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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 1, 2008

'Yami no Kodomotachi'

In our anything-goes age, pedophilia remains one subject that makes everyone from film industry executives to ordinary fans nervous, to put it mildly. In "Lolita," Stanley Kubrick made the title character older than the 12-year-old in Vladimir Nabokov's notorious novel, while suggesting the sex rather...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 1, 2008

'City of Men'

"City Of God," from 2003, still stands up as one of the best films of the decade. Its story of two decades of gang history in a Rio de Janeiro favela (slum) was compelling enough, taking viewers into an underworld rarely glimpsed by outsiders. But as much as the story itself, the way in which it was...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 1, 2008

Art festival returns to Echigo-Tsumari

More than 160 modern artworks will grace some 760 sq. km of rural Niigata Prefecture during August at the Echigo-Tsumari Daichi no Matsuri (Festival of the Earth) in the agricultural region of Echigo-Tsumari.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2008

Downturn doesn't spell 'R' word: Mitarai

Although the economy is suffering a downturn because of the slowdown in the U.S., Japan is unlikely to experience a recession in the foreseeable future, Fujio Mitarai, chairman of the nation's biggest business lobby, said Thursday.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 1, 2008

Birthday best for Suntory Gala

Tickets are now on sale for a very special concert to be staged Oct. 4 at Suntory Hall in Minato Ward, Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Aug 1, 2008

Stories that go bump in the night

Stories that go bump in the night In the Edo Period (1603-1867), getting together and telling ghost stories (kaidan) at night was a popular summer pastime. As a hotel located in the middle of Nihonbashi, the historical town that preserves the culture of Edo (Tokyo), the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo is reviving...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 1, 2008

Yamasaki provides late-game heroics

OSAKA — Entering the bottom of the ninth of the first game in the NPB All-Star Series, it was pretty much a given the game's MVP would be a 40-year-old veteran.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 1, 2008

Rhodes, Sato share All-Star home run derby title

Four of baseball's top sluggers — Tuffy Rhodes of the Orix Buffaloes, Tomoaki Kanemoto of the Hanshin Tigers, G.G. Sato from the Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants outfielder Alex Ramirez — competed in a home run derby before the first game of Nippon Professional Baseball's All-Star Series on Thursday....
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Aug 1, 2008

Sorimachi's squad faces big challenge

With its constantly changing cast and seemingly endless running time, Japan's Olympic soccer team has begun to resemble a TV soap opera.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 1, 2008

Finding the edge at Fuji

New finds on the fringes
EDITORIALS
Aug 1, 2008

Paying up to be promoted

A corruption scandal involving the Oita prefectural board of education is expanding. At first, the corruption concerned teacher recruitment: Five educators, including a former No. 2 board official, have been indicted in this connection. Now it is also known that teachers who wanted to be promoted to...
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2008

Wage drop in June ups chances of recession

Wages dropped in June for the first time this year, indicating slower consumer spending coupled with falling exports may bring on a recession.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 1, 2008

From Flash to Nash to getting trashed by Tricky

Our scribes at the Fuji Rock Festival in Naeba grabbed a quick chat with some of the most anticipated acts of the weekend, including turntable legend Grandmaster Flash and much-hyped Brazilian sex-throbs CSS. Not all the interviews went perfectly smoothly, but click the artists' pics below to see what...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / GRAND OLD HOTELS
Aug 1, 2008

Romancing the West: Kamakura's charming boutique hotel

The symmetrical beauty of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, the meditative colossus of Kotokuin, and the Zen-inspired splendors of Kenchoji and Enkakuji may win Kamakura inscription on the World Heritage List. Comparatively unknown are its Western-style buildings constructed after Kamakura became accessible...
MORE SPORTS
Aug 1, 2008

Tamesue struggles in Monaco GP

Dai Tamesue, a two-time bronze medalist in the 400-meter hurdles in the IAAF World Athletics Championships, finished eighth in Thursday's Monaco Super Grand Prix. Tamesue finished the race in 49.51 seconds. Jamaica's Danny McFarlane was the winner in 48.39.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 1, 2008

'Love in the Time of Cholera'

It's easy to fall in love with a novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but certain obstacles stand in the way of loving his characters. As time goes by and one becomes increasingly mired in the concerns of the 21st century — "Should I buy an iPhone?" "How many minutes do I have left on this exercise machine?"...
EDITORIALS
Aug 1, 2008

The responsibility to tax

The Liberal Democratic Party's Research Commission on the Tax System has started discussions on fiscal 2009 tax policies at a time when the central and local governments have outstanding debts totaling about ¥800 trillion, or about 1.5 times the nation's gross domestic product — the worst figure among...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 1, 2008

Suzuran: Chilling with chuka soba

Japan's infatuation with ramen can seem bewildering to the uninitiated. When you see lines around the block outside nondescript noodle joints in remote locations, with waits of up to an hour, it's hard not think the obsession is verging on the pathological.
COMMENTARY
Jul 31, 2008

An outbreak of nationalism

The issue of Scottish nationalism has again come to a head, and is raising serious political issues for all of Britain. The situation has been sparked by the outcome of a recent parliamentary by-election which, to general surprise, the Scottish Nationalist candidate won.
COMMENTARY
Jul 31, 2008

Money can't buy Tibetan love

By all measures Tibet's economy is booming. In the past 30 years its growth rate has outstripped the rest of China's, 10.4 percent to 9.8 percent year on year. The result is that the vast majority of Tibetans have been pulled out of deep poverty.
Reader Mail
Jul 31, 2008

Hurdles to prosecuting soldiers

As for Michael Logan's July 27 letter, "What immunity from prosecution?": Frankly, I am not a legal specialist, especially in matters of the Status of Forces Agreement (between the United States and Japan). But Logan seems to believe that Japanese police can freely arrest off-duty U.S. service members...
Reader Mail
Jul 31, 2008

Culture counts as much as looks

Call me trite, but Sakumi Shimose's July 27 letter, "Japanese beauty on world's stage," totally misses the point! Japanese women and men can be confident on the world stage while being proud of their heritage and culture, not just their looks.
EDITORIALS
Jul 31, 2008

All for one, one for all

The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry's 2008 white paper on trade says the subprime mortgage loan crisis in the United States is affecting the U.S., European and other economies. It notes that since soaring food and resources prices are globally causing inflationary pressure, the activities of developed...

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