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BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2007

Current account surplus up

Japan's current account surplus expanded 4.9 percent in February to 2.417 trillion yen, logging a second straight monthly rise as a weaker yen boosted exports and the income surplus expanded, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2007

Transforming our way of living

This year, the Doomsday Clock devised by the Chicago-based Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was advanced two minutes, for the first time in five years. It now stands at 11:55 p.m., just five minutes away from the "midnight" of human annihilation. This change not only reflects last year's nuclear test...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 12, 2007

Zimmermann ascends Beethoven's 'Mount Everest'

Effortless, elegant melodies warmed by sublime vibrato rise in volume as the phone is whisked toward Frank Peter Zimmermann, one of the greatest violinists of this age, at his home in Germany. They end abruptly, but interrupting Zimmerm- an's rehearsal causes him no irritation, and he dives enthusiastically...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 12, 2007

Best when grotesque

One good point about public museums in Japan having "funding issues" is that rather than pulling in the art that the public really wants to see and turning themselves into virtual Musee d'Orsays or ersatz Guggenheims, they instead focus on more academically valuable and locally relevant work.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 12, 2007

Within the art of darkness

Fashion, like a magnet, has been seasonally repelled and attracted to black since the 1980s, and, with the exception of photography, every art form at one point in time has been in love with the mysterious "color" (Scientifically, black is not a color as it absorbs light rather than reflects it.). Not...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Apr 12, 2007

Something for everyone

Fine art collecting being widely regarded as a pursuit of the privileged, one can appreciate the trepidation of the everyman regarding the auction and gallery scene.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB'S EFFECT ON JAPAN
Apr 12, 2007

Foreign managers change face of Japanese game

This is the second installment in a four-part series.
Reader Mail
Apr 11, 2007

Not a matter of appearances

" 'Multicultural Japan' remains a pipe dream" (March 27 article) to Chris Burgess because he appears to be puffing on the wrong end of the ideological ruler that he uses to conclude that Japan is not ready for foreigners. Ready or not, they have been coming pretty steadily, and will keep coming so long...
Reader Mail
Apr 11, 2007

Concerns about missile defense

Regarding Brad Glosserman's March 24 article, "Baseless threats of cold war": In advocating Japan's participation in the U.S. missile defense system (MDS), Glosserman glosses over Russia and China's legitimate concerns, repeats U.S.-made myths and neglects genuine Japanese concerns.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Apr 11, 2007

McAdoo deserves shot as head coach

NEW YORK -- In 1973 American agent Richard Kaner hooked up virtual unknown Dan Peterson to work the sidelines for Virtus Bologna, Italy.
Reader Mail
Apr 11, 2007

Risible claim on English expertise

The anonymous writer who pleads for "More stress on Indian English" (March 28 letter) is correct to withhold his name. Such a premise ranks with jokes about "military Intelligence." He cites British colonization of India as the main basis of his plea, but let me remind him that America and Australia,...
EDITORIALS
Apr 11, 2007

The benefits of delayed divorce

On April 1, a system that allows divorced couples to divide retirement pensions went into effect. It has been reported that many housewives had postponed divorce in order to benefit from the new system. But they should be aware that the amount they will receive will be smaller than they had probably...
EDITORIALS
Apr 11, 2007

Temporary boost for Mr. Abe

In five gubernatorial elections Sunday, candidates supported by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and those supported by the opposition Democratic Party of Japan fought head on against each other. The LDP took three and the DPJ two. Although the results are not a direct indication of a similar trend...
Reader Mail
Apr 11, 2007

Reduction in crime is relative

I read with interest Nick Wood's misleading comments about life in Britain in his April 1 letter, "Migrants are to be welcomed." According to him, overall crime has plummeted by 44 percent in recent years. It's actually surprisingly easy for any country, including Japan, to achieve such a dramatic fall...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2007

Toyota cars get real-time traffic data to map smartest routes

New Toyota cars will have up-to-date map and traffic information for electronically determining the quickest routes in an upgrade of network-linking technology now offered mostly in luxury models.
Reader Mail
Apr 11, 2007

Buffoonery vs. credibility

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's visibility as a global warming celebrity-expert troubles me when he compromises his efforts. He might as well have painted a bull's eye on his large back when he calls for curbing greenhouse gas while his pool heater gobbles up to $500 per month in gas. Gore's...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Apr 11, 2007

Greenshank

* Japanese name: Aoashi-shigi * Scientific name: Tringa nebularia * Description: An elegant, medium-sized wading bird (some 30-cm long in the body), the greenshank lives up to its name: It has long green legs ("shanks"). It also has a long sharp bill, which is gray at the base and, unlike other waders'...
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Apr 11, 2007

Music player goes swimming

Jogging might be good for your body but just how many brain cells die of boredom in the process? Swimming laps is perhaps a more palatable exercise method but it doesn't lag running by too much in the boredom stakes. What serious pool lappers need is a waterproof iPod, or some facsimile thereof. Century...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 11, 2007

Bye-bye 'Borneo'

For how much longer will the name "Borneo" conjure up the same sense of magic as it does now, or as it did when I was a child?
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2007

BOJ leaves interest rates untouched

The Bank of Japan held its benchmark interest rate steady at 0.5 percent at the end of a two-day policy meeting Tuesday amid recent price declines and concerns about the U.S. economy.
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2007

Pentax board stops Hoya merger

Pentax Corp. said Tuesday that its board of directors scrapped a planned merger with leading optical glass maker Hoya Corp. and replaced its president.
BASEBALL / MLB'S EFFECT ON JAPAN
Apr 11, 2007

Is the MLB destroying Japan's national pastime?

Best-selling author Robert Whiting, who has penned such classics as "You Gotta Have Wa," "The Chrysanthemum and the Bat" and "The Meaning of Ichiro," has written an exclusive four-part series for The Japan Times on the effect Major League Baseball is having on the Japanese pro game, and how the poor...
MORE SPORTS
Apr 10, 2007

Cracks appear in Tiger's major myth

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A 4-iron wasn't the only thing that Tiger Woods broke Sunday at the Masters.

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