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JAPAN
May 23, 2011

Kan, Wen, Lee bolster disaster plans

Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Chinese and South Korean counterparts agreed Sunday to enhance cooperation on a range of programs — including nuclear safety and disaster management — in light of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
May 22, 2011

U.S. court victories show how to get rid of nuclear plants

Lawyer Tom Twomey knows far more than most of us about the importance of citizen participation in making energy policy. That's because Twomey has spent four decades keeping a watchful eye on electric power suppliers in New York — and he's learned that what we don't know can hurt us.
Features
May 22, 2011

Collector's 'labor of love' is a wonder to behold

From the outside it's just another concrete building rising up nine or 10 stories on a downtown Tokyo street. Inside, it's no more impressive — until Shinichiro Tatsumi opens the well-secured door to his own, private Bob Dylan heaven.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 21, 2011

'Koala crisis' is prompting zoos to accelerate their breeding efforts

In another 20 years, koalas may disappear from Japanese zoos.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 21, 2011

Process for signing Hague treaty begins

The government officially decided Friday to prepare to ratify an international treaty that prevents cross-border parental child abductions.
COMMUNITY
May 21, 2011

Youth ideas sought for post-earthquake reconstruction efforts

The Japanese branch of a U.S.-based nonprofit organization Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, which supports "social entrepreneurs" worldwide, is looking for youths with positive ideas to help Japan recover from the devastation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2011

Fund managers hunt for bargains amid losses

The worst Japanese earnings season in two years is spurring top fund managers to scoop up shares of drugmakers, car companies and telephone operators.
Reader Mail
May 19, 2011

Lack of details worsens situation

As a resident of Koto Ward in Tokyo with an infant son, I am very concerned when The Japan Times publishes vague articles about highly radioactive ash being found in Koto Ward ("Radioactive ash found in Tokyo after March 11").
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 19, 2011

8otto lively up themselves again

Osaka's 8otto have a new album, a new label and a new mindset.
MORE SPORTS / ICE TIME
May 18, 2011

Morozov once turned down chance to coach Mao

It's a story that few know, but is fascinating nonetheless, one that may have changed the course of recent skating history.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 18, 2011

More nuclear reactor shutdowns lie ahead

Electricity supply from nuclear plants, already down by almost 20 percent following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, will drop further during peak summer demand as operators shut reactors for maintenance.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
May 17, 2011

Bridges with names

Dear Alice, I've noticed something that no one has ever been able to explain to me: It seems that absolutely every bridge in Japan has a name! Size, length and location don't seem to have anything to do with it: I once saw two tiny bridges out in the middle of nowhere, one after the other, and each had...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 17, 2011

When it comes to mighty Tepco, pride goes before the fall

Until quite recently, landing a job at Tokyo Electric Power Co., Japan's largest and most powerful electric utility, meant a lifetime of steady employment and generous paychecks, a status envied and often likened to that of a civil servant.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 17, 2011

Dutch architect making a difference

Right after the earthquake hit northeast Japan on March 11, the small Pacific coastal town of Yamada, Iwate Prefecture, was almost wiped out by the massive tsunami. Hundreds of its residents were killed, while many of the survivors lost family members, their houses and jobs.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2011

When prevention is more effective than relief

When the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in March, Brian Tucker was in Padang, Indonesia. Tucker was working with a colleague to design a refuge that could save thousands of lives if — or rather, when — a tsunami like the one in 1797 that came out of the Indian Ocean, some 1,000 km southeast of...
Reader Mail
May 15, 2011

Step up antiterror preparations

Regarding the May 5 editorial, "Death of bin Laden": Japan should spare no efforts to prevent terror attacks. In order to recover completely from the March 11 Tohoku-Pacific earthquake and the subsequent nuclear plant crisis at Fukushima, Japan needs to concentrate on eradicating the risk of terrorist...
Reader Mail
May 15, 2011

Pointer for tourism campaign

I admire the positive attitude of Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Hiroshi Mizohata, expressed in Judit Kawaguchi's May 10 Words to Live by column.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 15, 2011

Media starting to tally the economic effects of foreigner flight

News reports immediately following the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant accident of panicked foreign residents lining up for the first flight home — in many cases advised to flee by their own governments — had the initial result of helping to feed the sense of angst among Japanese that...
JAPAN / WEEK 3
May 15, 2011

Author's fiction turns horribly real

The Pacific Ocean a few kilometers off the coast of a city in the Tokai region of central Honshu turns white. Hundreds of curious holidaymakers caught in a traffic jam on the seaside road get out of their cars and jump up onto the sea wall for a better view of the strange sight — only to realize that...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 14, 2011

Renewable's time is now, expert says

Prime Minister Naoto Kan's request that Chubu Electric Power Co. shut down the Hamaoka nuclear power plant was valuable, though he should have reached this decision much sooner after the Fukushima crisis, according to an expert on nuclear and renewable energy.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2011

Nissan says suppliers on the road to revival

Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn said fewer than 20 suppliers are still in a critical situation, down from 40 in March, after the megaquake halted production at factories and crimped domestic sales.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 13, 2011

Rookie coach Blackwell admires veteran peers

Leading their teams to three consecutive Final Fours, Ryukyu's Dai Oketani and Hamamatsu Higashimikawa's Kazuo Nakamura have earned respect from their coaching peers and helped set the standard of excellence for which all future bj-league coaches will be judged.
Reader Mail
May 12, 2011

What goes around comes around

Regarding the May 8 editorial "Trusting imports from Japan": In the fall of 2003, Japan banned all imports of North American beef based on a single case of BSE (mad cow disease) found in a herd of cattle in Washington state.
EDITORIALS
May 12, 2011

Nuclear safety and disarmament

On April 30, foreign ministers from 10 nonnuclear weapons states — Japan, Australia, Germany, Canada, Chile, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates — gathered in Berlin and issued a statement reaffirming their joint intention to "work toward achieving nuclear disarmament...
Reader Mail
May 12, 2011

Foolish proposal for the marines

Regarding Yoshio Shimoji's May 8 letter, "Better use of the U.S. Marines": The short answer to Shimoji's concern that U.S. Marines should be deployed to their own country to cope with the aftermath of natural disasters is that there are enough marines and other military service members, as well as the...

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