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CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 3, 2011

Facial gymnastics, interviews with 'average people; CM of the week: Loto6

As further proof that variety-show producers are getting hard up for subject matter, Tuesday sees the premiere of the regular series "Sono Kao ga Mite Mitai" ("I Want to See That Face"; Fuji TV, 10 p.m.), which is hosted by the comedy duo Ameagari Kesshitai.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2011

Tsunami-ravaged Ishinomaki slowly sets off on long road to recovery

Self-Defense Forces vehicles kick up clouds of dust as they make their way through narrow streets cleared through the piles of crushed houses, shops and fishing boats scattered like broken toys by the massive tsunami that killed thousands and flooded nearly half of this once beautiful city.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2011

World pitches in to offer support

Messages of support and donations have been flooding in from all over the world to give the grieving people of Japan hope and courage and remind them they are not alone.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 30, 2011

How the world can assist Japan

Japan is known not only for its experience with devastating disasters, but also for innovations in disaster risk reduction. Back in 1990, when the United Nations started its first International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction (1990-1999), Japan was one of the strongest supporters.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2011

Radioactive water keeps workers out

Reactor turbine basements flooded with highly radioactive materials kept a desperate effort to stabilize the Fukushima No. 1 power plant at bay Monday, as fresh data showed that nearby seawater was being contaminated further by the leaking facility.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 29, 2011

From raw emotion to relief: 'Quakebook'

What started as the "Quakebook," now titled "2:46" after the time the earthquake hit, originated in a shower in Abiko, Chiba Prefecture, a week after the earthquake and tsunami devastated the Pacific coast of northern Honshu. A longtime British resident of Japan, who blogs as Our Man in Abiko, trying...
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2011

In wake of disaster, tax hike issue revisited

A tax increase to finance earthquake reconstruction may be unavoidable considering the nation's huge debt, two ruling party officials said, and two-thirds of the public agrees the measure may be necessary.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Mar 28, 2011

Kokura finds inspiration, strength on football field

After the game, Noriko Kokura was going to end her life.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 27, 2011

'What are the odds?' variety; 'Stand by Me' adaptation; CM of the week: Uniqlo

The purpose behind the occasional variety special "Kekkyoku! Kakuritsu Nano da" ("At last! What's the Probability"; TV Tokyo, Tues., 7 p.m.) is to figure out the probability of certain occurrences that will supposedly interest viewers but which sound more like they concern people in show biz. Past specials...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2011

Survivors strive to start picking up the pieces

A teenage boy is walking along the muddy road holding a rusty shovel, on which is perched what appears to be a notebook.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2011

Mabuchi, axed from Cabinet, to be Kan adviser

Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Saturday appointed former transport minister Sumio Mabuchi, replaced in a Cabinet reshuffle in January after he was targeted with an Upper House censure motion, as his adviser on the nuclear crisis and disaster relief operations.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Mar 27, 2011

Point guard Sako, 'Japan's Mr. Basketball,' decides to retire

It's always sad when a great player calls it quits. Especially a guy like Kenichi Sako, who was called "Japan's Mr. Basketball" over the years.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Mar 27, 2011

Don't destroy that invader, it was here first!

NEW YORK — Among the most recent invaders of the United States to be exterminated that I learned about is the red lionfish. Before that, the Asian carp got all the attention. About the time the carp scare was quieting down the yellow jacket — yes, the wasp — came forward as a heinous invader to...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Mar 27, 2011

Time for JBA to give up charade on merger

Under normal circumstances things move at a snail's pace within the Japan Basketball Association. So it's anyone's guess if talks between JBA officials and their bj-league counterparts will pick up anytime soon and/or if any progress will be made in the months to come for the creation of a new "top league"...
COMMENTARY
Mar 25, 2011

'Protect' the Syrians next?

LONDON — March 18 saw the first nationwide protests against the Ba'ath regime in Syria. If these protests develop into a full-scale revolt, the regime's response may dwarf that of Moammar Gadhafi in Libya.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2011

Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan group providing warm help for victims

SAGAMIHARA, Kanagawa Pref. — A group of Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans living in Kanagawa Prefecture has been providing warm bowls of Bangladesh curry since Monday to quake and tsunami survivors in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture.
COMMENTARY
Mar 24, 2011

Nuclear meltdowns and Japanese culture

Japanese engineers have a much deserved reputation for efficiency. How else could they have created a car industry that could defeat the U.S industry on its home ground? But the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant suggests a partial rethink is needed. When it comes to nuclear affairs, maybe...
EDITORIALS
Mar 22, 2011

Trouble in Bahrain

Overshadowed by the violence and civil war in Libya, the situation in Bahrain continues to deteriorate. On March 15, King Hamad al-Khalifa declared martial law and invited troops from Saudi Arabia, along with other neighboring countries, to help calm the situation. That move, unprecedented in the country's...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 20, 2011

Sumo seeks to recover from disaster of its own making

If March 13, 2011, had been a normal Sunday in Japan, at around 4:30 p.m. this writer would have popped open a beer, grabbed a packet of shelled peanuts, switched on his TV and watched the first day of the Osaka Grand Sumo Tournament on NHK.
Reader Mail
Mar 20, 2011

Rare throwback to 19th century

Regarding the March 16 article "Ishihara sorry for quake gaffe": Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's remark suggesting that the earthquake-tsunami in northeast Japan was "divine punishment" against the Japanese for egoism shocked me.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2011

Overseas aid offers flow in

Offers of help have been streaming in from abroad in the wake of the massive earthquake and tsunami that wiped whole towns off the map in the northeast.
EDITORIALS
Mar 16, 2011

Orientation of Nagoya politics

In Sunday's Nagoya city assembly election, a local party led by Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura became the No. 1 party. Although his Genzei Nippon (Tax Reduction Japan) failed to gain a majority in the 75-seat assembly, each of the traditional parties lost assembly seats.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2011

Renault spy fiasco threatens Nissan plan

Renault SA's mishandling of an espionage investigation has weakened Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn in a tussle with the French state, its largest shareholder, over the carmaker's future, several sources said.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes