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COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2010

Pakistan's effect on Iran

WATERLOO, Ontario — The United States, no more but no less than other countries, tends to make self-centered assessments of other countries' policies. This is one reason Washington missed the Iran factor as the most likely explanation for Saddam Hussein's deliberate ambiguity about a weapons-of-mass-destruction...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 29, 2010

Ramirez eyes 2,000 hits

Alex Ramirez has his eyes on the future.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 29, 2010

Racy pop distracts from lip service

In April, China's Culture Ministry fined two young women 50,000 yuan (¥625,000) each for lip-syncing during performances in the city of Chengdu last year. The authorities characterize this edict against "fake singing" as a kind of truth-in-advertising rule, but most people think it was an overreaction...
CULTURE / Books
Aug 29, 2010

New look at old Edo's window to the West

Japan's seclusion policy (sakoku) from the early 17th to the mid-19th century is commonly studied from the point of view of the bakufu, the Tokugawa government in Edo that exercised central control over the other domains of the realm.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2010

Relax arms export ban so firms can profit: panel

Japan should consider relaxing its ban on arms exports so defense companies can participate in international projects, a special advisory panel to Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Aug 27, 2010

Flagrant disregard of disclosure

The 6th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Hiroshima has held 22 news conferences, at the urging of the media, to address the Aug. 18 crash of a coast guard helicopter in the Inland Sea. This is due to the headquarters' attempt to hide information regarding circumstances of the accident. Its behavior...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2010

Downside of a yen haven

HONG KONG — Is the world economy about to enter the second part of a double dip, or is it merely bumping along the extended bottom of what will eventually be a U-shaped recovery, or is it a long L with no real upturn in sight? Or is there no clear pattern of who's up and who's down?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 27, 2010

U.S. sake lovers spread some joy

For the first time ever, The Joy of Sake, the biggest sake tasting soiree outside of Japan, will bring its American brand of culture-crossing conviviality to Japan. On Nov. 2, the event, which originated in Hawaii, will be celebrating its anniversary in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2010

Okada backs Kan, rules out run for DPJ chief

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada reiterated Wednesday that he would support the re-election of Prime Minister Naoto Kan in the Sept. 14 Democratic Party of Japan presidential election.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 26, 2010

Objets d'art with a purpose in life

Working across the grain
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Aug 24, 2010

Last resorts: Vacation condos dirt cheap

If you're looking to buy a little hideaway in the mountains, the time is right. 'Resort mansion' can currently be had for bargain basement prices.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2010

Taiji mayor defends dolphin hunt

TAIJI, Wakayama Pref. — As kids in inner tubes bob on the calm waters of this small ocean cove, a 250-kg dolphin zips through the crowd in pursuit of squid tossed out by a trainer.
COMMENTARY
Aug 23, 2010

Shameful road to the Commonwealth Games

CHENNAI, India — India's Commonwealth Games, which are set to roll in New Delhi from Oct. 3, have turned into the nation's biggest shame. At a cost of $7.5 billion — excluding improvements and additions to city infrastructure — these will be the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Aug 22, 2010

Of forests and floods

Last week I enjoyed the sublime luxury of watching a sunrise from the middle of a lake in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Maine.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 22, 2010

'Family History' of Kimimaro Ayanokoji; profile of the Glover House; CM of the week: Gin no Sara

Bewigged comedian Kimimaro Ayanokoji made it the hard way; not on TV or even in theaters, but at sightseeing destinations where he would board tour buses and pass out cassettes of his act to middle-aged women, who tended to be the target of his humor. They loved it, and word-of-mouth eventually made...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 22, 2010

Families dictate Japan's economic fate

Though everybody saw it coming, the announcement last week that China's economy supplanted Japan's as the second largest in the world shocked many people. It matters little that China's sheer size makes its dominance inevitable. What matters is that Japan's 42-year run as the world's No. 2 is over, and...
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 22, 2010

Inui, Cerezo outplay Antlers in big match

KASHIMA, Ibaraki Pref. — Cerezo Osaka denied Kashima Antlers top spot in the J. League table and leapfrogged the defending champion into second place for good measure with a 1-0 win on Saturday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 21, 2010

Rami-led Giants regain power in rout of Tigers

Moving a step closer to 40 home runs was the easy part for Alex Ramirez. Getting teammate Yoshitomo Tani to join him onstage for a post-game performance during the hero interview? Now that took some effort.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 20, 2010

Hokkaido festival Rising Sun keeps its cool all night

Could this be the most chilled music festival on Earth? At Rising Sun Rock Festival in Otaru, Hokkaido, no one seems to mind about the mud, the result of typhoon rains that drenched the festival site just hours before kickoff. The staff look like they're having a ball, beaming warmly as they stand for...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 20, 2010

'The A-Team'

There's no greater sign of the creative bankruptcy in Hollywood these days than the fact that pretty much any old TV series, no matter how stale or silly, is ripe for a remake. In fact, I'd be hard-pressed to think of a TV series from my youth that hasn't been remade.
EDITORIALS
Aug 19, 2010

Corporate social responsibility

On Aug. 4, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, the second and third richest men in the world, announced that 40 American billionaires had followed their lead in pledging to give half of their fortunes to charity. They plan to turn their efforts next to China and India.
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
Aug 17, 2010

Himalayan love story peaks in Chiba

"People say it's like a love story in a Bollywood movie," says Paul Rajesh, 34, who was born in Manali, a town in northern India's Himachal Pradesh state.

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