been critical to Japan's postwar peace and prosperity. The U.S. nuclear arsenal provided an extended deterrent — a nuclear umbrella — that sheltered this country and protected it...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 16, 2010

Finding beauty in the simplest of things

The Japan Folk Crafts Museum in Tokyo's Komaba area was founded by Muneyoshi Yanagi (1889-1961) in 1936 and built in the style of a traditional Japanese house. With natural light filtering through shoji screens, its unusual setting enhances the wonderful displays from its collection of folk-craft items...
COMMENTARY
Apr 15, 2010

Why precious is strategic

Water, food, mineral ores and fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas are resources of the greatest strategic import. They hold the key to human development and, in the case of water and food, to even human survival.
EDITORIALS
Apr 15, 2010

Weak prospects for new party

Five former Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers have formed a new party named Tachiagare Nippon (which translates as "stand up, Japan"). The party says that its primary goal is to prevent the Democratic Party of Japan from gaining a majority in the coming Upper House election. In that case, the party...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 13, 2010

Lawson 100 and the evolution of the convenience store

As a rule you don't go to a convenience store for value. The new exception to the rule is Lawson Store 100.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 13, 2010

Screeners set to take on costly public-funded entities

With a sagging approval rating, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his Democratic Party of Japan may be hoping for a turnaround with the second round of screening of costly government-backed entities that starts April 23.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2010

LDP defectors launch new political party

Former trade minister Takeo Hiranuma and four other ex-Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers launched a new party Saturday in a bid to create a viable alternative to the dominant players ahead of this summer's Upper House election.
EDITORIALS
Apr 11, 2010

A high price for drug smuggling

On April 6 China executed a Japanese national for the first time since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1972. On Friday, three more Japanese men were executed for drug-related offenses.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2010

New party a boon to DPJ, thorn in divided LDP's side

Saturday's launch of marginal political party Tachiagare Nippon (The Sunrise Party of Japan) by former members of the Liberal Democratic Party has only accelerated the main opposition's downward spiral as lawmakers gear up for an Upper House election in July.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 11, 2010

Death of Giants coach Kimura shocks NPB

He seemed fine two weeks ago, but, on Wednesday Yomiuri Giants infield and running coach Takuya Kimura died at a hospital in Hiroshima of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 37. He was pronounced dead five days after collapsing on the field at Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium as he was about to fulfill his pre-game...
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 11, 2010

Talking with the iconic Mr. Scott

Kansas City-born fashion designer Jeremy Scott has become widely known for his iconic pop style, and celebrities from Bjork and Lady Gaga to Britney Spears have worn his designs. However, Western celebrities aside, this Missouri native has built an immense fan base in Asia as well.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 11, 2010

Public works project has DPJ in a dam mess

Japan has 30,000 rivers, of which 113 are considered major. Japan also has half a million dams of various shapes, sizes and functions, and close to 3,000 of them were built for greater public purposes such as power generation, flood control and water supply.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2010

Health care, access to doctors at heart of Kyoto governor's race

KYOTO — Health care and the availability of doctors in remote areas are key issues in Sunday's Kyoto gubernatorial election, pitting two-term Gov. Keiji Yamada against newcomer Yusuke Mon.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past