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EDITORIALS
Feb 3, 2011

Hopes of 'South' Sudan

The public unrest across North Africa and the Middle East in recent weeks has overshadowed an extraordinary event in Sudan, where the country peacefully — and, by almost all accounts, fairly — held a referendum that backed independence for "South" Sudan. A new country looks set to be born.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2011

Kyoto plan to boost visitors with aquarium irks locals

KYOTO — The ancient capital of Kyoto, already a major tourist destination, is moving forward with plans to further boost the number of domestic and international visitors.
EDITORIALS
Feb 2, 2011

Indictment of Mr. Ozawa

Former Democratic Party of Japan chief Ichiro Ozawa was indicted Monday over accounting irregularities linked to his political funds management body Rikuzankai.
JAPAN / Q&A
Feb 1, 2011

Ozawa saga moves to trial phase

Former Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa has been indicted and will stand trial over his role in a political funding scandal.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2011

Boosting the level of intra-Maghreb trade

RABAT, Morocco — Tunisia's "Jasmine Revolution" has thrown a spotlight on the consequences of stagnant economies and endemic youth unemployment for the region's authoritarian Arab governments.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2011

Ozawa charged over funds misreporting

Democratic Party of Japan heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa was indicted Monday over a shady land purchase and accounting irregularities linked to his political funds management body, making him the first politician to face trial based on a decision by citizens on a prosecution inquest committee.
COMMENTARY
Jan 31, 2011

Food inflation threatens Congress coalition

CHENNAI, India — French Queen Marie Antoinette's sarcastic suggestion that her starving subjects eat cake instead of bread turned out to be the spark that ignited the French Revolution. In the end, the queen paid with her head.
EDITORIALS
Jan 30, 2011

Confrontation continues

Question-and-answer sessions have started in the Diet as Japan faces such serious problems as economic stagnation, deteriorating state finances and worries about the social welfare system's sustainability. But the mood of Diet is no closer to holding meaningful discussions. Opposition parties, especially...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 30, 2011

Cultural insensitivity no laughing matter

The tempest in a teapot whipped up by a segment on the British quiz-cum-comedy show "QI" has prompted debate on cross-cultural sensitivity. The BBC has apologized for the segment, which, contrary to a statement issued by Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, did not make fun of its subject, the late Tsutomu...
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2011

U.N. envoy vows to press North on abductions

A special rapporteur for the United Nations on human rights in North Korea urged Pyongyang on Friday to resolve the long-standing abduction issue and deal with wider matters relating to humanitarian and human rights regarding its people.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 29, 2011

Sony NGP no threat: Nintendo chief

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said Friday that rival Sony was taking a different tack from his company and so he remains upbeat about his 3-D portable game machine going on sale next month.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CAREER-SEARCH CRISIS
Jan 28, 2011

Flawed recruiting system sparks some to fight back

When it comes to job hunting in Japan, there is something called a "naitei," an informal promise of employment given to students who pass the applicant screening, written tests and mind-crunching interviews.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 28, 2011

With sake rice, nothing goes to waste

Although sake is often described as "rice wine" to Westerners, sake is actually a fermented-grain beverage akin to beer, and unlike wine made from grapes it does not age well. So the winter months, when shinshu (freshly made new sake) is available, are the best time to enjoy this quintessentially Japanese...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2011

Sony unveils NGP portable game console

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. on Thursday took the wraps off its new hand-held game device, which has features never before seen on portables, including dual analog joysticks and front and rear touch pads.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2011

Watershed moment for U.S. space exploration

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — More than 50 years ago (1957), the Soviets launched the world's first orbiting satellite, beating the United States into space. For Americans, the "Sputnik moment" was a wakeup call that pushed the U.S. to increase investment in technology and science education. Months later,...
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2011

Ichihashi book details life on run

Accused killer Tatsuya Ichihashi has written a book that will be released Wednesday detailing his 31 months on the run after fleeing police who went to his Chiba apartment in 2007 to inquire about missing Briton Lindsay Ann Hawker.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 25, 2011

Hilton Hotels bag white elephant, turn it around

What is a luxury brand hotel like Hilton doing with a hot spring resort in the mountains of Shizuoka?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 25, 2011

Waiting for the WikiLeak dam to break

Like a giant dose of salts to a bloated and constipated patient, "Cablegate" has scoured its way through the post-9/11 United States empire, exposing its internal workings to merciless scrutiny: In Iraq, U.S. forces and their Iraqi subordinates kill civilians and journalists while their commanders turn...
EDITORIALS
Jan 23, 2011

Making sense of Tucson

There are times when the United States seems like a strange and distant place. That distance has seemed larger than usual in the aftermath of the shooting of U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, an incident that claimed six lives and wounded 14 others. The reaction in the U.S. to that horrific incident...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 23, 2011

Is 'Galapagos-thinking' Japan back at its evolutionary dead end?

There are expressions that buzz like busy little bees and ones that don't buzz anymore. One of the dead-bee buzzwords in Japan is shimaguni konjo, meaning "island mentality." As for a buzzword for 2011, you'd be hard put to find one more busily doing the rounds than garapagosu, which references the Galapagos...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 22, 2011

Frenchwoman follows pearl of destiny to Japan

A Frenchwoman who was fascinated by the shine of Japanese pearl works has come here all alone to master the skill from an artisan.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2011

U.S. neutral over 'Daioyu' sovereignty: Obama adviser

HONG KONG (Kyodo) The United States does not recognize any claims regarding the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are administered by Japan but claimed by both China and Taiwan, an adviser to President Barack Obama said Friday.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan