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JAPAN
Jun 6, 2007

Nakayama considers Upper House

Kyoko Nakayama, a special adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the abduction issue, said Tuesday she is considering running for a seat in the House of Councilors on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ticket.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2007

Avoid the security dilemma in Asia

Military modernization is a constant process. Securing the state and protecting its citizens are the first tasks of any government. Militaries are vital to achieving these objectives, even though they are not the only means for doing so. Moreover, wise governments recognize that security is not absolute...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2007

Religion: prop or antidote to capitalism?

PRINCETON, New Jersey — A provocative book written by a Japanese mathematician has reignited the debate about whether there are specifically "Asian" values.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / WALKING THE WARDS
Jun 1, 2007

To infinity and beyond

At the southern end of Edogawa Ward, Kasai Rinkai Koen Seaside Park dips its toes in the Pacific Ocean. From there, it's possible to see Tokyo Disney Resort across the water in Urayasu.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 31, 2007

A rare reunion of Jakuchus in a Kyoto temple

For the first time in 120 years, the 30 scroll paintings by Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800) known as "The Colorful Realm of Living Beings" are being shown together with the "Sakyamuni Triad" — three hanging scroll paintings of a central Buddha and two attendant bodhisattvas — at the Shokokuji Temple in Kyoto....
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
May 30, 2007

DIY bread makers fill big gap in Japanese menus; robot cubes mimic people

Japanese cuisine does for seafood what French wineries do for the gift of the grape. But what it does for bread is more akin to the imposition the English have made on the world's palate. The alleged loaf consisting of six thick white slices with not a crust in sight at either end of it, and apparently...
SUMO
May 29, 2007

Hakuho wrestles his way into the history books

The 2007 Natsu Basho is over, and it will only ever be remembered for one thing: the 15-0 unbeaten zensho yusho winning record of Mongolian ozeki Hakuho that etched his name forever in the annals of Japanese sporting and cultural history.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
May 28, 2007

Rooting out the purplish, yellow perils

NEW YORK — A certain plant of the pea family has been appreciated in Japan — poetically, dietarily and medicinally — since ancient times. So, in the oldest extant anthology of Japanese poetry, the "Man'yoshu," it is used as an epithet for "without interruption," "for a long time" and so forth,...
Reader Mail
May 27, 2007

Constructive mayor will be missed

Misawa Mayor Shigeyoshi Suzuki passed away on May 1 at age 66. I was shocked to hear this, having met him in my previous capacity as director of the Status of U.S. Forces Agreement Division of the Foreign Ministry.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 27, 2007

MLB should eliminate 'rookie' label for Japanese veterans

Last week an Associated Press photo appeared in these pages with a caption that began, "Boston Red Sox rookie hurler Daisuke Matsuzaka . . . "
LIFE / QUEUING
May 27, 2007

Patience pays off for firms on standby to queue for you

With queuing playing such an important role in Japanese life — just watch any breathlessly excitable TV magazine program fearlessly reporting any day of the week on long lines outside noodle shops or dog groomers — there are even those who cash in on the phenomenon directly.
EDITORIALS
May 26, 2007

Stepping up realignment of forces

The Diet has enacted a law to facilitate the largest-ever realignment of U.S. forces stationed in Japan. The law, supported by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito and opposed by the Democratic Party of Japan and three other opposition parties, reflects Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's determination to...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 26, 2007

Japan urged to lead on Africa aid

Japan should take the lead in developing an agenda for the international community for giving aid to Africa when the country hosts the Group of Eight summit next year and the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, according to the vice president of the U.N. International Fund for...
EDITORIALS
May 25, 2007

Juvenile Law revision

A bill to revise the Juvenile Law, which passed the Lower House with the backing of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, is now in the Upper House. The bill is designed to provide harsher treatment of juvenile offenders. Lawmakers must question whether such a move will really help to prevent juvenile...
COMMENTARY
May 25, 2007

Fears of new 'Nixon shock'

HONOLULU — The U.S.-Japan relationship is on solid ground and growing stronger by the day. As a result of their recent Camp David summit, U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo have become each other's new best friend — perhaps not as close (yet) as Bush's ties with...
EDITORIALS
May 24, 2007

Uptick in shooting incidents

One month after Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito was shot to death by a gangster, a former gangster holed himself up in his house in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture. He shot and injured his two children and a policeman and killed a member of the police special assault team (SAT). These incidents underline the need...
JAPAN
May 24, 2007

LDP's platform to call for a new Constitution

Education Rebuilding Council." The draft contains measures on dwindling medical services in provincial areas as a way to win votes in regional single-seat districts, while vowing enhanced efforts to fight global warming and other environmental issues to draw the attention of unaffiliated urban voters....
SPORTS / MULLY'S MISSIVES
May 23, 2007

Liverpool fans swamp Athens ahead of CL final

ATHENS — Liverpool fans began to pour into central Athens on Monday ahead of the Reds' Champions League final against AC Milan on Wednesday, thousands without tickets and some still looking for hotel rooms.

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