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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 6, 2008

Politicians, dogs and bowels mix it up in our annual media awards

Media Personality of the Year: Hideo Higashikokubaru.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 5, 2008

Rat research meet chews the issues

Cong-rat-ulations! It's the Year of the Rat. The lowly rodent can look forward to enjoying an entire year of celebrations and "infestivities."
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2008

Fukuda: No midmonth reshuffling of Cabinet

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda dismissed speculation Friday that he would reshuffle his Cabinet before the Diet opens later this month to shore up his poor public approval ratings.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / WALKING THE WARDS
Jan 4, 2008

Where ambitions have long soared

First of two parts
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2008

Waseda grad school to groom true newshounds

There is no doubt that Japan has produced its share of top-notch journalists: noted political writer Takashi Tachibana, war photographer Ryuichi Hirokawa and videographer Kenji Nagai, who was shot dead in September while reporting close up on the unrest in Myanmar, to cite but a few.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 4, 2008

Young artists kick off 2008

Budding artists need to be given a chance to show the world what they have got. Design Festa offers just this. Ever since it started in 1994, this twice-yearly event has been open to artists from all over the world to exhibit their talent.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jan 4, 2008

Urban night cruise; special buffet at New Otani; and dinner for two

Urban night cruise The Conrad Tokyo has put together an exclusive accommodation and nighttime cruise package for small groups.
LIFE / Language
Jan 3, 2008

Sights, sounds and tastes of new year in Japan

Don't be surprised if you've noticed an unusual proliferation of rodents lately. Today marks the start of a nezumi-doshi, or Year of the Rat, the first in the order of 12 celestial animals of the Chinese zodiac.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jan 3, 2008

Hot tickets: Performing arts

Tokubetsu Buyo Koen
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 3, 2008

'Fukubukuro' hunters rise early to bag their prey at nation's shops

With the new year comes the season of shopping extravaganzas.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2008

'07 political storm really the calm before '08?

Last year was full of political turmoil — from scandals and arrests to suicide and a divided Diet — but there is no time to rest because 2008 may turn out to be a historical turning point if there is a general election, depending on which side wins, analysts say.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2008

Japan stumbles its way toward a two-party system

2007 was a politically significant year. It is stirring to see how much the political terrain has changed from the beginning of the year to now.
Reader Mail
Dec 30, 2007

Moronic remarks repel readers

Letters like "Human existence demands sacrifice" on Dec. 27 (which asks why whales should be treated as special creatures) are too obviously controversial pieces that are published in order to draw a response. Normally, I would say that this tactic would be acceptable as it can promote the exchange...
BASKETBALL
Dec 30, 2007

Kosuge shines in East's runaway victory

NIIGATA — The victorious East team had 34 assists in its runaway victory over the West in the 2007-08 bj-league All-Star Game on Saturday. But really, you could say, it finished with one big, collective assist, a well-deserved pat on the back for getting the ball to the right man at the right time....
Reader Mail
Dec 30, 2007

Destructive attitude hurts image

Those in Japan who encourage whaling say they cannot understand the feeling of foreigners concerning whales. But I remember the "Tama-chan" event from when I lived in Japan in 2002 -- when a little seal was seen swimming the rivers of Tokyo. It became international news and proved that Japanese people...
EDITORIALS
Dec 29, 2007

Education proposals lack coherence

The Education Resuscitation Council, which was set up under the leadership of then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has submitted its third report to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. The report includes a variety of proposals for consideration: a grade-skipping system, government guidelines for school integration,...
Reader Mail
Dec 27, 2007

Human existence demands sacrifice

Why must we treat whales as special creatures? Human existence is based on the sacrifices of other creatures including animals such as cows and vegetable plants. We should be thankful for the sacrifices of these creatures.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2007

A last hurrah at some of the year's political howlers

Inasmuch as newspapers routinely wrap up their year with top-10 news, sports and other stories, perhaps it would also be a good time to hark back on, say, roughly 10 memorable moments in blunder-speak, when political figures funded by the taxpayer blurt out nuggets guaranteed to show how not to earn...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Dec 26, 2007

Giant water bug

*Japanese name: Taikouchi *Scientific name: Laccotrephes japonensis *Description: Also known as water scorpions and "toe-biters," these are ferocious, tough insects with strong, sharp front legs for catching prey (and biting toes or fingers) and a beaked hypodermic-type mouth with which they stab...
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2007

U.S. lightens Japan's burden

The United States has agreed to Japan slightly reducing its burden-sharing costs for maintaining U.S. military facilities in the country over three years starting in April — after the current two-year accord expires in March. In the talks, Japan sought a substantial cut due to its massive national...
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2007

Rewarding hospital doctors

The government and the ruling parties have decided to raise the medical fees paid to medical institutions for doctors' services by 0.38 percent from fiscal 2008. The upward fee revision is the first since fiscal 2000, but the margin of the raise is too small to stem the collapse of medical services,...

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