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EDITORIALS
Jan 13, 2011

Northern island scrimmage

Russia has mounted a diplomatic offensive against Japan concerning the disputed four islands off Hokkaido claimed by both countries and held by Russia. Japan is hard put to take an effective counter move.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jan 13, 2011

Ground control, we have a fashionable lift-off

Jean-Paul Gaultier's space
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2011

Kan to reveal new Cabinet lineup Friday

Prime Minister Naoto Kan is preparing to reshuffle his Cabinet and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's executive lineup Friday, DPJ sources said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2011

The happy quest beyond economic growth

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — In a time of tight budgets and financial crisis, politicians nowadays look to economic growth as the centerpiece of their domestic policy programs. Gross domestic product is taken to be the leading indicator of national well-being. But, as we look ahead to 2011 and beyond, we should...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 11, 2011

Smart grid pursuit slow off mark

The term "smart grid" is coming up a lot as the United States prepares to replace its aging electricity infrastructure. While President Barack Obama pledged $3.4 billion in 2009 to spur an early transition to the new distribution grid, Japan isn't expected to follow anytime soon.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2011

Wall between rust and creativity in Chile

SANTIAGO — Chile celebrated 200 years of independence in 2010. Only 20 of the 198 countries on Earth have reached that age. Therefore, it has been, for Chileans, a time of assessment and of asking ourselves a very simple, yet profound, question: Have we done things right or wrong?
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2011

North Korea's forgotten crisis

North Korea's lack of concern for upholding the international commitment to human rights and security became clear once again after it rained an artillery barrage on Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23, killing four South Koreans including two civilians.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 9, 2011

Diplomatic superhero drama; Sengoku princess 'Go'; CM of the week: Mobage Town

A spinoff of the hit movie "Amalfi," the new Fuji TV action series "Gaikokan Kuroda Kosaku" (Thurs., 9 p.m.) stars Yuji Oda as the title character, diplomat Kosaku Kuroda, who is dispatched all over the globe to defend Japanese interests and citizens.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 9, 2011

Let's hope China doesn't fall into the same traps that Japan once did

The overriding question that should be on everyone's mind in this new, second decade of the 21st century is: What is going to happen in China?
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2011

Subculture inspires young male cross-dressing trend

He's a 52-year-old medical doctor who goes by the name Ayaka Ogawa when living out his cross-dressing fantasies of being a woman in her mid-40s.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 7, 2011

Hurts

When Hurts took the stage at the Chiba leg of 2010's Summer Sonic for their first ever Japan show, they surely could not have predicted the reception that awaited them. With their debut album still under wraps and nary a note yet released in Japan, this fast-rising British duo somehow wrangled a large...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 7, 2011

Dommune live-streams DJ sets to a growing fan base

The crowd bristles with excitement as the first DJ of the night winds down his set. An air of anticipation sets in around the room. As the next DJ enters the booth with his CD booklet in hand, the throng begins to swarm the tiny floor, no larger than your grandmother's basement. Four Tet is about to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 7, 2011

Crystal Castles

Experimental electro was never a genre that was intended to go mainstream, so it's no surprise that Crystal Castles are not the most media- friendly band. That hasn't stopped Ethan Kath and Alice Glass from drawing an huge fan base; when they visited Japan back in 2008, despite jitters from their record...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 7, 2011

The Kandinsky narcissistic blues

Anyone who has seen the unrefined figurative works of Mark Rothko can easily understand why he later turned to his abstract Color Field works. Because of examples like this, there is always a suspicion that abstract art is merely the last refuge of the technically inept. Wassily Kandinsky — often seen...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 7, 2011

Fill up on Morimura's unusual 'side dishes'

Some artists are accorded such historical importance that virtually everything they do or have done comes under close scrutiny. Other artists are effectively known for a single thing, such as the nominal Italian Surrealist, Giorgio de Chirico, who is primarily known for his so-called "metaphysical paintings,"...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 7, 2011

Exhibition makes good start to 2011

You've got to wonder about the timing of this exhibition. Who wouldn't have appreciated the chance to see a showcase of 2011 nengajo (New Year's greeting cards) by local hotshot graphic designers back in, say, November last year? Then we might have been saved the embarrassment of sending out yet another...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 7, 2011

See stars at Roppongi Hills

Feel like gazing at the stars but not in the mood for withstanding cold temperatures for hours outside? Head for Roppongi Hills instead.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 7, 2011

Photojournalist group show off their best

All across Japan people are ringing in the new year with visits to hometowns, prayers at temples and bowls of soba. It's a good time to look ahead, but also a good time for looking back — that's where the Tokyo Press Photographers Association comes in.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2011

Seniors' wisdom recorded

Surrounded by record players and speakers that he designed and built on his own, Takeshi Teragaki, 86, a renowned sound system engineer, began to talk about how he first became intrigued by audio players.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 6, 2011

Massage away the blues with sensory therapy

A pot of tea brews next to a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table. Three flying porcelain ducks hang on the wall. A pile of books sits on the shelf. And somewhere in the distance, the sound of bird song mingles with the chime of church bells.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2011

Kan heaps more coals on Ozawa fire

Democratic Party of Japan heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa should decide his own course of action, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday, indicating the DPJ don should consider resigning from both the ruling party and the Diet when he is indicted over his political money scandal.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2011

Japanese women 'can have it all'

As a female CEO in a nation known for its male-dominated corporate ranks, Kumi Sato says it is her mission to spread the message that despite the challenges posed by social and gender expectations, Japanese women could "have it all" if they wanted.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 31, 2010

Best Japanese/overseas albums of 2010: Qetic

DJ Baku Hybrid Dharma Band — "D.E.F"

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes