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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 12, 2010

China struggles with Internet reality

The Internet plays an increasingly vital role as a forum of public opinion in China as other forms of media remain under tight Communist Party control, though government restrictions on the Web will likely intensify, experts said at a recent symposium held in Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Feb 12, 2010

Four Seasons Chinzan-so maiko show

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Chinzan-so's Japanese restaurant Miyuki will offer a Kyoto-themed meal and entertainment event on Feb. 28, inviting maiko from the ancient capital.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2010

U.S. friends in high places involved in Toyota probe

WASHINGTON — Toyota has friends in high places in Washington, including some of the very people now investigating the carmaker.
EDITORIALS
Feb 7, 2010

The economics of eating in

The economic downturn continues to affect all parts of Japanese society with long-term repercussions for some. Restaurant operators in Japan saw a 1.5 percent drop in total sales in 2009. That figure may seem small, but it's the first decline in six years. This survey by the Japan Food Service Association...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Feb 2, 2010

What will Japan be like in 10 years' time?

Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Feb 1, 2010

Okada's 4-point intervention sparks West to bj-league All-Star victory

RIFU, Miyagi Pref. — All-Star games are a collection of highlight-reel plays and fan-friendly events — lots of autographs, fans and players posing for pictures, light-hearted competition — and everyone's agenda is required to include one item: plenty of smiles.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 30, 2010

Campbell set for challenge in Arsenal return

LONDON — Sol Campbell returns to English football's biggest stage on Sunday when Arsenal plays Manchester United at Emirates Stadium.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 27, 2010

Spouse hunting, politics had us all abuzz in '09

The 2010 edition of the "Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words" was recently put on sale by publisher?Jiyukokuminsha. The bulky paperback's English title doesn't really do justice to the Japanese name, which is "Gendai Yogo no Kiso Chishiki." Broken down by its individual components, it becomes 現代 (gendai,...
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Jan 24, 2010

Valentine's philosophy brought Marines glory, money

Second in a four-part series
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 22, 2010

Theater star brings new tricks to the stage

In the summer of 2008, a shockwave hit the world of Japanese theater when Keishi Nagatsuka announced he was taking a yearlong break from the stage to take a government-sponsored sabbatical in London.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jan 22, 2010

Royal Park stay with flavor of old Edo

The Royal Park Hotel in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, is offering a plan that combines a one-night stay in an executive floor room and dinner in one of the area's long-established Japanese restaurants, through March 31.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 22, 2010

January goes out like a lion

Japan's lion dances, and there are about 7,800 of them, all have their own style but the purpose is mainly the same. The shishi (lion) dances act as a prayer to ward off evil spirits.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Jan 22, 2010

Sweat to a girl riot; soak up Gypsy jazz

"What's that smell in here?" I ask The Harpy's in the dressing room of the livehouse Motion, which lies at the butt end of the sleazy Kabukicho entertainment area in Tokyo's central Shinjuku district.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 18, 2010

Augmented Reality taking it to another level

Augmented reality is coming into its own, revealing more and more hidden layers of info. It's all there for the taking.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jan 17, 2010

Clandestine campaign led to Valentine's demise

First in a four-part series
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 17, 2010

SMAP put on the spot

The most recent edition of NHK's New Year's eve song contest, "Kohaku Uta Gassen," received more attention than usual owing to a number of production coups.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 15, 2010

East, West split by the lens

When the Leica was introduced in 1925, a new era in photography began. The compact camera, by being much lighter and more versatile than previous models, gave photographers unprecedented freedom in choosing the subject, angle and moment for their snaps.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 14, 2010

"Ryomaden" romanticizes (and monetizes) history

It's official. Japan is in the throes of what's bound to be a long-term romance with a certain rebel samurai named Ryoma Sakamoto.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 3, 2010

Desperate F1 happy Schumacher's back

PARIS — That Michael Schumacher's comeback is generating such excitement shows how desperate Formula One is for a bit of good news.
JAPAN / LOOMING CHALLENGES
Jan 1, 2010

Diplomatic retooling needed in face of China

First in a series
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2009

Sony, SCE to merge distribution

Sony Corp. plans to consolidate its international distribution operations with those of its video game unit this fiscal year to reduce overlapping costs.
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.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 27, 2009

The year's top news in brief, final `Hidden Talent' show, and Shinichi Hoshi's short stories

SMAP's leader, Masahiro Nakai, is not just this year's co-emcee of NHK's New Year's Eve song contest again. He's hosting specials throughout this week and next all over the TV dial.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 27, 2009

The year's top news in brief, final `Hidden Talent' show, and Shinichi Hoshi's short stories

SMAP's leader, Masahiro Nakai, is not just this year's co-emcee of NHK's New Year's Eve song contest again. He's hosting specials throughout this week and next all over the TV dial.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 25, 2009

BBQ Chickens "Good Bye To Your Punk Rock"

I was new to the country and eager to experience some Japanese bands back in 2002. Following an entertainment rag's recommendation, I went to see BBQ Chickens at Shinjuku ACB. After four hours of searching I finally found the punk dive, but disappointingly discovered the gig was sold-out.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 25, 2009

The decade's most influential

Last week, The Japan Times picked Hikaru Utada as the most influential artist of the past decade. This week, our writers ask various figures in Japan's music scene who they thought were the most influential artists of the noughties. We asked them to choose one Japanese artist and one non-Japanese artist,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2009

Mark Schreiber: Best books of 2009

Arimasa Osawa's hard-boiled tale follows police and gangsters in a race to track down a Taiwanese super-assassin who has been leaving bodies all over Shinjuku. This, the second in the "Shinjuku Shark" saga to appear in English, was originally published as "Dokuzaru" in 1991, when the bubble economy had...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 18, 2009

Back to basic instincts

Mamoru Oshii is best known here and abroad as an anime auteur whose works, from the seminal dystopian SF "Kokaku Kidotai" ("Ghost in the Shell," 1995) to the air-action epic "Sky Crawlers" (2008), have often viewed the future of humanity through a glass darkly.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?