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BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2012

Civic has 'ammunition' to remain top compact

Honda Motor Co.'s Civic, despite being stung by critical reviews and tight supply in the U.S. in 2011, rebounded to outsell its rivals so far this year and the carmaker has enough "ammunition" to hold onto the top spot, an executive said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2012

Ozawa portrait hung at Diet with other old-timers

A portrait of former Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa, who is on trial for allegedly breaking the political funds law, was displayed in the Diet on Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 13, 2012

Methane hydrate energy solution?

The launch of preparatory drilling for methane hydrate off Aichi Prefecture last month drew public attention amid hopes it will become an alternative to nuclear power at a time when Japan's self-sufficiency rate in energy is a meager 4 percent.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2012

Reconstruction a golden opportunity for eco-communities

While rebuilding the Tohoku coast progresses at a snail's pace, experts say hints for re-creating the region into a leading area that relies on reusable energy can already be found in many communities across the globe.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Mar 11, 2012

Obesity on the rise as Japanese eat more Western-style food

When Japanese people are ordering food, how many times do you hear them asking for "oomori" (large size)? It's the equivalent of asking for "supersize" in a U.S. fast-food joint.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2012

AIJ client to pursue compensation

Human Holdings Co., the school and health care company that has plunged 10 percent since disclosing it was a client of suspended AIJ Investment Advisors Co., pledged to seek compensation for losses from the asset manager.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Mar 4, 2012

Taro Yamamoto: Actor in the spotlight of Japan's antinuke movement

On a rainy midwinter day, Taro Yamamoto stood with a small group of people in front of Shimokitazawa Station in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward and addressed passers-by in that artsy youth-culture hub.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2012

Japan issues wary welcome, awaits concrete action, warns of loopholes

North Korea's surprise promise to freeze its nuclear arms program is a positive development, but there is no guarantee it will live up to its word and the hermit state should take concrete action before resuming the six-party talks, the government and Japanese experts said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 2, 2012

After 3/11, short-film director has one message: Don't forget

Isamu Hirabayashi is an incredibly versatile man. The 39-year-old Shizuoka native's day job is to direct TV commercials, and he normally works on five or six projects at the same time. Since 2002, he has also been active as a filmmaker, with his short films being shown at numerous festivals overseas,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 29, 2012

Pedigree, big returns lured investors to AIJ

A pension fund based in Nagano Prefecture said it invested with AIJ Investment Advisors Co., whose business has been suspended by regulators, because it was run by a former Nomura Holdings Inc. manager and offered 7 percent returns.
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2012

Suspended AIJ fund reported 241% return

AIJ Investment Advisors Co., suspended by financial regulators, told investors one of its funds returned 241 percent since it started in May 2002 by mainly trading Nikkei 225 options, according to a newsletter obtained by Bloomberg News.
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2012

Panasonic eyes big U.S., Europe solar, storage acquisitions

Panasonic Corp. is in talks over potentially its biggest acquisitions in the U.S. and Europe in a decade, hoping to speed its transition from manufacturing televisions to supplying solar energy and power storage services.
COMMENTARY
Feb 22, 2012

Amazing GRACE can measure world's ice loss

One of the main climate change concerns for Japan and other Asian countries with valuable and densely-populated low-lying coastal land is how much of their land may be threatened by rising sea levels and storm surges as the century advances.
BASKETBALL
Feb 16, 2012

JBA axes national team coach Wisman

Japan men's basketball coach Thomas Wisman was relieved of his duties on Wednesday, the Japan Basketball Association announced.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 14, 2012

Vets win payouts over Agent Orange use on Okinawa

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded two more former service members compensation for exposure to Agent Orange while serving on Okinawa during the 1960s and '70s.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Feb 14, 2012

Returns, regroups and debuts: Versace, Tokyo Runway, Julius, K-fashion, Alexander Wang

The Medusa is back
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 14, 2012

Literary awards run spectrum

When writer Shinya Tanaka won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize last month, he said, "I deserve this," paraphrasing U.S. actress Shirley MacLaine at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1984.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Feb 12, 2012

10,000,000,000,000,000 calculations per second

In today's ever-more digitalized world, we all have a tale or two to share about how personal computers have let us down: like how they refused to let us run different programs at the same time or how the data was so heavy that the damned device kept us on hold forever before conducting even the most...
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2012

U.S. likely to scale down plans for bases in Japan and Guam

The U.S. military will probably scale back plans to build key bases in Japan and Guam because of political obstacles and budget pressures, according to U.S. and Japanese officials, complicating the Obama administration's efforts to strengthen the presence of U.S. forces in Asia.
COMMENTARY
Feb 8, 2012

China faces rising risks as it looks overseas for resources

China's meteoric rise to become the world's second biggest economy and a global manufacturing center is sustained by ever-growing imports of raw materials and increasing investment abroad, often in under-developed countries shunned by the West for alleged human rights abuses or because they are considered...
CULTURE / Books
Feb 5, 2012

Nuclear crisis given lightweight treatment

JAPAN'S NUCLEAR CRISIS: The Routes of Responsibility, by Susan Carpenter. Palgrave MacMillan, 2012, 248 pp., $90 (hardcover) Alas, this very important subject gets short shrift in this misleadingly titled, hastily cobbled together assessment of the causes and consequences of the accident at the Fukushima...
EDITORIALS
Feb 3, 2012

Return of Kitanoumi

Kitanoumi came back as head of the Japan Sumo Association in a once-every-two-years selection of a new head on Jan. 30. His selection as a new JSA head shows that the former yokozuna, who won 24 titles in career, is popular with stablemasters. He became JSA head in 2002 but resigned in September 2008...

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