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Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jun 4, 2008

To cage or not to cage?

I was born in 1940, in Neath, South Wales. My father went off to war and my mother took me to live in the relative safety of rural Suffolk in eastern England, where the Luftwaffe's bombers seldom attacked. There, she worked as a nanny for rich people's offspring. It was pretty tough for my Mum, but she...
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2008

Cut car taxes to boost sales, industry group head urges

Hoping to boost car ownership in a shrinking domestic market, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association will ask the government to lower car-related taxes to ease the financial burden on automobile owners, the newly appointed head of the car industry group said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 4, 2008

Controlling the bureaucracy

The Diet is likely to enact a basic bill aimed at reforming institutional matters related to civil servants working for the central government during the current Diet session. The bill is the result of compromise among the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito and the opposition Democratic Party...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jun 4, 2008

Failure to make Finals will cost Saunders job

NEW YORK — Failing to crash the NBA Finals for the third straight season is guaranteed to cost Pistons coach Flip Saunders a fourth try.
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2008

Candidate Ikeo endorses BOJ's flexible stance

The Bank of Japan's flexible stance while it weighs the various risks to the economy is "appropriate," Kazuhito Ikeo, the government's nominee for the central bank's Policy Board, said Tuesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jun 4, 2008

Get your ergo on for summer

In your ear: Listening to music via the earbuds that typically come bundled with MP3 players can be like drinking champagne out of a plastic kiddie mug. Most users seem content to put up with the buds' inadequacies, but it doesn't mean you have to.
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2008

Matsushita, Vietnam strikers talking

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Tuesday it is in talks with striking workers at a unit in Vietnam.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jun 4, 2008

Tokyo upstart offers freeters mobile flexibility

Ryoji Kaneko is always looking for work. It's been six years since the 25-year-old aspiring actor moved to Tokyo from his home in Hyogo Prefecture, and he's still waiting for his big break. He can't get a regular side job because the auditions and the occasional gig require him to have a flexible schedule....
BASKETBALL
Jun 3, 2008

Oketani named Ryukyu coach

Dai Oketani has been named the new head coach of the Ryukyu Golden Kings, the Okinawa-based team announced on Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2008

Lectures from steak-lovers hard to stomach

London — I feel a little sorry for U.S. President George W. Bush. Whatever his other many failings, he has a pretty good record on aid to poor countries, particularly in health care. True to form, he recently announced a big increase in U.S. food aid good for the hungry poor and good for American farmers....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2008

Microscopic ramen served

Japanese scientists say they have used cutting-edge technology to create a noodle bowl so small it can be seen only through a microscope.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2008

Bad public manners irk Bushido proponent

Sokichi Sugimura, 72, feels elements of Japanese society have lost their moral compass to the point of being downright rude and he and his associates want to put them back on course, and in the process embrace samurai values.
EDITORIALS
Jun 3, 2008

Twilight of cluster bombs

Japan, along with 110 other countries, has adopted a landmark convention in Dublin banning cluster bombs. It is expected to sign the convention in December in Oslo, where talks on the ban started in February 2007.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 3, 2008

Why do you think Japan's suicide rate is so high?

COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jun 3, 2008

Good news from grass roots

Reader Rodney in Vancouver recently e-mailed: "I've often found your articles informative and useful, but they tend to take a tone of complaint. Please tell us about some face-to-face, grassroots efforts that have helped make Japanese more considerate and respectful of those who are different."
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 3, 2008

Absentee ballot system up, running

Suffrage is a fundamental right of a democracy, and many countries ensure their citizens can cast absentee ballots.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 3, 2008

Nakamura energizes triumphant Japan

YOKOHAMA — Japan got its bid for a fourth-straight World Cup appearance back on track with a commanding 3-0 win over Oman on Monday night.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear