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COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2012

Avoiding a sectarian split in the Middle East

As the Assad regime hurtles toward deserved collapse in Syria, I often think back to a warning I received from a friend 18 months ago. I was serving then as the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad and was focused on Iraqi problems. But my confidant, an Iraqi Kurd with a strong commitment to a unified, multisectarian...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / NOTEBOOK
Sep 12, 2012

Japanese language research fellowship; buy lip balm for charity

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Sep 11, 2012

Louis Vuitton still going dotty

Fans of French luxury brand Louis Vuitton are still seeing spots before their eyes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2012

U.S.-Russia relations stagnate as Obama's 'reset' policy falters

The relationship between the United States and Russia is stalled for now as the "reset" efforts by U.S. President Barack Obama's administration over the past four years have failed to develop enough momentum to move the bilateral ties forward, according to an expert from a U.S. think tank.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Sep 11, 2012

Hotelier sees disaster bring out best in Japanese

As a veteran of the tourism and hotel industries in Japan for more than two decades, Tony Virili says he will "never forget" what took place at one of his firm's franchise hotels in Sendai on March 11, 2011.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 9, 2012

"Give it a try!"; A winning family drama; CM of the week: Japan Tobacco Consulting

Long-running variety show "Otameshi Ka!" ("Give it a Try!"; TV Asahi, Monday, 7 p.m.) usually tests its guests' knowledge about products offered by famous manufacturers or retail and restaurant chains. This week's two-hour special tries something different.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 9, 2012

It will take more than a pop group to save Fukushima's reputation

Last March, Tatsuya Yamaguchi of the idol group Tokio told the media that he was determined to someday reopen Dash Village, the farm that he and his bandmates built from scratch as an ongoing project on their long-running Nippon TV series "The Tetsuwan Dash." The farm is in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 9, 2012

Sail through time with hobikisen on Lake Kasumigaura

It's difficult to imagine what Lake Kasumigaura in Ibaraki Prefecture would have looked like a century ago. Most of its surrounding areas have now become dormitory towns for Tokyo, just 50 km to the southwest. These days, too, where the traditional old lotus paddies do remain, they tend to be covered...
COMMENTARY
Sep 8, 2012

Should Bush and Blair be tried for war crimes?

In what is the latest of many calls for the trial of former U.S. President George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner has demanded that both leaders be tried for their role in the Iraq war. Given the tremendous loss of lives and the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 7, 2012

'Yume Uru Futari (Dreams for Sale)'

Ever since her 2003 directorial debut "Hebi Ichigo (Wild Berries)," a black comedy about a dysfunctional family, Miwa Nishikawa has been exploring the infinite human capacity for duplicity and the elusiveness of truth.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Sep 6, 2012

Organic market cafe from Britain; Tokyo Dome Hotel Hokkaido fair; new Four Seasons chef

British organic cafe reopens in Tokyo As the idea of organic products continue to gain popularity in Japan, various organic goods from food to cosmetics can be found on sale throughout the country.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 6, 2012

Soil & "Pimp" Sessions, Jaga Jazzist and Bruut! challenge jazz's conservative image

Grammy Award-winning bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding recently told the Los Angeles Times that one of the problems in bringing jazz to a wider audience was essentially one of image.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 6, 2012

Hammer-Head studio to support young artists in Yokohama

Ever since 2002, when then-Yokohama mayor Hiroshi Nakada lit the fuse on his Creative City plan, Tokyo's southern neighbor has hosted a more-or-less unbroken series of cultural events that have leaped, Chinese firework-style, back and forth between the city's many hitherto-underutilized publicly owned...
COMMENTARY
Sep 5, 2012

Paralympics a smash success

The general feeling after the London Olympics was that the excitement was over. The Paralympics would, it was feared, be a damp squib after the games. In fact the Paralympics have attracted large and enthusiastic audiences. The media have given the competitions almost as much coverage as they did to...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 4, 2012

Part of aging process: Preparing for the end

When young people say "shukatsu," they mean job-hunting. But nowadays, older people are grimly playing on the word by changing the kanji for "shu" to convey a different kind of activity: preparing for "the end."
EDITORIALS
Sep 3, 2012

Preparing for Nankai megaquake

The Cabinet Office's Central Disaster Prevention Council said Wednesday that a megaquake of magnitude-9 in the Nankai Trough off the Pacific coasts and its ensuing tsunami could kill up to 323,000 people in 30 prefectures including Tokyo, with about 70 percent of the deaths tsunami-related. Malfunctioning...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 2, 2012

Doctoring the baseball a tactic as old as the game itself

This column is about "the ball," but it is not what you think.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 2, 2012

Will the Takeshima dispute break the Korean wave?

"There's something sad, when a political problem goes so far as to spill over to the entertainment industry," rues journalist Kaoru Kikuchi in Sunday Mainichi (Sep. 9).
Reader Mail
Sep 2, 2012

Special powers cut two ways

According to his Aug. 30 letter, "Harbinger of the future is here," Robert McKinney wants an "environmental czar whose word is law." For the sake of argument, assume that the creation of such a tyrannical position somehow passed U.S. constitutional muster. Now consider the practical effects of such a...
COMMENTARY
Aug 31, 2012

Pawns of the neo-Putin era

After the May 7 inauguration of Vladimir Putin, the re-elected Russian president rapidly began taking revenge on those who caused him anxiety from December to March. Of late, he and his henchmen have demonstrated a sharp stance against dissent and opposition in general.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 31, 2012

Tokyo Jazz Festival grabs Ornette Coleman for headlining spot

Note: A week after the publication of this article, Tokyo Jazz Festival organizers announced Ornette Coleman will not come to Japan due to poor health.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Aug 30, 2012

Package funeral services take the (financial) sting out of dying

Cut-rate funeral services have made dying that much easier.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 30, 2012

The Tokyo Foundation hosts concert by young victims of Tohoku quake at Suntory Hall

When the final chord of the fiery Spanish-flavored "El Camino Real" by U.S. composer Alfred Reed echoed throughout Suntory Hall, it was a great moment for 16-year-old Mayuko Kawai.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EMBASSY AVENUE
Aug 29, 2012

Philippine festival in Yokohama

The best of Philippine culture will be showcased in Yokohama during the Philippine Festival Barrio Fiesta, which is free and open to all and will be held Sept. 1 and 2 at Yamashita Park.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 28, 2012

Purifying plant power

The Airleaf Mini is an interesting product that makes use of your fan or air conditioner. It contains little beads filled with oils extracted from fir trees, which purifies air as it's blown through by cutting down the carbon dioxide and restricting production of oxygen radicals.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan