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CULTURE / Art
Feb 2, 2012

The rootless woodblock prints of Kuniyoshi

There have been several exhibitions of the 19th-century ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi in recent years. In 2009, there was "Woodblock Prints of Eccentricity and Laughter" at the Fuchu Art Museum and last year we had "Utagawa Kuniyoshi: Unparalleled Ukiyo-e Artist" at the Ota Memorial...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Feb 1, 2012

Dysfunction has Wizards doomed

Flip Saunders isn't the reason the Wizards flopped. Just ask him.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2012

Fukushima puts East Asia nuclear policies on notice

The Fukushima No. 1 power plant crisis has turned the nation's long-term energy policy on its head and probably signals the start of a drastic reduction in the use of atomic power.
EDITORIALS
Feb 1, 2012

Delicate wage negotiations

The annual wage negotiations for 2012 take place in a difficult situation marked by the effects of the March 11 disasters, the floods in Thailand, prolonged deflation and the strong yen. Labor and management must search for a wage level that is not only reasonable but also will eventually contribute...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Jan 31, 2012

International vs. Japanese school: Which is top of class for mixed kids?

Some readers' thoughts on the dueling Jan. 10 Zeit Gist columns by Charles Lewis ("Local Japanese school is the obvious choice if you want your child to fit in") and Lisa Jardine ("International education a triple-A investment in your child's — and Japan's — future"):
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 31, 2012

A winter's tale: cold homes, poor lives in wealthy Japan

Question: What am I doing outside my home at 6 a.m. with a gas can, a pump, and stalactites under my nose?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 31, 2012

Tsutaya's newest media center suits silver market to a T

To many Japanese, the name "Tsutaya" will bring to mind one very clear image: neon lights, blue-and-yellow signage, bestselling J-pop albums and late-night DVD rentals.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 31, 2012

Plebicites first step in pulling nuclear plug

Last June more than 90 percent of Italian voters said no to nuclear power in a referendum, while Germany and Switzerland voted to phase out atomic energy in the coming years.
EDITORIALS
Jan 29, 2012

A victory for women

Voters in Otsu, Shiga elected Japan's youngest-ever female mayor last week. Congratulations go out to Ms. Naomi Koshi, who is only 36, almost half the age of the outgoing mayor, Mr. Makoto Mekata, 70. Mr. Mekata held the post for two terms supported by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito. Ms. Koshi...
EDITORIALS
Jan 28, 2012

Balancing security and science

Scientists working on ways to detect and prevent the spread of the avian flu virus have suspended their work out of concern that it could either be used for bioterrorism or that it might escape the lab; either development could create a global pandemic and cost thousands, perhaps millions, of lives....
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2012

Retail sales rebound, grow at fastest pace in over a year

Retail sales grew at their fastest pace in more than a year as a consumer spending rebound from the March 11 disasters helped the economy tide over the deepening export slump.
COMMENTARY
Jan 26, 2012

Asian quest for energy security

East Asia's three top industrial powers, all heavily dependent on imports of Middle East oil, have moved quickly to try to secure their supplies as the West tightens sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 26, 2012

Witnessing China's new cultural revolution

Chinese culture is on the long, slow rebound. Back in 1989, the Chinese government was shocked by the sudden appearance in Tiananmen Square of an icon of Western culture. This was a ten-meter-tall statue created by protesting students that was modeled on the Statue of Liberty, and called the "Goddess...
CULTURE / Art
Jan 26, 2012

Witnessing China's new cultural revolution

Chinese culture is on the long, slow rebound. Back in 1989, the Chinese government was shocked by the sudden appearance in Tiananmen Square of an icon of Western culture. This was a ten-meter-tall statue created by protesting students that was modeled on the Statue of Liberty, and called the "Goddess...
Japan Times
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 25, 2012

Darvish could be in for rude awakening with Rangers

The worst way to start a new relationship of any kind is with a lie.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2012

Does austerity promote economic growth?

In his classic "Fable of the Bees: or, Private Vices," Publick Benefits (1724), Bernard Mandeville, the Dutch-born British philosopher and satirist, described — in verse — a prosperous society (of bees) that suddenly chose to make a virtue of austerity, dropping all excess expenditure and extravagant...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2012

Spring erosion of Seoul's ruling party forecast

The ascension to power of the pudgy 29-year-old Kim Jong Un in North Korea has grabbed headlines around the world, but the most important story involving Korean young people and politics is taking place in the South.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 22, 2012

Can showbiz really sever yakuza ties?

Last August, comedian and TV emcee Shinsuke Shimada retired from show business following allegations that he'd been palling around with an underworld figure. His withdrawal came on the eve of the implementation of a well-publicized police crackdown on organizations that work with antisocial elements,...
Reader Mail
Jan 22, 2012

Kick-start a new whaling agenda

The Jan. 15 editorial, "Wars over whaling," highlights the damage that scientific whaling has done to Japan's image — a self-defeating outcome for a country largely reliant on "soft power" to pursue foreign policy objectives. As one of those objectives is access to food supplies, Tokyo's position has...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 21, 2012

Morrison, handlers have lost the plot

We may never know how good Ravel Morrison could have been, but we already know how bad he is.
COMMENTARY
Jan 21, 2012

Bring the world closer to Japan

Once the Cold War was over, globalism was widely expected to expand but has since lost its momentum due to the credit crunch stemming from the sovereign debt crisis in Europe and the ensuing economic recession around the world. As a result, the World Trade Organization gave up in December on concluding...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 20, 2012

'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

What a bummer. Last week it was Katie Holmes in "Jack and Jill" — this week it's Mrs. Cruise again, in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark." The former is a comedy and the latter a remake of a horror film (actually a TV movie) from 1973. But whatever the emotional situation or physical location, Holmes remains...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 20, 2012

'Road to Nowhere' / 'Two-Lane Blacktop'

Every film buff knows the Terence Malick story by now: a visionary director who made a couple of landmark films in the 1970s, then disappeared for two decades before staging a late-life comeback, which culminated with "The Tree of Life" winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes last year. Fewer know the story...
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jan 19, 2012

Strikers looking to blaze new goal trail in European leagues

Ryoichi Maeda will be disappointed that his proposed move to West Ham United broke down last weekend, but the growing overseas interest in Japanese strikers is nevertheless an encouraging sign for the national team.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 17, 2012

Acceptance — social and otherwise — a crucial issue for Japan returnee kids

Last week we addressed academic issues and the timing of school enrollment in response to Floyd's question regarding his son reentering the Japanese education system after living abroad for several years. In this week's column we look at potential social issues, being accepted to a good high school,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 17, 2012

And then there was one?: Japan's right royal crisis

According to the Japanese Constitution, the Emperor is the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people. You could thus say it is symbolic that the Imperial household is now facing an unprecedented demographic crisis, one that may ultimately lead to a succession dilemma and possibly...
COMMENTARY
Jan 16, 2012

Finer details of atmospheric science in Beijing

In July 2009, China's Foreign Ministry made a demand of the American embassy: Stop taking measurements of air pollution in Beijing available to ordinary Chinese since they conflicted with official data and could lead to "confusion" among the public and undesirable "social consequences."

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes