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COMMENTARY
Apr 2, 2007

The risks of not acting bold

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office six months ago, is beginning to reveal his true self as a dyed-in-the-wool conservative.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2007

Challenging Russia's energy dominance

WASHINGTON -- When Gazprom, Russia's natural-gas monopoly, cut off supplies to Ukraine and Georgia in January 2006, the move was widely seen as a clear warning of the Kremlin's willingness to use its energy resources to exert political influence over Europe.
BASKETBALL
Apr 2, 2007

Osaka tops Tokyo in season finale

The Osaka Evessa ended the regular season with a 93-80 victory over the visiting Tokyo Apache, improving to a league-best 29-11 in the process.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 2, 2007

Think tanks offer Japan plenty of personnel with policymaking potential

The 21st Century Public Policy Institute (21PPI) is a think tank established by Keidanren in 1997. As it enters its 10th year this month, a revamp is in progress to beef up its activities.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2007

Bulgaria's betrayal of EU norms of justice

SOFIA -- When Bulgaria joined the European Union in January, I believed that my country had finally left its repressive past behind. But the recent arrest and threatened deportation of Annadurdy Hadjiev, a dissident from Turkmenistan who sought refuge here, suggests that some things never change.
Rugby
Apr 1, 2007

JRFU sends 3 to New Zealand

The Japan Rugby Football Union has selected three young players to allocate to New Zealand as part of a so-called ATQ (Advance to the Quarterfinal) Project this year, the JRFU announced on Friday.
BASKETBALL
Apr 1, 2007

Tokyo snaps streak

The Tokyo Apache snapped an 11-game losing streak, beating the host Osaka Evessa 98-90 on Saturday. John "Helicopter" Humphrey lead Tokyo with 30 points, Dameion Baker added 20 and 15 boards and Kohei Aoki had 21 points. For Osaka, Lynn Washington and Matt Lottich had 19 points apiece.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Apr 1, 2007

Most fans frozen out of skating worlds

It was a great show, but it could have been better.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 1, 2007

More Japanese players in MLB means more games on TV

Here comes MLB 2007 with Opening Day this week and, as you might have expected, extensive coverage of games on Japanese TV featuring teams with favorite son players -- the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Reader Mail
Apr 1, 2007

Is Japan qualified to take offense?

In her March 21 letter, "Is U.S. qualified to throw stones?," Noriko Yoshimoto questions whether the "comfort women" issue is being used by the United States to put political pressure on Japan in an effort to pacify North Korea during current negotiations. She also (quite rightly) criticizes the...
Reader Mail
Apr 1, 2007

Migrants are to be welcomed

In his March 25 letter, "Assimilation under strict codes," Justin Downes does a disservice to his Asian friends in London not only when he claims that migrants "put a huge strain on the educational and health facilities of the country," but also when he implies that unassimilated foreigners are responsible...
Reader Mail
Apr 1, 2007

Children can't be responsible

Regarding Paolo Milano's March 18 letter, "Old-fashioned patriotism won't fly": I'm not insisting on blind acceptance of authority and self-sacrifice. I'm not a rightist, either. My point in my earlier letter is that everyone should appreciate what our ancestors have contributed in making our society...
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Apr 1, 2007

Five Arrows coach Aoki salutes supporters

The Japan Times will be featuring periodic interviews with individuals in the bj-league -- Japan's first professional basketball circuit -- which is in its second season. Head coach Motofumi Aoki of the Takamatsu Five Arrows is the subject of this week's profile.
Reader Mail
Apr 1, 2007

Too much time with classmates

Sadly, as always, we find the issue of bullying high on the agenda, but little is actually being done. Having worked in the public junior high school system for a number of years, I have observed a recurring problem: Adolescents forced together for seven hours a day in class, and then forced together...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 1, 2007

Buddha's fighting soldiers

THE TEETH AND CLAWS OF BUDDHISM: Monastic Warriors and Sohei in Japanese History, by Mikael S. Adolphson. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2007, 214 pp., with 32 illustrations and maps, $36 (cloth) Buddha with fangs and claws is an unexpected image, if only because religions so often express themselves...
CULTURE / Books
Apr 1, 2007

Cooking kaiseki and 'eating the seasons'

KAISEKI: The Exquisite Cuisine of Kyoto's Kikunoi Restaurant, by Yoshihiro Murata. Kodansha International Ltd., 2006, 191 pp., 5,500 yen (cloth) Chef Yoshihiro Murata, the third-generation owner-chef of Kikunoi, the celebrated kaiseki (a light "tasting-menu" meal) restaurant, presents a vivid journey...
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 1, 2007

"Rebel" cartoonist Rieko Saibara

Rieko Saibara is a catoonist known for her work that has both a lyrical and "rebellious" side to it. While regarded as a rebel in the cartoonist world, at times shocking her readers with indecent expressions, she also brings them to tears by her portrayal of hopeless poverty, affection to her children...
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 1, 2007

Drawing on experience

Cartoonists in Japan are as abundant as the cherry blossoms at this time of year -- but Rieko Saibara is probably the only one who has both a lyrical and rebellious side to her work -- along with an astonishing power and what has been called a "lethal poison.''
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 1, 2007

From comedian to politician: an easy step for Miyazaki's governor

Since last September when Shinzo Abe became prime minister, no event has had as powerful an impact on Japan's political landscape as the January election of Hideo Higashikokubaru to the governorship of Miyazaki Prefecture. Many see the former comedian's victory as a harbinger of what to expect not only...
EDITORIALS
Apr 1, 2007

Twenty years without end

In a bizarre 5-0 ruling that was 20 years in the making, the Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit filed by the Taipei government against students living in a Kyoto dormitory. Forty years have passed since the lawsuit was filed. One cannot avoid the impression that the top court delayed the decision...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 1, 2007

Buchanan powers Hawks past Marines

CHIBA -- One of the favorites to win the Pacific League, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks are known for their vaunted pitching staff, making the offensive display they put on in Chiba Marine Stadium all the more impressive.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 1, 2007

Words to win hearts and minds the Japanese way

Over the years, the Japanese language has been called many things: inscrutably ambiguous, frustratingly vague and positively untranslatable.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Apr 1, 2007

Comedy interview variety show, Japan history cultural special, 'King Lear' modeled business drama

Life is a journey filled with questions, some of which the new variety show, "Megami no Hatena, (The Goddess of What is That)" (Nihon TV, Tuesday, 11:55 p.m.) will attempt to answer. These are not mind-twisting queries about the meaning of life or natural phenomena, but rather the kind of things that...
EDITORIALS
Apr 1, 2007

Legal prop for a lie

A ruling Tuesday in Tokyo District Court that dismissed a damages suit filed by a former Mainichi Shimbun reporter defies common sense because of the gap between the ruling and the known facts, although the ruling has its own logic.
Reader Mail
Apr 1, 2007

Folk tales that deliver gold

Regarding Alice Gordenker's March 20 column, "So what the heck is that?" -- about "gold poop" good-luck charms sold at Narita Airport souvenir shops: Kunio Yanagita relates some folk stories about a black cat that defecates gold. For example, in his "Momotaro no Tanjou" (pp. 61-62), visiting the Dragon...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Apr 1, 2007

Get ready to sprint-shop where the living ain't easy

Very recently, I had the opportunity to see the 83-year-old head of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe. The contemptible cranium was traveling at high speed in a convoy of shiny black Mercs, souped-up and overcrowded army trucks, police cars and motorcycle outriders.

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