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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Aug 28, 2005

Einstein's place of birth proves to be worth a little time

I hit the autobahn for Frankfurt with visions of doing 200 kph immune from prosecution -- and promptly found myself in a traffic jam.
Features
Aug 28, 2005

Surrender seen close up

Col. Hervey Bennett Whipple was made logistics officer for U.S. Forces in the Southwest Pacific, operating from bases in Australia, in February 1942. In the following month he came to work for Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who had arrived in Australia after a daring escape from Corregidor in Manila Bay.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 28, 2005

Soviet checkmate finished Japan

RACING THE ENEMY: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan, by Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2005, 382 pp., $29.95 (cloth). Wartime U.S. President Harry Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb remains controversial. Until Murray Sayle's seminal article in the New Yorker (July...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 28, 2005

Postal reform gets stamp of approval from celeb politicians

Opponents of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's postal reform plans have a number of complaints, but the point they tend to harp on about, presumably because it's the only one the average citizen can appreciate, is the downsizing of post offices in far-flung regions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 28, 2005

Privacy of sperm donors leaves lives in limbo

Emi Nishimura's identity quest began the hard way.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2005

Cell transplant lets man forgo heart pump system

A 61-year-old man who had a serious heart condition was released from a hospital Saturday after his condition recovered enough to do away with a left ventricular assist system, or LVAS, following a transplant of his own bone marrow cells, the Saitama Medical Center announced.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 28, 2005

The Bad Plus

T he acoustic jazz trio The Bad Plus have cultivated a bad-boy image. And guess what, attitude works. They have garnered critical attention and loads of rock and alternative music fans. Past the hype, though, The Bad Plus' inspired jazz shakes up the expectations of what an acoustic jazz trio can sound...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 28, 2005

The face of joy and happiness

OTAFUKU: Joy of Japan, by Amy Sylvester Katoh, photographs by Yutaka Sato. Singapore: Tuttle/Periplus, bilingual (English and Japanese), 2005, 192 pp., many illustrations, 1,700 yen (cloth). Most of us know Otafuku without knowing her name. She is the full-faced folk figure we see all around us in Japan,...
CULTURE / Music
Aug 28, 2005

Cuban salsa godfather keeps his stories real

Despite the embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba since 1961, the music of this north Caribbean island has somehow made its way into every corner of the earth, including Japan. It is no coincidence that "The Sons of Cuba," the most recent film from the creators of "Buena Vista Social Club," culminates...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 28, 2005

TV Asahi's "Matthew's Best Hit TV" devotes whole program to Japanese dialects, and more

Advanced students of Japanese language might want to tune in to the late-night comedy show "Matthew's Best Hit TV" this week (TV Asahi, Wednesday, 11:15 p.m.). One of the show's regular features is a segment called "Namari Tei," which translates as "Dialect Theater." Guest celebrities, who in most cases...
Features
Aug 28, 2005

Unique memoirs saved by chance

It is one thing to witness history being made and quite another to stage-manage it. Such was the task entrusted to a 31-year-old U.S. Army colonel who was assigned by Gen. Douglas MacArthur to plan the Japanese surrender ceremony 60 years ago this coming week. It was, in short, Col. H. Bennett Whipple's...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 28, 2005

Intelligent Design: One chance encounter explains it all

Ijust happened to be reading the Kansas City Star the other day when a fascinating article caught my eye. The Star reported, in its Aug. 2 edition, that the Kansas Board of Education has approved a draft of new science standards proposed by supporters of so-called Intelligent Design.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 28, 2005

The Double: "Loose in the Air"

Positioned somewhere between the noise rock of Black Dice and the more accessible psychedelia of Animal Logic, fellow Brooklynites The Double use distortion, analog effects and explosions of pure feeling to mess around with classic pop.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Aug 27, 2005

Owen still looking for home as transfer deadline closes in

LONDON -- It seems remarkable that Michael Owen, who will surely become England's leading goalscorer at international level soon, is struggling to find himself a club before the transfer window closes next Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Aug 27, 2005

Fading hopes for a UNSC seat

Japan's long-cherished desire to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council remains as strong as ever, but realizing that aspiration in the near future is becoming extremely difficult in the face of stiff objections from certain countries. The government's strategy for expanding...
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2005

Envoy to help U.N. mission in Sudan

The government said Friday it will send a diplomat to a U.N. mission in Sudan next month to help the world body's peacekeeping operations in the African country, government officials said.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2005

New chief chamberlain for prince

Takashi Suetsuna, an official at the National Police Agency, will assume the post of chief chamberlain to Crown Prince Naruhito on Sept. 6, the Cabinet said at a meeting Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2005

Art show by visually impaired offers a hands-on experience

Seeing with their hands -- that is what young visually disabled artists did to create works for an ongoing exhibition at Gallery Tom.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2005

Ministry to boost watch over train driver education

The transport ministry announced Friday it will increase its inspection of train driver education and testing.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2005

Lawsuit over Tokyo air raids in works

Survivors and relatives of victims of the Tokyo air raids toward the end of World War II have decided to sue the government for compensation and an apology, they said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 27, 2005

Teikoku to drill despite risk of China action

Teikoku Oil Co. President Masatoshi Sugioka said Friday the company was willing to explore for gas in the East China Sea despite the risk of Chinese interruption, but it wanted assurance from Tokyo that its workers on the project would be safe.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2005

BTM worker plundered deposits for 12 years

A female worker at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi embezzled nearly 1 billion yen over 12 years, and the bank was oblivious to the theft for the entire period, it was learned Friday.
BUSINESS
Aug 27, 2005

Yumeshin president steps down

Yumeshin Holdings Co. said Friday that Hiroshi Kamada has resigned as president and left the construction management firm for personal reasons, sparking speculation that he is taking responsibility for the failed takeover bid for a construction consultancy firm.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 27, 2005

'Warm Biz' windfall may trump 'Cool'

The government's "Warm Biz" campaign to encourage offices to set thermostats lower in winter will generate 232.3 billion yen in economic ripple effects, Dai-ichi Life Research Institute Inc. figures.

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