search

 
 
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2007

Alleged suicide helper for hire held in slaying

The operator of an Internet suicide site has been arrested for allegedly killing a woman who paid him to kill her, an official said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Oct 12, 2007

Tardy decision by sumo executives

The Japan Sumo Association has dismissed stable master (the former) Tokitsukaze in connection with the death of 17-year-old sumo wrestler Tokitaizan in July shortly after a practice session. The unanimous decision by JSA executives is their heaviest punishment: Tokitsukaze will be expelled from the sumo...
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2007

Mobile phone carriers apply for WiMAX service licenses

Groups led by Japan's three mobile phone carriers — Softbank Corp., KDDI Corp. and NTT DoCoMo Inc. — applied Thursday for licenses to provide next-generation, high-speed WiMAX wireless telecommunications services.
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2007

No change as BOJ keeps rate at 0.5%

The Bank of Japan Policy Board agreed Thursday to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 percent for the eighth straight month as prospects for the global economy remain uncertain in the wake of the U.S. subprime mortgage loan crisis.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 12, 2007

Keller Williams

If you believe sampling is a fraud perpetrated by people who lack musical chops, Keller Williams might just prove you wrong.
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2007

Fast posts 21% profit drop for year

Fast Retailing Co.'s profit declined for the business year that ended Aug. 31, due mainly to a warm winter and rising personnel, advertising and promotional costs, the company said Thursday.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 12, 2007

9/11 through Japan's eyes

In the Japanese theater world, Rinkogun merits a special mention for its concern for socio-political issues and its focus on increasing audiences' awareness rather than merely eliciting laughter or tears as many other companies are content to do.
COMMENTARY
Oct 12, 2007

Forcing defeat from the jaws of victory

LONDON — This week is the sixth anniversary of the start of U.S. airstrikes against al-Qaida and its Taliban hosts in Afghanistan. It was a very clever political-military operation, and by December of 2001 all of Afghanistan was under the control of the United States and its local allies for a total...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Oct 12, 2007

Grapes try to kick the chemical habit

Wine grapes are perhaps the highest-value, most quality-driven legally-grown agricultural crop in the world. As such, growers are usually quick to adopt the latest technical advances for protecting their vineyards. Winemakers have begun to realize, however, that the traditional agrochemicaly-based approach...
EDITORIALS
Oct 12, 2007

The case for recording confessions

The National Police Agency has joined discussions with related offices about the types of criminal procedures to be used when the lay judge system is introduced in May 2009. The other offices are the Supreme Court, the Justice Ministry, the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office and the Japan Federation of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2007

'The Kingdom'

It seems impossible to make a movie about 9/11 or the "war on terror" without getting sucked into the political dogfight surrounding the mess America now finds itself in. Whether it's "The Road To Guantanamo," "United 97," or even the latest season of "24," it's hard to portray current events — even...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Oct 12, 2007

Fumiko no Umi

"Fumiko no Umi" Director: Akio Kondo
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 12, 2007

MY PLAYLIST: Hot Chip

Hot Chip are leading the current British electro-indie crossover charge, having earned widespread acclaim for their second album "The Warning," released in Japan last month on Rough Trade.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Oct 12, 2007

Britain is finally waking up to the unmistakable smell of sake

I recently returned from Britain, where I took part in some events sponsored by the Japan Central Brewers' Association and the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. I was impressed by the quality and the sheer variety of sake offered by Japanese brewers and enthusiastic local distributors such as Tazaki Foods....
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2007

Sony Financial rises 3.8% in biggest Japan IPO of year

Sony Financial Holdings Inc. gained 3.8 percent Thursday on its first day of trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange after raising ¥320 billion in Japan's largest initial public offering this year.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 12, 2007

Glenn Miller Orchestra brings a touch of brass

The Glenn Miller Orchestra returns to Japan for a national tour starting Nov. 19 that includes performances in Tokyo, Hokkaido, Osaka and Fukuoka.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 12, 2007

Cleansing your mind with a little creativity

Nasu Kogen is proudly promoted as a vacation spot of the Imperial family. Judging by the numerous pamphlets at the station's welcome center, the area, about an hour and a half north of Tokyo, certainly wants to offer something for the whole family — but not necessarily the royals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 12, 2007

Dedicated followers of suburbia

Think of New York and rock musicians and you might well think of Lou Reed, whose identification with his home town is so secure that he remains the only rock star with the guts to actually title an album "New York." Even Billy Joel restricted himself to "52nd Street."
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Oct 12, 2007

Free wine tastings, and celebrity chef at the Cerulean

Wine tasting — and it's free Vinos Yamazaki's new wine shop in Yurakucho, Tokyo, will hold a three-day Wine Festival to mark its opening, with free wine tastings, special seminars and a limited sale of special wines, from Oct. 12 to 14.
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2007

Japanese kidnapped by bandits in Iran

A Japanese college student has been kidnapped in southeastern Iran by an armed group and Tokyo has asked Tehran for help to secure his safe release, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Thursday.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 12, 2007

Delta Lady Coolidge still captivating crowds at 62

World-famous singer Rita Coolidge performs in Tokyo and Nagoya Oct. 14-20. Coolidge's versatile voice, ranging from the clear to the sultry, has captivated audiences in genres including country, folk, pop, rock and R&B for nearly four decades.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2007

'0093 Jo Heika no Kusakari Masao'

The Japanese film industry makes many comedies, but few parodies of the "Airplane," "Naked Gun" or "Austin Powers" variety. This is puzzling, since Japanese comedy directors have been borrowing freely from Hollywood for generations, including Koki Mitani ("Uchoten Hotel"), who worships at the altar of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Oct 12, 2007

War

"War" Director: Philip G. Atwell
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 12, 2007

Be baffled and awed

The New National Theatre, under the aegis of recently appointed director Hiroshi Wakasugi, opens its 2007/8 season with Richard Wagner's 1845 grand Romantic opera "Tannhauser."

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan