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COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2011

Facebook and dark matter

HONG KONG — News that Goldman Sachs has taken a $450 million stake in Facebook in a deal that puts a $50 billion valuation on the fledgling company raises interesting and somewhat troubling questions beyond the immediate gawping and jaw-dropping headlines that a spotty-faced Harvard dropout aged 26...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 21, 2011

New National Theatre, Tokyo, hopes 'Yuzuru' will help Japanese opera soar

Imitation may be a form of flattery, but it is also an important first step for creative genesis. The 1952 premiere of "Yuzuru" by Ikuma Dan — half imitation of Western operatic traditions and half Japanese creative innovation — marked a milestone in the development of opera in Japan.
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2011

Axed pilots, cabin crews sue JAL

A group of 146 former Japan Airlines Corp. pilots and flight attendants filed a lawsuit Wednesday with the Tokyo District Court seeking to nullify their dismissals by the carrier at the end of last month.
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2011

Key ministers meet to weigh tax hike

Key Cabinet ministers agreed Wednesday to map out comprehensive proposals on social welfare and tax reforms, with an eye to hiking the sales levy, by June as they met for the first time to explore ways to cope with the problems of a rapidly aging society and mounting government debt.
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2011

Foreign firms seeking IPOs in Tokyo for the first time since 2007, TSE says

Companies from outside Japan are preparing to sell shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange for the first time in almost four years, according to the bourse's head of listing promotion.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 18, 2011

Russian-held isles: So near, so far

On the morning of Nov. 1, Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to set foot on one of the four islands off Hokkaido seized by the Soviets at the end of World War II that Japan has long wanted returned.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2011

Japan may buy more euro bonds: officials

Japan may extend purchases of bonds sold by a European financial aid fund in coming months to support the region's recovery from the sovereign debt crisis, according to two government officials.
EDITORIALS
Jan 11, 2011

The year of the electric car

This year can be the year in which electric cars make headway in attracting a large number of customers who want to buy a vehicle that has no gas emmissions over a vehicle that runs on fossil fuels. But many problems must be overcome before electric cars become a transportation mainstay.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 7, 2011

Exhibition makes good start to 2011

You've got to wonder about the timing of this exhibition. Who wouldn't have appreciated the chance to see a showcase of 2011 nengajo (New Year's greeting cards) by local hotshot graphic designers back in, say, November last year? Then we might have been saved the embarrassment of sending out yet another...
JAPAN / AT JAPAN'S EXPENSE
Jan 6, 2011

Japan far behind in global language of business

Last in a series
EDITORIALS
Jan 4, 2011

Budget with stop-gap funding

The Kan administration has endorsed a general account budget that is a record-high ¥92.41 trillion for fiscal 2011 — the second budget to be formed under the Democratic Party of Japan government. The budget includes several measures that show the characteristics of the DPJ's policy orientation. But...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jan 4, 2011

Hawaii uses sports to attract Japanese

One of Hawaii's biggest traits is its Aloha Spirit. And the state is actively working on extending its warm-welcoming, positive state of mind through sports.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2011

Kan's foreign policy plate full, waiting to be attacked

The foreign policy agenda of Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Democratic Party of Japan-led government in 2011 is stacked with pressing bilateral diplomatic issues with the United States and China, as well as broader, strategic goals, including curbing global warming and promoting regional free trade....
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2011

Setting a new democratic agenda for Russia

MOSCOW — When Russian President Dmitry Medvedev delivered his annual address to the Federal Assembly, I was struck by the fact that his speech seemed intended for an advanced, prosperous country, not the real Russia of today.
BUSINESS / Japan Pulse
Dec 29, 2010

Chapter 2 of e-readers in Japan

2010 was the year of the iPad, but Sony, KDDI and Sharp haven't exactly closed the book on e-readers yet.
EDITORIALS
Dec 28, 2010

Devolution action plan

A devolution strategy conference headed by Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Dec. 16 endorsed a draft action plan to transfer local bureaus of central government ministries to local governments. The government will submit relevant bills to the Diet in 2012 for transferring such local bureaus to bloc-wide federations...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji