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Japan Times
JAPAN / UPPER HOUSE SHOWDOWN
Jul 13, 2007

Novice candidates have issues

Political newcomers, including wartime Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo's granddaughter, a former TV Asahi newscaster and a hemophiliac with HIV, hit the Tokyo campaign trail Thursday, vying to represent voters in the House of Councilors.
Japan Times
JAPAN / UPPER HOUSE SHOWDOWN
Jul 13, 2007

Will election turn the tables on Abe & Co.?

The campaign for the July 29 House of Councilors election officially kicked off Thursday, with the ruling coalition, reeling from a string of scandals involving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet and the public pension debacle, facing a fierce battle with the opposition camp.
EDITORIALS
Jul 13, 2007

Fair repair of the pension fiasco

A government panel of experts has established the basic criteria for determining pension benefits for people whose premium-payment records have been lost by the Social Insurance Agency and who lack receipts to prove they made the payments. The Central Committee of Disinterested Parties for Confirmation...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 13, 2007

'Funuke Domo, Kanashimi no Ai o Misero'

Black comedies about dysfunctional families are common enough in Japan, from Sogo Ishii's anarchic "Gyakufunsha Kazoku (The Crazy Family)" (1984) to Takashi Miike's batty "Katakurike no Kofuku (The Happiness of the Katakuris)" (2001), which also has the distinction of the being the first Japanese zombie...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 13, 2007

Journeys of self-discovery

While many young Japanese go to Canada to study English and some retirees enjoy holidays there, the number of Canadian theater companies staging performances in Japan are few and far between.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2007

Small-caps seen staging comeback in wake of Livedoor affair

Shares of Japan's smallest listed companies, Asia's worst performers last year, are staging a comeback as tougher accounting standards revive confidence in earnings reports and consumer spending rebounds.
EDITORIALS
Jul 13, 2007

Upper House campaign commences

The campaign for the July 29 Upper House election has officially started. It is the first national election since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office in September 2006. Under the Abe administration so far, the Fundamental Law of Education has been revised to instill patriotism in children and strengthen...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Jul 13, 2007

Lights in the Dusk

Director: Aki Kaurismaki Language: Finnish and Russian
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 13, 2007

'The Fountain'

Is it possible to feel a love so great that the chains of death cannot bind it? Of course we don't know, but the feeling of love — that one, true love — can be so powerful that it's tempting to think that two souls, so united, will meet again. Whether that's in this world or the next, nobody knows,...
COMMENTARY
Jul 13, 2007

Breaking point of China's Communists

LOS ANGELES — It's not always easy to do right by China. Should you choose the path of unthinking flattery, you will eventually lose self-respect.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2007

McCafes to test coffee shop market

McDonald's is set to take on Starbucks in Japan with a new chain of coffee shops brewing up bargain lattes, the fast food chain said Thursday.
JAPAN / UPPER HOUSE SHOWDOWN
Jul 13, 2007

Fans hail 'hero' Fujimori's Diet bid

Disgraced former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori's supporters hailed him as a hero as they took to Tokyo's streets to kick off his campaign in absentia for the July 29 House of Councilors poll.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 13, 2007

Taking a stroll back through time

TAKAYAMA, Gifu Pref. — In a country that deems houses well past their best-by date after 20 or 30 years, and fit only for destruction and reform, it is a minor miracle of sorts that wooden private houses built in the Edo Period (1603-1867) remain almost intact here, and that most of them are still...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 13, 2007

Nervous Branagh and his operatic dream

As one of Britain's most iconic actor/directors, Kenneth Branagh has a special relationship with theater. Throughout his career he has often worked to merge the stage with celluloid, delivering such memorable films as "Much Ado About Nothing," which he directed, wrote and starred in.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 13, 2007

Quick, cheap and cheerful

Festa Summer MUZA Kawasaki 2007 advertises classical music as if it were fast food: quick, cheap and cheerful.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Jul 13, 2007

Emmanuel's Gift

Director: Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern Language: English
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 13, 2007

Step into her world

For more than a decade, DJ Mary Anne Hobbs has built a reputation at BBC Radio 1 for having musical tastes that are as cutting edge as they are eclectic.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 13, 2007

Antibalas "Security"

The fourth album from Afrobeat standard-bearers Antibalas comes roaring in with a fanfare of battle horns over razor-sharp breakbeats on the aptly named opening track "Beaten Metal." LPs don't open much more ferociously than this. Next comes "Filibuster X," the track that will best please the Afrobeat...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jul 13, 2007

Four top tipples for summer

The first rule for a summer wine is that it needs to be refreshing. High-scoring monster reds that warm the soul on a winter evening become plodding, heavy, alcoholic beasts on a sweltering day. Under conditions of heat and humidity, such big, bruiser wines leave us weary, rather than exhilarated.
BUSINESS
Jul 13, 2007

BOJ keeps interest rate same, but with one dissenting vote

The Bank of Japan's Policy Board decided Thursday to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 percent despite a dissenting vote by one member to raise the rate to 0.75 percent.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 13, 2007

'The Magic Flute'

"The Magic Flute" is one of the most familiar and best-loved operas in the world, but barring Mozart and opera enthusiasts, how many can claim to have sat through the whole thing and er, understood it all?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 13, 2007

First Lady of blues

She recently came close to death; now, about to headline the Japan Blues & Soul Carnival, Koko Taylor talks about her 50-year career — and the future of blues

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