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EDITORIALS
Aug 14, 2008

A trial in the war on terror

Mr. Salim Hamdan has been found guilty of aiding terrorism. His trial verdict at Guantanamo Bay is, for some, vindication of the Bush administration's efforts to render justice on terrorist suspects. For others, it is a cruel attempt to extract some measure of retribution against individuals who are...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 14, 2008

Shock tactics return

"The only thing humans, rats and crows have in common is garbage," announced Ryuta Ushiro, leader of artist unit Chim ↑ Pom, with a mischievous smile.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 14, 2008

Kutcher gets lucky — in Vegas and in life

Model turned actor and TV producer Ashton Kutcher is the first to admit he's a very lucky man. In the mid-1990s he auditioned for several U.S. TV series before joining "That '70s Show," which in 1998 launched his career as a nationally known face.
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2008

Getting people to understand

I don't think Debito Arudou has ever been called a "nigger." I have. I have also been called a "gaijin" by every conceivable age group in Japan. I am also a Japanese citizen. You have to start with your own community and be visible as a member of the community to make people understand the word is wrong. ...
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2008

Valid points about use of 'gaijin'

It is interesting to hear that David Blecken ("The usual level of xenophobia," Aug. 7 letter) is "sick" of David Arudou's Op-Eds. I have a suggestion: Stop reading them. Otherwise, although Blecken's pessimistic assertion that Japan is "no more xenophobic than any other society" certainly may be true,...
SPORTS / ODDS AND EVENS
Aug 14, 2008

'Underdog' Gay ready to face his date with destiny

BEIJING — I spent an hour listening to one of the three fastest men living on the planet speak in slow, articulate sentences earlier this week.
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2008

Limits of 'multiculturalism'

Regarding the recent flap over Debito Arudou's Aug. 5 article, "Once a 'gaijin,' always a 'gaijin,' " and, more specifically, the Aug. 10 letter response from Sandra Graves-Takahashi, "Unlikely material for a revolution": I must concur with Arudou regarding the treatment of foreigners in Japan.
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2008

2.4% decline in GDP spells recession

The economy shrank at an annualized pace of 2.4 percent in the second quarter, the government said Wednesday, posting Japan's first negative growth in a year and signaling the approach of a recession linked to rising oil prices and a slowdown in the United States.
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 14, 2008

Staffing decisions at the NNTT cause a stir in theater world

The Japanese theater world is currently in crisis over the question of to whom public theaters belong, since the decision by the New National Theatre Tokyo (NNTT) to appoint new artistic directors for each of its three divisions. The disquiet has been caused by revelations following a June 30 announcement...
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2008

Car ownership off for second year

The national car ownership rate is lower for the second straight year as record fuel costs keep customers out of auto showrooms.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 14, 2008

Traditional delights

In a summertime exhibition to celebrate the 120th anniversary of Kokka, the authoritative Japanese journal on pre-modern Asian art, and the 130th anniversary of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, the (TNM) has taken an interesting change of direction in its curation.
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2008

Current account surplus falls 67%

Japan's current account surplus narrowed by a record amount in June as exports fell and higher oil prices pushed up the import bill.
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2008

Japan's insurers look abroad as profits fall

Slowing premium growth may force Japan's insurance companies to seek more takeovers abroad to counter declining profits in the world's most rapidly aging country.
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2008

MUFG may have to up ante as UnionBanCal shares surge

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Japan's largest bank by market value, may have to raise its $3 billion bid for control of UnionBanCal Corp. after the Californian lender's stock surged.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2008

New hope for Aborigines

SYDNEY — The richest man in Australia has come up with the first solid plan to get "lost" Australians off welfare dependence and into dignity-rewarding jobs. It's a breakthrough that has been 200 years in the making.
COMMENTARY
Aug 13, 2008

Beijing Games focus U.S. attention on Asia

There's one huge under-appreciated plus about the Summer Olympics Games in China. They will bring an important part of Asia into the American living room day after day and night after night.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS: SWIMMING
Aug 13, 2008

Phelps picks up third gold

Perfection is incredibly difficult to attain. Michael Phelps just makes it looks easy.
OLYMPICS
Aug 13, 2008

Phelps in esteemed company at top of Mount Olympus

BEIJING — Here's the answer to an obscure trivia question: Michael Phelps' middle name is Fred.
SPORTS / ODDS AND EVENS
Aug 13, 2008

Kitajima's swimming feats inspire a nation

BEIJING — With his head tilted back and his mouth wide open in a victorious roar, Kosuke Kitajima's fist-pump celebration after winning the 100-meter breaststroke final on Monday morning produced Japan's iconic image of the 2008 Summer Games so far.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2008

New premium grape fetches ¥100,000

A new variety of premium grapes has made its debut with a single bunch fetching as much as ¥100,000.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS: GYMNASTICS
Aug 13, 2008

China's men ace gymnastics; Japan second

BEIJING — This story is a familiar one: China was devastated by the earthquake that hit Sichuan Province on May 12, instantly killing thousands and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2008

Water shortage: China's looming problem

SINGAPORE — The Chinese government has made a huge effort to improve air quality and beautify Beijing for the Olympics. But it cannot apply a short-term "fix" to another problem that visitors to the Games will not see — the steady depletion of underground water supplies in northern China, where the...

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