Search - 2004

 
 
EDITORIALS
Aug 7, 2008

Bumpy road to devolution

A government panel on devolution submitted its first set of recommendations to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in May, the main pillar of which was the call to transfer in principle the power to manage national highways and large river systems from the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry to prefectural...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2008

Tokyo's Lolita scene all about escapism

The look is weird, and very Tokyo.
SPORTS / ODDS AND EVENS
Aug 7, 2008

Beijing putting best foot forward as opening ceremony draws near

BEIJING — The Olympic hosts want to make a good first impression. That's no big surprise. The world is watching, and it's why you are greeted by one set of smiling volunteers when you walk off the airplane at Beijing Capital International Airport.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2008

Horror of Hiroshima inspires Frenchman's haunting love story

Ever since he was little, Christophe Boubal, a French novelist, has been interested in writing and Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Aug 5, 2008

Detail goals before raising taxes: Ibuki

Before initiating any hike in the 5 percent consumption tax, the ruling bloc must clearly articulate to voters what policies it will pursue and its priorities in line with a higher levy, new Finance Minister Bunmei Ibuki said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 5, 2008

Yasukuni in spotlight as Aug. 15 nears

Aug. 15 marks the 63rd anniversary of the end of World War II. For the people of Japan, including relatives of the war dead, it is a day of remembrance and of peace.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2008

Trans-Atlantic stalemate

Barack Obama's European tour hints that the senator is Europe's choice to be America's next president. But Europeans should not expect too much. While Obama would likely restore civility and politeness to trans-Atlantic discourse, the sources of friction are more profound. The geopolitical interests...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 2, 2008

Serious Ochiai enjoys rare chance to joke around

YOKOHAMA — Hiroshima Carp veteran Tomonori Maeda was returning to the dugout after fielding practice before the second game of the Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Series on Friday at Yokohama Stadium when Chunichi Dragons manager Hiromitsu Ochiai decided it was time to have some fun.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 1, 2008

Yamasaki provides late-game heroics

OSAKA — Entering the bottom of the ninth of the first game in the NPB All-Star Series, it was pretty much a given the game's MVP would be a 40-year-old veteran.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / GRAND OLD HOTELS
Aug 1, 2008

Romancing the West: Kamakura's charming boutique hotel

The symmetrical beauty of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, the meditative colossus of Kotokuin, and the Zen-inspired splendors of Kenchoji and Enkakuji may win Kamakura inscription on the World Heritage List. Comparatively unknown are its Western-style buildings constructed after Kamakura became accessible...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 29, 2008

Past shortcomings motivating factor for many 2008 Olympians

According to conventional wisdom, people forget the runnersup, but they remember the champions.
EDITORIALS
Jul 29, 2008

More good lawyers needed

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations (Nichibenren) has made an emergency proposal to slow down the government's plan to increase the number of successful applicants in the annual national bar exam to 3,000 by around 2010. Nichibenren said that since the current system of nurturing legal professionals...
COMMENTARY
Jul 28, 2008

Injustice of labor shortages

One of America's virtues is its willingness to dispense candid advice even to its closest ally in the name of justice and humanitarianism. One good example is in recent comments by Dr. Mark P. Lagon, director of the U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jul 26, 2008

Darvish poised for spotlight at Olympics

Cuba beat Japan 4-0 in the final of the 2004 World Junior Baseball Championships, resulting in the Japanese starter that day ending the tournament 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2008

Okada declares DPJ ready to take charge, reform the public sector

Long viewed as content to live in the shadow of the entrenched Liberal Democratic Party, the largest opposition force is now ready to seize the reins of power and carry out a thorough reform of the public sector, Democratic Party of Japan Vice President Katsuya Okada said Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2008

High court zero-tolerance signal for stock scams said no surprise

Friday's high court ruling to uphold Livedoor Co. founder Takafumi Horie's prison term is significant because the judiciary has restated its zero tolerance of activities that undermine fair stock market trading, experts said.

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