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BASEBALL / SPORTS SCOPE
Dec 5, 2008

Spirits with Koga as she claimed JLPGA money title

Miho Koga was finally able to break through.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2008

Pension funding expansion faces delay

The increase in the state's funding of the basic pension system to half from one-third doesn't necessarily have to happen next April, Prime Minister Taro Aso said Thursday, indicating the hike will probably be delayed.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2008

Politicians failing to engage youth

One of the oldest rules in politics the world over is that young people stay away in droves.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 5, 2008

'WALL-E'

They say the best creators of science fiction are those able to extrapolate just a bit into the future. Think of William Gibson's descriptions of a wired, digitally interconnected world dominated by multinational corporations in 1984's "Neuromancer," or Terry Gilliam's imagining of a perpetual war on...
CULTURE / Film
Dec 5, 2008

Jiri's on track again

Forty years after he won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Picture with "Closely Watched Trains," Czech filmmaker Jiri Menzel proves that his trademark deadpan humor and mischievous, satirical wit are still intact with "I Served the King of England."
CULTURE / Film
Dec 5, 2008

'I Served the King of England'

Watching Czech waiter Jan Dite in "I Served the King of England" traipse through some of the most tragic years his country had ever known (Nazi intervention, Soviet invasion), you're reminded of another Czech cinema antihero: Tomas (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being."...
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Dec 5, 2008

Determination brings Antlers to brink of J. League crown

This year's J. League title race has been so unpredictable that nothing can be ruled out until the final whistle, but it would take a mighty twist in the tale for Kashima Antlers to be denied the championship on Saturday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 5, 2008

Indie's new black

A little over a year ago, no one knew Black Kids, a dance-pop quintet from Jacksonville, Florida, who many people mistake for being British. Now anyone with a passing interest in popular music has at least heard of them. They are the latest indie band to have become famous even before they released a...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 5, 2008

'Kill'

Mamoru Oshii is a world-class animation director, but his films, from the 1995 dystopian SF "Ghost In the Shell" to this year's air-war epic "The Sky Crawlers," are not for the masses. Instead they often explore heavyweight themes that appeal to anime otaku (ultrafans), from the dissolving boundaries...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2008

New tourism agency ambushed by high yen

When the Japan Tourism Agency opened for business on Oct. 1 to attract more Asian travelers, the timing could hardly have been worse.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 5, 2008

Shonen Knife "Super Group"

I have a very old friend who's always hated Osaka rock ambassadresses Shonen Knife. He thinks they're not a serious band — but he's missing the point. When the world around us is gray and dark, and the news talks of terrorists and financial depression, what we need are songs about slugs, deer biscuits...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 5, 2008

Orchestra brings best of Venezuela's youth

The miraculous Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela will delight Japanese audiences during their first performances in this country, from Dec. 17 to 19.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 5, 2008

In Fukuoka, we're walking in a winter ramen land

Winter whistles through the streets, slips its icy fingers down your coat, and you search for something, just about anything, to ward off the damp chill of a Japanese winter. Suddenly, you know with all certainty the one true cure — ramen.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Dec 5, 2008

'Kyoto Winter Special'

Following its great success last year, the "Kyoto Winter Special" promotional campaign returns with a "Four Nights for the Price of Three" accommodation package at the Hyatt Regency Kyoto from Dec. 7 to March 18.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 5, 2008

Emiliana Torrini makes some big jumps

On the title track of her new album, "Me and Armini," Emiliana Torrini takes the concept of drinking "spirits" to a whole new level.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 5, 2008

'Kuroneko' plays on Poe's thriller

One of Japan's most in-demand young creators, 38-year-old visual designer and film director Shutaro Oku, is currently debuting as a theater director with "Kuroneko," his adaptation of 19th century American author Edgar Allan Poe's short thriller masterpiece "The Black Cat."
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 5, 2008

'Magic Flute' adapted to South African beat

A new collaborative opera that blends Mozart's "The Magic Flute" and African music is coming to Tokyo this month, performed by South Africa-based Isango Portobello Productions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Dec 5, 2008

Death Race

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 5, 2008

Envy

Formed in the early 1990s, Tokyo's Envy have seen their international fan base steadily expand since 2001's "All the Footprints You've Ever Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead." 2008 has proved to be no exception, with the quintet showcasing their intense hybrid of postrock and screamo to enthusiastic...
BUSINESS
Dec 5, 2008

S&P lowers Norinchukin rating

Standard & Poor's cut its rating on Norinchukin Bank, saying asset-backed securities are eroding the lender's capital base and discounting any significant lift from a plan to raise ¥1 trillion in funds.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 5, 2008

Airport with no customers ready to open

The $268 million Ibaraki Airport is on schedule to open for business in March 2010. The hard part will be persuading an airline to fly there.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 5, 2008

Restaurant & Wine Cellar Davis: What delicacies hide in Takanawa

When Shoko Davis first opened her Wine Cellar more than 10 years ago, it felt like the ultimate neighborhood restaurant. Not just because it ticked all the boxes in terms of food, drink and ambience, but also because it was so far off most people's radar.
EDITORIALS
Dec 4, 2008

Stellar U.S. security team

Whatever doubts may have existed about U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's foreign policy should be put to rest since he announced his national security team. The group is notable for its experience and levelheadedness. Perhaps most significant is the self-confidence the selections reveal: Mr. Obama...

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