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COMMENTARY
Oct 13, 2007

Democracies' double standard

NEW DELHI — The repression let loose by Burma's (Myanmar) military junta has fittingly drawn international outrage. But the indignation and new wave of U.S.-led sanctions also obscure an inconvenient truth: Promotion of freedom has become a diplomatic instrument to target not China — the world's...
BUSINESS / EAST ASIA SYMPOSIUM
Oct 13, 2007

Agricultural industry reform said crucial for Japan FTAs

Japan could be left behind in the global trend of free trade agreements unless it resolves the problem of its protected agricultural sectors, Keio University professor Fukunari Kimura stressed at the Sept. 28 East Asia symposium.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2007

New robot can give facial massages

With steely arms sprouting cables and wires, the WAO-1 robot looks nothing like a relaxation device.
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2007

No change as BOJ keeps rate at 0.5%

The Bank of Japan Policy Board agreed Thursday to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 percent for the eighth straight month as prospects for the global economy remain uncertain in the wake of the U.S. subprime mortgage loan crisis.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 12, 2007

MY PLAYLIST: Hot Chip

Hot Chip are leading the current British electro-indie crossover charge, having earned widespread acclaim for their second album "The Warning," released in Japan last month on Rough Trade.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 12, 2007

Glenn Miller Orchestra brings a touch of brass

The Glenn Miller Orchestra returns to Japan for a national tour starting Nov. 19 that includes performances in Tokyo, Hokkaido, Osaka and Fukuoka.
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2007

Osaka mayor expected to prevail despite policy, financial snafus

OSAKA — Osaka Mayor Junichi Seki is expected to be re-elected when voters go to the polls Nov. 18, despite public anger over the city's problematic assimilation assistance policy for descendants of the feudal outcast class, failing public works projects and a lack of appeal among his peers, even in...
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2007

Afghan SDF mission constitutional, Ozawa says

Ichiro Ozawa, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, said Wednesday the Self-Defense Forces' participation in NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan would not violate the Constitution, contrary to the claims of the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling coalition, which...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 11, 2007

Mother of all comebacks

Hollywood's hardest-working movie star, John Travolta dons a fat suit and breasts to play a housewife in his latest role, the all-singing, all-dancing musical 'Hairspray.'
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2007

Nova raises ¥70 million issuing share warrants

submits a petition Tuesday to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry calling for government action to improve the firm's operations. KYODO PHOTO
BUSINESS
Oct 10, 2007

Negative factors seen foiling BOJ interest rate hike this week

The Bank of Japan will probably not raise interest rates this week because confidence at small companies has deteriorated and policymakers are still assessing the effect of the U.S. housing slump on economic growth.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2007

'Bullet tours' bringing South Koreans for shopping

and Bae Seung Wan visit the Takashimaya department store in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward. They traveled to Japan on a "bullet tour" via Japan Airlines chartered flights for an 18-hour stay in the capital on Sept. 26. KYODO PHOTO
COMMENTARY
Oct 9, 2007

The vanity in 'green' virtues

LONDON — When it comes to energy efficiency and a greener future, Japan has got itself very well-organized these days — some would even say over-organized.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 8, 2007

Japan's Antiterrorism Special Measures Law and confusion over U.N. authority

Once again there is political debate over military-related legislation under the shadow of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, and once again it has revealed confusion over the international law and constitutional issues involved. The debate is over the extension of the Antiterrorism Special Measures...
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2007

Ministry snubs meeting with foes of dolphin kill

U.S. activists waging a high-profile campaign against Japan's annual dolphin slaughter and sale of mercury-tainted dolphin meat were snubbed by government officials Friday in Tokyo when they tried to hand over a petition of protest they claim bears 50,000 signatures.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 5, 2007

Jacob tinkles the next-generation ivories

Christian Jacob is one of the best-selling foreign jazz pianists in Japan. The New York Times labeled him "phenomenal." Some people call this classically trained Frenchman a genius and regard him as a next-generation leader in the jazz world.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2007

Heading for a French Sixth Republic?

PARIS — Nearly 50 years after the creation of the Fifth Republic by Gen. Charles de Gaulle, French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to change France's fundamental institutions. An expert council will send him its proposals by Nov. 1.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2007

Fukuda vows to regain public trust

urgent issue," Fukuda told the Diet in the 23-minute speech. "Without the people's trust, it is impossible to realize any policy or necessary reforms." The remarks followed Fukuda's warning to his Cabinet last week to keep their hands clean over political funds.
EDITORIALS
Oct 1, 2007

Coping with the doctor shortage

As pregnant women, children and rural residents in Japan face a crisis in getting medical treatment, the government has decided to increase the quota for medical schools. This is a welcome move. It is urgent that the government take well-thought-out measures to deal with specific problems responsible...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 30, 2007

Sophistication from improvisation

Kitano Takeshi. London: British Film Institute, 2007, 272 pp., with photos. £16.99 (paper) This is a brilliant book on a mercurial subject. Takeshi Kitano is an actor and film director, ubiquitous on television as well, who has become a media event. His persona has splintered and he stands Janus-faced...
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2007

Japan may pull envoy if talks tank

we have to wait and see for a while to decide if we should apply sanctions or not," Fukuda told reporters at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. "We won't immediately apply sanctions because much of Japan's aid is humanitarian." Tokyo has traditionally used a policy of engagement with Myanmar,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2007

Scholars split over sanctions

Despite their long-standing good relations, the violence recently used to quell demonstrations in Myanmar that caused the death of Japanese video journalist Kenji Nagai has upped the pressure on Tokyo to impose sanctions on the military junta, experts say.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 28, 2007

What's in a name . . .

It's 20 minutes before her fashion show is due to start at the Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo and Francesca Versace is giving a very slight, nervous bite to her lower lip.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past