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COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2009

Misguided standards of global governance

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — In the wake of last year's global financial meltdown, there is now widespread recognition that inadequate investor protection can significantly affect how stock markets and economies develop, as well as how individual firms perform.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
May 19, 2009

Veteran Tokyo journalist convinced some things just never change

Having lived in Japan for 45 years, 70-year-old British journalist Henry Scott Stokes has seen Japan go through more changes than virtually any other foreign resident has.
JAPAN
May 19, 2009

H1N1 flu surges in Kansai

KOBE — The number of domestic swine flu cases reached 140 in Hyogo and Osaka as of Monday evening, prompting fears of an epidemic and leading to calls from the two governors to shut down all schools in the prefectures and for the central government to do more.
EDITORIALS
May 18, 2009

Another outrage in Myanmar

It was always a safe bet that the military junta that rules Myanmar was going to come up with some way to extend the house arrest of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and leader of the prodemocracy forces in her country. The absurd charges leveled against her last week is proof yet again...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 18, 2009

Another year, another title for Kings' Newton

Jeff Newton is a perfect 4-for-4.
JAPAN
May 18, 2009

Domestic H1N1 flu cases increase to 42

The number of domestic swine flu cases hit 42 on Sunday after 34 high school and college students as well as their family members and teachers in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures were confirmed to have been infected.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 17, 2009

Lay-judge drama, exotic real estate, and Kimutaku's 'Mr. Brain'

The new lay judge system starts on May 21, so it's not surprising that somebody decided to make a two-hour suspense drama to mark the occasion. However, the subtitle of "Hotei Suspense" ("Trial Suspense"; TBS, Mon., 9 p.m.) sounds like this might not be the best way to promote the new system: "Do you...
JAPAN
May 17, 2009

Kobe officials start limited measures to halt flu spread

KOBE — As Kobe confirmed the nation's first domestic swine flu infections, city officials instituted a limited number of measures to prevent further infections from developing, prompting Kansai-area residents to prepare for further possible outbreaks.
LIFE / Travel
May 17, 2009

Do's and don'ts when you hitch in the backside of Japan

Backpack: check. Thumbs: check. Sense of adventure: check.
Japan Times
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
May 16, 2009

Diplomacy in love, life and work

Aiko Tanaka, 27, met Olegs Orlovs, 27, for the first time when she visited his home country, Latvia, as a tourist with her family in 2002. Olegs was her tour guide.
EDITORIALS
May 15, 2009

Sign of weakness in Pyongyang?

North Korea, which was condemned in a statement by the United Nations Security Council's president for its April 5 launch of a long-range rocket, has taken a provocative attitude of late. It has announced its withdrawal from the six-party talks for the denuclearization of the country and kicked out International...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 15, 2009

Japan embraces the big cheese

Ask the experts what makes a good cheese, and at some point the conversation is going to get down to grass. After all, cheese comes from milk, and the best milk comes from animals raised on grass.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 15, 2009

Lights, mirror . . . reaction

S ometimes the cutting-edge is five years old. Take the current exhibition at the Mori Art Museum, "The Kaleidoscopic Eye: Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection." Featuring some of the best of what the contemporary art world has to offer, by the time it's made it to the museum, the art world...
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2009

Obama's question for Netanyahu

RAMALLAH, West Bank — As the summit between U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaches, most of the discussion has focused on whether the newly elected Israeli leader will finally say that he backs a two-state solution.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 14, 2009

Cabinet member exits after tryst

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshitada Konoike resigned Wednesday for "personal reasons" after a magazine hit newsstands with a full account of a trip he and a lover took to a hot-spring resort, during which he used a special JR pass that lets Diet members ride shinkansen for free.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
May 14, 2009

Actor/talent agent Eido Sumiyoshi

Eighty-four-year-old Eido Sumiyoshi — aka Eddie Mohandas Sabnani, Eddie Arab, and Eddie Staire — is an actor and the founder of E-promotion, one of Japan's first talent agencies specializing in foreign models and actors. The son of an Indian businessman and a Japanese interpreter, Eddie was raised...
EDITORIALS
May 13, 2009

Mr. Ozawa steps down just in time

Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, who has been in political hot water since the March 3 arrest of his chief aide over alleged political donations irregularities, announced his resignation Monday as leader of the Democratic Party of Japan. Considering the strong call for his resignation to help restore party unity and...
EDITORIALS
May 12, 2009

Booster shot for big companies

As the special measures law for corporate revitalization was revised, the government has started a scheme to inject capital into large companies suffering from the current economic downturn. The Development Bank of Japan will provide funds if companies meet certain conditions.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 10, 2009

Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in Tokyo worth a visit

One of the items on my "bucket list" is a trip to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Nope, despite being from the East Coast, I have never been there but hope to make the trek to (what I hear is) the picturesque village in upstate New York.
EDITORIALS
May 10, 2009

World press freedom

In the middle of the Golden Week Holidays, newspapers around the world recognized their own special day on May 3: World Press Freedom Day. Officially established in 1993 by the U.N. General Assembly and organized annually by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), the day offers an annual report on...
EDITORIALS
May 9, 2009

Deadly surge in Baghdad

A surge in violence in Baghdad has prompted fears that Iraq may be on the verge of a new spasm of sectarian violence. Many think the attacks are intended to sew doubts about the wisdom of the upcoming withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. By this logic, the bombings are intended to force the U.S. to stay...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
May 9, 2009

In search of picture-perfect Tokyo

Tokyo is infested with camera bugs. I can identify three species, at least.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 8, 2009

Well-armed to protect Buddha

Like a visitor from some remote part of the universe, the deity Ashura of Kofukuji Temple in Nara appears with six spindly arms frozen in motion and three faces on a single head that is crowned with a perfectly groomed hairdo. The body is slender and graceful and little imagination is needed to see the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
May 8, 2009

Pampering at the Cerulean, wine and dine at the Mandarin, and cycle tours in Kyoto

Treat yourself at the Cerulean The Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel has put together a special package that includes treatments at its aesthetic salon and lunch at its main restaurant, Coucagno.
COMMENTARY
May 6, 2009

China and Taiwan try a practical approach

LOS ANGELES — On the surface of things, it might not seem like such a big deal. Taiwan is to get recognition as an observer at an important world health meeting in Geneva to be held later this month. But in the context of Asian diplomatic history, it is a big deal.

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