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EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2008

Quakes in unexpected places

The June 14 earthquake in the Tohoku region underscores the need to strengthen studies of active faults for which quake-occurrence probability has not been evaluated. The 7.2-magnitude earthquake caused vibrations of upper 6 on the Japanese scale of 7 in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, and in Kurihara, Miyagi...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / LIQUID CULTURE
Jun 27, 2008

Eau contraire: no two waters taste the same

From the marketing bumf, you'd think all mineral waters tasted alike. The aquifers are ancient, the nature is untouched and blah blah blah. But H2O is such a great solvent it steals a bit of anything it passes through, resulting in a shelfload of different flavors.
EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2008

Unrelenting suicide toll

The year 2007 saw 33,093 suicides in Japan, with the number of people taking their own lives topping 30,000 for the 10th straight year. This is a sad situation. Some suicides may have been caused by strictly personal problems, but the National Police Agency's statistics hint that social factors also...
CULTURE / Music
Jun 27, 2008

Jakob Dylan "Seeing Things"

It's tough to write about Jakob Dylan without referencing his father, Bob, and pundits are going to have an even tougher time now with the release of Jakob's acoustic solo album. While his previous albums with his band The Wallflowers always featured stellar writing, that was often buried under the three-chord...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2008

Ultramobile PC joins Panasonic Toughbooks

Panasonic's latest PC offering is small enough to cradle in one hand, yet strong enough to handle the rough and tumble of extreme environments.
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2008

Sony midterm plan focuses on core businesses, networking

In its three-year business plan unveiled Thursday, Sony Corp. said it aims to see annual sales in three additional business categories top ¥1 trillion, joining the four already above that target: LCD television sets, digital cameras and camcorders, games and mobile phones.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 27, 2008

A very green afternoon cuppa

Whenever I travel to Tokyo I make it a point to spend at least a good part of one day on a visit to Shibamata in Katsushika Ward. This lovely neighborhood tucked away in the remote northeastern corner of the city on the banks of the Edogawa River still retains some of the flavor of the Edo Period (1603-1867)....
COMMENTARY
Jun 27, 2008

Loving and loathing the EU

LONDON — The European Union now consists of 27 states, with more states in the Balkans and Eastern Europe jockeying to join. Turkey is a candidate for membership. There would be benefits for the EU from further expansion, including more trade, improvements in democratic institutions and the protection...
CULTURE / Music
Jun 27, 2008

Teenage pop stars know how to operate

"It's kind of embarrassing," says Taylor Henderson, violinist with teen sensations Operator Please, as she recalls the Australian release of the Queensland band's breakthrough single, "Just a Song About Ping Pong."
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jun 27, 2008

Qualifying round shows talent gap narrowing in Asia

Japan national team manager Takeshi Okada will be aware his seat at Friday's World Cup final Asian qualifying round draw in Kuala Lumpur has not come easy, but he will not be the only man in the room irked by such thoughts.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jun 27, 2008

Star-crossed celebratory feast

Star-crossed celebratory feast A Gourmet Legend dinner will be the centerpiece of the seventh anniversary celebrations of the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel on July 7, the day of Tanabata (Star Festival).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Jun 27, 2008

"Nishi no Majo ga Shinda"

Director: Shunichi Nagasaki
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2008

LDP's future as dicey as Humpty Dumpty's

BRUSSELS — Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has been in office less than 12 months, yet polls show popular support for his administration running around 20 percent. Fukuda and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) face a bleak future.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 27, 2008

'Aruitemo Aruitemo'

Family drama is the default setting of serious Japanese cinema. No matter what genre first brings Japanese directors fame or fortune, be it Sci Fi/fantasy, yakuza epics or horror, they often end up making a family drama, especially if they want to establish their auteurist credentials. The Western used...
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2008

J-Power beats back TCI proposals

J-Power's shareholders rejected a proposal by British hedge fund TCI to double the annual dividend and other proposals at the utility's annual general meeting Thursday in Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 27, 2008

'In the Valley of Elah'

Iraq War movies are dying at the box office one after another. It doesn't matter if they're brutal expose ("Redacted"), touching family story ("Grace Is Gone"), or high-firepower entertainment ("The Kingdom") — nobody's buying.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2008

U.K. climate-change envoy pitches 'low-carbon society'

Failing to respond effectively to global warming would be tantamount to taking away public security and prosperity, a British envoy for climate change issues said Thursday in Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 27, 2008

Joan of Arc

American label Polyvinyl Records is promoting "Boo Human," the latest effort from the Chicago band Joan of Arc,as their "most accessible, cohesive" work since 1998's "How Memory Works."
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2008

Man held after cutting cop with knife during grilling in Akihabara

A man was arrested Thursday for allegedly cutting a policeman with a knife taken from his bag during questioning in Akihabara, where a motor vehicle and knife rampage left seven people dead and 10 wounded nearly two weeks ago, a police spokesman said.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 27, 2008

Doan exhibition embraces human taboos as art forms

Artist Vivienne U.H. Doan is known for following her own vision. From body-sculpting and superstylish modeling- performance pieces to gigantic dress installations, this Vietnamese-German has offered a fresh take on art that involves the audience.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 27, 2008

Director Kore'eda on his '24 -hour' epic

Hirokazu Kore'eda began directing in 1991, while working for TV Man Union, a major TV production company. His first theatrical feature, 1995's "Maboroshi no Hikari" (English title: "Maboroshi"), was selected for the Venice Film Festival competition — a rare honor for a tyro director. His international...

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