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BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jan 30, 2009

MVP St. Preux never gave up hoop dreams

BEPPU, Oita Pref. — Contrasting images fill my head as I sit down to write this. Bouncing basketballs heard after endless hours in the gym and the pleasant silence of the local onsen (hot springs) clash for control. No problem. I'm relaxed.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2009

MSDF told to prep for Somalia mission

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Wednesday ordered the Maritime Self-Defense Force to prepare to deploy a task force off Somalia to patrol for pirates.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2009

'Proactive diplomacy' pledged

Japan will demonstrate its leadership through "proactive diplomacy," including sending civilian aid to Afghanistan and passing new laws for antipiracy activities in Somalia, Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 28, 2009

China's ambitious defense plan

China has made public a white paper titled "China's National Defense in 2008." For the first time, China has acknowledged its policy of improving the operational capabilities of its navy on the open seas, although its move in this direction has been obvious in recent years. Recent examples of this move...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Jan 27, 2009

'Marathon' ritual must change

Recently, my son ran an 800-meter "marathon" at his local elementary school. He received a congratulatory "certificate of achievement" noting his participation and the fact he placed 79th. He has come to dread this annual ritual. It is damaging his fragile self-esteem and emerging identity by blatantly...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 27, 2009

Half, bi or double? One family's trouble

It may not matter for inanimate objects, incapable of altering their own sweet smell, but for humans a name becomes part of our identity. My voice rises slightly as I warm to my argument: It may not be a tangible part of a person, like a hand or foot, but what others call us — and how we name ourselves...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2009

Thai pendulum swings to the Establishment

BANGKOK — Thailand's political pendulum has now swung all the way back to an era that existed before the rise of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2001. What transpired under Thaksin during 2001-2005 is being undone and redone. Whether the new Democrat Party-led government of Prime Minister...
LIFE
Jan 25, 2009

What future for fish as Japan's daily fare?

When I first joined a commercial hook-and-line boat fishing for salmon off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, in 1976, we began our season in April, moved north through the summer months, and returned home at the end of October.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 22, 2009

Decades as Tokyo's tower of girl power

In any panoramic photograph of Shibuya's always busy crossing, a structure likely positioned prominently in the background will be the part-wedge-shaped, part-cylindrical Shibuya 109 building. The teen district of Shibuya is continually in flux, with trends and stores coming and going by the week, but...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 20, 2009

Lifelines back to the 1900s

With 2009 so far looking bleak, here are some queries from around the world that take us into the past with the hope of finding positive solutions for the present.
EDITORIALS
Jan 20, 2009

Let change be contagious

Mr. Barack Obama won the keys to the White House by instilling expectations of change and optimism in the minds of the American public, as conveyed by his slogan "Yes, we can." His Jan. 20 inauguration as the United States' 44th president should be a source of great inspiration to the people and government...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Jan 20, 2009

Shame over poor English level lies with education ministry

To the minister of education:
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2009

Bureaucratic reform on the line

Former administrative reform minister Yoshimi Watanabe's resignation from the Liberal Democratic Party highlights a growing rebellion against Prime Minister Aso Taro, who has been struggling to steer the nation amid sagging public support.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 18, 2009

Braves confident veteran Kawakami can cut it in MLB

Former Chunichi Dragons right-hander Kenshin Kawakami became the second high-profile Japanese free agent pitcher to join a major league team in the past week, and the scout who recommended him and the agent who worked out his contract say they are delighted with the agreement.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jan 18, 2009

Of orphans and granddaughters

When I was 10 years old, I found a book titled "Akage no An" ("Anne with Red Hair") in a library. It was a Japanese translation of "Anne of Green Gables" written by Canadian novelist Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) in 1908.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 17, 2009

Regulations set up crisis

BALI — Claims that "unbridled capitalism" is behind the current credit crunch and financial turmoil are misleading and remarkably uninformed. This is usually accompanied by suggestions that "blind faith" in market self-regulation was a handmaiden in this mess. We are then told that the future must...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 16, 2009

Shirakawa-go becomes a winter wonderland

Shirakawa-go — a village community in Gifu Prefecture that was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its thatched-roof farmhouses in 1995 — has been a tourist magnet for years. But its beauty goes up a few notches for seven days each year, when many of the houses are lit up in the snow.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 16, 2009

Shirakawa-go becomes a winter wonderland

Shirakawa-go — a village community in Gifu Prefecture that was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its thatched-roof farmhouses in 1995 — has been a tourist magnet for years. But its beauty goes up a few notches for seven days each year, when many of the houses are lit up in the snow.
COMMENTARY
Jan 15, 2009

China steps up global diplomacy

Almost two decades ago, China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping issued a series of instructions regarding the orientation of Chinese foreign policy in which he emphasized the need for Beijing to keep a low profile and never take the lead. Up until a few years ago, China has for the most part maintained...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2009

Step up nonproliferation efforts

Every year, Japan submits a resolution on nuclear disarmament to the United Nations General Assembly. This year was no different; the 15th such resolution was submitted in October. As the only country in the world against which nuclear weapons have been used, Japan understands the horror and devastation...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2009

Abuse of religious fervor paves way to doom

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The terrorist assault in Mumbai targeted not only India's economy and sense of security, but also the India-Pakistan detente that has taken shape since 2004.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2009

Respect 'maiko' privacy, don't act like paparazzi, Kyoto tells tourists

KYOTO — It's a freezing December night but tourists are out in force in Kyoto's Gion district, on the hunt for one particular attraction.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 13, 2009

Bloated bureaucracy exposed

A common joke among some foreigners here is that everything makes sense once you realize Japan is a communist country. However, the role of privileged ruling Communist Party (or, if you have a literary bent, the pigs in George Orwell's socialist parable "Animal Farm") is played not by the perpetual opposition...
Reader Mail
Jan 11, 2009

Respect for dual nationality

Some points of Jun Hongo's interesting Jan. 5 article, "A convenience in peace becomes matter of conflict in war," may demand clarification. While providing insights into the extremes of this issue, few potential applicants for dual nationality in Japan would imagine themselves facing conscription,...
Japan Times
LIFE
Jan 11, 2009

Asia University for Women: magic in the making

Perhaps it is only fitting in this time of dismal economic news that Bangladesh, a country known principally for natural disasters and human misery, provides an inspiring and uplifting story to relieve the gathering gloom.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 9, 2009

'Lads and Jockeys'

Life as a 14-year-old jockey apprentice at France's sole equestrian academy, Le Moulin N'Avon, starts off resembling a romantic period piece in "Lads and Jockeys," set as it is to the strains of jazz and lit like a moody Parisian bar. But as the camera zooms in on slender, barely pubescent boys lugging...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2009

Somali kidnappers release Japan doctor, Dutch nurse

Somali kidnappers have freed a Japanese doctor and a Dutch nurse after holding them in captivity for more than three months, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?