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Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2008

Volunteer DIY group puts a touch of earth into prefabs

On a rainy day in late March, a group of people were making material to apply to the walls of a two-story concrete house going up in the city of Musashino in Tokyo.
BASKETBALL
Apr 21, 2008

Fukuoka books place in bj-league semis

TAKAMATSU — Sometime between early March and mid-April, the Rizing Fukuoka began to resemble a playoff-caliber basketball team.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Apr 21, 2008

Apache down Albirex to reach final weekend

The Tokyo Apache advanced to the bj-league's final four playoff weekend with a hard fought 103-88 victory over the Niigata Albirex in a wild-card game on Sunday afternoon.
BASKETBALL
Apr 21, 2008

Teams relish chance to play in Yoyogi gym

The game between the Tokyo Apache and Niigata Albirex wasn't just special because it was the first wild-card contest ever played. It was spiced up by another ingredient as well.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 21, 2008

Is Japan's bureaucracy still living in the 17th century?

The roots of both the Japanese and French bureaucratic systems can be traced to Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who as controller general under "the sun king" Louis XIV was instrumental in ushering in mercantilism to Europe and exerted great influence over the government control of the private sector.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2008

China's foreign minister wraps up 'diplomatic' visit to Osaka, Nara

Politics was off the menu as Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi wrapped up his visit to Japan over the weekend with dinner Saturday in Osaka and lunch Sunday in the ancient capital of Nara.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2008

Torch tension mounts in Nagano

Tension is rising in Nagano, where thousands of spectators and demonstrators are expected to gather next Saturday when the city hosts the Olympic torch.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2008

Lee comes to Tokyo seeking pragmatic ties

South Korean President Lee Myung Bak arrived Sunday in Tokyo for a two-day visit, bringing with him hopes of launching a new bilateral relationship based on pragmatism rather than nationalistic and often conflicting sentiments between the two countries.
EDITORIALS
Apr 21, 2008

Torch relay lights up many issues

The most controversial Olympic torch relay in history will arrive in Japan this week. The relay route has been changed and another event canceled in Nagano amid worries over the many protesters who have followed the route as persistently as any athlete. This Olympic torch has turned out to be symbolic...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 21, 2008

Squabbling ruined chance for private-sector BOJ chief

The dispute over replacing the Bank of Japan governor, whose seat was left vacant when Toshihiko Fukui's five-year term ended March 19, was finally settled April 9 when Deputy Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa was officially promoted to chief of the central bank.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Apr 20, 2008

Oba blossoming as assistant coach

Yasuhiro Oba is exceptionally tall, but he is a humble and gentle man who never talks big.
Reader Mail
Apr 20, 2008

Greasing the wrong wheels

In "Leviathan" Thomas Hobbes wrote, "Unnecessary laws are not good laws, but traps for money." These words apply to the tentative law of road construction included in the gasoline tax. The word "temporary" means "semi-permanent" in the crooked world of politics, and this huge budget has snowballed to...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 20, 2008

Uehara turns up pressure on self with MLB talk

Yomiuri Giants ace Koji Uehara may be putting too much pressure on himself after announcing on April 7 he will definitely exercise his right to free agency at the end of the current season and look to play in the major leagues in 2009.
Reader Mail
Apr 20, 2008

Europe should worry about U.S.

The April article "NATO meeting sends dangerous signals" states "The crux of the matter is Europe's lack of political will to forge a unified stand toward Russia." I beg to differ. Rather, Europeans have to be worried about Europe's lack of political will toward the Bush government. The latter struck...
Reader Mail
Apr 20, 2008

Destructive Internet addiction

The April 5 article "Internet addiction recognized as 'an illness' " mentions that some people can become addicted to the Internet, spending excessive time online playing games, viewing pornography and doing e-mail.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 20, 2008

Tuffy blasts pair as Buffs win

Orix Buffaloes manager Terry Collins said that Tuffy Rhodes "is swinging the bat really well right now."
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 20, 2008

'Bone Man' bears lifelong witness to the ugly brute of war

Tell me, where is the glory in war?
EDITORIALS
Apr 20, 2008

Major ruling on SDF's Iraq mission

The Nagoya High Court Thursday ruled that the Air Self-Defense Force's mission in Iraq includes activities that violate the war-renouncing Constitution. It rejects the government's explanations concerning the dispatch of an ASDF unit to Iraq. Although the government says that the ruling does not bind...
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 20, 2008

Tough day for Antlers as Fujigaya hurt in draw with Gamba

KASHIMA, Ibaraki Pref. — Gamba Osaka survived a first-half injury to goalkeeper Yosuke Fujigaya to claim a point from a scrappy 0-0 draw against Kashima Antlers on Saturday.

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