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COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 2009

Climate change mitigation by low-income countries

MUMBAI, CITIZENS NEWS NETWORK — The economies and resultant emissions of low-income countries are growing at a rapid pace. China and India are already among the top five greenhouse-gas emitters. The rest of the world may strive to stabilize its emissions at 1990 levels, but if China and India continue...
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2009

Don't lose momentum, abductees' kin tell Tokyo

Following Wednesday's emotional meeting with former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui, relatives of abductee Yaeko Taguchi urged top government officials Thursday to build on the momentum and press to learn the fate of Japanese abducted by Pyongyang's agents in the 1970s and '80s.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 13, 2009

Bando Tamasaburo revives tradition of men playing women in China

"The Japanese Mei Lanfang" is what they call Bando Tamasaburo V in the Chinese media, perhaps the highest compliment the actor could wish for. The most accomplished nandan of the 20th century — the Chinese equivalent of a Japanese onnagata, a male who plays female roles — Mei Lanfang was celebrated...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 13, 2009

Don Matsuo "New Stone Age"

"New Stone Age" is the second solo effort from Don Matsuo, the frontman for Tokyo rock 'n' roll stalwarts Zoobombs. His 2006 offering, "O-re-ha-si-na-i-yo?" and the bulk of Zoobombs' output have been praised for their experimentation with different styles. Inspired by sounds from the 1960s and '70s,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 13, 2009

'Baobab no Kioku'

Seiichi Motohashi's documentaries often take environmental destruction as their theme, starting with his first, "Nadja no Mura" ("Nadja's Village"), in 1998 and continuing with "Alexei to Izumi" ("Alexei's Spring," 2002) and his new film "Baobab no Kioku" ("A Thousand Year Song of Baobab").
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 13, 2009

'The Secret Life of Bees'

"It's amazing how they hate us so much when so many of them are raised by black women." That's a line spoken by a black woman in "The Secret Life of Bees," circa 1964 in South Carolina.
EDITORIALS
Mar 13, 2009

Mr. Bashir is indicted

It is unlikely that last week's decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to indict Mr. Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, on charges of war crimes has cost Mr. Bashir much sleep. The ICC cannot enforce the writ on its own, and Mr. Bashir has allies and friends around the world.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Mar 13, 2009

Man United dispatches Inter

MANCHESTER, England (AP) All four of England's teams in the European Champions League advanced to the quarterfinals for the second straight year, led by defending champion Manchester United.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 13, 2009

A Riesling revival

Riesling, the sweet Germanic wine thought to have been consigned to the trash can of 1980s bad taste along with home perms and pastel-colored leg warmers, is making a comeback.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 13, 2009

A daily revolution at Marugo

The wine-lover's equivalent to conveyer-belt sushi, Marugo II offers a revolving selection of wines for the curious wine buff.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 13, 2009

'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa'

As some readers may already know, my Tokyo alter-ego is that of an independent record label owner. If there's one thing I've learned over the years it's to never give my friends free CDs. It's not that I don't want to be generous, and in fact, I used to hand out a lot. But the reality is that people...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2009

DS sales top 100 million in record time

Global sales of the Nintendo DS hand-held topped 100 million in four years and three months — a milestone reached at the quickest pace for any video game console — the manufacturer said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2009

Sony, Seiko Epson in LCD deal

Sony Corp., the world's second-largest maker of consumer electronics, will buy assets for producing small and medium-size liquid-crystal displays from Seiko Epson Corp., the companies said Thursday.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2009

Tourists snap up goods in Seoul as yen rally lingers

Yukiko Saito spent three days in Seoul loading up on cosmetics last month because she has little confidence the yen's rally to a record against the South Korean won will continue.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 13, 2009

Morning Musume not ready to graduate yet

Most artists dream of longevity, but few are afforded significant time in the limelight. The paradox of all-girl group Morning Musume, 12 years since they began, is the enforced time-limit its members face in order for the group to remain forever young.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2009

MUFG to sell securities to boost capital, this time for ¥97 billion

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. will sell ¥97.4 billion in securities to boost capital, increasing fundraising efforts as tumbling stock markets erode the value of its investments.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 13, 2009

Going where the grass is bluer

It's a story you could write a song about. It's sometime in the 1960s or '70s. A teenager in Tokyo slips a borrowed cassette into a player and is transfixed by what he hears: the sound of guitars, banjos and mandolins; the call of mountains far, far away. He saves his money and flies to the United States,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 13, 2009

Fans of GEISAI enjoy the opportunities

Held on Sunday, March 8, at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center, GEISAI #12 marked the latest installment of the ongoing series of open-application, competitive one-day festivals organized since 2001 by pop artist and cultural promoter Takashi Murakami. Part exhibition, flea market and spectacle, punctuated...
MULTIMEDIA
Mar 13, 2009

Fans of GEISAI enjoy the opportunities

Held on Sunday, March 8, at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center, GEISAI #12 marked the latest installment of the ongoing series of open-application, competitive one-day festivals organized since 2001 by pop artist and cultural promoter Takashi Murakami. Part exhibition, flea market and spectacle, punctuated...
Reader Mail
Mar 12, 2009

Path to becoming an individual

In the March 8 letter "Student individuality gone to seed," the writer made some very disturbing comments. A student at an international school, she says, after two days of visiting a Japanese school, she felt that Japanese education was "dull." She goes on to say that Japanese education/culture doesn't...
Reader Mail
Mar 12, 2009

Questions about an alleged rape

Regarding David McNeill's March 3 Zeit Gist article, "Rape victim fights for justice against U.S. military, Japan": McNeill should hire a fact-checker before he submits such an article. The victim's name is withheld probably for privacy, yet the name of her alleged attacker is revealed in full. Why?...
Reader Mail
Mar 12, 2009

Bigger issues than kanji gaffes

Regarding the March 7 article "Aso's kanji conundrums spur self-reflection, textbook sales": It is true that Prime Minister Taro Aso sometimes misreads kanji. However, I wonder what opposition lawmaker Hajime Ishii's intention was last month when he held up a chart with a dozen difficult words and asked...

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