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COMMENTARY
Jan 13, 2006

Gas as a weapon of choice

LONDON -- What did the Russians hope to achieve? Their threat two weeks ago, now happily averted, to cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine unless it immediately paid four times the current contract price was bound from the start to backfire.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 13, 2006

Director reworks Russian epic with gender twist

Ten years ago, then aged 40, contemporary theater actor/director Hideki Noda was, even by his own standards, bold to write a play based on "Crime and Punishment," the lengthy 19th-century masterpiece by the Russian writer Feodor Dostoevski. His "Gansaku Tsumi to Batsu (Fake Crime and Punishment)" runs...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 12, 2006

Lasorda's answers question Japan's best

There's no doubt Tommy Lasorda loves his country.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jan 12, 2006

Democrats taking aim at House control

WASHINGTON -- The American political landscape continues to be dominated by U.S. President George W. Bush. He had his ups and downs in 2005, and while he has gained about seven points in the various polls since he hit bottom in late November, his approval ratings remain in the low 40s, according to various...
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2006

Time for another government shakeup?

It was only five years ago that government ministries were reorganized into 13 entities, but some senior officials of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party think it is time for another shuffle.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2006

Yasukuni visits shouldn't be an issue in LDP presidential election, Abe says

Contenders for the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election should avoid making an issue out of Yasukuni Shrine, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Tuesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 11, 2006

I.D. 'revolution' gets its comeuppance

The year 2005 was when, shockingly, "intelligent design" almost got on the syllabuses of American science classes. But then 11 rational parents in Pennsylvania took their school board to court, and, just before Christmas, the presiding judge delivered a crushing verdict.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2006

Better ties sought through radio

A Japanese woman deeply worried about the growing antagonism between Japan and China wants young Chinese to tune into her radio program, tap into Japanese youth culture and eventually help expand the horizons for bilateral ties.
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2006

A vacuum in Israel

A massive stroke has felled Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Recovery is uncertain, and most observers believe his political career is over regardless. The loss will be felt not only by Israel but also by Palestinians and the world. For all his shortcomings, Mr. Sharon has been a leader with a vision,...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2006

Keys to greater prosperity

WASHINGTON -- As we begin a new year, we look for guideposts to help governments and business improve economic performance. In a world of global competition, the platform provided to firms and individuals is crucial to growth and prosperity. From observations comparing countries that do well with those...
SUMO
Jan 8, 2006

Can Kotooshu stop Asashoryu?

The image of the silent but deadly giant whose hobby growing up in Bulgaria was baking cakes soaked in caramel fudge must be reconciled.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jan 8, 2006

Shigeaki Hinohara: Doctor of reforms

Even at the age of 94, Shigeaki Hinohara's mind and memory are so clear as to put some of his medical students to shame. And even despite being Japan's best-known and most highly acclaimed physician -- and chairman of the board of trustees of prestigious St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo --...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jan 7, 2006

Weiss never had a chance with Sonics

NEW YORK -- Fired SuperSonics coach Bob Weiss was hired for three reasons:
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2006

Medical question-and-answer Web site proving popular

An Internet bulletin board that answers medical questions from the public has gathered a strong following since it opened in December, according to the operator of the Web site.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 6, 2006

Kanda Matsuya: pick your century of soba

New Year in Japan brings with it all manner of ritual and circumstance. Observing the first sunrise. The all-important hatsumode shrine visit. Receiving (and assessing) nenga greetings. Perhaps even the sipping of otoso, the medicinal-tasting sake that guarantees health throughout the next 12 months....
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2006

Koizumi kicks off new year defiant toward Beijing, Seoul

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi criticized China and South Korea during his New Year's news conference Wednesday, claiming it is Beijing and Seoul, not Tokyo, that should work to resolve their long-standing gripes over his repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2006

LDP landslide buries two-party system

The result of the Sept. 11 general election was a runaway victory for the Liberal Democratic Party, and political chaos. But from the fog of uncertainty that is enveloping Japan there may emerge a new political structure that could some day be called the "2005 order."
COMMENTARY
Jan 1, 2006

The year of Koizumi's exit

The year 2006 will mark a watershed for Japanese politics inasmuch as Junichiro Koizumi, who has ruled Japan for five years as one of the longest-serving prime ministers in the postwar era, insists that he will step down when his term as president of the governing Liberal Democratic Party expires.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2005

Japanese banks follow manufacturers into China

With the promise of large profits overwhelming any concerns about the political tension between Tokyo and Beijing, Japanese companies continue to expand in China. And following behind them are Japanese banks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2005

Daimler looks to sell car buyers on diesel engines

Smoky, noisy and slow -- these are complaints commonly associated with diesel-powered vehicles in Japan.
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Dec 30, 2005

Psychedelic radar 12.30

The question of where to be for Countdown 2006 is proving drastically tough to answer with no major venue booked by any large trance organizer in Tokyo. There are plenty of choices, just no "one place to be," and unfamiliar limits on crowd sizes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 29, 2005

A gradual rise to excellence

A loss of direction appeared to afflict large parts of the Japanese theater world in the beginning of 2005 as last year's promising stream of new actors and directors failed to live up to their 2004 debuts. Dramatists responded by looking outward for inspiration, creating an upsurge in international...
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2005

News media seeks disclosure of crime victims' names

The nation's two major media groups came out Tuesday against a government plan that allows police to decide whether to disclose the names of crime victims, saying anonymity would make news-gathering difficult and could help the police cover up matters unfavorable to them.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 27, 2005

Real estate, a good cigar and body wax

Property in Yokohama Shirley, in Monterey, Calif., found an interesting article on buying property in Japan while browsing on the Web, and had a question.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 25, 2005

Cultural depths of celluloid

READING A JAPANESE FILM: Cinema in Context, by Keiko I. McDonald. Honolulu: Hawai'i University Press, 2005, 294 pp., photo illustrations. $20.00 (paper). Films are not only to be passively watched, they are also to be actively "read." The viewer deciphers not just the story but all the other indications...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Dec 24, 2005

Pacers determined to get rid of Artest

NEW YORK -- Just so there's no misunderstanding, Ron Artest's apology to one and all in Pacer Place has been for naught; Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird are committed to trading him as quickly as possible, which isn't helping them in their pursuit of Al Harrington in a three-way deal.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2005

Pyongyang may resolve abduction question: report

North Korea may offer a solution to the current standoff with Tokyo over Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese citizens before Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi leaves office next September, in an effort to help normalize bilateral relations, according to a report released Friday by the Public Security Intelligence...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Dec 24, 2005

Shi Yu Chen

Step inside Argo restaurant and library cafe in Kojimachi, Tokyo, and you might suppose yourself in the dining lounge of a luxury yacht. It is true you don't look out over Greek islands. Instead, you have a high view of the moat and the parkland of the Imperial Palace, and the complex of the British...

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan