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JAPAN
Aug 1, 2007

Fresh off victory, Ozawa quick to go for Abe's jugular

Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa appeared before the media Tuesday for the first time since his party's sweeping victory in the Upper House election, slamming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for refusing to relinquish power despite the ruling bloc's crushing defeat.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2007

DPJ opposed to extending SDF refuel operations

The Democratic Party of Japan said Monday it is against extending the Self-Defense Forces mission in support of NATO forces in Afghanistan, a day after it won a stunning election victory over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition.
COMMENTARY
Jul 30, 2007

Ending the nuclear threat

UNITED NATIONS — Since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, security planners the world over have lost considerable sleep contemplating the prospect of terrorists armed with nuclear weapons.
EDITORIALS
Jul 30, 2007

Focus on quake resistance

The July 16 earthquake off Niigata Prefecture pointed to the need to make homes quake-resistant. The quake flattened more than 300 houses, and most of the deaths occurred when people were pinned down by structures. School buildings, including gyms, also must be made quake-resistant, especially because...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 29, 2007

Keeping abreast of developments on the small screen

Arts and entertainment criticism of the sort practiced in the West is still relatively sublimated in Japan, where pop-culture hyoronka (critics) tend to be either pundits or PR flacks who rarely say anything overtly negative about the things they review.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jul 28, 2007

Katy Onda

On a recent announcement for a one-day cooking school, Katy Onda wrote that she would introduce a British menu suitable for the summer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 27, 2007

Ikuta: slow-burning class that's a cut above

Alongside geisha and poisonous blowfish, gourmet Kobe beef fits nicely into the stereotype of refined Japan. And like astronomically priced department-store melons, this pricey breed of cattle does much to reinforce the image of a land of big-spenders.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 26, 2007

And the beat goes on

Weatherbeaten and remote, the fishing port of Ogi hardly seems like a cultural magnet. Yet the unassuming little community on the southern peninsula of Niigata Prefecture's Sado Island has achieved worldwide renown as the site of Earth Celebration, a music festival with a twist.
COMMENTARY
Jul 25, 2007

The death of Iraq's Christian community

WASHINGTON — Although Islam long has been in the ascendancy in Iraq, the so-called Assyrians, who speak a neo-Aramaic language, predate the rise of Islam. Today, however, the Iraqi Christian community faces possible extermination.
BASKETBALL
Jul 24, 2007

Aono yearns to make big impact for Japan

He sank his body in a tiny chair — tiny for him — bending his back a bit, and gently talked with the reporters, looking at the eyes of each person.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2007

U.S. growers launch offensive to promote Calrose rice here

Creamy risotto in a fluffy seafood souffle and gelato sprinkled with crunchy topping were among the delicacies concocted by master chefs in a cooking contest in Tokyo for American rice — a product that is struggling to crack a nation notorious for protecting its rice farmers.
EDITORIALS
Jul 23, 2007

Containing the spread of guns

The government's project team for studying measures to prevent the spread of guns has submitted a report to the state minister in charge of such measures, Sanae Takaichi. She says the government will push the necessary measures with determination to revive the nation as the safest country in the world....
EDITORIALS
Jul 23, 2007

Ruling for fair trading

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday sentenced Mr. Yoshiaki Murakami, a former maverick fund manager, to two years in prison for insider stock trading. The prison term, without a suspension, shows that the judiciary is determined to deal severely with illegal trading activities to ensure sound and equitable...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 22, 2007

Former Tigers slugger Bass makes All-Star visit to Sendai

SENDAI — A blast from the past showed up at Game 2 of the Gulliver All-Star Series at Fullcast Stadium Saturday afternoon, infusing a little more star power into the already star-studded event.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 22, 2007

Ex-patriot returns home, samurai classic revived, inventor-farmer special

On Monday at 9 p.m., TBS will present a new drama by noted scriptwriter Taiichi Yamada called "Toi Kuni kara Kita Otoko (The Man from a Faraway Country)."
Japan Times
LIFE
Jul 22, 2007

Beauty beheld in huge concrete forms

Astonishingly, despite their unsightly impact on natural scenery, the Internet is full of geeks who appear to love tetrapods.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jul 19, 2007

Aussie supersubs confident about chances in rematch

HANOI — The Aussie supersubs who all but destroyed Japan's World Cup dreams in Germany last year are ready to inflict even more misery on the Samurai Blue, but this time they don't want to leave it quite so late.
Reader Mail
Jul 18, 2007

U.S. also shortchanges students

Regarding the July 4 article " 'Some' civilian Okinawa deaths won't halt textbook rewrite": Textbook censorship of historical events is not limited to Japan. The long tradition of local control of schools in the United States has meant that 50 different versions of supposedly historical facts are possible....
MORE SPORTS
Jul 16, 2007

United States rallies to beat gutsy Japan

KAWASAKI — It was a really hard-fought thriller. And it was fitting that the tournament concluded in the most dramatic fashion imaginable with a finale between the two-time defending champions and the motherland of football.
COMMENTARY
Jul 16, 2007

Miyazawa knew economics

Obituaries for former Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, who died recently at age 87, agreed that he was a statesman and a genuine internationalist. But some — those from Nikkei, Japan's leading economic media group, especially — also criticized him as a Keynesian economist responsible for Japan's economic...
MORE SPORTS
Jul 15, 2007

Germany survives four fumbles to best Sweden in downpour for bronze medal

American football is a wild sport. And it gets wilder when the two teams in a great rivalry clash under wild weather conditions.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji