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EDITORIALS
Apr 23, 2009

Resignation not enough

Mr. Noboru Okubo and his eldest son have resigned respectively as chief director and vice director of the Kyoto-based Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation over irregularities related to its operations, including the accumulation of unusually large profits for a public-interest corporation and opaque...
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 23, 2009

Unorthodox Morimoto could be remedy for Japan's ills

On the face of it, Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto's recent comments that he has no interest in playing for Japan should give national team supporters cause for concern.
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2009

Ailing JAL seeking ¥200 billion loan from DBJ

Japan Airlines Corp., Asia's biggest carrier, has applied for a ¥200 billion loan from the Development Bank of Japan after the global recession sapped demand for international travel.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 21, 2009

The past, present and future of fortunetelling

From the traditional "omikuji" — sacred lots — people draw at shrines and temples to learn their New Year's fortunes, to the horoscopes displayed on commuter train video screens to distract strap-hangers, Japanese society is immersed in fortunetelling.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Apr 21, 2009

Terakawa, Irie lead charge as Japan names swimming squad for worlds

Aya Terakawa and Ryosuke Irie will headline the 37-member squad for the FINA 2009 World Swimming Championships in Rome, the Japan Amateur Swimming Federation announced Monday.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 21, 2009

Kaneko's streak gives Fighters double vision

If Nippon Professional Baseball is serious about speeding up games this season, it should stop Makoto Kaneko from batting.
EDITORIALS
Apr 20, 2009

Raising the bar at law schools

In April 2004, 68 law schools were established in accordance with the nation's legal reform. Since then, the number has increased to 74. Earlier this month, about 5,800 people enrolled in these schools. Those who have not studied law at undergraduate level will have to complete a three-year course and...
Reader Mail
Apr 19, 2009

Printing helps preschoolers learn

Regarding the April 12 story, "First 'Japanese' international school debuts": Maria Montessori wrote, almost a century ago, that 3- and 4-year-old preschoolers will learn to read spontaneously if they get "sufficient" practice forming alphabet letters. Although boldly claimed in her book, "The Montessori...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 19, 2009

Chiba's governor may soon be whisked away to his home planet

In the latest installment of Suntory's series of TV commericals for Boss canned coffee, the extraterrestrial Tommy Lee Jones, who has been sent to Earth to study the human race, runs for governor of an unnamed prefecture and wins by a landslide. The excitement is short-lived, though, as his inappropriate...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2009

Study of iPS cells draws nearer to finding cures

Jason Burnett and his 10-year-old son, Andrew, both born with a genetic defect, have been recruited into an experiment designed to transform bits of their skin into stem cells that may someday hold the key to a cure.
LIFE / Style & Design / JAPAN FASHION WEEK
Apr 12, 2009

Menswear seeks meaning

The luxury market is taking a beating; world-famous German minimalist fashion designer Jil Sander is working with Uniqlo, H&M are taking over Tokyo high streets and Number (N)ine, a top Japanese menswear label, has gone out of business.
BASKETBALL
Apr 11, 2009

Kawamura leaves

Takuya Kawamura, a guard in the Japan Basketball League, has opted not to play for Japan's national men's team, choosing instead to pursue a career in the NBA.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2009

Ranks of homeless swell in Osaka

OSAKA (Bloomberg) Within two months of losing his job packing shelves at a cold-storage company in Osaka, Toshiyuki Miki said, he was homeless. He counts himself among the many people worldwide whose life has been turned upside down in the wake of the "Lehman Shock."
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2009

Nintendo aims to turn DS device into learning tool, guide

Nintendo Co. said Thursday it will soon introduce a service that teachers can use to send quizzes and other school assignments from their personal computers to students who have the game giant's DS hand-held console.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Apr 10, 2009

WBC experience inspires Kurihara

Kenta Kurihara was with Samurai Japan for just two games at the World Baseball Classic.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 10, 2009

Utada "This is the One"

While Hikaru Utada boasts the No. 1, 4 and 8 biggest-selling albums in Japanese history, and despite her New York upbringing and strong English, her 2004 stab at Western success fell embarrassingly flat. That album, "Exodus," was a flawed masterpiece — sonically original, but too left-field, moody...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 10, 2009

Utada "This is the One"

While Hikaru Utada boasts the No. 1, 4 and 8 biggest-selling albums in Japanese history, and despite her New York upbringing and strong English, her 2004 stab at Western success fell embarrassingly flat. That album, "Exodus," was a flawed masterpiece — sonically original, but too left-field, moody...
COMMENTARY
Apr 9, 2009

The lighter side of North Korea's launch

BEVERLY HILLS, California — Some things you just don't joke about. Certain developments in the course of human affairs are decidedly not funny. What's a perfect example, right off the top of my head? Oh, how about North Korea's missile launch over the weekend?
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / STYLE WISE
Apr 9, 2009

Kalivas goes 'Goemon,' Marjoli shines bright and Sistere makes Kyoto urban

Fantasy after fashion Tina Kalivas will get to see her creations on the big screen this May, as the Australian fashion designer produced the costumes for the new Japanese film "Goemon." The movie is based on the legend of a Robin Hood-like hero and was directed by Kazuaki Kiriya, who was responsible...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 7, 2009

Lotte fans step up to plate to keep Valentine

CHIBA — Bobby 2010.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 7, 2009

Prosecutors boast clout, success

Prosecutors are legal professionals who work for the state and represent the public interest. They have the authority to investigate any crime and indict and try alleged offenders.
Reader Mail
Apr 5, 2009

Launch watch worsens anxiety

Like the 1998 test-firing of a long-range Taepodong 1 missile through Japanese airspace and the 2004 test-firing of a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan, the reverberations of North Korea's planned rocket launch this month have not only caused tensions with its Asian neighbors, especially Japan,...
COMMENTARY
Apr 5, 2009

NATO at 60 faces growing pains that could threaten its survival

LONDON — The questions that nobody will ask out loud about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization: How much is enough?
Japan Times
LIFE / CLOSE-UP
Apr 5, 2009

Hiroshi Mikitani: Retail revolutionary

On a bitterly cold mid-February day, in the midst of an even harsher economic climate, Hiroshi Mikitani — founder, president and CEO of one of Japan's largest online retailers, Rakuten Inc. — shook off a slight cold to announce at a concise news conference that in fiscal 2008 his company had achieved...
EDITORIALS
Apr 4, 2009

Recognize the A-bomb victims

On March 27, the Kochi District Court declared that a man who entered the city of Hiroshima just one hour after the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing is a sufferer of an illness caused by radiation. Similar suits have been filed by some 300 people at 17 district courts. They are challenging the state's refusal...

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