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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 17, 2012

The art of making monsters

Good news for monster fans: Not one, not two, but three separate tokusatsu exhibitions are stomping their way through downtown Tokyo as you read these words.
Reader Mail
Aug 16, 2012

Wasteful ways to quench thirst

With the unrelenting hot weather across Japan, we're reminded daily in TV news reports about the importance of keeping hydrated, which unfortunately too many of us do with little thought.
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2012

Two Cabinet ministers visit Yasukuni

Marking the 67th anniversary of the end of World War II, two Cabinet ministers on Wednesday paid what they said was a private visit to war-related Yasukuni Shrine, the first by such high-ranking politicians since the Democratic Party of Japan took power in 2009.
COMMENTARY
Aug 15, 2012

Economics of austerity don't add up

Do Europe's budget-cutting austerity-minded planners understand simple math? They say they have to embrace austerity policies to reduce excessive national debt. But those policies inevitably cut tax revenues more than they cut spending. National debt increases rather than decreases. Worse, recovery from...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Aug 14, 2012

Parisienne cool reaches Tokyo

Isabel Marant, the queen of French haute-casual wear, has finally opened her first shop in Japan, right off of Tokyo's Omotesando promenade.
Reader Mail
Aug 12, 2012

Conditions for Article 9 changes

Regarding Timothy Bedwell's Aug. 9 letter: "A sign of giving up on pacifism": I would like to add three points.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 12, 2012

For the sake of survival: concealing the cross

In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians: A Story of Suppression, Secrecy and Survival, by John Dougill. Tuttle Publishing, 2012, 272 pp., $22.95 (hardcover) When you travel with a mission, a theme in mind, encounters unfold, stories are forthcoming, history uncoils. John Dougill begins his own journey...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Aug 12, 2012

Excuse this proud new father — it's time to indulge in some baby talk

I'll preface this column by admitting that it is fairly common, among journalists on the science and health beats, that after they personally reproduce they experience a burning desire to write about the science of childbirth. Seasoned editors know to expect that postnatal reporters will start pitching...
JAPAN / Media
Aug 12, 2012

Fading shades of pink

At its peak of popularity roughly four decades ago, the form of soft-core pornography known as pinku eiga (pink films) utilized more than 1,000 theaters to screen short, low-budget, erotic films churned out mainly by independent studios.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Aug 11, 2012

Since 3/11, fears of Fuji eruption have grown

The Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima nuclear crisis were unparalled disasters, but people in and around Shizuoka Prefecture fear the ultimate catastrophe — the eruption of Mount Fuji — may be looming.
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2012

Moment of truth for kin of A-bomb decision

When the grandson of U.S. President Harry Truman, who ordered the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and a descendent of the only serviceman to fly on both bombing runs came face to face with some of the survivors, it was a moment of truth.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Aug 11, 2012

Import club caters to need for home comfort

The blonde man in shorts and a baseball cap, sporting a lopsided grin and a dangling backpack and parking a rusty bicycle, looked less like a captain of industry than a superannuated college student. Yet American Chuck Grafft, 50, is founder and CEO of Foreign Buyers Club, one of the largest importers...
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / ODDS AND EVENS
Aug 11, 2012

Supporters helped propel Icho, Obara to gold

Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, is not known for being Party Central. But that changed in a big way when freestyle wrestlers Kaori Icho and Hitomi Obara doubled Japan's gold medal total on Wednesday, making their hometown proud and bringing immense joy to Tohoku.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Aug 11, 2012

Legislation's OK just start of long, rough road ahead

The countdown to raising the sales tax officially began Friday with the Diet passing the necessary legislation, but the move is just the start of a long road that still lies ahead.
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2012

Defense white paper eyes China

The 2012 white paper on defense, endorsed by the Cabinet on July 31, expressed concern over China's rapid defense buildup and muscle-flexing in the Pacific Ocean, noting that it has become common for Chinese naval vessels to enter the Pacific Ocean, and that China appears intent on improving its ability...
BUSINESS
Aug 11, 2012

Growth likely slowed in quarter

The economy probably grew last quarter at only half the pace of the previous three months, a slowdown analysts predict is deepening as Europe's debt crisis and the yen's gains erode exports.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 10, 2012

Nagano artisans put cheese on the menu

My editor at The Japan Times has a very simple policy when hunting for cheese in Tokyo: He checks the label and if it was made in Japan (excepting Hokkaido), he puts it straight back down. To my editor I am now happy to reveal that Nagano is fast joining the elite ranks.
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2012

BTMU yanks third London worker amid Libor probe

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. said its banking unit has suspended a London-based employee, the third worker in a month, as U.K. authorities investigate suspected manipulation of benchmark interest rates.
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2012

Utilities' CO₂ emissions jump a year after Fukushima

Tokyo Electric Power Co. and nine other utilities emitted a record amount of carbon dioxide in the business year that ended March 31 as the Fukushima No. 1 disaster caused a surge in crude and fuel oil consumption.
Reader Mail
Aug 9, 2012

Another missed chance to lead

Recent events such as the Tokyo Electric Power Co. debacle have further eroded what little trust the public had in the government. In a similar vein, the policies regarding immunizations for this nation's children show that the health ministry is more concerned with protecting themselves rather than...
Reader Mail
Aug 9, 2012

The threat of nuclear armament

Regarding the Aug. 3 AP article "Nuclear arms advocates get bolder amid energy debate": The specter of a Japan with nuclear weapons is no more threatening than is a litany of other countries with them.
COMMENTARY
Aug 9, 2012

Populism is destroying globalism

Globalism is now faltering. The international community can neither exert its power to block the Syrian government forces from taking repressive actions nor take any effective steps to deter nuclear developments in Iran and North Korea. Security deterioration continues in Iraq while threats of terrorism...
COMMENTARY
Aug 9, 2012

Populism is destroying globalism

Globalism is now faltering. The international community can neither exert its power to block the Syrian government forces from taking repressive actions nor take any effective steps to deter nuclear developments in Iran and North Korea. Security deterioration continues in Iraq while threats of terrorism...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 9, 2012

Kabuki's 10th Mitsugoro shows off his family's dance moves

Bando Mitsugoro X (born Hisashi Morita, 56) succeeded to his current stage name 11 years ago, after the death of his father Mitsugoro IX. He was rigorously trained in Kabuki acting and dancing by his father, who had learned the trade under the renowned Onoe Kikugoro VI and Kikugoro's head disciple, Onoe...

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