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COMMENTARY
Nov 12, 2009

Re-energizing America's role in trade talks

International trade has been an engine of growth for many Asian countries, enabling them to create jobs and raise living standards faster than in countries elsewhere in the world that were unready to take advantage of surging trade opportunities.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2009

A good time to remember the ANZUS alliance's fate

HONOLULU — The headlines associated with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' recent visit to Japan notwithstanding, relations between Washington and Tokyo are not as strained as they may appear . . . at least not yet. But there is no question that improper handling of a number of sensitive issues...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Nov 11, 2009

Bulls a likely entrant in LeBron sweepstakes

NEW YORK — Big ups to the Cavaliers, who came into New York and rode roughshod over it . . . you know, like Bloomberg.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Nov 10, 2009

Will two of sumo's top dogs retire at Kyushu 2009?

Kyushu 2009 will, if for nothing else, be remembered as the tournament in which the old warhorse ozeki Kaio breaks former sekiwake Takamiyama's long-standing record of 97 basho in the sport's top flight. For Kaio — Kyushu will be number 98.
COMMENTARY
Nov 8, 2009

Don't bank on 'adverse impact' from Hatoyama's carbon cuts

I would like to commend Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama wholeheartedly for his determination to work toward a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2020. It is utterly absurd to question the feasibility of attaining this goal. Rather, the entire nation must recognize the...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2009

Debate Afghan war goals, then select strategy

The current debate in the United States over the war effort in Afghanistan contains no shortage of opinions on the best strategy for defeating the Taliban, but far too little discussion regarding the actual objectives of the war. The famous Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz wrote about war that...
EDITORIALS
Nov 7, 2009

Tough pension task for DPJ

When the Democratic Party of Japan was in the opposition, party member Mr. Akira Nagatsuma was known for research into the problem of hard-to- identify pension-premium payment records and his sharp questions on the matter in the Diet. Now as health, labor and welfare minister, he finds himself struggling...
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2009

Hatoyama plays down prospects for drafting foreigner suffrage bill

Enacting laws to allow permanent foreign residents to vote in local-level elections may be difficult in the near future and more debate is needed to form a nonpartisan consensus in the Diet, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 6, 2009

'The September Issue'

Meryl Streep's dragon-lady fashion-mag editor in "The Devil Wears Prada" was widely assumed to be based on real-life Vogue editor in chief, Anna Wintour. Known by some in the industry as "Nuclear Wintour" for her frosty and regal attitude toward the peons (and peers) around her, Wintour has earned respect...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 6, 2009

'Synecdoche, New York'

Sreenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who spun American cinema on its head with striking scripts for "Being John Malkovich" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," goes for fiendishly obsessional, intellectual acrobatics in his directorial debut.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Nov 5, 2009

New faces down on the farm

Whether it's in a country field or on a high-rise rooftop, the self-sufficiency benefits of farming are inspiring more Japanese to till the soil.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 5, 2009

Ogasawara busts out but keeps poker face

Watching Game 3 of the Japan Series must have been a bitter pill to swallow for Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters fans.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2009

Is Russia really so weak?

MOSCOW — Western leaders and observers persistently repeat, like a mantra, that Russia is "weak." This judgment is based on a flawed comparison between Russia and the Soviet Union — though one that is also popular in Russia itself.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL: KEYES' POINT
Nov 4, 2009

Gokai: The more I know Japan, the thicker the fog

What a strange dream! The city was engulfed in a wave of random murders (musabetsu satsujin, 無差別殺人), and when my doorbell rang it was not the murderer (satsujinhan, 殺人犯), as I'd feared, but a high police official come to coax me out of retirement (taishoku, 退職) and put my detective...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Nov 4, 2009

Could be a long season for D'Antoni, Knicks

NEW YORK — The best feature about the end of Daylight Savings Time is it gave me an extra hour to overreact to the first few days of the season.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Nov 3, 2009

Demography vs. demagoguery: when politics, science collide

Last June, I attended a symposium sponsored by the German Institute of Japanese Studies. Themed "Imploding Populations: Global and Local Challenges of Demographic Change," I took in presentations about health care, international and domestic migration, and life in a geriatric society.
EDITORIALS
Nov 3, 2009

Freeing up local government

The government panel on devolution has submitted its third set of recommendations to Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, calling for the relaxation or abolition of 892 items, most of them related to administrative service standards for local residents. These standards are imposed by the central government...
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Nov 3, 2009

Demography vs. demagoguery: when politics, science collide

Last June, I attended a symposium sponsored by the German Institute of Japanese Studies. Themed "Imploding Populations: Global and Local Challenges of Demographic Change," I took in presentations about health care, international and domestic migration, and life in a geriatric society.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Nov 3, 2009

The fatally flawed math of risking it all in Japan

Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean favored, and imperially slim.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 2, 2009

Nashida keeps crowd guessing over starter

SAPPORO — Thanks to a Central League rule, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters manager Masataka Nashida was able to play coy until the very end.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 1, 2009

Japan's sea change should signal a new course for the media, too

The relationship between the government and the press in Japan has, during the past 50 years, been a volatile one of give and take: The government gives the press what it wants it to know, and the press gladly takes it. But this has not always been the case.
Japan Times
LIFE
Nov 1, 2009

Ministry insider speaks out

Health ministry bureaucrat Moriyo Kimura made headlines in late May just after the H1N1 flu outbreak sparked a massive mask-buying spree across the nation. Appearing before a Diet committee as an expert witness, the 44-year-old quarantine officer sharply criticized her own ministry — and especially...
EDITORIALS
Oct 31, 2009

More doubts about Copenhagen

The prospects for success at the United Nations meeting in December in Copenhagen to devise a global accord to fight global warming appear to be receding. Ironically, one reason for the growing pessimism is the bilateral agreement struck by China and India, two of the world's leading producers of greenhouse...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Oct 31, 2009

Putting a little bug in your ear

Sometimes beauty resides not to the eye of the beholder. Instead, it lives in the ear of the listener.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Oct 31, 2009

Keane facing uphill battle with Ipswich Town

LONDON — Last April Ipswich Town sacked manager Jim Magilton and brought in Roy Keane for the last two games of the season. Ipswich's new owner Marcus Evans, who likes publicity as much as Superman enjoys kryptonite, wanted a big name. Instead, Ipswich is in a big mess.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 31, 2009

Nissan bet on raking in profits with Leaf name

After Nissan Motor Co. tackled technical restrictions on its first electric car involving range, battery life and temperature fluctuations, it still had to come up with a name. Choosing Leaf wasn't easy.

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