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BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2008

Sapporo's takeover fears not supported by facts, Steel says

U.S. hedge fund Steel Partners Japan denied Wednesday that its proposal to take over Sapporo Breweries Ltd., the nation's third-largest brewery, would seriously harm shareholder interests, as claimed last week by a Sapporo Holdings Ltd. panel.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 14, 2008

France's own proto-Andy Warhol

There are interesting parallels between Andy Warhol and the French fin-de-siecle artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Each was an instantly recognizable figure who moved in a Bohemian crowd, was obsessed with celebrity, and produced print works that embodied the relationship between art and commerce.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 14, 2008

A question of intention

How valid is the distinction between crafts and arts? A number of recent exhibitions, most notably "Roppongi Crossing" at Tokyo's Mori Art Museum and "Space for Your Future" at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Tokyo, have confronted us with this question, one that is of great relevance to Japanese art....
EDITORIALS
Feb 13, 2008

Reducing accidental deaths in hospitals

A health ministry study panel is pushing for the establishment of a third-party Medical Accidents Investigation Commission that would investigate medical accidents to prevent recurrences. This body would increase the quality and transparency of medical services, while reducing mutual distrust between...
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2008

Okinawa rape case sparks resentment

A U.S. Marine who allegedly raped a 14-year-old Okinawa girl was turned over to prosecutors Tuesday in a case that has prompted government officials to voice outrage and warn the incident could affect the Japan-U.S. alliance and the reorganization of U.S. bases in the prefecture.
BUSINESS
Feb 13, 2008

Daiwa SMBC to invest ¥200 billion more

Daiwa Securities SMBC Co. plans to invest about ¥200 billion of its own money in the coming year to restore profit that has been battered by a slump in underwriting fees.
BASKETBALL
Feb 11, 2008

Evessa maintain lead in Western Conference

Mikey Marshall scored 24 points, Matt Lottich had 18, Jeff Newton 16 and Naoto Nakamura 11 as the Osaka Evessa defeated the visiting Saitama Broncos 76-71 before 2,088 fans on Sunday.
Japan Times
LIFE
Feb 10, 2008

Eyewitness: Burma from the inside

Burma's Bloody September came home to people in Japan with the slaying of veteran freelance photojournalist Kenji Nagai on Sept. 27, 2007 in Yangon during a mass demonstration. The video clip showing him being gunned down by a Burmese soldier at point-blank range was repeatedly aired, arousing public...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2008

G7 finance chiefs vow to help markets

The Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank chiefs vowed Saturday to help stabilize volatile situations in financial markets but stopped short of proposing concrete measures, including unified interest rate cuts, to fend off a global recession.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2008

FSF urges financial firms to reveal bottom lines

The Financial Stability Forum, an advisory panel to the G7 composed of central bankers and regulators, urged financial institutions Saturday to spit out the bottom line on the losses they've taken from the U.S. subprime mortgage loan crisis.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 10, 2008

There's no way of stopping the poisoned food sent from abroad

Last week, when the Chinese government sent five experts to talk with Japanese counterparts about those pesticide-tainted frozen gyoza (Chinese dumplings) imported from their country, the head of the team, Li Chunfeng, expressed concern over the feelings of Japanese consumers. He also offered a veiled...
BUSINESS
Feb 9, 2008

TSE glitch halts Topix futures trade

The Tokyo Stock Exchange halted trading of Topix index futures Friday because of computer problems.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2008

Breaking the monopoly on econ theory

WASHINGTON — For 25 years, the so-called Washington Consensus — comprising measures aimed at expanding the role of markets and constraining the role of the state — has dominated economic development policy. As John Williamson, who coined the term, put it in 2002, these measures "are motherhood...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 8, 2008

Perryman, Peñate and Pinsalocks rock Shibuya

Feb. 3 saw the launch of "Future Lounge," a new radio show on InterFM hosted by Guy Perryman and syndicated to stations in Osaka (FM Co.Co.Lo), Fukuoka (Love FM) and Nagoya (Radio i). The show focuses on fresh new music from around the globe and is broadcast every Sunday night, 9-11 p.m.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Feb 8, 2008

Taking a dive into the past

Day trips out of Tokyo are usually down south to Kamakura for hiking, out west to Hakone for the hot springs, or — for the ambitious — the shrines and temples of Nikko to the north.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 8, 2008

Shorty Cat

Adding some spice to this month's Wild Wacky Party event, held to mark the 18th anniversary of Japanese punk ladies Lolita No. 18, South Korea's Shorty Cat are bound to cause a few cold sweats.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 8, 2008

Watt's going on — a punk at 50

Mike Watt doesn't look like a punk. With his fondness for plaid shirts and bushy mustaches, he looks, actually, more like a regular working-class guy — a steel worker, or a sailor like his father.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 8, 2008

Do your Valentine's duty

Let's cut right to the chase. This country has no shortage of love, as the multitudes of Valentine's Day daters next week will attest. What it needs are marriages — marriages and children! — and then maybe the trickling total fertility rate (1.32 in 2006) will edge back up to the threshold at which...
Reader Mail
Feb 7, 2008

Japan's role in fish consumption

Concerning Misao Nakaya's Dec. 16 letter, "Whales as a food resource": In the only comment that is apropos of my Dec. 9 letter, "Whales don't cause fish shortages," Nakaya writes that the average Japanese consumes 18 kilograms of fish per year.
Reader Mail
Feb 7, 2008

Can't help being interventionist

Where does opinion-page columnist Tom Plate get his information regarding the respective positions of the American presidential candidates on U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq? At this point in time, none of the candidates actually shows any real intention or determination to make withdrawal an immediate...
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2008

'Gyoza' scare scuttles JT-Nissin frozen food ties

In a surprise announcement, Japan Tobacco Inc. and instant noodle maker Nissin Food Products Co. said Wednesday that due to the widening "gyoza" dumpling scare, they have scrapped plans to merge their frozen food divisions.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2008

'Gyoza' poisoned after leaving factory: China

The head of the Chinese delegation in Japan for talks over recent food poisonings said Wednesday he believes the Chinese-made frozen "gyoza" dumplings were deliberately tainted with pesticide after being shipped from the factory and not during the production process.
Reader Mail
Feb 7, 2008

Sources of mercury-tainted tuna

According to a recent article, Japanese say the best tuna comes from off the coasts of Japan. It is known that Japanese ships are present in the Mediterranean, off the coasts of Sicily, catching many tuna that are flown to Japan daily. The other day, in Italy, information came out that "Sicilian" tuna,...

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go