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BUSINESS
Nov 27, 2009

Yen hits 14-year high amid inaction

The yen rallied to a 14-year high against the dollar on Thursday amid speculation Japan's monetary authorities will tolerate further appreciation of the currency.
COMMENTARY
Nov 24, 2009

An able, nonpolitical civil service

LONDON — In Britain and Japan, civil servants are supposed to be nonpolitical and to give unbiased advice. But their independence is threatened by some politicians who want posts to be filled by what Margaret Thatcher used to call "one of us" — people who share the same aspirations as the governing...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 24, 2009

Emperor — poise under public spotlight

This year marks Emperor Akihito's 20th year on the Chrysanthemum Throne.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2009

Couple's love story started in Africa

good faith. What language do you use to communicate with each other and your children?
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Nov 20, 2009

War of words continues between Johjima, Nomura

New Hanshin Tigers catcher Kenji Johjima's return to Japanese baseball was lauded by many in the NPB community.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 20, 2009

Musette delivers taste of France

Louis Vuitton may have charmed Japanese wallets, but if Dominique Cravic and Daniel Colin have their way, musette will soon enchant Japanese ears and minds.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2009

Invading jellyfish put hurt on fishermen, swimmers

ECHIZEN, Fukui Pref. — A blood-orange blob the size of a small refrigerator emerged from the dark waters, its venomous tentacles trapped in a fishing net. Within minutes, hundreds more were being hauled up, a pulsating mass crowding out the catch of mackerel and sea bass.
BUSINESS
Nov 18, 2009

Deflation concern rises even as growth quickens

The acceleration of the economy to its fastest pace of growth in more than two years masked a slide in prices of goods and services that threatens to temper the recovery.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Nov 17, 2009

Showbiz means to an end, not goal

Chuck Wilson, 63, is a fitness trainer. But he was — and arguably still is — far more famous as a funny foreigner who speaks in a defiantly casual and blunt manner to TV personality bigwigs.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 17, 2009

Choice, chic, cheap — no one feels fleeced

Times are difficult for many retailers. Conspicuously not among them, however, is Fast Retailing Co., which posted both record sales of ¥685 billion and operating profit of ¥108.6 billion for the business year that ended in August.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Nov 16, 2009

Does Ozawa run the show as Hatoyama foots the bill?

Only two months in office, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama appears to be losing his political influence primarily because of (1) his failure to exercise leadership in foreign diplomacy and on the domestic agenda, and (2) the extraordinary concentration of power vested in Ichiro Ozawa, whom Hatoyama has...
Reader Mail
Nov 15, 2009

Welcome retort to pro-U.S. stance

Professor Gavan McCormack's Nov. 11 article, "Yet Another 'Battle of Okinawa,' " is a rare and welcome retort to the vacuous platitudes one often reads in The Japan Times about the need to avoid disrupting Japan-U.S. security cooperation by being too sensitive about U.S. nuclear weapons — as if Hiroshima...
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2009

Hatoyama and Obama put off hard decisions

health insurance, and it didn't want to expose disagreements" with Japan. As concern grew over the diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and Japan, the two governments decided to set up a ministerial-level working group earlier in the week to "probe" Futenma's relocation. However, no deadline for reaching...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 15, 2009

Shades of Greece on the Inland Sea

The windmill is the first thing I notice, its delicate white blades gleaming against the cloud- flecked sky. Nearby, a semi-circle of polished Doric-style columns occupies prime position overlooking the glassy sea. As a breeze blows gently through olive trees on the shady hillside, it's easy to imagine...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 15, 2009

Movie JAL doesn't want you to see snubbed by media

Big-budget movies need all the help they can get recovering their production and promotional costs at the box office, so advertisements stating that the 3 1/2-hour epic "Shizumanu Taiyo" ("The Sun That Doesn't Set") is a "big hit" should be taken with a grain of salt. First of all, every movie released...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2009

LDP loss media's fault: Mori

The long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party's historic defeat in the August general election can in part be blamed on the media and its manipulation of public opinion, LDP heavyweight Yoshiro Mori told The Japan Times in a recent interview.
COMMENTARY
Nov 14, 2009

China-India tensions rising

NEW DELHI — The India-China relationship has entered choppy waters due to a perceptible hardening in the Chinese stance. Anti-India rhetoric in the state-run Chinese media has intensified, even as China has stepped up military pressure along the disputed Himalayan frontier through cross-border incursions....
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2009

Fukuoka cops drop child-snatching case against Savoie

Fukuoka prosecutors confirmed Friday they have dropped the case against an American man now back in the U.S. who had been arrested and later freed after he tried to retrieve his children from his ex-wife.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Nov 13, 2009

Surprise contributors provided major impact for Giants this season

One year ago, outfielder Tetsuya Matsumoto appeared in just three games for the Yomiuri Giants. Pitcher Wirfin Obispo wasn't even a real member of the team.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2009

Obama's Asian occasions

This week Barack Obama begins his first trip to Asia as U.S. head of state. His visit to Singapore for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting plus additional stops in Japan, China and South Korea offer an opportunity for the president to give further dynamism to America's relationships...
COMMENTARY
Nov 12, 2009

Emissions cap-and-trade as policy?

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, at the United Nations Summit on Climate Change held Sept. 22, stated Japan's pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, which is premised on "all the major economies" agreeing on ambitious targets.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years