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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 17, 2012

'Shokuzai (Penance)'

How much will they miss you when you're gone? Directors typically keep putting off the answer to that question as long as possible, working until they drop. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, whose 2008 dysfunctional family drama "Tokyo Sonata" won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival,...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 14, 2012

Check with school, kids before posting videos of children online

Reader A writes: "I'm a junior high and elementary school teacher, and I was wondering if you'd published any articles outlining the law regarding privacy policy and children in Japan?
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 14, 2012

Psychological imperative of a euro commitment

When Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, publicly proclaimed that the ECB would do "whatever it takes" to ensure the future stability of the euro, the effect of his remarks was immediate and remarkable. Borrowing costs fell dramatically for the governments of Italy and Spain; stock...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 14, 2012

Did hearings on Japan's energy future let public send clear nuclear signal?

The 11 government-sponsored hearings on what the public thinks the nation's future energy mix should be in light of the Fukushima nuclear crisis ended earlier this month to mixed reviews.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 13, 2012

This ain't no cure for the summertime blues

How are you looking vacationwise? Do you have a chunk of time set aside for genuine relaxation and that most wonderful of Western concepts: Fun? Personally speaking, it's nearly impossible for me to enjoy summertime, as the season is fraught with traumatic memories. The reason for this boils down to...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 12, 2012

Osaka trial highlights Japan's deficient mental-illness facilities

On July 30, the Osaka District Court sentenced a 42-year-old man to 20 years in prison for killing his sister. That's the maximum term for the crime, but it's also four years more than what prosecutors demanded. The reasoning behind the decision of the court, which included lay judges, has provoked an...
Japan Times
LIFE
Aug 12, 2012

Queen Elizabeth engineering prize seeks innovation for easing life's hardships

Nominations are currently open for Britain's first-ever international Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, which has been created to honor individuals for groundbreaking innovation that benefits humanity — and which rewards the winner handsomely with a staggering £1 million (¥123 million).
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 12, 2012

Close call for Aizawa brings phrase into question

The Japanese translation of HBP, where a batter gets hit by a pitch, is "dead ball." I wish they would change that, eliminate the word "dead" and adopt the English phrase "hit by pitch."
LIFE
Aug 12, 2012

Japan's Paralympians overcome adversity by leaps, bounds and innovative design

When Oscar Pistorius made his dramatic debut in the men's 400-meter race in London last Saturday — becoming the first double amputee to compete alongside able-bodied athletes in Olympics history — some people might have wondered if the South African's artificial legs gave him a competitive edge over...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 12, 2012

Diving into Ise-Shima's ancient womanly traditions

The hut of the pearl divers is more modern than I'd expected. Here, in the village of Osatsu along the craggy coast of the Ise-Shima region in Mie Prefecture, the small concrete building named Hachimankamado blends in with its 21st-century surroundings. But inside the hut the traditions are age-old,...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 12, 2012

"Court Martial in the Field of Battle"; Why didn't Japan Surrender?; CM of the week: Meiji Bono Cheese

Commercial stations normally broadcast specials about the end of the war at this time of the year, but apparently they spent too much money on Olympic coverage, and a large portion of air time this week is devoted to recaps.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2012

Moment of truth for kin of A-bomb decision

When the grandson of U.S. President Harry Truman, who ordered the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and a descendent of the only serviceman to fly on both bombing runs came face to face with some of the survivors, it was a moment of truth.
Japan Times
SPORTS / ODDS AND EVENS
Aug 11, 2012

Bolt has put himself on another level with latest run to Olympic glory

Pick a superlative, any superlative, and add two dozen or more synonyms. And still, the total wow factor created by Usain Bolt's Olympic body of work goes beyond what your list of words.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2012

Upper House passes bill to hike sales levy

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda achieved a major goal Friday when the Upper House passed his administration's social security and tax reform bills that will double the sales tax to 10 percent by 2015.
OLYMPICS
Aug 11, 2012

Bolt completes historic sweep with 200 victory

Jamaica had a run for the ages on Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2012

SPEEDI report deepens suspicions

SPEEDI, a computer simulation system used to determine or predict dispersions of radioactive substances, is supposed to be utilized during a nuclear disaster to help people evacuate to safe areas.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Aug 10, 2012

Summertime blues: no place to go or no money to spend?

Fewer people are getting away this summer, probably because they can't afford it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 10, 2012

'Kirishima, Bukatsu Yamerutteyo (The Kirishima Thing)'

High schools are mercilessly hierarchical societies. At mine in rural Pennsylvania varsity basketball players occupied the summit. (Football players didn't because we didn't have a football team.) For a mere honor student to absent-mindedly sit in the "reserved" seat of one of these titans in the lunch...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 9, 2012

Candidates want you to forget the Afghan war

Here's some news that both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney would like you to ignore: Tens of thousands of American soldiers are at war this summer in Afghanistan.
OLYMPICS
Aug 9, 2012

Yoshida ready to defend wrestling title

Two-time defending gold medalist Saori Yoshida will be seeking another Olympic title when the women's 55-kg freestyle wrestling competition is staged on Thursday at Excel Arena.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2012

Noda snubs LDP call to set dissolution date

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda managed Wednesday to avoid being slapped with a double-punch no confidence vote and censure motion by the Liberal Democratic Party by promising to call for a snap election "soon."
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2012

Depth of Fukushima No. 1 evacuation plan unclear in videos

Scrutiny of the 150 hours of teleconferencing footage recorded by Tokyo Electric Power Co. in the initial days of the March 2011 meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 plant shows that crucial decisions were being made hastily.
EDITORIALS
Aug 8, 2012

The darkness in India

Twice in one week, Indians were forced to endure the worst blackouts in their nation's history. Two consecutive incidents, for reasons as yet undetermined, left hundreds of millions of people without power.
COMMENTARY
Aug 8, 2012

New tech raises proliferation risk

The United States is on the verge of approving a license later this month for the world's first plant to enrich uranium on a commercial scale for civilian nuclear power reactors using laser technology developed by an Australian company.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 7, 2012

Curbs afoot as narcotic quasi-legal herbs slip through regulatory cracks

The use of "dappo habu" (quasi-legal herbs) that are dried and mixed with stimulants to make narcotics is spreading, and many people are ending up in hospitals for drug poisoning.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2012

Sharp needs Hon Hai ties, if only for Apple

Taiwan billionaire Terry Gou built a manufacturing empire that assembles iPhones and iPads. His Foxconn Technology Group may be key to ensuring Sharp Corp.'s survival and a stable supply of components for Apple Inc.
Japan Times
SPORTS / ODDS AND EVENS
Aug 6, 2012

Phelps makes remarkable look routine

Let's be honest, nothing Michael Phelps has accomplished as an Olympic swimmer should surprise us. Not after his perfect eight-for-eight gold medal quest in Beijing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Aug 5, 2012

David Atkinson: Ancient Japan captures money man's interest

David Atkinson was still in his 20s when he rose to fame as a Japan-based banking analyst with the U.S. investment bank Salomon Brothers, prior to him moving to Goldman Sachs.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?