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JAPAN
Nov 5, 2009

Bush talks to Waseda about his life — in world of sports

Exactly a year after Barack Obama was voted in as president, his successor, George W. Bush, talked in Japan on Wednesday about his former life — in sports.
EDITORIALS
Oct 31, 2009

More doubts about Copenhagen

The prospects for success at the United Nations meeting in December in Copenhagen to devise a global accord to fight global warming appear to be receding. Ironically, one reason for the growing pessimism is the bilateral agreement struck by China and India, two of the world's leading producers of greenhouse...
SOCCER / World cup
Oct 10, 2009

Okada miffed about Scotland's lineup changes

National team manager Takeshi Okada has accused Scotland of short-changing his side ahead of their friendly on Saturday, after the Scots arrived in Yokohama minus 10 players selected for their original squad.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 9, 2009

A twisted path to true love

Born in Tokyo in 1950, Kichitaro Negishi got his start in the film industry making soft-porn movies for the Nikkatsu studio. He directed his first film, "Orion no Satsui yori: Joji no Hoteishiki" ("From Orion's Testimony: Formula for Murder") in 1978 and in 1981 made his straight-feature debut with "Enrai"...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Oct 4, 2009

Mamoru Mohri: A spaceman speaks

When future historians document the story of Japanese space exploration, 2009 will likely figure as the year when the nation put two high-profile rocket launch failures, in 1999 and 2003, firmly behind it and, quite literally, took off.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Oct 2, 2009

Lakestars excited about adding Joho

The Shiga Lakestars made a bold move this week, acquiring Masashi Joho from the Tokyo Apache for forward Reina Itakura.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 27, 2009

Yuri Geller tells all about M.J., adventures with Tamori and kyabakura drama

If you can't wait for the Michael Jackson concert-rehearsal movie that opens next month, maybe the three-hour special, "Sekai no Chokettei-teki Shukan! Ai to Yuki no Maruhi Eizo" (World Super Decisive Moments! Secret Images of Love and Courage; Nihon TV, Tues., 7:58 p.m.), will hold you over a bit.
Reader Mail
Sep 20, 2009

News about Taiji film appreciated

Regarding the Sept. 16 article "(Tokyo) Festival to screen Taiji dolphin-slaughter film": Thank you for keeping us informed about the film "The Cove" and giving us news related to Taiji — the kind of news that often gets censored by corporate media. I appreciate the integrity of The Japan Times on...
CULTURE / Film
Sep 18, 2009

Underground fruit

Peaches Film Festival organizer Atsuko Ohno talks to The Japan Times about a unique event, held every March since 2007, to produce and screen works by recent female graduates of the Film School of Tokyo (Eiga Bigakko).
Reader Mail
Sep 17, 2009

Puzzling non sequitur about India

Regarding Hugh Cortazzi's Sept. 11 article, "Shifting balances of power": In an otherwise thought-provoking piece, I was surprised to read this line about India: ". . . the country was for too long neglected by Japanese who were repelled by aspects of Indian life." Would Cortazzi care to elaborate exactly...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 11, 2009

Back from extinction

Few rock bands in Japan are as legendary as Unicorn. From their inception in 1986 at the height of Japan's "band boom," which saw the balance of chart power shift from idoru (idol) pop to real bands, through to their split in 1993 and subsequent reunion this year, the Hiroshima five-piece have left a...
CULTURE / Film
Sep 11, 2009

Keeping it plain, simple and brilliant

When one thinks of the grand old men of American cinema, directors who have spanned a few decades and continue to keep up the pace, there are but a handful of names to check.
Reader Mail
Sep 10, 2009

Writing about a minority group

After reading Debito Arudou's Sept. 1 article, "Meet Mr. James, gaijin clown ," I am not sure what Arudou is more upset about: Mr. James as a threat to foreign identity in Japan, or foreigners who refuse to join Arudou in his dramatic outrage. I would like to suggest that Arudou's writing does more harm...
Japan Times
LIFE
Aug 9, 2009

'No public discourse' in Pakistan about its nukes

Kamila Shamsie is a Pakistan-born novelist who was educated in the United States and now lives in London, from where she recently gave the interview below. In her 2009 novel "Burnt Shadows," Kamila Shamsie explores the indelible mark that the larger sweep of history leaves on people caught up in its...
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2009

Lay judges relieved case over but enthusiastic about experience

The first serving lay judges expressed relief Thursday at having completed their duties and encouraged others to step up and benefit from what they called "a valuable experience."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 7, 2009

Crowe gunslings his way into Japan

"People think of Westerns as being quintessentially American," says New Zealand-born actor Russell Crowe. "But they're quintessentially frontier stories. They're integral to anywhere with a frontier. Like Australia. I think the Westerns I've done could just as easily have happened in Australia."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 28, 2009

How do you feel about paying into Japan's national health and pension programs?

Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 24, 2009

He can't seem to escape from the museum

Ben Stiller is back in the museum. Specifically, in "Night at the Museum — Battle of the Smithsonian."
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 19, 2009

Explaining a hold and a tale about 'Smokey' catching for the Carp

Checking out what is on the minds of fans and readers of the column this week as we go through the e-mail inbox, and Josh Barnett in Kobe wants to know, "What is a 'hold' and what does a pitcher need to do to be awarded one?"
COMMENTARY
Jul 19, 2009

Like it or not, China is not about to go away

KUALA LUMPUR — There was never the slightest doubt in the mind of a single reputable expert anywhere in the world that China was a caldron of ethnic unrest ready to boil over. Nor was there the slightest possibility that the masters of the People's Republic of China would be able to escape, within...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 14, 2009

What do you think about this summer's round of cuts in bonuses for company workers?

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 7, 2009

How do you feel about the death of Michael Jackson?

JAPAN
Jul 1, 2009

Election is about local issues, not a national litmus test: Aoyama

Political parties and the media widely see the July 12 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election as the last and biggest litmus test before a Lower House election that may see the Democratic Party of Japan unseat the ruling bloc.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Jun 30, 2009

Re: Something to sing about?

Following are some readers' responses to Nicholas Drapier's June 2 Zeit Gist article "Something to sing about?":

Longform

Passengers that were on a morning train attacked by members of the Aum Shinrikyo group wait for medical assistance outside Kasumigaseki Station on March 20,1995.
The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo