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Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 21, 2011

Marinos look to hold on after scratching five-year itch

The J. League has a new leader, and after more than five years away from the summit, Yokohama F. Marinos are not likely to give up first place without a fight.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 20, 2011

Gauging moral progress by animal welfare

Mahatma Gandhi acutely observed that "the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2011

Again, justice for Cambodia

The wheels of justice turn slowly in Cambodia, but they grind nevertheless. Last month, a United Nations-backed tribunal began the second war crimes trials that attempt to hold accountable the former leaders of the Khmer Rouge. This trial is proving more contentious than its predecessor — in which...
COMMENTARY
Jul 18, 2011

Sudan: leftover from a good deed

The flags have been waved, the anthem has been sung, and the new currency will be in circulation this week: the Republic of South Sudan has been launched, and is off to who knows where?
Reader Mail
Jul 17, 2011

Shed all trappings to cool down

Regarding the July 10 Kyodo article "Heatstroke surge feared as people save power": I live in a house that feels like a sauna during the summer. But when the heat and humidity become unbearable — no air conditioner — I place myself in an empty bathtub and fill it slowly with cold water. A plastic...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 16, 2011

Canadian martial artist finds the way to tea of tranquility

The intricate stained glass window in the heavy wooden door provides an artistic and unusual welcome. Stoop inside the restored Kyoto machiya (town house) and step into a future melded with the past. Drinking in the Art-Deco/Taisho roman decorations, your eye moves away from the geometric stained glass...
EDITORIALS
Jul 16, 2011

Cutting the nuclear cord

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Wednesday that he would like to turn Japan into a society that does not have to rely on nuclear power through a planned, stage-by-stage reduction of this reliance. His statement clearly points to a phasing out nuclear power over a long period — a great change in Japan's...
BUSINESS
Jul 16, 2011

Quake insurance sales rise fivefold

Earthquake-insurance sales to homeowners grew more than five times in April from a year earlier, according to a report by the Non-Life Insurance Rating Organization of Japan.
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Jul 15, 2011

Life is sweet ... for some men

They are men, and they like to eat sweets. They are the men who eat sweets.
EDITORIALS
Jul 15, 2011

A long shot at what cost?

Not a man to let last summer's costly failure to land the 2016 Summer Olympics deter him, Gov. Shintaro Ishihara announced on July 5 at a reconstruction seminar that Tokyo is ready to host the 2020 Games "at any cost." Mr. Ishihara claims that hosting the games would contribute to Japan's recovery from...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 15, 2011

'Peace'

Most serious documentaries made in Japan, especially for television, follow a basic just-the-facts format. A presenter or narrator and various talking heads explain and interpret what we are seeing, from beauty shots of tourist spots to footage grabbed on the run in a war zone. Meanwhile, in the background,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 15, 2011

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2'

As we approach the eighth and final installment in the "Harry Potter" series, what can I say? You don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wind's blowing. The fans are already getting their tickets, while the less-committed have long since departed, especially since director David Yates has pretty...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2011

Technology and the growing income gap

Until now, the relentless march of technology and globalization has played out hugely in favor of high-skilled labor, helping to fuel record-high levels of income and wealth inequality around the world. Will the endgame be renewed class warfare, with populist governments coming to power, stretching the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 14, 2011

"On the Road"

National Museum of Modern Art Closes July 31
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 14, 2011

The future of Japanese theater lies in individuality

In April 2010, Junnosuke Tada became Japan's youngest-ever artistic director of a public theater when, at age 33, he was appointed by the Kirari Fujimi Theater in Fujimi, Saitama Prefecture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Jul 13, 2011

Toys for all ages at Tokyo show

The 2011 International Tokyo Toy Show was held last month at Tokyo Big Sight, and Japanese toy-makers were in attendance to show their wondrous wares to potential buyers, not to mention a veritable army of kids. This year saw everything from figures to remote-control vehicles, robots to iPhone games....
COMMENTARY
Jul 12, 2011

A grandfather's plea for an Israeli soldier

Marking five years since the capture of Gilad Shalit, international human rights organizations continue demanding the release of the Israeli soldier.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 12, 2011

Tokyo international students: Did you stay in Tokyo or go after the March 11 disasters?

Jordan Neiblum, 21Graphic design student (American)I was in the U.S. when the disaster happened. I had already been accepted at a university in Tokyo. I was nervous about coming here but it has always been a dream. — one which I couldn't give up.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Japan Pulse
Jul 11, 2011

Cool drinks and eats to beat the heat

Chilled curry sauce on nuddles? Doughnut jellies? Menthol Shock? Japan's got 'em all this summer.
Reader Mail
Jul 10, 2011

Dangers from our dependency

This is a daily happening in a university classroom: While a professor lectures, each student freely does what he or she wants. Some students take notes, some sleep and some read a textbook. Someone's cellphone rings out and the owner replies as cool as can be. Most people think this is impolite, but...
Reader Mail
Jul 10, 2011

The talent to help prevent suicide

Tokyo English Life Line suggests that journalists and anyone writing about suicide please read the readily available "Guidelines on Reporting Suicide in the Media" (www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/426.pdf).
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 10, 2011

Up close and personal with MIT robots

I'm in a lab surrounded by computer and video equipment, toys, and robots. Lots of robots. I'm like a kid in a candy shop. It's the modern equivalent of an Aladdin's cave for otaku (geeks).
CULTURE / Books
Jul 10, 2011

Banana's fabulous fables

THE LAKE, by Banana Yoshimoto. Melville House, 2011, 192 pp., $23.95 (hardcover) It's hard to believe it's been six years since Banana Yoshimoto had a new novel published in English. Her early novel "Kitchen" was hugely popular with foreign audiences, but since the release of "Hardboiled and Hard Luck"...
EDITORIALS
Jul 10, 2011

Judicial system reform

Aspecial panel of the Justice Ministry's Legislative Council on June 29 started discussions on judicial system reform for criminal cases. The panel was set up in response to the discovery of evidence-tampering by a member of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office's special investigation squad....
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 10, 2011

With Japan at a crossroads, it's instructive to recall the Hidaka affair

Exactly 30 years ago this month, I had an encounter with a man who became innocently involved in an international incident. That incident may be all but forgotten now, but it's worth recalling here because it highlights the struggle of an individual of conscience to have the truth revealed.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat