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COMMENTARY
Aug 19, 2009

A greater role in relief work for armed forces

Will Asia-Pacific armed forces find their role in national defense and security shifting significantly in the future as the effects of climate change caused by global warming intensify? If so, how quickly will it happen?
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2009

Focus for many is on how big DPJ win might be

Most observers are betting the Democratic Party of Japan will win the Aug. 30 Lower House election, with their focus now on just how big the DPJ's victory will be.
EDITORIALS
Aug 19, 2009

Lower House races begin

The campaign for the Aug. 30 Lower House election officially kicked off Tuesday. The election results will have a great impact on the course of Japan's future because there is a chance that the Liberal Democratic Party's domination of Japanese politics may end. The election represents a chance for voters...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Aug 18, 2009

Got those rental blacklist blues

It's a buyers market in Japan but “yachin hosho kaisha” (rental guarantee companies) tried to flex their muscle by attempting to blacklist of rent scofflaws.
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
Aug 18, 2009

Kids hit the dance floor for charities

Visitors going into Tokyo Church of Christ in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on a Friday afternoon in July were welcomed by three children with painted faces who proceeded to perform modern dance.
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2009

Traumas of Showa Era have shaped a man's life

A man's life alone cannot represent the Showa Era in its entirety, but Susumu Iida's serves to underscore many of its harsh legacies.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Aug 18, 2009

Power harassment plagues workplaces

Dear Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Yoichi Masuzoe, I can still recall the phone conversation with my spouse on June 2, when I was crying profusely due to harassment at work. Earlier that day, the manager of my unit asked me to resign, stating that one of the deputy managers didn't like me. On...
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2009

Parties split on foreigner suffrage

Prime Minister Taro Aso and Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama displayed clear differences Monday in their parties' positions on whether to allow foreigners with permanent residency to vote in local races.
Reader Mail
Aug 16, 2009

Some 'progress' not worth making

In his Aug. 13 letter, "So much ado over use of drugs," David Williams laments the fact that Japan is "50 years behind America when it comes to the 'evil of drugs.' " But I think that sometimes being behind the times is actually a good thing. It's a horrifying thought to imagine Japan "progressing" so...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 16, 2009

CL looks like a two-horse race as stretch drive nears

With roughly six weeks and 40 games remaining in the 2009 Japan pro baseball season, we are taking a look this week at the Central League clubs, where they stand and their chances of qualifying for the Climax Series, with mention of some key players and their ups and downs.
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 16, 2009

Frontale's Chong draws strength from pride in North Korean heritage

KURIHIRA, Kanagawa Pref. — Kawasaki Frontale's North Korean striker Chong Tese has a busy year ahead of him.
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2009

Koizumi, Abe make Yasukuni visit

Despite the hectic runup to the general election, former Prime Ministers Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe, as well as a Cabinet minister and other Diet members, found time to visit Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday.
Reader Mail
Aug 16, 2009

'Eastern spirit' could use humility

I am sure that Hideo Kaito knows what he is talking about in his Aug. 9 letter ("Committed leader or bad clown?"), but I have no idea. Perhaps he is trying to imagine what it's like being on the victorious side of an Asian nation against the United States or the West. To me, he is just showing the true,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2009

Higashikokubaru rues ultimatum

Miyazaki Gov. Hideo Higashikokubaru said Friday he regretted the political turmoil that resulted from his wavering over whether to accept the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's offer to put his name on its ticket for the Aug. 30 Lower House election.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 14, 2009

Junko Onishi

Eleven years is a long time to be out of the spotlight. For a musician, 11 years between albums usually results in a drastic change in style, sometimes not for the better, or an outdated sound that attracts only die-hard fans. However, Junko Onishi, 42, avoids both these fates because of a couple of...
MORE SPORTS
Aug 14, 2009

Sprint queen Fukushima looking forward to challenge at worlds

How quickly things can change.
EDITORIALS
Aug 14, 2009

Party leaders out of the gate

Prime Minister Taro Aso and Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Hatoyama held their first election debate Wednesday. Mr. Aso strove to paint the DPJ as a party with no governing ability, and tried to sell his Liberal Democratic Party as the "responsible" one that implements policy based on a solid...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 14, 2009

Breaking all the rules in ceramics

For many people, the term "ceramic art" conjures up the image of functional ware on a dinner table: cups and bowls filled with food and drink, or perhaps ornate European platters or wabi-sabi Japanese teapots. To others, it may mean terra-cotta figurines or simply sculpture that uses clay as its primary...
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2009

Hatoyama, Aso trade barbs in first showdown since call for election

Prime Minister Taro Aso and Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama held their first one-on-one battle Wednesday since the Lower House was dissolved last month, and the two attempted to attack each other over which party was suitable to lead.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / STYLE WISE
Aug 13, 2009

Variations on Dynamite Cabarets, Tiger, togas, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garcons

Aki and Kuzu get smart Cabaret Aki and Jackal Kuzu are known as the designers of scandalously flagrant men's brand Gut's Dynamite Cabarets, but with the launch of their impressive new line, JhonAG, their alter-egos may soon fade as the two are set to be reverently known as just Aki and Kuzu.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Aug 12, 2009

Option to owning

Owning a car in Japan isn't cheap, but these days, renting has become a smart and reasonable option.
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 12, 2009

Party platforms offer no quick fix to job woes

Fourth in a series
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2009

Hiranuma planning new party

Former Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Takeo Hiranuma said Tuesday he and 16 fellow independent candidates hope to form a new political party after the Lower House election.

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