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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 11, 2010

Closing the distance on David Elliott

Few non-Japanese can claim to have exerted a major influence on the machinations of the domestic Japanese art scene. David Elliott, the Briton who served as the founding director of the Mori Art Museum, from 2001 until 2006, is one of them.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2010

Can Kan revive Japan?

HONG KONG — Naoto Kan, Japan's new prime minister, pledged to make the country's sickly economy his first priority and to pull Japan from its "quagmire of an ever- bulging debt." But that is easier said than done. It is not merely a question of when to stop the government stimulus and where to put...
EDITORIALS
Jun 10, 2010

No letup in suicide rate

The National Police Agency announced last month that 32,845 people took their own lives in 2009, a rise of 596 from the previous year. This marks the 12th consecutive year in which the number of suicides has topped 30,000 — a sad persistent trend in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / STYLE WISE
Jun 10, 2010

Fashion that's global, customized, arty and everything

Rebecca Taylor's new look
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jun 9, 2010

Wooden leaves behind legion of true believers

NEW YORK — I've long envied the privileged legions that played for John Wooden and bonded with him for so long.
LIFE / Digital
Jun 9, 2010

New iPhone features extra camera, HD video

SAN FRANCISCO — T he next iPhone comes out June 24 and will have a higher-resolution screen, longer battery life and thinner design.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 9, 2010

A land of harmoniously secretive married couples

Japanese people have become more kojinshugi (個人主義, individualistic) and aware of their personal identities than they were 20 years ago, according to recent media reports. True, members of the younger generation have no problem addressing each other by first name (and this happens even among casual...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Japan Pulse
Jun 8, 2010

Divorcing couples seek solace in ring-smashing ceremonies

Who says a divorce isn't a reason to celebrate? A ring-smashing ceremony may be planting the seeds of a new tradition.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Jun 8, 2010

Maeda giving Carp fans reason to cheer

The Hiroshima Carp don't have much going for them, but there's one good reason to take in a game at Mazda Stadium.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jun 8, 2010

Futenma divides Okinawa's expats

Peter Simpson had just left his students at Okinawa International University and was on his way home when a helicopter slammed into the campus administration building. That no one was killed or seriously injured in the crash was remarkable given that the three-story concrete building had to be demolished...
EDITORIALS
Jun 6, 2010

New relations with neighbors

Finally moving beyond World War II, Japan seems to be entering a new era in its relations with its Asian neighbors. Chinese and Japanese companies are exploring new tieups, Chinese tourists are bringing welcome cash to Japan, and the popularity of South Korean dramas on Japanese TV is as strong as ever....
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jun 6, 2010

Chips for the kids and all

I have just returned to my study after two days and a night spent in the woods with a group of young people who are visually disadvantaged. Some of them had no eyesight at all, some could just barely make out shades and vague shapes.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 6, 2010

Art rebel without a cause

Pulse waves from the art world of the early 20th Century may have been felt far and wide, but the movements, practitioners and individual works of art themselves were far from being globally coordinate.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2010

BP disaster's lesson for government regulators

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — As the damaged BP oil well continues to spew millions of gallons of crude from the depths of the floor of the Gulf of Mexico, the immediate challenge is how to mitigate an ever-magnifying environmental catastrophe. One can only hope that the spill will be contained soon, and that...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2010

Boost industry through tax cuts, technology, new JAMA head says

YOKOHAMA — The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association wants the new administration to take steps to support the country's top-flight vehicle emission-reduction technologies and cut corporate and car-related taxes to help the industry compete on the global stage, the group's new head, Toshiyuki...
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2010

Quiet end to a vexed tenure

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama returned to his office Wednesday minutes after announcing his resignation and was greeted by hoards of reporters expecting a comment from the once-popular leader.
EDITORIALS
Jun 4, 2010

Israel overreacts

There are real threats to Israel's security. A flotilla of peace activists that was trying to breach the blockade of Gaza is not one of them. A heavy-handed and poorly prepared response has further blackened Israel's image, claiming innocent lives and alienating close friends and allies. Israel needs...
EDITORIALS
Jun 3, 2010

A disappointing departure

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama resigned Wednesday, nine months after bringing historic change to Japanese politics by ending more than five decades of almost uninterrupted Liberal Democratic Party rule.
JAPAN / BOOSTING THE BIRTHRATE
Jun 2, 2010

Lowering hurdles for working moms

To a lot of working women in Japan, having children is still an obstacle to climbing the career ladder, or even simply returning to the workplace.
JAPAN / BOOSTING THE BIRTHRATE
Jun 2, 2010

Parental leave still finds dads in huge minority

Masato Yamada was a typical bureaucrat. He worked late, usually missing the last train home, and sometimes put in all-nighters. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the demanding job.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jun 1, 2010

Gunma city does battle with beards

I would like to draw readers' attention to the outstanding work of the municipal government of Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture. After receiving complaints that citizens find bearded men unpleasant, Isesaki — just as all levels of Japanese government often do — took decisive action to address an important...
COMMENTARY
May 31, 2010

Internet leveling the news field

SEATTLE — The debate is no longer confined to a few academics in distant universities. It is now a mainstream topic of discussion: How will the news of the future be distributed?
COMMENTARY / World
May 30, 2010

Healing Thailand's broken spirit

BANGKOK — To pacify a divided nation, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva — blamed for a military crackdown on protesters that left more than 80 dead and 1,500 injured over two months — says Thailand needs to "heal the mind."
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 30, 2010

Does Miyazaki Pref. flap have silver lining?

The foot-and-mouth disease crisis that has ruined much of the livestock industry in Miyazaki Prefecture is akin to an apocalypse; or, at least, that's the feeling you get from the media coverage.

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