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JAPAN
Jul 16, 2010

Rakuten's all-English edict a bold move, but risky too

Internet shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc. surprised the public by announcing early this year it will make English its official language by 2012.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2010

Progressive agenda stuck in the mud

Happily for Yoko Sakamoto, she didn't have to argue with her husband — also a Sakamoto — about whose last name they'd use when they married.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2010

Ex-immigration boss: detentions too long

Illegal residents should not be held in detention for more than one year because any longer causes too much stress, a former chief of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau said, noting extended incarceration led to two hunger strikes at detention centers this year, one of which followed suicides.
EDITORIALS
Jul 14, 2010

A failure to deliver

The new parcel delivery service launched by Japan Post Service Co. of the Japan Post group suffered a setback in its first week of operation. The delivery of more than 340,000 parcels was delayed during the period from July 1, the first day of the new service, to July 7. The company must learn from the...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Jul 13, 2010

A light of hope for abused children: readers' responses

Following are some responses to "A light of hope for abused children" (Zeit Gist, June 15) by Richard Smart.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Jul 13, 2010

Veteran teacher finds his own way

Paul del Rosario was flabbergasted when he was reprimanded for being too loud at a language school where he was teaching English, and had to confront a Japanese boss there. The boss came to him and said, "Maybe it's a good idea not to talk so much (with other teachers between classes)."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 13, 2010

One more time — with Charisma

Hide the booze and lock up your daughters: Charisma Man is back. The lovable loser who was constantly broke, dateless and swilling rotgut at home is back in Japan, with a pocket full of folding money, a girl on each arm and a chilled glass of first-class sake in his hand.
SOCCER / World cup
Jul 12, 2010

Honda to help 2022 World Cup bid

Japan forward Keisuke Honda has signed on to help his country's bid to host the 2022 World Cup.
EDITORIALS
Jul 12, 2010

Russian games up north

The Russian military carried out a drill July 3-4 on Etorofu Island, off Hokkaido, ignoring a July 2 demand by Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada that it refrain from doing so there. Japan calls Etorofu and three other islands (including one islet group), northeast of Hokkaido, the Northern Territories,...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 11, 2010

Hanshin's Brazell reminding many of legendary Bass

As Hanshin Tigers first baseman Craig Brazell continues his hot hitting and home run barrage, the Japanese media has begun to compare him to Randy Bass, another lefty-hitting Hanshin first baseman, from 25 years ago.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 11, 2010

Media fixated with China's new wealth

With the World Cup, sumo's baseball betting scandal and Sunday's Upper House election dominating the media's attention, some readers may have not noticed the extensive coverage also being devoted to China. And we're not just talking about crowds at the Shanghai Expo, but the crowds of visitors to Ginza,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 11, 2010

Viewing dolphins as Taiji could show them

We're not the only mammals to notice the oil tanker entering the Gulf of Amvrakikos.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 11, 2010

Everything you always wanted to know about Japanese schoolgirls (but were afraid to ask)

Don't be put off by the overly busy — and, yes, overly kawaii — cover of "Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential."
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 11, 2010

Takamatsu then and now

In 1988 I was an awkward, dreamy kid with clumsy elbows and scraped knees, and Japan was a place I'd never even thought about. Impossibly far away and altogether foreign, it seemed fantastical.
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jul 11, 2010

Hill ready to make impact with Apache

Bob Hill is eager to begin the next chapter in his long, accomplished career as a basketball coach. And he's smart enough to know that some of his biggest adjustments will take place off the court.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 10, 2010

Why I like Japanese soccer fans

The rainy season is my favorite time of the year. I just love to walk out the door and see the flowers in my garden wearing those big huge grins. But that's not the only reason I like the rainy season — it's a great excuse to stay inside and watch sports. The fact that the World Cup always falls during...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jul 10, 2010

An odor by any other name

Draw a big breath and admit it. Japan smells.
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2010

Tax hike gambit may end up hurting DPJ

Normally, proposing a tax hike is considered a sure way to lose an election.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / STYLE WISE
Jul 8, 2010

A party for Tsumori Chisato, big bling, premium denim and good old gents

MISHA JANETTE and PAUL McINNES Staying young at heart
JAPAN / OKINAWA'S HOSTAGE ECONOMY
Jul 7, 2010

Special burden, special economic benefit

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. — On Aug. 4, 2005, then Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine was told by Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya that the United States had agreed to return all of the major military bases south of Kadena, central Okinawa Island, to Japan on condition that the Futenma air base be relocated...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Jul 7, 2010

thatjapanesegirl

Her moniker on YouTube says it all — born and raised in Kyoto, thatjapanesegirl has lived in Japan all her life, moving to Tokyo just this year. With more than 24,000 subscribers to her two YouTube channels, thatjapanese girl, who prefers to withhold her real name, is one of Japan's most viewed English-speaking...
COMMENTARY
Jul 6, 2010

'A tall poppy is cut down'; Gillard could bloom awhile

Strange things happen to Australian prime ministers. One (Harold Holt, 1966-67) disappeared while swimming near a Melbourne beach; speculation says he may have been eaten by a shark.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 4, 2010

Remembering 'baseball ambassador' Cappy Harada

There are many who have tried to bridge the gap between Major League Baseball in North America and the game as it is played in Japan, but perhaps no one has done more for MLB-NPB relations than Tsuneo "Cappy" Harada. He died on June 5 at the age of 88 in California, and his death from heart failure was...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 4, 2010

Japanese betray some blinkered views of their foreign coworkers

On June 6, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper ran a feature on Japanese people's attitudes to non-Japanese colleagues at their places of work. The article included the results of a survey that explored those attitudes.

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