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Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
May 9, 2007

Four-spot midget

* Japanese name: Hinuma itotombo * Scientific name: Mortonagrion hirosei * Description: "Four-spot midget" is an odd name for an insect, but in this case it is entirely accurate. This is a tiny animal, just 25-mm in length with four distinct spots on the top of the thorax. Males and females are the...
SUMO
May 8, 2007

Hakuho for yokozuna or Asashoryu to block his path?

In the days leading up to the May 5th Yokozuna Soken training session at the Ryogoku Kokugikan the Japanese media was abuzz with things sumo.
JAPAN
May 8, 2007

Large-scale ADB projects draw criticism

KYOTO — The Asian Development Bank talks about spending trillions of dollars to eliminate poverty, promote sustainable economic development and reduce the global threat of greenhouse gases.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / WALKING THE WARDS
May 4, 2007

The sun shines in spiritland

Toshima Ward is rife with zombies and familiar spirits. In the wee hours near the stationopolis of Ikebukuro, pale-faced university students, partied-out salarymen and a host of others wander the streets until the first trains arrive. These are Toshima's innocuous shades; there are others more spine...
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2007

Unlike Yeltsin, Putin has luck on his side

WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin's assertive foreign policy stance of recent years reflects the confidence that comes with a booming economy. In 1999, the year before Putin succeeded Boris Yeltsin as president, Russia's GDP was a paltry $200 billion. By last year, it had reached $1 trillion....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 3, 2007

Banners for the boys

Celebrated on May 5, Japan's Children's Day originated as an ancient Chinese festival from the old lunar calendar that marked a day to ward off evil spirits and pray for good health.
JAPAN
May 1, 2007

'Freeters' rally for better wages

Temporary workers known as "freeters" and other dissatisfied laborers gathered Monday in Tokyo to demand a better work environment and higher wages, arguing government policies have caused many of them to settle for low-paying jobs and an unsteady life.
EDITORIALS
Apr 28, 2007

Quake victims still need support

Many people are still living under inconvenient conditions more than a month after a major earthquake hit Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture on March 25, killing one person and injuring more than 300. In the city of Wajima, the hardest-hit municipality, more than 1,000 houses were either destroyed...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Apr 28, 2007

Eating more than your heart out

If the old saw is correct and, "You are what you eat," then Takeru Kobayashi is a hot dog. In more ways than one.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Apr 25, 2007

Ponder awhile the wisdom of Bhutan

If nations had laws requiring that we all went about our business wisely and with respect for the planet, those laws would prioritize precaution and force polluters to clean up their mess.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 24, 2007

Drawn-out dentistry, legal help

Do you have a problem? Is there something you need, whether it be information, a service or an item that you cannot find?
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Apr 23, 2007

Japan and Germany: partners in labor pain

Although the word "arbeit," meaning work, is commonly used in Germany and Japan, which adopted the word, recent debates on labor in these countries show that their attitudes toward work are markedly different.
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 22, 2007

Japanese warm to real curries and more

It's happening all over the country: Gourmands are ripping apart freshly baked naan bread and using it to mop up fiery-colored curries containing wicked concoctions of true Indian spices. Yes, authentic Indian food is now widely available all over Japan.
EDITORIALS
Apr 17, 2007

Constitution bill lacks consensus

The coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito has passed a bill through the Lower House to set procedures for a national referendum to revise the Constitution, and sent it to the Upper House. This bill, however, is flawed since it does not mandate a minimum-turnout rate for referendums to...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Apr 15, 2007

Stroll the streets of vending-machine heaven

Fancy some fresh eggs and veggies to go with your can of coffee in the morning? Or how about some sake with a steaming bowl of oden (soy-sauce based stew) for an evening enkai (party)? Who needs restaurants and supermarkets when you can get all you need from vending machines?
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 15, 2007

LDP fuddy-duddies' social engineering hits women and the birthrate

Earlier this month, the ruling coalition put together a bill to change part of the Civil Code that determines the paternity of a child under certain circumstances. The planned revision, which editorial writers supported for its acknowledgment of practical reality, nevertheless split the Liberal Democratic...
Reader Mail
Apr 11, 2007

Not a matter of appearances

" 'Multicultural Japan' remains a pipe dream" (March 27 article) to Chris Burgess because he appears to be puffing on the wrong end of the ideological ruler that he uses to conclude that Japan is not ready for foreigners. Ready or not, they have been coming pretty steadily, and will keep coming so long...
EDITORIALS
Apr 10, 2007

A view toward enshrinement

Documents on Yasukuni Shrine recently released by the National Diet Library shows that the then Health and Welfare Ministry actively involved itself in the enshrinement process for Japan's war dead at Yasukuni Shrine, including Class-A war criminals. The close relationship between the government and...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Apr 10, 2007

Takashi Yamada

Takashi Yamada, 59, is an official at Shikoku's Kagawa Products Association, a public entity with offices in Takamatsu City's beautiful Ritsurin Park. Yamada promotes the prefecture's arts and products, including its famed bonsai, udon, olives and the artwork of more than 100 local artisans. An enthusiastic...
EDITORIALS
Apr 8, 2007

The annual 'hanami' rethink

Though it happens every year, cherry blossom season still functions as a vibrant experience in Japan. As the blossoms open up, somehow, so do people. Time spent walking or partying under the falling petals makes most people slow down to reconsider what is essential in life. It may be just a bunch of...
EDITORIALS
Apr 5, 2007

Keeping towns afloat

The first day in the financial reconstruction of Yubari, Hokkaido, has passed. On April 1, the start of the new fiscal year, the city began its 18-year-long program to repay accumulated debts of 35.3 billion yen. The central government will carefully monitor budgets drawn up by the city, which was once...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Apr 4, 2007

Coaching carousel likely to be especially busy in offseason

NEW YORK -- An always informed source tells me Sam Mitchell may decide to leave Toronto when his contract expires at season's end and sign on with the Bobcats.
EDITORIALS
Apr 3, 2007

Britain opts for new nukes

Britain has decided to renew its nuclear deterrent. A parliamentary vote last month sharply divided the ruling Labor Party, forcing Prime Minister Tony Blair to rely on opposition Conservatives to pass the measure. Mr. Blair made his case by arguing that international uncertainty required Britain to...

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years