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COMMENTARY / World
Jan 31, 2008

Japan-China relations: Building a creative partnership requires creative approaches

"When Fukuda comes, Fuku ('fortune' in Japanese and Chinese) has arrived!"
CULTURE / Art
Jan 31, 2008

New Shirokane art complex

New Shirokane art complex 3-1-15 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2008

New approach for the DPJ

When the Lower House of the Diet passed the antiterror special measures law on Jan. 11, it became clear that the Democratic Party of Japan is not in control of the political situation. After briefly setting the agenda in the aftermath of the July 29 Upper House election by opposing the refueling mission...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jan 30, 2008

Competing for Japan a challenge for ice dancing Reeds

Cathy and Chris Reed lived a nomadic life growing up. Just when it looked like it had finally settled down, they found themselves back on the road again.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jan 30, 2008

Kidd, Wade don't deserve to be All-Stars

NEW YORK — As mentioned in a previous column regarding Shaquille O'Neal, referees are usually first to recognize when a player earns or exhausts All-Star treatment.
BASKETBALL
Jan 30, 2008

Joho, Blackwell receive accolades

Shooting guard Masashi Joho provided the late-game heroics for the Tokyo Apache on Sunday, scoring the game-tying layup on his team's final possession of the fourth quarter to force overtime. He then scored 11 more points (nine on 3-pointers) in OT, finishing with a season-high 22 points as the Apache...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Q&A
Jan 30, 2008

Road taxes: Pork-barrel or necessity?

The government submitted a tax reform bill to the Diet Jan. 23 that includes a clause to continue the provisional higher rates imposed on auto-related levies for another 10 years, drawing opposition from the Democratic Party of Japan, which wants the higher rates that have been in place for more than...
Japan Times
JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
Jan 30, 2008

Finessing the pen-twirl becomes a fine science

Unlike Tamagotchi or the Nintendo DS, the latest Japanese gadget does not bleep, comes without voice recognition system and will not connect to the Internet.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 29, 2008

G8: Meaningful or anachronistic forum?

Over the next six months, Japan will host a series of meetings of the Group of Eight countries, culminating in the Leaders' Summit at Lake Toya, Hokkaido, in July. Along with leaders of the G8 — Japan, the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Russia — the European Commission...
COMMENTARY
Jan 28, 2008

Haves and have-nots in golf

Two recent scandals reflect the Japanese weakness for golf. In one, former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya allegedly provided favors to a Japanese trading company involved in defense contracts, after taking more than 100 one-day golf trips at the invitation of the company. In November, Moriya was...
EDITORIALS
Jan 28, 2008

Thais refuse to be intimidated

Thailand's generals must be wondering what they have to do to cow their countrymen. After they overthrew the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and forced voters to ratify a constitution that institutionalizes the military's influence over Thai politics, national elections still gave a majority...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jan 27, 2008

Ito excels as point guard with Portland

When University of Portland (Ore.) point guard Taishi Ito was asked to take on a leadership role as a freshman, he handled the role admirably.
Reader Mail
Jan 27, 2008

Recycled opinions shed little light

Regarding the Jan. 13 letter, "Valuable data from whale research," from Dan Goodman of the Institute of Cetacean Research: I was pleasantly surprised to read Goodman's helpful explanation that study design and methods are reviewed by the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee, and that...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 27, 2008

Modern Japanese women: dealing with sex, lies and the dried-flower syndrome

GOODBYE MADAME BUTTERFLY: Sex, Marriage and the Modern Japanese Woman, by Sumie Kawakami. Chin Music Press, 2007, 219 pp., $20 (cloth) Who wants to be a woman in Japan? Misery can't get much worse than the sexless relationships, dreary marriages, loneliness, patriarchal blues and stressed out women portrayed...
Reader Mail
Jan 27, 2008

Adjunct to mental health care

I am writing in response to the anonymous Jan. 17 letter, "Far-fetched claim on 'life force,' " which commented on Angela Jeffs' profile of me in the Jan. 12 Japan Times.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 27, 2008

In memory of one for whom Japan was a muse

A month ago I lost a very close friend. This would not be the proper place to write about it, except for the fact that despite her not being Japanese, her profound understanding of Japan and her love for the country were the lifeblood of her artistic career.
COMMENTARY
Jan 26, 2008

Democracy is not a panacea

LONDON — U.S. President George W. Bush has at times seemed to regard "democracy" as a panacea for all the problems of government throughout the world. It's far from clear, though, what exactly he means by "democracy." If a government is duly chosen by a majority of voters in a fair election, should...
BASKETBALL
Jan 26, 2008

Gibson's clutch basket lifts Ryukyu

Point guard Herb Gibson scored the game-winning basket with 3 seconds remaining, leading the Ryukyu Golden Kings to a 70-69 victory on Friday over the visiting Niigata Albirex BB. The Golden Kings, who improved to 5-16, got a team-high 18 points from Eric Walton and 12 from Danny Jones, while Gibson...
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2008

Ambulance fiascoes become Osaka campaign issue

OSAKA — With just a few days to go until Osaka elects a new governor, the candidates are finding themselves facing an issue that is literally a life and death situation for all prefectural residents.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 25, 2008

Classic director remembered

The Japan Foundation will present the film series "Rediscovery of Yamamoto Satsuo" on Feb. 2-3 as it continues to promote cultural and arts exchange with non-Japanese. A selection of the most popular works by the celebrated director Yamamoto will be shown in Tokyo with English subtitles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 25, 2008

'American Gangster'

According to gangster-cinema logic, a gang boss wallows in crime and murder largely because he feels obligated (often willingly so) to look after the people on his turf: to keep the streets safe, his family well-fed and his business thriving. The contradiction is, of course, that by doing so a gang boss...
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jan 25, 2008

Time for JBA to stop ignoring bj-league, act in best interests of game in Japan

SENDAI — Ninety minutes after Sunday's Sendai 89ers-Ryukyu Golden Kings game, a slew of players were still visiting with fans or conducting interviews.
Reader Mail
Jan 24, 2008

Help those who can help Japan

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura's statement that the Japanese government may require long-term residents "to have a certain level of Japanese proficiency" has been getting significant attention, particularly from mass media outside of Japan. I would like to congratulate Japan Times writer Kaho Shimizu...

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