Search - news

 
 
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2008

Biz leaders bullish on economy

Brushing aside growing pessimism on the prospects for the Japanese and global economies, the nation's top business leader said Monday he expects Japan to pick up steam in the second quarter on the back on strong overseas demand in developing countries.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 8, 2008

Following in our fingerprints

It was a quarter of a century ago on an autumn day in 1982 that I decided to engage in a small act of civil disobedience by refusing to give my fingerprint. Little did I realize I was stepping into a decades-long controversy that would be both an education and a circus.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 6, 2008

Politicians, dogs and bowels mix it up in our annual media awards

Media Personality of the Year: Hideo Higashikokubaru.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2008

Fukuda: No midmonth reshuffling of Cabinet

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda dismissed speculation Friday that he would reshuffle his Cabinet before the Diet opens later this month to shore up his poor public approval ratings.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2008

Scientists hope frozen mammoth will shed light on climate change

The frozen carcass of a 37,500-year-old baby mammoth undergoing tests in Japan could finally explain why the beasts were driven to extinction — and shed light on the history of global climate change, scientists said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 4, 2008

Few dare call it 'coercion'

The dispute over the screening of high school history textbooks to be used from April has come down to whether the Imperial Japanese armed forces used "coercion" in the mass suicides of local residents during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. During the process of the first screening, whose results were...
COMMENTARY
Jan 4, 2008

Global 'war' waged in vain

LONDON — The tragic killing of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan has sent a raft of shock-wave messages round the world. Most of these have been carefully and lengthily noted and analyzed — such as the concern that Pakistan, labeled a frontline state in the fight against terrorism, could now collapse into...
COMMENTARY
Jan 3, 2008

The military is the problem

NEW DELHI — After having fretted over a rising prodemocracy tide, Pakistan's ruling military can expect to be the main gainer from former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's killing at the very public park where the 1951 assassination of the country's first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, helped smother...
JAPAN / Q&A
Jan 3, 2008

G8 summit to showcase environment technologies

Known for its cool summers and snowy winters, Hokkaido, the venue of the Group of Eight summit in July, is blessed with a rich natural environment and vast landscapes. It is a popular destination for nature lovers and people looking for outdoor activities such as skiing and rafting.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2008

'07 political storm really the calm before '08?

Last year was full of political turmoil — from scandals and arrests to suicide and a divided Diet — but there is no time to rest because 2008 may turn out to be a historical turning point if there is a general election, depending on which side wins, analysts say.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2008

Japan stumbles its way toward a two-party system

2007 was a politically significant year. It is stirring to see how much the political terrain has changed from the beginning of the year to now.
EDITORIALS
Dec 31, 2007

The falsity of 2007

The kanji for the Japanese word "nise," meaning fake or false, has been chosen by the Kyoto-based Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation as the kanji that most appropriately defines domestic events in 2007. Unveiled at Kiyomizu Temple in the ancient capital, the choice underscores flawed ways of thinking...
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2007

Mid-January reshuffle of Cabinet eyed

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda hinted Saturday that he may reshuffle the Cabinet in mid-January in an effort to shore up his administration's falling approval ratings.
Reader Mail
Dec 30, 2007

Destructive attitude hurts image

Those in Japan who encourage whaling say they cannot understand the feeling of foreigners concerning whales. But I remember the "Tama-chan" event from when I lived in Japan in 2002 -- when a little seal was seen swimming the rivers of Tokyo. It became international news and proved that Japanese people...
EDITORIALS
Dec 29, 2007

Changing of the guard at NHK

The management committee of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.) has chosen Mr. Shigeo Fukuchi, adviser of Asahi Breweries Ltd., as its next president. Mr. Fukuchi will replace current NHK president Genichi Hashimoto, whose three-year term expires in January. Circumstances surrounding the selection of Mr....
COMMENTARY
Dec 28, 2007

World leader for president

HONG KONG — The 187 countries meeting to discuss climate change in Bali, Indonesia, this month narrowly averted a total breakdown by agreeing to set 2009 as the deadline for a new treaty to limit greenhouse-gas emissions. For that deadline to be met, China and the United States will both need to agree...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2007

A last hurrah at some of the year's political howlers

Inasmuch as newspapers routinely wrap up their year with top-10 news, sports and other stories, perhaps it would also be a good time to hark back on, say, roughly 10 memorable moments in blunder-speak, when political figures funded by the taxpayer blurt out nuggets guaranteed to show how not to earn...
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2007

Growth slowing: BOJ's Kamezaki

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) Economic growth has recently been slowing on sharp falls in domestic housing investment at a time when uncertainties surrounding the global economy are increasing, Bank of Japan Policy Board member Hidetoshi Kamezaki said Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2007

Honda touts Clarity as latest, greatest fuel-cell car

LOS ANGELES — The red car humming quietly along this four-lane suburban road looks pretty much like your average four-door sedan.

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