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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 24, 2009

From Meiji gentleman to 'Japanese Yankee'

This curiosity (a first-person account of the writer's gradual transformation from Meiji gentleman to self-proclaimed "Japanese Yankee") was first published in 1898 (by the Congregational Church) and never again seen until now.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 23, 2009

Flu virus starts to take toll on businesses

The spreading H1N1 swine flu virus is having an ill effect on a wide range of businesses from tourism to retailing, particularly in the western regions where the outbreak was first detected, industry sources said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 22, 2009

Principal apologizes for letting students go to New York

Takayoshi Maeda, principal of Senzoku Gakuen's junior and senior high schools, apologized Thursday for letting a group of students go to New York, where two of them contracted swine flu, but said he thought he lacked the authority to cancel the special trip.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2009

California crisis imperils Obama's agenda

BERKELEY, Calif. — While the new Obama administration is commanding global attention, America's future may be written — as so many times before — in and by its largest state. Once the lodestar for American optimism and achievement, California now illustrates the difficulties confronting the United...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 22, 2009

Grand jury system comes to Japan

Eight years ago, Seiji Shimomura could only watch as his 2-year-old son Tomohito was crushed to death by crowds at a fireworks show in Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since, he has campaigned for high-ranking police officials to be indicted over their role in the matter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 22, 2009

Swamped by laughter

I'd met Satoshi Miki several times before interviewing him for "Instant Numa." Our senses of humor mesh well enough that the recording of the interview often sounds like a sitcom laugh track.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / LIQUID CULTURE
May 22, 2009

A purist at work behind the bar

"A bar is no place for a woman. The important characters are always men."
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
May 22, 2009

Phoenix's Nakamura looks back on team's first season in bj-league

Despite a 36-win regular season, the best record in the Eastern Conference, and a trip to the Final Four, Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix coach Kazuo Nakamura didn't describe his team's first season in the bj-league as a resounding success.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
May 21, 2009

Wild orchids

Dear Alice, Can you please find out what the heck I saw on Mount Takao on the outskirts of Tokyo? Last spring, about this time of year, I was on a trail with a lot of other hikers lugging cameras and tripods. All of a sudden everyone got very excited. Not knowing Japanese, I had no idea what they were...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 21, 2009

Peru ambassador talks up trade

Peruvian Ambassador to Japan Juan Carlos Capunay expressed hope Tuesday that Japan and Peru will conclude their bilateral economic partnership agreement, an expanded version of a free-trade agreement, by yearend or early next year.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 21, 2009

Building title team a 'wonderful experience,' says Ryukyu GM

Two days after the Ryukyu Golden Kings captured the bj-league title in the team's second season, general manager Tatsuro Kimura reflected on the significance of this achievement.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 21, 2009

Younger farmers blogging their way to success

Hard work, low pay and a gloomy future. That's the image many young people have had about farming.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 20, 2009

News and notes from the bj-league's Final Four

Nobody likes to lose back-to-back championship games.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 19, 2009

U.S. makers take cue from Toyota in cutting dealers

General Motors and Chrysler, borrowing from Toyota's playbook, are betting they can sell more cars with fewer dealerships.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 18, 2009

Ryukyu wins league crown

The Ryukyu Golden Kings have established a new standard of excellence in the bj-league this season.
Reader Mail
May 17, 2009

Dehumanizing influence on all

Regarding Satsuo Matsumoto's May 10 letter, "Torture necessary in some cases": Any reader inclined to endorse the opinion of Matsumoto concerning the morality and practical benefits of torture need look no further than the excellent article by Tzvetan Todorov, "Petty torture rules played on sense of...
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
May 17, 2009

Don'ts for ladies, hunting pickpockets and Tokyo named Olympic host

100 YEARS AGO
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2009

A story line to push the economy

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Since hitting bottom in early March, the world's major stock markets have all risen dramatically. Some, notably in China and Brazil, reached lows last fall and again in March, before rebounding sharply, with Brazil's Bovespa up 75 percent in May compared to late October 2008, and...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 17, 2009

Oh! To have a married life

Last week, during an NHK discussion about the future prospects of people who are presently 35 years old, an announcer casually dropped a statistic that said 82 percent of all 35-year-olds in Japan make ¥2 million or less a year. These are the people who are now supposed to be the core purchasers of...
LIFE / Style & Design / WEEK 3
May 17, 2009

Capital's new rail map is on the right lines

We all depend on them, especially when we are new to a place, but how many subway users realize that their trusty transit maps are the subject of a tug-of-war between the forces of geographical accuracy and graphical distortion in the interests of ease of use?
Reader Mail
May 17, 2009

Seek a Northern Territories lease

Regarding the May 13 article "Aso, Putin ink nuclear-power deal": Even though the Russian government will probably never declare it out loud, all the signs it is sending are clear. Although Russia is not arguing how it took possession of these islands, it will never fully return them to Japan. Russia...
JAPAN
May 16, 2009

Quarantined students, teacher target of ill will

Three high school students and a teacher from Osaka who were the first people in Japan confirmed to have the new flu have become the target of malicious phone calls and e-mails, local board of education and municipal officials said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
May 16, 2009

Diplomacy in love, life and work

Aiko Tanaka, 27, met Olegs Orlovs, 27, for the first time when she visited his home country, Latvia, as a tourist with her family in 2002. Olegs was her tour guide.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 16, 2009

Despite double talk, Tevez likely to stay with Man United

LONDON — It is not always easy being a football reporter. We are sometimes accused of not telling the truth, but knowing who to believe can be more difficult than digging out a world exclusive.
JAPAN
May 16, 2009

Pakistani ambassador seeks to promote deeper ties with Japan

Pakistani Ambassador Noor Muhammad Jadmani, who arrived in Tokyo in January for his first assignment in Japan and whose credentials were received by the Emperor in March, expressed hope Friday that Japan will engage deeply with his country.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 16, 2009

Lack of fireworks as DPJ rivals' debate ends in a tie

Yukio Hatoyama and Katsuya Okada, the two candidates in the Democratic Party of Japan's presidential election Saturday, both stuck to the party line in a public debate in which the only way they seemed to differentiate themselves from each other was in their choice of ties.
JAPAN / CITIZEN JUSTICE
May 16, 2009

Like lay judges, court interpreter system still in nascency

Last in a series
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 15, 2009

Newton, Washington reunited in Ryukyu-Osaka semifinal clash

When future historians document the early years of the bj-league, they'll spend plenty of time chronicling the achievements of Jeff Newton and Lynn Washington.

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