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Japan Times
JAPAN
May 27, 2009

DPJ won't hike tax, Okada says

The consumption tax would likely not be raised for the next four years if the Democratic Party of Japan wins the upcoming general election, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada declared in an interview Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
May 27, 2009

Cross-strait gap narrows

Two things became apparent during a recent visit to China. One was the vitality of the economy; the critics who fussed over China's recent export downturn overlooked Beijing's ability to shift to a domestic demand-oriented economy. The other was the importance of Taiwan in Beijing's thinking.
EDITORIALS
May 26, 2009

Stunned by Mr. Roh's suicide

The suicide of former South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun has shocked the world. Mr. Roh leaped off a mountain cliff near his residence in Gimhae Saturday morning and suffered fatal head injuries. We offer our prayers for Mr. Roh, who as president created a new epoch for South Korea. It is regrettable...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 26, 2009

Expat life in Japan: the good, the bad and the meaningful

I am a 46-year-old Caucasian male. I have lived in Japan for 17 years with an attitude toward assimilation that would not be looked upon favorably in my native Australia. I would feel worse about this were it not for an undeniable fact: Compared to the average Westerner in Japan, the moderate level of...
BUSINESS
May 25, 2009

Subprime crisis was unleashed by bank-shielding policymakers: expert

The global financial crisis is not the result of the failure of markets but of a series of government policy mistakes — prescriptions for which have been circulating for a long time but were largely ignored, a U.S. expert told a recent seminar in Tokyo.
JAPAN
May 24, 2009

MOX use opposed by Genkai's leery residents

GENKAI, Saga Pref. — Before a two-lane access road was built to connect it with other parts of the prefecture, the village of Genkai, nestled in high hills with deep ravines beside the Sea of Japan, was so remote that even locals called it the "Tibet of Saga Prefecture."
LIFE
May 24, 2009

City's new gateway to worlds apart

When I was walking to Osanbashi Pier, I noticed that the asphalt road changed to a wooden deck leading me up a slope to a grassy hilltop.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 24, 2009

From Meiji gentleman to 'Japanese Yankee'

This curiosity (a first-person account of the writer's gradual transformation from Meiji gentleman to self-proclaimed "Japanese Yankee") was first published in 1898 (by the Congregational Church) and never again seen until now.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2009

Flu virus starts to take toll on businesses

The spreading H1N1 swine flu virus is having an ill effect on a wide range of businesses from tourism to retailing, particularly in the western regions where the outbreak was first detected, industry sources said Friday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2009

Internet eyed as path to clean politics

The Nishimatsu Construction Co. fundraising scandal is shaking up the political landscape, with some lawmakers calling for removing businesses from the fundraising picture in favor of individual donations.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2009

Sony plans to slash suppliers in major test of CEO's mettle

Sony Corp. said Thursday it will halve the number of parts suppliers to slash costs under a turnaround plan that is testing the mettle of Chief Executive Howard Stringer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 22, 2009

'L'heure d'ete'

Moliere once wrote that the wonder of a French vacance lay in its "deep, profound dullness, those hours and hours of time, marked only by meals and interminable glasses of wine." A similar kind of wonder propels the intimate, endearingly smug "L'heure d'ete" (international title: "Summer Hours") —...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 22, 2009

A Flood of Circle "Buffalo Soul"

The strength of A Flood of Circle's 2007 debut eponymous EP helped the Tokyo quartet secure a coveted spot on the rookie stage at that summer's Fuji Rock Festival. A clear sign of bigger things to come, with the release of their first full-length recording, "Buffalo Soul," the act have again scored an...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 22, 2009

A mother alone

To launch Za Koenji, the new public theater in Suginami Ward designed by Toyo Ito, artistic director Makoto Sato made the bold decision to present "Keshou Two Acts" ("Makeup"), a one-woman play by renowned writer and director Hisashi Inoue that stars Misako Watanabe. Now 76, the veteran actress first...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
May 22, 2009

Phoenix's Nakamura looks back on team's first season in bj-league

Despite a 36-win regular season, the best record in the Eastern Conference, and a trip to the Final Four, Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix coach Kazuo Nakamura didn't describe his team's first season in the bj-league as a resounding success.
MORE SPORTS
May 21, 2009

'Cowboy Shingo' tips hat to Masters achievement

The first thing you notice is the hat.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2009

What do the North Koreans really want?

WASHINGTON — The latest statements out of North Korea appear to be telegraphing Pyongyang's next set of provocative moves. It has threatened further ballistic missile tests, another nuclear test, and steps to acquire its own civilian nuclear capabilities unless the United Nations "apologizes" for its...
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
May 21, 2009

Nakamura faces tough decision when Celtic deal expires

Shunsuke Nakamura might be thinking of nothing other than winning the Scottish league title with Celtic for the time being, but sooner or later he will have to decide what comes next.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 19, 2009

IC you: bugging the alien

When the Japanese government first issued alien registration cards (aka gaijin cards) in 1952, it had one basic aim in mind: to track "foreigners" (at that time, mostly Korean and Taiwanese stripped of Japanese colonial citizenship) who decided to stay in postwar Japan.
Reader Mail
May 17, 2009

Real effects of an atomic bomb

Regarding Masanobu Saito's May 10 letter, "Obama should not visit Hiroshima": I'm rather confused by his logic. We have a saying: "Seeing his believing." If world leaders should take all necessary steps to ban nuclear weapons to save Earth, not only U.S. President Barack Obama but also Russian President...
Reader Mail
May 17, 2009

First things first to fight the flu

Japan is undoubtedly the most hygienic country in the world. The national fetish for clean hands is symbolized in the honorary wet towel. Most foreigners like to poke fun at this fixation for clean hands, but we do secretly admire the custom and miss it when we return to our home countries.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2009

Co-opting terror in Saudi Arabia's neighbor

LONDON — In a prominent hadith, the Prophet Muhammad said: "If disorder threatens, take refuge in Yemen." The prophet was referring to the prosperous and civilized Yemen. But today disorder and radicalization in Yemen are beginning to infect Saudi Arabia, and thus the safety of the world's largest...
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2009

A story line to push the economy

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Since hitting bottom in early March, the world's major stock markets have all risen dramatically. Some, notably in China and Brazil, reached lows last fall and again in March, before rebounding sharply, with Brazil's Bovespa up 75 percent in May compared to late October 2008, and...
LIFE / Style & Design / WEEK 3
May 17, 2009

Capital's new rail map is on the right lines

We all depend on them, especially when we are new to a place, but how many subway users realize that their trusty transit maps are the subject of a tug-of-war between the forces of geographical accuracy and graphical distortion in the interests of ease of use?
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 17, 2009

Lay-judge drama, exotic real estate, and Kimutaku's 'Mr. Brain'

The new lay judge system starts on May 21, so it's not surprising that somebody decided to make a two-hour suspense drama to mark the occasion. However, the subtitle of "Hotei Suspense" ("Trial Suspense"; TBS, Mon., 9 p.m.) sounds like this might not be the best way to promote the new system: "Do you...
JAPAN
May 17, 2009

Hatoyama must unite party quickly

After taking the helm of the Democratic Party of Japan, Yukio Hatoyama will have no breathing space at all as he attempts to lead the main opposition party back into position to take the pivotal Lower House election it had been favored to win.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear