Search - 2002

 
 
COMMENTARY
Oct 1, 2008

The Middle East quartet's failing mission

The creation in 2002 of the Quartet on the Middle East, comprising the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, raised hopes for its critical contribution to the peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A report released on Sept. 25, "The Middle East Quartet: A Progress...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2008

Matsushita gives way to Panasonic

A famous corporate brand name will disappear Wednesday when Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. abandons the name of its founder in an attempt to evolve into a truly global corporation.
EDITORIALS
Sep 30, 2008

Mr. Koizumi leaves the arena

Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's announcement that he will not run for the next Lower House election means the departure of a decisive, bold and charismatic politician from the nation's political scene. It is symbolic that his announcement came just after Mr. Taro Aso took power. Prime Minister...
CULTURE / Books
Sep 28, 2008

Western heroes in Asia: missing and believed dead

A certain thriller novel, whose title shall remain unnamed, was recently plopped into my hands by a friend whose career included an extended stint on a colonial police force. "I had trouble getting through it," he said, sounding glad to be rid of it.
COMMENTARY
Sep 22, 2008

The road to Yasukuni's survival

On Aug. 15, Japanese newspapers carried the obituary of an American citizen by the name of William Kenneth Bunce, who died in Chestertown, Md., at the age of 100.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2008

Indonesia's miraculous 'free' democracy

JAKARTA — Modern miracles do happen. Ten years ago, as the Asian financial crisis savaged Indonesia's economy, many experts predicted that the country would become unstable, if not splinter. Instead, Indonesia, the world's most populous Islamic country, has emerged as a beacon of freedom and democracy...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2008

Geothermal power projects run aground

One of Japan's opportunities to tap cleaner, cheaper energy and reduce its dependence on imported oil has run into a problem: millions of naked bathers.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 19, 2008

Asia Orchestra Week

The annual Asia Orchestra Week, this year featuring Chinese, Vietnamese and South Korean orchestras, will take place in early October in Tokyo and Osaka — with low ticket prices as an added incentive.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2008

MSDF to start refueling of Danish ships

Denmark joined a group of nations Friday whose ships will receive fuel from the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Indian Ocean support mission, the Foreign Ministry said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 12, 2008

She, herself and AI

With her sights set on achieving her long-held ambition of winning a Grammy award, Los Angeles-born and Tokyo-based vocalist AI is adamant that dreams only come true with hard graft.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Sep 10, 2008

Sumo struggles as Aki Basho approaches

In the days leading up to the Aki Basho, sumo is on the ropes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 9, 2008

Hilfiger denim, baseball glove bags and more

Tommy's Red, White and Blue The Tommy Hilfiger brand isn't exactly a stranger to Japan. It has stores up and down the country that run the whole gamut of Hilfiger collections. Famed for preppy nautical clothing, the brand encapsulates, alongside Ralph Lauren, the classic patrician look.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 9, 2008

Guide maker blazes trail to success

When Yasuyo Fukui decided to start her own company 11 years ago, she was an inventor, not an entrepreneur.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 7, 2008

Hoshino still getting skewered over Olympic failure

The Beijing Olympics is history, but the debate continues over Japan's showing. Last week, Fuji TV's Sunday night newsmagazine, "Sakiyomi," held a discussion on whether or not the government should increase its budget for Olympic athletes. Three of the four celebrity guests in the studio thought that...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 5, 2008

MY PLAYLIST: James Smith, Hadouken!

British band Hadouken! are a curious construction. If you left them out in a storm to be struck by lightning and broken into their constituent parts, in among the blood and guts would flow a river of toxic neon goo, melting cyberpunk sartorials and a sprinkling of electrochip innards.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 4, 2008

Katsura Funakoshi's sphinxes of suggestivity

The figure is nothing if not startling: Truncated just above the knees and suspended on four, bark-covered sticks sprouting from the body, sculptor Katsura Funakoshi's "The Sphinx Floats in Forest" is a muscular hermaphrodite with full, female breasts and male genitalia, an elongated neck and leather-strap...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Sep 3, 2008

Thinking out of the box

Twenty something years ago, when we started to buy badly abused and neglected woodland here in the Nagano Prefecture hills, one of the problems that became very obvious was the lack of housing. Not for me, but for the woodland creatures.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Sep 3, 2008

Tabuse returns to roots

Yuta Tabuse's return to his own country was a stunning surprise for Japanese hoop fans.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Sep 1, 2008

NBA trailblazer Tabuse signs for JBL's Brex

Yuta Tabuse, the first Japanese-born basketball player ever to appear in the NBA, has signed with the Link Tochigi Brex of the Japan Basketball League, team president Takashi Yamaya revealed on Sunday.

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