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JAPAN
Nov 20, 2006

Voters weighed both base issue and local economy

NAHA, Okinawa Pref. -- It was more than just the U.S. military bases. As Okinawans went to the polls Sunday to vote in the gubernatorial election, the local economy was also on their minds.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2006

Nakaima wins Okinawa race

Hirokazu Nakaima, a ruling coalition-backed former vice governor and chairman of a power utility, was elected Sunday governor of Okinawa in a campaign closely watched for its impact on the proposed realignment of U.S. military bases in Japan.
COMMENTARY
Nov 20, 2006

Viable post-Kyoto approach

The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol covers the five years from 2008 to 2012. Now is the time to start discussing the international framework for the second commitment period, which begins in 2013.
COMMENTARY
Nov 20, 2006

Time for U.S. to change course on Cuba

NEW YORK -- The changed political landscape in Washington offers a unique opportunity to right a wrong foreign policy decision that has been maintained for almost half a century, the embargo against Cuba.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Nov 20, 2006

How Japan can avoid hostage situations in a globalized economy

When international tensions mount, foreign currency-denominated external credit and debt can become tools of diplomacy. If a country is a huge net creditor, its overseas assets can be taken hostage.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2006

Thaksin poses dilemma for Thai leaders

Thaksin Shinawatra, in exile in London, has given notice that he is still alive and very much kicking. Indeed, the deposed leader is playing a devilishly devious and clever, but potentially deadly, game for himself and for Thailand.
COMMENTARY
Nov 20, 2006

Know the goals of military intervention

In a Washington Post article reprinted in these pages on Oct. 10, "The humanitarian war myth," Eric Posner writes: "If the United Nations were to have its way, the Iraqi debacle would be just the first in a series of such wars -- the effect of a well-meaning but ill-considered effort to make humanitarian...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 19, 2006

Matsuzaka posting, 'gyroball' big topics of discussion

What an international baseball news week we had with the Daisuke Matsuzaka posting won by the Boston Red Sox and the rather surprising news the highest bid for Akinori Iwamura was submitted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
BASKETBALL
Nov 19, 2006

'Helicopter' lifts Tokyo past Oita

In Saturday's bj-league action, the visiting Tokyo Apache defeated the Oita HeatDevils 75-68.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 19, 2006

When in Rome, do hug granny as the Romans do

Last night, at Theater X (Cai) in Ryogoku, Tokyo, we finished a short season of plays I'd written, and eight of us -- Japanese cast and staff, with myself as director -- leave tonight on an adventure to present stagings in Sydney and Adelaide. I call this tour an adventure because doing the two plays,...
CULTURE / Books
Nov 19, 2006

Intrigues and conflicts, a millennium apart

BLACK ARROW by I.J. Parker. New York: Penguin Books, 2006, 354 pp., $13 (paper). A WOMAN IN JERUSALEM by A.B. Yehoshua, translated from the Hebrew by Hillel Halkin. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2006, 237 pp., $25 (cloth).
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Nov 19, 2006

Scourge of skinnies stands firm on fleshiness

A third of the models who appeared in Madrid's civic-sponsored Cibeles collections last year were banned from the same fashion event this September. The move -- which triggered debate in and beyond fashion circles around the world -- came after city officials declared that the women's extremely underweight...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Nov 19, 2006

Decorum drives 'disingenuous' bid to free streets of discarded butts

Tokyo is home to some of the world's more bizarre museums, including ones devoted to such odd subjects as washing machines, curry, kites and parasites. The latest addition to this outre melange is the Mobile Ashtray Museum.

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