Search - u_times

 
 
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2009

Aso partially bans 'watari' perk for ex-bureaucrats

Under pressure from the opposition camp, Prime Minister Taro Aso said Thursday that he will immediately ban the little-known custom of "watari," in which ministries can arrange new jobs multiple times at related corporations for retiring bureaucrats.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 9, 2009

Otaku star Shokotan offers a little fan service

"I really care about how much proof of my life I can leave behind; how many concerts I can give and how many photos I can have taken," admits Japanese celebrity Shoko Nakagawa, better known to her legion of fans worldwide as Shokotan. "I'm just afraid to have any free time and I'm scared of doing nothing."...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Dec 30, 2008

For hotelier, budget prices at resorts are an easy sell

Naoki Yamanaka, president of hotel operator Shiki Resorts Co., wants more Japanese to appreciate the seasonal changes that bless this country.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / WEEK 3
Dec 21, 2008

30 Days in the Wilderness

What miracles will the incoming 44th President of the United States perform?
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Dec 20, 2008

Blackburn makes smart decision by naming Allardyce new manager

LONDON — We will probably never know why Sunderland did not consider Sam Allardyce to be the right man to succeed Roy Keane, who resigned (by mobile phone text to chairman Niall Quinn) earlier this month.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 19, 2008

Your last-minute holiday gifts sorted

You can never give too many gifts over the holidays — especially the little ones. Here are some last-minute ideas for stocking-stuffers, courtesy of the regular music writers here at The Japan Times.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 12, 2008

Film project delivers 'live' operas from U.K.

Performances by two acclaimed U.K. opera ensembles — Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the Royal Opera House — will take place in movie theaters nationwide from Dec. 20 as the opening features of U.K. Opera @ Cinema, which is being presented by Sony Corp.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 29, 2008

Festival takes cryptic turn

I was walking home when I saw, up in the distance, four Buddhist priests dressed in purple and gold robes. "Hey, Amy!" they called to me. "We hope you don't mind that we tied our boat up next to yours in front of your house," one said, pointing to their 30-foot (9-meter) motorboat tied to the dock. No...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / INSIDE LOOK
Nov 22, 2008

Matsui struggles as season begins

NEW YORK — Editor's note: Entering this weekend, Columbia University men's basketball team is 1-1. The Lions defeated Fordham University 65-62 on Nov. 14 and lost a 71-50 contest to Seton Hall University on Nov. 16.)
EDITORIALS
Nov 22, 2008

Disturbing rise in geriatric crime

Despite frequent headlines reporting heinous crimes, the Justice Ministry's 2008 white paper on crime provides somewhat assuring figures. The number of crimes, excluding traffic-related offenses, declined for five consecutive years. But Japanese society faces a new problem. Crimes committed by elderly...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2008

Oddball summit has limits

HONG KONG — It is the best of times because leaders from developed and developing countries have gathered in one place, Washington, to try to rebuild a broken global system, and China and India are at last at the top table.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Nov 11, 2008

Comedian Esper Ito

Comedian Esper Ito is famous for putting millions of TV viewers — and even Japan's funniest entertainers — in stitches. Wrapped in a gold cape and sporting red tights, he cuts a tragicomic figure, a court jester who's never afraid of risking bodily harm as long as he can make others' lives more...
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2008

Dolphin activist keeps up fight against slaughter

OSAKA — Renowned American dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry has dedicated his life to freeing captured dolphins worldwide. In a new documentary, he hopes to educate both Japanese and international audiences about the slaughter of the mammals in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, and the hazards of eating dolphin...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 23, 2008

'X' marks the spot for TV's odd couple

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 15, 2008

Fighters find ways to get job done

OSAKA — Lately, it seems for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Oct 11, 2008

Nakajima follows father's path, chooses own route to success

In his first campaign as a full-time pilot in the highest level of motor sports, Kazuki Nakajima is, if not rapidly but gradually, seizing a position and recognition by driving steadily and patiently.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 27, 2008

Carp knocking on playoff door

The J. League's Sanfrecce Hiroshima and manager Mihailo Petrovic got the good times rolling in Hiroshima by leading the second-division club to a promotion-clinching win on Tuesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 26, 2008

Something fishy going on

I 'm just your average fish, so cormorants are a pretty scary prospect — even at the best of times.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Sep 24, 2008

Asahara concludes track career in style

KAWASAKI — When he crossed the finish line, Nobuharu Asahara didn't just finish the race. The moment also marked the end of his fruitful 20-year track career.
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2008

MUFG denies report of bid for controlling stake in Lehman

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Japan's biggest bank, denied a report it is considering entering the bidding for a stake in Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
BASKETBALL
Sep 4, 2008

Kyoto awarded bj-league's 13th franchise; team to begin play in 2009

The bj-league's 13th franchise will be based in Kyoto, the league announced on Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 31, 2008

Is yours a sweet and eco-friendly home?

After hearing all the talk about climate change and global warming, many of us are now aware that we need to change our lifestyle in the battle to stop our planet from being a far less agreeable place to live.
BUSINESS
Aug 27, 2008

Cash-flush Japan Inc. on the hunt for bargain acquisitions overseas

Japanese companies are increasing overseas acquisitions, using their cash hoards to snap up assets beaten down by the global credit crisis and economic slowdown.
LIFE / Language
Jul 29, 2008

Turning to rock 'n' roll for lyric-sheet linguistics

They say you should always open with a joke, so how about this one: a music journalist with only conversational Japanese writing for The Japan Times' Bilingual Page. Try not to laugh too much, though, as I'll be sticking to what I know: music.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jul 28, 2008

The U.S. Supreme Court's risible reasoning

Laws are subject to interpretations, courts are official interpreters, and the Supreme Court has the last word. That is a fact of life, though it is also a fact of life that you sometimes wonder if there is anything "supreme" about the Supreme Court. Yes, you know that individual justices come with individual...
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2008

Tsukiji panel slammed during final meeting

An advisory panel to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government submitted a report Saturday calling on it to take steps against pollution at Toyosu, the new destination for Tokyo's famed Tsukiji fish market.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 25, 2008

Death Set put Japan on the agenda

Nearly every teacher of English as a second language who has worked in Japan longer than a year has wondered at some point, "What the hell am I going to do when I go back home?"
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jul 23, 2008

There's still hope — despite our milquetoast* leaders

In the runup to the Group of Eight summit held this month in a stupendously policed corner of Japan's most remote northern island, there was widespread expectation that little would be achieved on the environmental agenda.

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