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Philip Brasor
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 14, 2013
Net TV expresses views the mainstream ignores
Last week's column mentioned "Pack-in News," a current-affairs talk show that used to stream on the Internet TV channel Kinkin.tv, which is the personal project of veteran actor-emcee Kinya Aikawa. It was a continuation of "Pack-in Journal," a show hosted by Aikawa on the satellite station Asahi Newstar...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 10, 2013
Employment counselors forced to sit on the other side of the window
In one area of employment public servants have it worse than private sector workers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 7, 2013
Government reveals contempt for constitution by ignoring it
Actor-emcee Kinya Aikawa has his own TV station on the Net, and because the only ads are for projects involving Aikawa and his equally famous wife, Midori Utsumi, he doesn't worry about making sponsors uncomfortable.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 3, 2013
Local government attempts to make citizens rat on welfare recipients
Welfare recipients made to feel guilty for guilty pleasures.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Apr 2, 2013
When remodeling isn't quite a home improvement
A year ago we looked at a 20-year-old apartment after it had just gone on sale in the city where we live, which is about an hour from Tokyo. It was large and sunny, but the walls needed to be re-papered and the floors replaced. The realtor told us that the ¥11.6 million asking price included the cost...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 31, 2013
Bollywood bigwigs hope Japan fans are in it for keeps
In the 1990s, one of the most popular foreign movie stars in Japan was an Indian actor named Rajinikanth, who appeared in films made for India's Tamil-speaking southern region.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 31, 2013
As rural rail lines close bus travel gets a makeover
If you live in the Tokyo metropolitan area, you have access to the greatest network in the universe, but if you don't you may find your local transportation options dwindling.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 29, 2013
Court says railway can make patrons pay through the nose
Railway patrons can now sue over fares, for what it's worth.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 24, 2013
Abortion controlled by the state
TV personalities, or tarento in the vernacular parlance, wage a never-ending battle against encroaching irrelevance. They impose on our consciousness, and one of the easiest ways to do that without offering a compelling skills set is to exploit personal circumstances that are none of our business. Last...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 21, 2013
Auto sales driven by gas mileage
Japanese carmakers compete over fuel efficiency.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 17, 2013
Data from 3/11 could save lives if used effectively
As the second anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake approached, the media again rallied to pay tribute to the tragedy's victims, whether dead or alive. Many of the latter are still in limbo, unsure of their future since the events of that day wiped out much of their past.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 14, 2013
Convenience store companies boost employee income, engage in one-upmanship
Convenience stores a leading the way for higher employee wages, but is it enough?
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 10, 2013
Crime is down but elderly prisoners on the rise
Last July, a lay judge panel in Osaka handed down a 20-year prison sentence to a man convicted of killing his sister after the prosecution had only asked for 16 years. Earlier this month the Osaka High Court reduced that sentence to 14 years, because the defendant had been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 7, 2013
Uniqlo not as different as its workers thought it would be
Japan's most coveted work environment isn't what it's cracked up to be.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Mar 5, 2013
Buying property in the age of Abenomics
According to most business media, now is the time to act if you are thinking about buying a home. Though the Liberal Democratic Party has yet to confirm that it will go ahead with the consumption tax increases the Democratic Party of Japan passed last year, it seems likely that the first hike to 8 percent...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 3, 2013
Students convenient proxies in LDP's Pyongyang angst
Since returning to power late last year, the Liberal Democratic Party has said it will dismantle some of the social programs the Democratic Party of Japan implemented during its short reign.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 27, 2013
Annals of cheap: Don Don Down on Wednesday
Used clothing retailer plays games with customers — and they love it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 24, 2013
Japan's vegetarians stay in the closet
Last week, entertainment-related media in the U.S. reported that the American Broadcasting Corporation had rejected an advertisement the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wanted to air during the Academy Awards ceremony, which takes place early tomorrow morning Tokyo time.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 21, 2013
Proposed inheritance tax exemption isn't really about inheritance taxes
Will old folks encouraged to think of their grandkids' education loosen their grip on unproductive savings?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 17, 2013
Judo scandal casts doubt on Olympic bid
News stories don't exist in a vacuum. What often makes them "news" is a confluence of factors that provide a context of interest. Though the public thinks the current story about 15 female judo athletes (jūdōka) demanding fundamental changes to the way the national team is structured and run is a self-contained...

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