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LIFE / Language
Jul 29, 2008

Turning to rock 'n' roll for lyric-sheet linguistics

They say you should always open with a joke, so how about this one: a music journalist with only conversational Japanese writing for The Japan Times' Bilingual Page. Try not to laugh too much, though, as I'll be sticking to what I know: music.
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2008

Nippon Oil to raise fuel oil prices 28%

Nippon Oil Corp. is reportedly planning to increase fuel oil prices by as much as 28 percent to a record level for buyers, including Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Oji Paper Co., because of rising crude oil costs.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Jul 28, 2008

Failure to address climate change like spitting in the wind

The Toyako G8 Summit held from July 7 to 9 with the participation of leaders from 23 other countries exposed the wide rift between the developed and developing worlds and failed to reach concrete agreements on key issues ranging from climate change to surging oil and food prices and the weak dollar....
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 27, 2008

One of poetry's finest reminds us of our place in the natural world

Skinny frog Don't give up! Issa is here
EDITORIALS
Jul 27, 2008

Asian Erasmus

The Japanese government revealed plans last week to set up a network of academic exchange programs throughout Asia. Based on the European ERASMUS program, which helps students transfer and accumulate credits between EU universities, the proposal to be announced later by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is...
COMMUNITY
Jul 26, 2008

Psychic travels world to save lives

Professor Jucelino Nobrega da Luz was 9 years old when he had a dream that scared him half to death.
BUSINESS
Jul 25, 2008

No need now for rate hike: BOJ's Mizuno

Atsushi Mizuno, a member of the Bank of Japan's Policy Board, said Thursday the central bank's decision to keep interest rates on hold for now has a "positive meaning," indicating he sees no need for higher borrowing costs anytime soon.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 24, 2008

Julian Opie: Great rooms, blank faces

Julian Opie's work is about signals. In his portraits, a pair of dots signals the eyes, a single line signals the mouth — his imagery is a distillation of reality that presents you only with the essential elements needed for your brain to fill in the rest.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2008

Tokio Marine to buy U.S. insurer

Tokio Marine Holdings Inc. said Wednesday it has agreed to buy U.S. insurer Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp. for $4.7 billion (about ¥500 billion) to expand in the world's biggest insurance market.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2008

Idemitsu considering new pricing method

Idemitsu Kosan Co., Japan's second-biggest refiner, may follow the example of Nippon Oil Corp. in adopting a new pricing method to better reflect soaring crude-import costs, company President Akihiko Tembo said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2008

Australia's pollution problem

SYDNEY — Are we for real in all this talk about saving the world from pollution? Just as Australia announces it will slash carbon emissions, it prepares to flood the world with carbon-belching coal.
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2008

Steel mills need alliances, cheaper ore: METI

Nippon Steel Corp. and other mills, facing a drop in profits as iron ore prices double, should boost investment in overseas resource projects and pursue mergers to secure supplies at lower cost, a government official said Tuesday.
Reader Mail
Jul 20, 2008

Supporting a tobacco tax hike

Regarding the July 11 article "Lawmakers seeks sweet spot in tobacco tax debate": I support the tobacco tax hike. Many countries and localities have already traveled this path and their examples show clearly that increased taxes do not eliminate revenues, while they bring about meaningful public health...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jul 20, 2008

Fly fanboys in the living room

Parents the world over would surely prefer their children not to throw things about. It's just plain bad manners, among other things. But Atsushi Kikuchi, a serious-looking father of two boys, positively encourages it. And, he evenmaintains, his sons' ballistic behavior has produced considerable benefits...
Japan Times
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 19, 2008

Now-retired Nomo made huge impact on baseball

Hideo Nomo's impact on baseball will be felt for decades to come.

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