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Japan Times
LIFE / COSPLAY CULTURE
Mar 9, 2008

Fashion fantasies come to life in cosplay

Silver wig, blue contact lenses, a mock sword and a (kind of) knight's costume.
Reader Mail
Mar 9, 2008

The money issue with surrogacy

Regarding the article about a surrogate mother who gave birth to "her own grandchild": This is painful to read. Why didn't the family just choose adoption instead of a surrogate birth? I can't figure out why a couple gets so obsessed with the idea that a baby must have their own DNA. Isn't it possible...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 9, 2008

Tokyo air-raid photography, convenience stores, LDP versus the DPJ on TV

This Monday marks the 63rd anniversary of the Tokyo air raid. In the very early morning hours of March 10, 1945, U.S. bombers dropped incendiary devices on the capital. No one knows exactly how many people perished in the attack, but estimates range from 100,000 to 200,000.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Mar 9, 2008

Washington closing in on return to powerhouse Evessa

The Osaka Evessa's 2007-08 season opened in typical fashion: with a victory. A 91-71 win over the Rizing Fukuoka on Oct. 30 signaled the start of the team's quest for a three-peat.
Reader Mail
Mar 9, 2008

Alleviating the day-care crisis

Further to my March 2 letter, "Neighborhood day-care shortage" (about the day-care facility debacle in Tokyo's Koto Ward): I would like to put forward a proposal to alleviate the crisis. During the promotional stage of the Park City development, Mitsui Fudosan erected a temporary building to display...
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Mar 8, 2008

Who can steal the limelight from the Mongolian princes of sumo?

A little over a week ago, the Nihon Sumo Kyokai announced its rankings for the upcoming Haru Basho in Osaka.
BASKETBALL
Mar 8, 2008

Oga determined to play for WNBA's Mercury

Asked if she has confidence in her command of the English language, Yuko Oga replied in her signature fashion. She laughed, and then she answered the question.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2008

European or Putin expansion?

WARSAW — The merit of the Berlin Wall was that it made obvious where Europe ended. But now the question of Europe's borders has become a staple of debate in the European Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent threat to aim missiles at Ukraine highlights what is at stake in that debate's outcome....
JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
Mar 8, 2008

Will 'good guy-bad guy' faceoff revive sumo?

The sacred sport of sumo boasts a history of 1,300 years, but recent scandals and undignified exploits of some of its champions are threatening to reduce its status to heresy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
Mar 8, 2008

Pair practice art of collaboration in life, work

Designers Yoshiko Tajima and Ansgar Vollmer met and fell in love while students at Koeln International School of Design in Cologne, Germany.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 8, 2008

English powerhouses prove mettle in Champions League

LONDON — The rest of Europe may not find it particularly exciting but the prospect of four Premier League teams in the quarterfinals of the Champions League underlines where the European football power base lies.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2008

Overseas citizens' groups prepare G8 strategy

As the Group of Eight summit approaches in July, leaders of overseas citizens' groups got together Friday in Tokyo to prepare countermeasures for the upcoming annual meeting of the major developed countries near Lake Toya, Hokkaido.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2008

Jury still out on Fukui's legacy

What thoughts were going through Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui's mind on the last day of the BOJ Policy Board meeting Friday — the final one before his term ends March 19 — is anyone's guess.
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2008

Forex reserves pass $1 trillion milestone

Japan's foreign-exchange reserves rose to a record high $1.01 trillion at the end of February, reaching 13 figures for the first time, the Finance Ministry said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2008

Wanted: more volunteer firefighters

Community-based fire brigades called "shobodan," composed of ordinary citizens, play an important role in firefighting and fire prevention. But the number of shobodan members has been declining. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency in January started a three-month campaign to encourage citizens to...
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2008

Muto nominated as BOJ chief; DPJ unsure

With Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui's term expiring in 11 days, the government and ruling bloc on Friday finally nominated one of his deputies, Toshiro Muto, to replace him at the central bank.
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2008

Making FTC policy more transparent

Under current Fair Trade Commission rules, companies that have grievances over FTC decisions must go before the FTC for redress. This system is likely to be abolished in the near future because of strong voices within business circles and the Liberal Democratic Party that are calling for abolition of...
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2008

Analysts see bid for balance in choice of BOJ nominees

The government's nomination Friday of Masaaki Shirakawa, a former Bank of Japan executive, and Takatoshi Ito, a member of the government's Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, as new BOJ deputy governors prompted analysts to wonder whether one of them may become the central bank's chief five years...

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan