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Japan Times
CULTURE
Jan 3, 2008

Hot tickets: Performing arts

Tokubetsu Buyo Koen
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 3, 2008

'Fukubukuro' hunters rise early to bag their prey at nation's shops

With the new year comes the season of shopping extravaganzas.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2008

'07 political storm really the calm before '08?

Last year was full of political turmoil — from scandals and arrests to suicide and a divided Diet — but there is no time to rest because 2008 may turn out to be a historical turning point if there is a general election, depending on which side wins, analysts say.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2008

Japan stumbles its way toward a two-party system

2007 was a politically significant year. It is stirring to see how much the political terrain has changed from the beginning of the year to now.
Reader Mail
Dec 30, 2007

Moronic remarks repel readers

Letters like "Human existence demands sacrifice" on Dec. 27 (which asks why whales should be treated as special creatures) are too obviously controversial pieces that are published in order to draw a response. Normally, I would say that this tactic would be acceptable as it can promote the exchange...
BASKETBALL
Dec 30, 2007

Kosuge shines in East's runaway victory

NIIGATA — The victorious East team had 34 assists in its runaway victory over the West in the 2007-08 bj-league All-Star Game on Saturday. But really, you could say, it finished with one big, collective assist, a well-deserved pat on the back for getting the ball to the right man at the right time....
Reader Mail
Dec 30, 2007

Destructive attitude hurts image

Those in Japan who encourage whaling say they cannot understand the feeling of foreigners concerning whales. But I remember the "Tama-chan" event from when I lived in Japan in 2002 -- when a little seal was seen swimming the rivers of Tokyo. It became international news and proved that Japanese people...
EDITORIALS
Dec 29, 2007

Education proposals lack coherence

The Education Resuscitation Council, which was set up under the leadership of then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has submitted its third report to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. The report includes a variety of proposals for consideration: a grade-skipping system, government guidelines for school integration,...
Reader Mail
Dec 27, 2007

Human existence demands sacrifice

Why must we treat whales as special creatures? Human existence is based on the sacrifices of other creatures including animals such as cows and vegetable plants. We should be thankful for the sacrifices of these creatures.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2007

A last hurrah at some of the year's political howlers

Inasmuch as newspapers routinely wrap up their year with top-10 news, sports and other stories, perhaps it would also be a good time to hark back on, say, roughly 10 memorable moments in blunder-speak, when political figures funded by the taxpayer blurt out nuggets guaranteed to show how not to earn...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Dec 26, 2007

Giant water bug

*Japanese name: Taikouchi *Scientific name: Laccotrephes japonensis *Description: Also known as water scorpions and "toe-biters," these are ferocious, tough insects with strong, sharp front legs for catching prey (and biting toes or fingers) and a beaked hypodermic-type mouth with which they stab...
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2007

U.S. lightens Japan's burden

The United States has agreed to Japan slightly reducing its burden-sharing costs for maintaining U.S. military facilities in the country over three years starting in April — after the current two-year accord expires in March. In the talks, Japan sought a substantial cut due to its massive national...
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2007

Rewarding hospital doctors

The government and the ruling parties have decided to raise the medical fees paid to medical institutions for doctors' services by 0.38 percent from fiscal 2008. The upward fee revision is the first since fiscal 2000, but the margin of the raise is too small to stem the collapse of medical services,...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2007

War without end on Congo's women

NEW YORK — The violence in Congo is unspeakable. But, if the horror of Congo's recent wars — which have killed more people than any war since World War II — is to end, the unspeakable must be spoken.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 23, 2007

When World Series ball becomes chew toy, there's lesson to be learned

Leave it to a pooch to put things in perspective.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2007

Diet unites to tighten politicians' funding rules

With money scandals marring the image of lawmakers, the Diet passed a bill Friday to increase the transparency of political funding by obliging them to disclose all expenses other than salaries.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 22, 2007

Preparing for . . . the Christmas that never comes

You think Christmas celebrations start too early in your country? So that when Christmas finally comes, you've already had enough of it? Where do you think "Season's Greetings" comes from?
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2007

MSDF exit elated al-Qaida, Taliban: Afghan ambassador

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, Afghanistan has been the battleground for the global war on terrorism.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2007

Budget rise eyed for '08 seen as reform retreat

The Finance Ministry proposed Thursday raising the fiscal 2008 budget to ¥83.06 trillion in what may signal a retreat from the government's pursuit of fiscal reform.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 21, 2007

The art of youth

An Aladdin's Cave of small, distinctive retail spaces, the Laforet building at a main crossroads in trendy Harajuku has been a shopping magnet for young people since it opened in 1978. This year, for instance, more than 3,000 lined up outside awaiting the start of its New Year sale. And whereas its Shibuya...

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan