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EDITORIALS
Apr 3, 2009

Moment of truth for Afghanistan

This week U.S. President Barack Obama faces a real test of his powers of persuasion when he attends a NATO summit and presses his allies to step up their presence in Afghanistan. Success depends not only on his words but also on the new strategy his administration has adopted to stabilize that embattled...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 3, 2009

Bookstore offers a place for political debating

"You have to fight your way in with a knife every time you want to talk," said Good Day Books manager Stephen Kott. "A bookstore is a natural venue for something like this."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 3, 2009

Swords and slapstick

In Los Angeles last week, the showdown in the World Baseball Classic between Japan's "Samurai" and their South Korean rivals had TV audiences gripped. So, too, were those at Saitama Arts Theater, who witnessed an acting duel between 26-year-olds Tatsuya Fujiwara and Shun Oguri in "Musashi," a hilarious...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 3, 2009

'The Duchess'

I'm not sure if "The Duchess" was as good a film as my enjoyment of it would indicate, but after a mere five minutes of trailers for "Monsters vs. Aliens" and (shudder) "Transformers 2," I was ready to embrace any film that offered actual dialogue and acting, not head-splitting volume and an endless...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 3, 2009

'Hatsukoi — Natsu no Kioku'

First love, or hatsukoi, is a perennial, popular theme for seishun eiga ("youth films"), ranking right up there with tragic early death.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 3, 2009

Tokyo prepares for feast of Kissin

Classical music fans will be delighted to attend the first performances in Japan by the former child prodigy Evgeny Kissin since 2006, as the Russian pianist continues his steady rise toward virtuoso status.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2009

Cocobat "Searching for Change"

Compared early in their career by U.K. rock rag Kerrang! with U.S. metal heavyweights Pantera, Tokyo quartet Cocobat attempt to once again ascend the ranks of the local aggressive-music scene with the release of "Searching For Change," their first album in five years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2009

Managers beware: Herren hits Japan

"That's always been their therapy: to bring it together, at least for themselves, in their own environment and their own space. You know, like flowers and rainbows, beautiful people everywhere, and everything's nice."
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / 2009 PACIFIC LEAGUE PREVIEW
Apr 3, 2009

Lions poised to continue reign in Pacific League

The following is last of a two-part preview for the upcoming Nippon Professional Baseball season. Team-by-team previews of the six Pacific League clubs are listed in order of predicted finish.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 3, 2009

Fleeting beauty, timeless dining

Impatient to see the first sakura of the season, we followed the crowds into Ueno Park. It's been a good while since we last joined in the revelry at Tokyo's largest, most boisterous cherry blossom-viewing party — and never before have we done it in such gourmet style.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2009

Winning 'doshusei' slogans unveiled

Slogans submitted by the public and designed to promote the proposed "doshusei" reorganization of the local administrative system were unveiled Thursday by the Keizai Koho Center, a public relations arm of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren).
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2009

Revised tax law may favor Sony

Sony Corp. hasn't changed provisions in its forecast to reflect a tax law revision, indicating the company may report a smaller loss for the last fiscal year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2009

Busting boundaries with a pioneer of magical music

Hearing Ryuichi Sakamoto talk softly about his 30 years in music, which have elevated him to the status of an officially designated National Treasure, is to witness a perfect exercise in Japanese modesty.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 3, 2009

Mandarin Oriental 'Azuma Odori'

From May 29 to June 1, The Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, will offer an "MO Azuma Odori" accommodation package, which combines a one-night stay for two in a Deluxe Room or a Premium Grand Room and two tickets for the 85th Azuma Odori, the famous annual geisha performance at Shinbashi Enbujo Theater in Ginza,...
COMMENTARY
Apr 3, 2009

Netanyahu's fig leaf buffer

LONDON — "I am not afraid of Bibi (Netanyahu). I will not be anybody's fig leaf," said Ehud Barak, leader of Israel's Labor Party, defending his decision to join the hard-right coalition government formed by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu. But off in the distance there was a curious whirring noise....
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2009

Elpida offers to sell 10% stake to Taiwan Memory

Elpida Memory Inc. said Thursday it's open to selling a stake of about 10 percent to Taiwan Memory Co., which on Wednesday named the chip maker as its technology partner.
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2009

Toyota denies windfall on tax change

Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday a change in the corporate tax code will have no "major effect" on its earnings estimate for the last fiscal year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 3, 2009

Lost & Found

The discovery in a German archive of documents and photographs related to the Prussian mission to Japan in 1860-61 has shed new light on the early history of photography in Japan. In particular, newly uncovered letters and records help explain the mystery of why so few images from the well-equipped mission...
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2009

Incentives help Toyota fare better than expected in U.S.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s U.S. sales fell less than analysts predicted last month, as the world's largest carmaker offered near-record incentives to spur demand.
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2009

Citigroup taking bids for Nikko Asset; Mizuho interested: sources

Citigroup Inc., the recipient of three U.S. government bailouts, is seeking bidders for its Japanese asset management unit, four sources said.
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2009

Sudden cut seen in summer bonuses

Summer bonuses for workers may fall at the fastest pace in seven years, according to Mizuho Securities Co.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 3, 2009

Innsyoutei: Fleeting beauty, timeless dining

Impatient to see the first sakura of the season, we followed the crowds into Ueno Park. It's been a good while since we last joined in the revelry at Tokyo's largest, most boisterous cherry blossom-viewing party — and never before have we done it in such gourmet style.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2009

Nonbank giant Orix seeking state loans

Orix Corp., Japan's biggest nonbank lender, is borrowing from the government as more loans to real estate companies turn bad and the cost of selling bonds rises.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2009

Pachinko bucks recession trend

In the smoky Maruhan gambling parlor near Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, Shunichiro Nagasawa feeds a ¥1,000 bill into a pachinko machine, helping Japan's biggest gaming industry beat the recession and Las Vegas.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo