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Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Apr 16, 2009

'No-wash rice' (musenmai)

Dear Alice,I recently returned to Japan after 12 years back in my home country. I knew a lot of things would be different after such a long time away, but I never expected the rice to have changed! My former home-stay mom was always a stickler about washing the rice thoroughly before cooking, but when...
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2009

Debate starts on bill to free up MSDF

The Lower House began deliberating on an antipiracy bill Tuesday to create a permanent law that would let the Maritime Self-Defense Force protect ships of any nationality against pirates and remove certain limits on the MSDF's use of force.
EDITORIALS
Apr 14, 2009

Record-breaking stimulus

The government has compiled the largest-ever economic stimulus package in the form of a fiscal 2009 supplementary budget, involving actual spending of ¥15 trillion. This is much larger than the past biggest stimulus package of ¥7.6 trillion, which the Obuchi administration compiled as a third supplementary...
COMMENTARY
Apr 14, 2009

Beyond the gasoline era

Mitsubishi Motors will start selling its new battery-powered car dubbed "iMiEV" in Japan this coming July while Nissan Motor plans to follow suit next year. Toyota Motor, meanwhile, says it will launch a plug-in hybrid vehicle sometime in the "early 2010s." I agree with Nissan President Carlos Ghosn,...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 14, 2009

Seeking permanence; ignoring Easter

Easter absence Brenda and family wonder why Easter has been ignored by Japanese commercial interests.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2009

Finnish cell phone maker targets well-heeled with luxury handsets

The mobile phone made of platinum and black ceramic has a sapphire crystal display and a scroll key made of a diamond. The most expensive model in the shop in Tokyo's Ginza district costs ¥6 million.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Apr 14, 2009

Job firing launched labor activist on career

You may have seen him on TV, commenting on Nova teachers who lost their income and housing when the language school went bankrupt in November 2007. Or you may have seen him marching through Shibuya, leading a chant of "Tatakau zo! (We'll fight!)" and calling for solidarity and action among workers. Or...
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 13, 2009

I Rub Your Brog

While many first-time visitors to Tokyo probably have a fuzzy idea of what to expect, they would do themselves a favor to first check out I Rub Your Brog, a Web blog that randomly documents "life, music and general weirdness in central Tokyo." This is where they'll find slices of technicolor life not...
LIFE / Travel
Apr 12, 2009

Slow train coming in Shizuoka

Standing on the platform at Kanaya Station in Shizuoka Prefecture, the enthusiastic crowd — myself included — watches with fascination as the train pulls in. Because this train is different. It's not a sleek, aerodynamic bullet train; nor is it one of the ubiquitous, striped JR jobs. Rather, the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 12, 2009

Slow train coming in Shizuoka

Standing on the platform at Kanaya Station in Shizuoka Prefecture, the enthusiastic crowd — myself included — watches with fascination as the train pulls in. Because this train is different. It's not a sleek, aerodynamic bullet train; nor is it one of the ubiquitous, striped JR jobs. Rather, the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2009

Ranks of homeless swell in Osaka

OSAKA (Bloomberg) Within two months of losing his job packing shelves at a cold-storage company in Osaka, Toshiyuki Miki said, he was homeless. He counts himself among the many people worldwide whose life has been turned upside down in the wake of the "Lehman Shock."
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2009

Steps against Pyongyang widened

With the U.N. Security Council stuck in debate about how to respond to North Korea's rocket launch, Japan increased and extended its own sanctions Friday to condemn the hermit state, which sent the Taepodong-2 over its territory.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2009

Aso reveals new plan to create 2 million jobs

Prime Minister Taro Aso pledged Thursday that the government will try to create 1.4 million to 2 million new jobs in the next three years by spurring ¥40 trillion to ¥60 trillion in new demand.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 10, 2009

Looking beyond the Premier Cru

Nothing can quite beat the elegance of haut couture: the individual tailoring, the attention to detail and the assurance that you'll be the envy of others. The elegance is unparalleled — and the price tag can be, too. By the same token, for sheer elegance and finesse, the classic wines from the top...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 10, 2009

Looking beyond the Premier Cru

Nothing can quite beat the elegance of haut couture: the individual tailoring, the attention to detail and the assurance that you'll be the envy of others. The elegance is unparalleled — and the price tag can be, too. By the same token, for sheer elegance and finesse, the classic wines from the top...
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2009

JAL may seek DBJ funding as bond redemptions loom

Japan Airlines Corp., Asia's most indebted carrier, said Thursday it may seek funds from state-run Development Bank of Japan to repay debt as widening losses make it harder for the carrier to borrow from bond markets.
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2009

Few practical reasons for English

Najma Janjua's March 31 Community page letter, "Look overseas to address Japan's lag in English ability," raises important concerns and offers useful suggestions. However, I believe high levels of English-language proficiency in any country spring from a broader range of factors.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / STYLE WISE
Apr 9, 2009

Kalivas goes 'Goemon,' Marjoli shines bright and Sistere makes Kyoto urban

Fantasy after fashion Tina Kalivas will get to see her creations on the big screen this May, as the Australian fashion designer produced the costumes for the new Japanese film "Goemon." The movie is based on the legend of a Robin Hood-like hero and was directed by Kazuaki Kiriya, who was responsible...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2009

Sri Lanka envoy seeks aid to rebuild country

Sri Lanka is hoping for further economic assistance from Japan to rebuild the northeast- ern part of the island previously controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam once the long-running civil war comes to an end, the country's ambassador to Japan said Tuesday.
BASKETBALL
Apr 8, 2009

Tabuse, Orimo named to national team roster

Link Tochigi Brex point guard Yuta Tabuse and Rera Kamuy Hokkaido sharpshooter Takehiko Orimo headline the 22-player roster for the Japan men's national basketball team's training camp this week, the Japan Basketball Association announced on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2009

North's launch spurs Lower House censure

The House of Representatives adopted a resolution Tuesday to protest North Korea's rocket launch, but two of five opposition parties did not support the measure.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 7, 2009

Korean wave adds weight to J. League's Asian ambitions

When the J. League allowed clubs to add an extra Asian player to their foreigner quotas at the end of last season, fans were probably hoping for a little more diversity than the influx of Koreans that materialized.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2009

North said in driver's seat after 'triumph'

Sunday's launch of what Pyongyang called a satellite — but many others around the world saw as a ballistic missile test — is a "triumph for North Korea," analysts said, because it gives the reclusive state plenty of diplomatic leverage as it pursues its nuclear program and handles the succession...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’