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BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 27, 2009

Wendy's decision triggers memories of a unique pre-game tradition

A brief news article on Page 1 of the Dec. 12 edition of The Japan Times reminded me of former Yakult Swallows and Rakuten Eagles pitcher Kevin Hodges. "Wendy's pulling out of Japan by end of month," read the headline above the story about the U.S. hamburger chain ending its operations in this country....
Japan Times
LIFE
Dec 27, 2009

Thank God the year's over

History has seen worse years than 2009. All the same, this Year of the Ox has been more than most of us born after World War II in the relatively privileged regions of the Earth were conditioned to cope with.
Japan Times
LIFE
Dec 27, 2009

Koza remembered

It's October 2009, and I'm sitting in the parking lot of a convenience store in Koza city, taking photographs of the sidewalk. I've been here for close to an hour — surrounded by a dozen old photographs, four maps and reams of photocopies all weighed down with chunks of brick to stop them blowing away...
EDITORIALS
Dec 26, 2009

Mr. Ozawa is out of line

Ripples from the controversy over Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's exceptional audience with the Emperor on Dec. 15 have not died down. Statements on the relationship between the Cabinet and the Emperor made by Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa raise serious concerns.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2009

Budget big but little in remedial terms

The all-time high fiscal 2010 budget draft approved Friday casts considerable doubt on whether the country can sustain its finances or if through such spending it can buy its way out of the economic slump, experts warn.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2009

New guidance fans isle row

was not clearly stated," Mizoguchi said in a statement. Shimane Prefecture claims the Sea of Japan islets fall under its jurisdiction. The only territorial dispute specifically mentioned in the new guidance referred to the four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido.
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2009

Deflation dents consumer prices by 1.7%

Consumer prices fell for a ninth month in November, adding to signs that deflation will undermine growth in the world's second-largest economy.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Dec 25, 2009

All-Star Game squads announced by league

The votes have been counted, players have been notified and now the bj-league is putting the finishing touches on preparations for the 2009-10 All-Star Game on Jan. 31 in Rifu, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2009

Contrite Hatoyama refuses to resign over scandal

, Daisuke Haga (below) KYODO PHOTO
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / LIQUID CULTURE
Dec 25, 2009

Japan's favorite hangover cures

Tis the season to be jolly. And when you've finished being jolly, tis the season to wake up with veisalgia, more popularly known as a hangover.
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Dec 24, 2009

Trends in Japan 2009: virtual love

In 2009, a lot of hype surrounded human's attachment to virtual and 2-D characters. Was it just hot air, or a sign of things to come?
Reader Mail
Dec 24, 2009

Article about Gaza wall strays

Regarding Cesar Chelala's Dec. 18 article, "Illegal wall exacerbates disaster for Gazans": I don't understand this article. The headline includes "illegal wall," which is mentioned in other news articles worldwide. Good story on what the Egyptians are building, but the story only has a few lines about...
Reader Mail
Dec 24, 2009

Copenhagen dissenters silenced

Regarding the Dec. 19 article "China, India snag emissions deal": In the Readers' Form of Dec. 13 I commended The Japan Times for standing up for freedom of expression in the case of a Buddhist monk whose rights had been trampled on by the police and Supreme Court. I also suggested that people are apathetic...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / ICE TIME
Dec 24, 2009

Mao looks for 4th straight Japan title after long break

With the Vancouver Olympics only 50 days away, Mao Asada will take the ice on Saturday in Osaka looking for redemption at the Japan nationals, having not skated competitively for two months.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Dec 24, 2009

Web designer Peter Brune

Peter Brune, 45, is a Web designer and photographer who has been a Japanese resident for 10 years. Born and raised in East Berlin, Brune was a world traveler even before he set foot outside the walls of his home: Absorbed in books and glued to the television and radio, he was constantly crossing borders...
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2009

Hatoyama support rate plummets

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Monday the sharp dip in the public support rate for his administration, as shown in opinion polls over the weekend, means he must work harder.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2009

Famed tale a perennial favorite

. The shogunate ordered Asano to commit ritual suicide over the breach in acceptable behavior. On Dec. 14, 1702, 47 samurai followers of Asano took revenge on Kira and killed him. They then subsequently dispatched themselves.
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?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 22, 2009

Motorcyclists embrace the spirit of Christmas

For the kids at Elizabeth Sanders Home in Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture, Dec. 13 was a day they won't forget anytime soon. On that Sunday nearly 80 motorcycles came rolling into their compound carrying more than 150 presents.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2009

Germany leans on 'classical industries' to survive modern crisis

Germany's economy has bottomed out and is set for modest growth in 2010, although unemployment could rise without a quick recovery in the global economy, journalists from the country told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / READERS' FUND
Dec 21, 2009

Refugees struggle to survive funding cuts

Last in a series
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2009

Japan finds a little to crow about

COPENHAGEN — The political agreement on climate change formally recognized Saturday has been roundly condemned, but the Japanese government sees it as a diplomatic achievement for including China and the United States, the two largest emitters, and paving the way for a future framework to reduce emissions....
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 20, 2009

Familiar faces, reluctant foes square off in 23rd Japan X Bowl

It always nice to see old comrades. But not necessarily on occasions like this.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 20, 2009

Those same old jokes aren't funny anymore

In October, a Colorado couple fooled the American media into believing that their 6-year-old son had possibly taken off in a homemade helium balloon, setting off a police search that received nationwide coverage. By the time the little boy was "discovered" hiding in the couple's attic, a Japanese TV...

Longform

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