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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 22, 2010

Depp the magical mystery man

HOLLYWOOD — It's no surprise Johnny Depp is starring in a fantastical new movie titled "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," which opens in Japan on Saturday.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 17, 2010

Seen in a Beijing minute

Jonathan Tel, in "The Beijing of Possibilities," reminds us that megalopolises such as Beijing are inexhaustible, and therefore offer endless possibilities. In good ways and bad, they never cease to surprise. One is much more likely to see, for example, a gorilla pedaling a bicycle through urban streets...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 15, 2010

Fukuoka trio keeping Rizing in the running

Basketball aficionados speak about the value of a "Big Three" to a team's championship hopes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jan 3, 2010

Jake Adelstein: Insider reaching out

Author Joshua "Jake" Adelstein supposes that if he'd stayed home in rural Missouri and had never come to Japan, he'd probably have become a small-town lawyer or a very happy detective on the local police force.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 30, 2009

Need to know those buzzwords to follow Japan's big hit products

Of all the jobs I've held in Japan, by far the most challenging was the four years I spent during the baburu keizai (バブル経済, bubble economy) as a trend watcher for a market-research company.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 22, 2009

Too innocent for prejudice?

Are kindergarteners racist? Do they discriminate between children with different skin colors?
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2009

Recognizing confident India as indispensable

PARIS — "Do not forget India." That warning made sense 10 or 15 years ago; not any longer. India is now impossible to ignore, much less forget, owing not only to its rapid economic growth but also to the country's increasing geopolitical stature.
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Dec 21, 2009

Press club system a domestic dilemma begging for change

In January, the European Business Council in Japan will launch a new magazine called eurobiz japan. This magazine will address topics of special interest to European firms here, including the press club system — an issue that continues to rankle foreign business circles.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 20, 2009

Rakuten's Nomura spills the beans; big family special; Christmas tales of unmarried women

When Katsuya Nomura left the Rakuten Golden Eagles baseball team as manager recently, he was celebrated by the mainstream press as one of the greatest leaders in the game while at the same time derided by the tabloid press, which claimed his players were happy to get rid of an old grouch.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2009

Anthony Fensom: Best books of 2009

The best expose of Japan's organized crime scene since Robert Whiting's "Tokyo Underworld." Former Yomiuri Shimbun journalist Jake Adelstein takes readers on a gripping tour of his 12-year stint on the Tokyo police beat and into a dark world closed to most non-Japanese. Part Philip Marlowe and part Clark...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 11, 2009

In praise of films that refuse to follow formulas

After jostling through a metal detector, having my bag searched and my mobile confiscated by stern-faced blue meanies, I slump in my cinema seat, enduring head-exploding levels of volume from the coming attractions, and unwanted infrared scrutiny from guards patrolling for video-heads looking for their...
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2009

Hatoyama: move Futenma to Guam?

Despite heavy U.S. pressure, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama appears to have given up on resolving the controversial relocation of a U.S. Marine base in Okinawa before year's end and is now floating Guam as an option.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 4, 2009

Whole family can go for a spin at Cycle Mode International

C ycle Mode International 2009 is coming to Tokyo from Dec. 11-13. Whether you are a cycling fanatic or still on training wheels, the anual event is worth checking out as it teaches you pretty much everything you need to know about the carbon-free, fat-burning vehicle.
Reader Mail
Nov 29, 2009

Interesting but fallacious theory

I am glad to see that The Japan Times is publishing in-depth articles on scientific topics such as the "Our growing Earth?" series on geology by Jeff Ogrisseg. But these articles prompt a reminder of an all too common logical fallacy: "Albert Einstein got bad grades in school. I am getting bad grades....
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Nov 29, 2009

Rowsom says Lottich signing key addition for Oita

The Oita HeatDevils' reclamation project is far from finished.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 20, 2009

'2012' star tells of being John Cusack

HOLLYWOOD — The year 2012, according to the ancient Mayas, is the year Earth destructs and a new cycle of life begins. (The Aztec and other pre-Columbian American calendars also held a cyclical view of the universe, sort of a reincarnation of planets at the end of each eon). So leave it to Hollywood...
COMMENTARY
Nov 10, 2009

Enough concessions on Taiwan

For those who are concerned that democratic Taiwan should continue to have the freedom to choose its own future, President Barack Obama's coming visit to Beijing brings back the memory of a regrettable episode during President Bill Clinton's visit to China in June 1998.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2009

U.S.-Japan collaboration on high-speed rail

PRINCETON, N.J. — Traveling at up to 300 kph and boasting an impeccable safety record, the Shinkansen exemplifies Japan's technological prowess. It could also become a new frontier in the U.S-Japan partnership.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 7, 2009

Japanese — a language of tall tales

At times, Japan seems to be an alarmist country. Topics like immigration, terrorism, and the latest strain of influenza can be blown out of proportion and reactions can appear over the top. But is it any wonder when you consider the Japanese language?
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Nov 2, 2009

Japan, EU jockey for position in effort to ink India trade pact

Japanese policymakers do look to India. Last month, both countries' trade delegations met for the 12th time to explore the possibility of a free-trade deal. They have good reasons to do so.
LIFE
Nov 1, 2009

Symposium hears of new 'pan-Asian' trend

"It's been years since Japan, in the eyes of outside observers, entered the phase of "Japan Nothing." This followed an era of "Japan Bashing" during its 1980s economic heyday and then "Japan Passing" in the post-bubble '90s.
EDITORIALS
Oct 31, 2009

More doubts about Copenhagen

The prospects for success at the United Nations meeting in December in Copenhagen to devise a global accord to fight global warming appear to be receding. Ironically, one reason for the growing pessimism is the bilateral agreement struck by China and India, two of the world's leading producers of greenhouse...
Reader Mail
Oct 29, 2009

Root causes of education problems

Kiyoshi Kurokawa, in his Oct. 18 article, "How Japan can regain its vitality," recommends changes in the Japanese education system in the years to come. Dr. Kurokawa played a significant role in "Innovation 25," which included recommendations for an increase in the number of Japanese students studying...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2009

Tokyo needs to get over the G8

The financial meltdown of 2008 has accelerated the decay of the Group of Eight. One of the ideas circulating is to discontinue the group and replace it with the G20. Within the G20, there would be a G4 made up of the biggest players — Japan, the United States, China and the European Union.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Oct 27, 2009

Tokyoites foot bill for Metro finger-wagging

If you scoot around Japan's capital on Tokyo Metro, chances are you can call to your mind's eye Bunpei Yorifuji's manner posters. You've probably snickered at Yorifuji's innuendo-laden slogan "Please do it at home" and, like me, look forward to seeing his silly etiquette lessons debut each month in the...
COMMUNITY
Oct 24, 2009

Seasonal rules permeate daily life in Japan

I grew up in Florida, and our year divides itself into seasons of bearable and unbearable. Even the most creative mind could hardly find illumination in topics around the weather, as there are only so many ways to say "the sun is shining with ferocious force today" or "the sweat is running into my eyeballs...
CULTURE / Film
Oct 2, 2009

'Akumu no Elevator'

Movies are confidence tricks played on willing victims. The bullets are blanks and the sex is faked, but we usually want to believe, as long as the lights are down, that it's all real. Creating that belief — or rather, that suspension of disbelief — has long been Hollywood's goal.
COMMENTARY
Oct 1, 2009

Washington should not forget its Asian allies

The United States has scaled back plans to deploy a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. While that decision reflects a new assessment of the Iranian threat to Europe, most attention is being paid to its impact on relations with Russia. But the decision has equally important implications for Asia,...

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.