Search - special

 
 
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2005

Noguchi gets science ministry award

Astronaut Soichi Noguchi was presented with a special award Wednesday by the science ministry for giving the Japanese people "courage, hope and encouragement" by completing his mission on the space shuttle Discovery.
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2005

Justices cut own retirement pay

The Supreme Court decided Wednesday to cut retirement allowances for its 15 justices by about two-thirds. It will be the first reduction since 1966.
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2005

Government shaves civil servants' salaries 0.1%

The government decided Wednesday to cut the annual salary of civil servants by an average of 4,000 yen, or 0.1 percent, in the current fiscal year through next March, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said.
EDITORIALS
Sep 28, 2005

Now for some bold reforms

With the resounding victory of the Liberal Democratic Party in the general election, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi can now boldly kick-start the stagnant process of structural reform. Utilizing the strong leadership consolidated in the triumph, Mr. Koizumi must set about breaking up the LDP cliques...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2005

Koizumi resumes reform drive in Diet policy speech

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi relaunched his reform offensive Monday, vowing to "boldly scale down" government by privatizing the postal services, cutting personnel costs and reforming state-backed financial institutions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / LIFE LAB
Sep 27, 2005

Breathe deep, don't worry, it's only O2

As soon as I accepted the assignment I realized I had a problem. My task was to test Tokyo's latest fad, the oxygen capsule. The trouble is I'm claustrophobic. Elevators make me tense. When watching reruns of "Star Trek," I have to avert my eyes when anyone gets sealed into a stasis chamber. There was...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 27, 2005

Time well spent

Living in the world's second largest economy, it's often tempting to forget that there are people and organizations in Japan in dire need of help.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2005

Zama to be Nissan global design hub

Nissan Motor Co. said Monday it will build a 5.1 billion yen facility near Tokyo to consolidate its global production engineering functions at one site.
COMMENTARY
Sep 26, 2005

Underwhelmed in Okinawa

Most of the Japanese political community is all agog over the overwhelming victory of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party in the Sept. 11 Lower House election. Okinawa Prefecture is the exception.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Sep 26, 2005

Constitutional debate welcome

NEW YORK -- I was recently intrigued by the constitutional debate -- not in Iraq, but in Japan -- when I read a book on the art of writing, "Bungei Tokuhon," that Yukio Mishima dictated in 1958.
Features
Sep 25, 2005

Shinobazu Pond

"Listen," said Nishizawa-san.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2005

After-lunch nap can perk up kids who get the nods in class: expert

It's an afternoon class and most of the pupils are trying to fight off drowsiness -- an experience most people perhaps can identify with.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2005

LDP OKs postal reform; dissent a notable no-show

The Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday unanimously endorsed the hotly contested postal privatization bills that triggered the Sept. 11 general election.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2005

Koizumi to steer new lawmakers clear of factions

The Liberal Democratic Party leadership launched a series of study sessions Tuesday for its 83 fledgling House of Representatives members, a move expected to further weaken faction influence.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Sep 21, 2005

Ayu sweetfish

* Japanese name: Ayu * Scientific name: Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis * Description: Ayu are as Japanese as cherry blossom. Small fish in the salmon family, they grow to about 20 cm long, sometimes reaching 30 cm. Ayu are celebrated as being, when skewered and grilled over a fire, one of the tastiest...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Sep 19, 2005

The Gathering 2005 preview -- return to Tsumagoi

Ready or not, here comes the spectacular end of another amazing summer season.
JAPAN
Sep 18, 2005

DPJ picks Maehara for top spot

The Democratic Party of Japan elected young conservative Seiji Maehara as its new president Saturday, passing over veteran former party leader Naoto Kan after suffering a devastating defeat in the House of Representatives election last week.
COMMENTARY
Sep 18, 2005

Japan to go boldly backward for a while

HONOLULU -- No one predicted the size of Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro's election victory last weekend. The landslide win has transformed the landscape of Japanese politics.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 18, 2005

TBS's "Human Body Science Spectacle — The Limits" and more

One of nature's more sobering statistics is that only 0.008 percent of the earth's water is fit for human consumption. The preciousness of this most precious of resources is becoming more acute as the global environment changes. Some areas suffer from ongoing drought while others, like Bangladesh, are...
Japan Times
Features
Sep 18, 2005

In skeptical quest of a boom

"Why don't you write about the kimono boom?" they said, citing anecdotal evidence suggesting that the traditional gown of Japan was making a comeback. So, with several people at The Japan Times claiming they'd seen "a lot" of people wearing them recently, off I set to investigate.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 18, 2005

Sweet Mysteries of the Orient

THE ASIAN MYSTIQUE, by Sheridan Prasso. Public Affairs Books, 437 pp., 2005, $27.95, 2,850 yen (cloth). Apparently, there are still Western men who believe that the East is an obliging seductress, mass producing an endless line of voluptuous women, whose laconic sexual pliancy is only exceeded by their...
COMMENTARY
Sep 17, 2005

Divisive embrace of Hong Kong democrats

HONG KONG -- After 16 years during which it ostracized members of the prodemocracy camp, Beijing is finally adjusting its policy toward Hong Kong.
BUSINESS
Sep 16, 2005

Payout failures not a structural problem: insurance chief

The head of Japan's nonlife insurance industry association denied accusations Thursday that the recent payout failure scandal had stemmed from structural problems within the industry.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan