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JAPAN
Jul 5, 2007

'Japan's Condi Rice' known for courting controversy

OSAKA — New Defense Minister Yuriko Koike, 54, is a world traveler fluent in Arabic and English and considered one of the Diet's leading experts on the Middle East.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 5, 2007

Exposing our tacky selves

Walking through an exhibition of Martin Parr's photography is an emotional experience. The Englishman's works make you laugh, snicker, cringe; they prompt self- and societal reflection; but most of all they make you marvel at the dry wit and superior eye that Parr has for things simultaneously insipid...
BUSINESS
Jul 4, 2007

Home forex traders making impact

Housewives are helping to moderate currency swings by betting against professional investors, according to Bank of Japan Policy Board member Kiyohiko Nishimura.
BUSINESS
Jul 4, 2007

Keeping interest rates low endangers economy: Muto

Bank of Japan Deputy Gov. Toshiro Muto said Tuesday that keeping interest rates low for too long could hurt economic growth.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Jul 3, 2007

Anticipation tarnished by tragedy before Nagoya basho

At a time when sumo fans were excitedly anticipating the first tournament since late 2003 that boasts two yokozuna, tragedy struck: In late June, a 17-year-old rikishi died after a training session.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2007

Ex-judge denied visit to inmate

to hand down a guilty verdict on Hakamada, but I was unable to persuade the two other judges of his innocence," he told a news conference in March. Kumamoto told a gathering of Hakamada's supporters Sunday that he still regrets the conviction.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Jul 3, 2007

U.S. Forces Japan marks HQ's 50th anniversary

The U.S. Forces Japan headquarters marked its 50th anniversary with a ceremony Monday at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo.
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Jul 2, 2007

'Cool Earth' efforts with Merkel could help Abe change climate in Japan

You don't have to read gossip columns to know that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have been seeing a lot of each other lately.
Reader Mail
Jul 1, 2007

More than a mother's life

Regarding the June 21 article "Jehovah's Witness shuns blood, dies": The medical establishment has a duty to protect life. When a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses sect gave birth in May by Caesarean section and then refused a blood transfusion to save her life, the Osaka hospital's decision to allow...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 1, 2007

Immigrant workers in Japan caught in a real racket

The debate over whether Japan should allow foreign workers in to make up for current and future labor shortages is dominated by the so-called foreign trainee program, which is overseen by the Japan International Training Cooperation Organization (JITCO). The program is itself the subject of a debate,...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 1, 2007

Yoshibumi Wakamiya on Japan's shift to the right

BETWEEN THE CONSTITUTION AND KIMIGAYO (Migite ni Kimigayo, Hidarite ni Kenpo) by Yoshibumi Wakamiya, Asahi Shimbun-sha Shuppankyoku, 2007, 156+184 pp., 1,890 yen (cloth) For anyone living in Japan and fascinated by Japanese politics, it is a good thing to step back occasionally from the surprises and...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jun 30, 2007

Jorge Ferreras

Those who know him well agree that Jorge Ferreras is unusually talented and highly original. With his whimsies, his art and piano he has a gift for lighting up the space he occupies. He is an architect and artist, NHK radio man and university lecturer who came from Argentina to study and live in Japan....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2007

Office weighs less in the work-life balance

After his son was born last April, Hyogo Prefecture civil servant Akira Hirabayashi decided to cut back on overtime at work. He yearned for more time with little Susumu and also wanted to give his wife, Chie, a chance to return to her teaching job at an elementary school.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 29, 2007

Slow train is a coming

Not many sane people jump out of bed at 2 a.m. on a Saturday morning and speed to the coast to see the sunrise. Unless, that is, you're making your way to Cape Inubosaki, Chiba Prefecture, the Kanto region's furthermost eastern point.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2007

TBS wins proxy fight to get takeover-defense measures

Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. scored a victory in a proxy fight Thursday with Rakuten Inc. as its shareholders approved the broadcaster's plan to introduce takeover-defense measures that could foil the Internet mall operator's attempt to increase its stake in TBS to more than 20 percent.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2007

Supporters laud U.S. motion on 'comfort women' as first step

Supporters of surviving wartime sex slaves praised a U.S. congressional committee's Tuesday approval of a resolution calling on Japan to officially apologize.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.