Search - 2000

 
 
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Q&A
Mar 25, 2008

Is it throwing good money after bad to keep Shinginko Tokyo afloat?

Shinginko Tokyo, Japan's first bank created by a local government, was set up by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in April 2004 and started operations a year later to realize Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's pet idea of supporting struggling small and medium-size companies in the capital. With many of...
COMMENTARY
Mar 24, 2008

Chinese arms fueling Sudanese conflict

NEW YORK — Between 2003 and 2006 China sold Sudan more than $55 million worth of small arms, which, according to a report recently published by Human Rights First (HRF), are among the main ingredients fueling conflicts in that country.
EDITORIALS
Mar 24, 2008

Japan's salary gap

White Day was celebrated March 14, but along with giving cookies and chocolates, men might have done better to give women the one-third of their salaries they are missing. According to new data, Japanese women are paid 33 percent less than men. A recent report on average salary gaps from the International...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 23, 2008

You'd have to be drunk to be fooled by Japan's booze commercials

A few weeks ago the Asahi Shimbun printed a letter from a 59-year-old man who complained about a TV commercial for Kirin's Tanrei, one of those beerlike beverages known as happoshu. In the spot, world-famous alpinist Ken Noguchi is seen climbing a mountain, the Gipsy Kings howling away on the soundtrack....
COMMUNITY
Mar 22, 2008

Gallery brings Vietnamese art to Tokyo

Karen Thomas' Thai housekeeper is apologetic. "Karen" is down in the garage basement, unpacking a shipment. So down we go from the Bird-Thomas household on the sixth floor and find a tiny dynamic powerhouse, power tool in hand, tackling large flat wooden crates of art, flown in by Fedex from Vietnam....
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2008

Aum's bankruptcy proceedings to end 13 years on

The bankruptcy proceedings for Aum Shinrikyo will conclude on March 26 even though the doomsday cult will pay only 40 percent of the ¥3.8 billion owed to victims of the crimes it committed more than a decade ago.
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2008

Private equity deals still flow amid credit crisis

Japan's private equity market will see a "steady flow" of transactions even as rising funding costs cripple deals elsewhere, said the cofounder of the nation's largest buyout fund.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
Mar 19, 2008

'Mochi' moffles reinvent the waffle

The love of rice the Japanese have may partially explain the recent boom behind the "moffle" — a Belgian waffle-shaped "mochi" pounded rice cake.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 18, 2008

Police in dock over rape

Crimes by women and crimes against women in Japan receive uneven coverage in the press. Female suspects, particularly those charged with serious offenses, are so thoroughly skewered in the media that defense attorneys often complain that a fair trial is near impossible. Crimes against women receive...
Japan Times
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 16, 2008

Time for Takahashi to read the handwriting on the wall

There is nothing sadder in sports than seeing a once-great athlete who has hung around too long.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2008

G8 offers forum for territory dispute

NEMURO, Hokkaido — Hirotoshi Kawata hopes the Group of Eight summit in July will be an opportunity to tell the world about his 62 years as a displaced person, banished from a Soviet-seized island when he was a preteen.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 14, 2008

Noriko Tujiko: not merely sweet, cute and aggressive

N oriko Tujiko meets me in Shibuya wearing a multicolored outfit of clashing greens and reds. On her feet are velvet slippers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2008

Diminishing ice floes raise climate alarm

ABASHIRI, Hokkaido — Plowing his icebreaker, the Aurora, into drift ice 10 km off Abashiri, Hokkaido, Capt. Keiichi Hori smiles bitterly as tourists onboard cheer the crunching sound of the boat's progress.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2008

Kosovo secession sets dangerous precedent

BELGRADE — The international system that has brought unprecedented prosperity to the world since 1945 is based on rules that apply without exception. This system is supposed to protect the basic, legitimate national interests of every country, whether rich or poor, strong or weak. Its binding principles...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2008

Ministry preaches food self-sufficiency

The recent scare over pesticide-tainted "gyoza" dumplings made in China and the rapid price surges of flour and other food products across the world have aroused serious anxiety among millions of Japanese consumers over imported everyday foods.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 11, 2008

The lowest form of flattery?

In order to avoid the entry of terrorists into Japan, it has been decided to impose fingerprinting and photography at immigration.' So begins the Foreign Ministry video explaining the November changes to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / STYLEWISE,ON: FASHION
Mar 11, 2008

Stella McCartney, Anna Antoniades and more

Anna Antoniades in Nakameguro
EDITORIALS
Mar 9, 2008

A contest for new leadership

The Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama competition has gripped the attention of the world. And for good reason. The result is likely to affect the future course of global politics. A clear victor is not yet decided, but whoever ultimately wins, the shift in consciousness both candidates embody is important...
CULTURE / Music
Mar 7, 2008

Pat Metheny "Day Trip"

Familiarity doesn't always breed contempt. Having played together on tour since 2003, guitarist Pat Metheny's new trio had performed live songs from his latest album, "Day Trip," before they even sat down to record it — in one or two takes per song — in just one day in October 2005. Taking over...
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / 2008 J. LEAGUE PREVIEW
Mar 6, 2008

Consadole shoot for immediate success in top division

The legacy of the 2002 World Cup has given many Japanese cities state-of-the-art stadiums, and Sapporo is no different.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / 2008 J. LEAGUE PREVIEW
Mar 4, 2008

Stojkovic delighted to be back in Nagoya

The early years of the J. League saw many world-class stars arrive in Japan, but few, if any, gave as good service as Dragan Stojkovic.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2008

Aeon looks to raise stake in drugstore chain CFS

Supermarket chain Aeon Corp. said Monday it may raise its stake in CFS Corp. after it blocked a takeover of the drugstore chain six weeks ago.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2008

Tallying up the benefits of disaster relief

PRAGUE — When disaster strikes, nongovernmental organizations are among the first on the scene. The United Nations estimates that there are now more than 37,000 international NGOs, with major donors relying on them more and more.

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