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EDITORIALS
Jul 12, 2011

Nuclear reactor stress tests

Trade and industry minister Banri Kaieda on July 6 said that all of Japan's nuclear power plants must undergo "stress tests" that comprehensively evaluate their safety. The same day, Prime Minister Naoto Kan told the Diet that he had instructed officials concerned to work out new rules for verifying...
BUSINESS
Jul 9, 2011

Toyota sees Prius topping 2010 sales in U.S. as supply grows

Toyota Motor Corp., with as little as one day's worth of Prius cars on dealer lots after the March earthquake, says sales of the hybrid will still beat 2010.
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2011

Office vacancies in Tokyo decline

Tokyo's office vacancy rates fell for a third month in June, recovering from a record high in March after the Great East Japan Earthquake, according to Miki Shoji Co.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / INSIDE ART
Jul 7, 2011

Public to benefit from art indemnity system

If you've ever thought that the ¥1,500 admission ticket at the average touring exhibition in Tokyo is too expensive, consider this: The cost of insuring artworks for trips to Japan is around 0.2 percent of their appraised value.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2011

China rocks South China Sea boat

A rhetorical conflict has roiled the waves of the South China Sea, the strategic resource-rich region bordered, and in part claimed in various parts, by six Southeast Asian states.
BUSINESS
Jul 6, 2011

NEC looking to boost sales in Brazil by 30%

NEC Corp. plans to increase sales in Brazil by 30 percent this year, boosted by rising demand as the country prepares to host the World Cup and the Olympics, according to the company's top executives in Latin America.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2011

Rakuten chief defends exit from Keidanren

The Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) is too conservative and too reluctant to carry out drastic reforms that may threaten big-name firms but in the process boost the nation's international competitiveness, and that's why online retailer Rakuten Inc. plans to leave the group, according to company...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 30, 2011

"Making of Tokyo Sky Tree®"

The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), Special Exhibition Closes Oct. 2
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jun 29, 2011

Sale of Apache not on fast track; HeatDevils to play on

Technically, it's too early to say the Tokyo Apache are defunct.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 26, 2011

Potential MLB realignment presents challenges

You have no doubt heard about the proposal for realignment in Major League Baseball. According to media reports, the MLB wants to switch one National League team to the American League in order to make two 15-team leagues and end the current unbalanced setup of 16 NL teams and 14 in the AL, as early...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jun 24, 2011

Five Osaka hotels host lunch fair

Through Aug. 31, five hotels around Osaka Station are hosting a lunch fair titled Natsu no Aji Meguri.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 23, 2011

Japan, U.S. can't manage to shake Futenma headache

High-level security talks between Japan and the United States held Tuesday in Washington canceled the 2014 deadline to move the contentious Futenma air base in Okinawa and highlighted the main issue that is likely to continue complicating the bilateral relationship.
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2011

Panasonic forecasts 59% profit plunge for full year

Panasonic Corp. forecast full-year profit will tumble 59 percent this fiscal year after the March 11 earthquake disrupted factories and suppliers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2011

Nintendo may fail with new Wii U

Takaki Kawatsu, a 33-year-old real estate agent, says he'll be among Nintendo Co. customers who will pass on the company's next Wii game console.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 19, 2011

Summer's joys in snow country

If you'd only ever experienced Niseko under a four-meter blanket of snow, you'd barely recognize Hokkaido's most cosmopolitan winter-sports resort in summer — in the best way possible.
EDITORIALS
Jun 17, 2011

Managing two airports in Kansai

The Diet on May 17 enacted a law to integrate the management of Kansai airport and Itami (Osaka) airport. The transport ministry will establish a new firm by April 2012 with all the capital coming from the government. It will start operating in the summer of that year.
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2011

Hitachi cuts power-system sales goal

Hitachi Ltd. lowered its target for power-system sales in fiscal 2012 by 3.3 percent, as the company expects reduced revenue from its nuclear energy business.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2011

Quake-proof building makers prepare for bigger shock

As Japan's record earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m on March 11, Hidenori Tsukatani crawled under his desk and thought to himself: Now we will find out.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 16, 2011

JR puts on a show of faces for public causes

When French photographer-turned-street artist JR visited Tokyo in May, he commented, "I love the vibe here but I don't see enough art in the street." His latest project, "Inside Out," may lead the way to help change this.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2011

The U.S. Federal Reserve is playing with fire

The dollar has had its ups and downs, but the downs have clearly dominated of late. The greenback has lost more than a quarter of its value against other currencies, adjusted for inflation, over the last decade. It is down by nearly 5 percent since the beginning of 2011, matching the lowest level plumbed...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jun 15, 2011

Nintendo et al roll out the big guns at E3

The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is gaming's main event. It's when the industry's heavyweights face off with new games and new hardware. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo (which doesn't traditionally participate in the Tokyo Game Show) all go head to head. This year's E3, in Los Angeles, provided...

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami