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JAPAN
May 29, 2008

China OK with SDF quake help

YOKOHAMA — China has asked Japan to help transport emergency supplies to the earthquake refugees in Sichuan Province and signaled that Self-Defense Forces aircraft would be welcome as well, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
May 29, 2008

'Anime'-decorated cars latest 'otaku' fad

They're painful. So painful that pedestrians can't help staring at them and real girls stay away from their owners.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2008

Otsuka to buy 49% of French water bottler

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., the maker of Pocari Sweat sports drinks, will spend ¥120 billion for 49 percent of French water bottler Alma as it seeks to counter slowing drink sales at home.
CULTURE / Film
May 29, 2008

A winner like no other

Every year, Cannes pundits attempt to read the tea leaves on the top prizes by looking not at the films but at the jury: Are its members serious, political, airheads, in any way beholden to producers or agents with a work in competition? This year's jury head, unorthodox and left-leaning American actor...
BUSINESS
May 29, 2008

Asahi to import more beer brands

Asahi Breweries Ltd., Japan's top-selling beer maker, will expand its alliance with Belgium's InBev NV, importing more brands from the world's biggest brewer by sales.
EDITORIALS
May 29, 2008

Mr. Medvedev goes to Beijing

It is tempting to hyperventilate about Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to China last week. Some see the Beijing stopover as a reminder of the two countries' determination to counter Western or, more specifically, U.S. "hegemony" and the challenge they pose to the international order. By this...
BUSINESS
May 29, 2008

Nissan aims to up China unit sales 64%

Nissan is hoping to raise sales at its Chinese ventures at least 64 percent by 2012 as the country's surging economic growth boosts demand for cars and trucks.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2008

Shirakawa targets 'bubble' policy

Central banks need to look at more than just current inflation rates to develop policies that foreclose on economic bubbles before they occur, Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa said Wednesday.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2008

Mitsubishi joins organic-light JV

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Japan's largest maker of power equipment, set up a venture with three companies to make lighting panels based on a more efficient technology.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 29, 2008

The last splash of spring

Tokyo's multifaceted gallery scene usually slows down a bit in the summer, so May has seen a whack of openings across the city.
CULTURE / Art / INSIDE ART
May 29, 2008

Permanent collection not pulling crowds

As seen in last month's "Inside Art," international rankings of art exhibition attendances present the achievements of Japanese museums in the best possible light. Look at annual attendance figures, however, and the picture is very different.
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2008

Eagerly awaiting a warmer Arctic

What connects oil at $135 a barrel with last month's discovery of huge cracks in the Ward Hunt ice shelf off Ellesmere Island at the top of Canada's Arctic archipelago? And what might connect those two things with a new, even Colder War?
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
May 28, 2008

Behind the failure of the Japanese economy

Takafusa Shioya has sent me his book published last year, "Keizai Saisei no Joken" (Conditions for Economic Recovery). Nearly three decades ago, during a period of a few years when Jimmy Carter's presidency morphed into Ronald Reagan's, he was stationed in the New York outpost of a Japanese trade office...
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2008

G8 summit, Doha agenda and the future of the WTO

YOKOHAMA — The world trading system, based originally on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and now the World Trade Organization (WTO), celebrated its 60th anniversary Jan. 1. During its lifetime, tariffs declined to just one-tenth of what they were, while the volume of world trade grew...
JAPAN
May 28, 2008

Seven years for sister's grisly slaying

The Tokyo District Court sentenced a 23-year-old man Tuesday to seven years in prison for killing his sister but acquitted him of dismembering her corpse, ruling he was legally insane when he committed that part of the crime.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
May 28, 2008

Reinsdorf scared D'Antoni away from Bulls

NEW YORK — Those in the know reveal Jerry Reinsdorf's business-like approach (vs. Donnie Walsh's unchecked enthusiasm) in Mike D'Antoni's recruitment was the major factor for choosing the Knicks over the Bulls.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 28, 2008

Kibo, Lexus of space labs, poised for launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — In terms of both size and sophistication, Japan is about to roll out the Lexus of space labs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AFRICA LIFELINE
May 28, 2008

Africa donors failing with financing: Sachs

The main quandary in aiding Africa is not the absence of initiatives or technology, but the "lack of adequate financing" by donor countries that fail to follow through on their commitments, U.N. adviser and economist Jeffrey Sachs said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
May 28, 2008

Creative policy for Africa

The first Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) was held in 1993, cosponsored by Japan, the United Nations and the World Bank. Leaders from 45 African countries are attending the fourth TICAD in Yokohama this week. Serving as meeting chairman, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is trying...

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