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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 2, 2008

Compartmentalizing Japanese using prefectural stereotypes

At the heart of the current argument over whether or not to continue the special gasoline tax is a question that gets overlooked: Does the central government have too much control over prefectural governments?
CULTURE / Books
Mar 2, 2008

Verbal and visual tributes to the poetry of Santoka

HAILSTONES / ARARE / ZIARNA GRADU: Haiku by Taneda Santoka, English translations by John Stevens, Polish Translations by Wioletta Laskowska & Lidia Rozmus, with sumi-e by Lidia Rozmus. Deep North Press, 2006, 33 poem-cards, $50 (boxed) SANTOKA: A Translation With Photographic Images, English translations...
Reader Mail
Mar 2, 2008

Don't cry for the old leftists

Regarding the Feb. 25 article "Thai leader in hot water over remarks": I would like to comment as one who lost part of his life due to communist brutalities during the Cold War. Nowadays people tend to forget the past and to forgive leftists who might have caused great havoc to a country's security if...
Reader Mail
Mar 2, 2008

Restrictive reality of bicycling

The fact that so many people choose to cycle in Japan has a lot to do with the fact that they are not forced onto the road with motorized traffic. Young children, teenagers, women with kids, middle-aged women, the elderly, the unfit and unsporty -- all are well represented in the utility cycling demographic...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 2, 2008

Father-daughter daytime soap opera, celebrity charity projects, Korean history special

The entire premise of the daytime soap opera "Mikon Roku-Shimai Part 2 (Six Unmarried Sisters Part 2)" (TBS, Monday-Friday, 1:30 p.m.) is right there in the title. The series is about a widower, Matsutaro (Shinyo Owada), who runs a traditional Japanese confectionery. He has six daughters who range in...
BASKETBALL
Mar 2, 2008

Albirex edge Evessa in tight game

The Niigata Albirex BB earned a 90-86 victory over the host Osaka Evessa on Saturday, defeating the two-time defending bj-league champions in a playoff-like setting.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 2, 2008

'Kusamakura': What's the story?

KUSAMAKURA by Natsume Soseki, translated by Meredith McKinney. Penguin Classics, 2008, 152 pp., £9.99 (paper) In this early work (also known as "Grass Pillow") by one of Japan's best-known authors, the narrator is with a mysterious woman he meets at the hot spring. They are talking about reading, about...
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 2, 2008

Sanfrecce beat Antlers in controversy-marred match

A hugely controversial performance from referee Masaaki Iemoto overshadowed an unlikely penalty-shootout win for second-division Sanfrecce Hiroshima over J. League champion Kashima Antlers in the Xerox Super Cup on Saturday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 2, 2008

Education reform in reverse

The education ministry has unveiled drafts of revised courses of study for elementary and middle schools. The new courses of study will become effective in fiscal 2011 for elementary schools and in fiscal 2012 for middle schools. For the first time in 30 years, the drafts call for increasing the number...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 2, 2008

Will Japan's insular mindset ever be inclusive of others?

First of two parts
Reader Mail
Mar 2, 2008

Neighborhood day-care shortage

The apartment that my wife and I purchased in the Toyosu area of Koto Ward in June 2006 is nearing completion. The complex incorporates a day-care center. Because my wife was pregnant, our purchase decision was significantly influenced by the close proximity of the day-care center. After the birth of...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD
Mar 2, 2008

Inviting Big Brother along for the ride

In-car camera systems that record accidents have the potential to change our behavior — and curb the rising number of traffic fatalities occurring around the globe as more vehicles pour onto our roads. They also open a debate on the right to personal safety versus the right to privacy; such systems...
Reader Mail
Mar 2, 2008

The drive to expel U.S. forces

Regarding Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright's Feb. 26 article, "Building a stronger alliance": Wright's perception of the U.S.-Japan security alliance seems constrained by the same "horse blinders" that characterize the general approach of the U.S. military toward Asia. In this post-Cold War era, he needs to...
Reader Mail
Mar 2, 2008

False hope for Myanmar opposition

Regarding David I. Steinberg's Feb. 27 article, " 'Rambo' movie sends the wrong message": I fully agree with professor Steinberg, but I don't think the next president of the United States will be as hawkish and greedy as George W. Bush.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Mar 2, 2008

Shintaro Tsuji: 'Mr. Cute' shares his wisdoms and wit

Shintaro Tsuji isn't joking when he says he wants to make Hello Kitty, his company's best-selling character, into a brand name that rivals Gucci or Hermes.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 1, 2008

Antlers back in action in Xerox Super Cup

Club soccer returns to Japan on Saturday as reigning J. League champion Kashima Antlers take on Emperor's Cup runnerup Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the traditional curtain-raising Xerox Super Cup match.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
Mar 1, 2008

Sparks, Newton earn monthly honors

Rasheed Sparks picks his spots. He doesn't need to score, but when he does it has a profound impact on his team's success.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2008

Ishiba admits job at risk over Atago accident

Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba indicated Friday he may resign after the investigation into the Feb. 19 collision involving the Aegis destroyer Atago and a trawler is wrapped up and preventive measures are established.
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2008

Ruling bloc enacts '08 budget in power play

Turning a deaf ear to calls from opposition lawmakers for further deliberations, the Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition rammed the fiscal 2008 budget through the Lower House late Friday night.
BASKETBALL
Mar 1, 2008

Ellis lifts HeatDevils past Rizing

Andy Ellis scored 31 points to lead the Oita HeatDevils to a 100-91 victory over the host Rizing Fukuoka on Friday night. The HeatDevils (14-17) outscored the hosts 26-13 in the second quarter. The other three quarters were decided by six points. Jason Braxton added 24 points, Chris Ayer had 17 and...

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