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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.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2007

French vote validated Euro-skepticism

PARIS -- Not long ago, an American political analyst compared France's loss of influence in Europe following its "no" vote in the 2005 referendum on the EU constitutional treaty with France's surrender in 1940. A provocative analogy, but is it apt?
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 31, 2007

Evessa need injured Newton

Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the first-place Osaka Evessa are right where they want to be.
SOCCER
Mar 31, 2007

England coach feeling the heat

LONDON (AP) The criticism is getting to Steve McClaren.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 31, 2007

England now longing for the days of departed Eriksson

LONDON -- When Steve McClaren was named Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor as England head coach few outside of the Football Association -- and quite a few inside by all accounts -- believed the former Middlesbrough manager was any more than the Son of Sven . . . Sven Lite.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2007

Urban Kyoto tries on an old look

KYOTO -- First-time visitors to the ancient capital of Kyoto usually arrive expecting to see quiet temples and rock gardens or an abundance of old wooden buildings set against the backdrop of the surrounding mountains.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2007

Hijacker Nishikawa given life in prison

A former Japanese Red Army member who took part in the hijacking of a Japan Airlines flight in 1977 was sentenced to life in prison Friday, two decades after being freed in a hostage exchange with the group.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 31, 2007

Giants victorious in season opener

YOKOHAMA -- It was a start worthy of the Mighty Kyojin.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2007

PAC-3 Patriot missiles debut at Iruma air base

A Patriot PAC-3 missile system, the first element of Japan's planned missile shield, was deployed at the Air Self-Defense Force base in Iruma, Saitama Prefecture, early Friday, ASDF officials in Tokyo said.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes