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JAPAN
Jul 14, 2005

Bots engage in pitch battle as RoboCup kicks off

OSAKA -- Excitement ripples through the onlookers as the players take their positions on the pitch. The whistle blows, and the match begins. But just as one player clears the ball and starts racing toward the goalposts, the referee blows a whistle.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2005

Bots engage in pitch battle as RoboCup kicks off

OSAKA -- Excitement ripples through the onlookers as the players take their positions on the pitch. The whistle blows, and the match begins. But just as one player clears the ball and starts racing toward the goalposts, the referee blows a whistle.
COMMENTARY
Jul 13, 2005

Sinophobia complicates takeover bids

HONG KONG -- In quick succession, the previously intangible reality of "China Rising" has taken on tangible form for Americans, as China has used the wealth that has accrued as a result of its rapid development and huge trade surpluses to try and takeover three U.S. businesses.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jul 10, 2005

Where Zen is perfectly at home

ZEN AND KYOTO, by John Einarsen. Uniplan Co., Inc, 2004, 135 pp., 2,381 yen (paper). Like heaven and hell, or the elements of earth and rock, Zen and the city of Kyoto are joined at the hip.
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Jul 5, 2005

Makers read the leaves: green tea is where it's at

A rowdy tea party is brewing in the soft drink industry as companies crank up already-intense competition in the rapidly growing market for bottled green tea.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jul 3, 2005

Takeshi Yoro: Professor No-Self

Some think of him as a retired anatomist par excellence; some revere his knowledge of the human brain; while to others he's simply someone who's nuts about insects.
EDITORIALS
Jun 30, 2005

Scheduling a withdrawal from Iraq

Iraq on Tuesday marked the first anniversary since the military coalition led by U.S. forces transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi provisional government. During this period, a free election was held in January and a transitional government headed by Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari made its debut in...
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jun 25, 2005

No easy fix for reapportionment wrongs

WASHINGTON -- Among the issues that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will take to a special referendum election next fall is that of reapportionment. Specifically, the Gubernator wants to change the way California draws its district lines for representation in the state legislature and in the Congress....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 22, 2005

Shima-uta singer takes listeners on sonic journey

Yasukatsu Oshima, a native of the Yaeyama Islands, southwest of Okinawa's main island, is a stubborn man. Since emerging as a solo artist in the early 1990s, he has recorded and performed only songs known as shima-uta (island folk songs). However, Oshima is not a tradition-bound purist. His latest album,...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jun 16, 2005

Owaraji

Dear Alice,
BUSINESS / U.S. BUSINESS SCHOOL SYMPOSIUM
Jun 16, 2005

Financial innovations should preserve market discipline and trust

The country's reforms in the financial sector have had mixed results so far, with progress on the domestic front lagging behind Japan's growing contribution to Asian financial stability, according to Charles Calomiris, a Columbia Business School professor.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 8, 2005

A fling to remember

The all-male reworking of "Swan Lake" by English choreographer Matthew Bourne has become a dance and stage legend since its November 1995 premiere at Sadler's Wells Theater in London. This powerful piece of ballet zeitgeist toured widely before arriving in Japan in spring 2003. With nonstop curtain calls,...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2005

Getting Japan off their back

SYDNEY -- Japanese whalers are coming and there appears no way of stopping them. Worse, their harpoons are about to slaughter more of the ocean mammals than ever.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Jun 2, 2005

Pen makers cross swords in battle for thinnest lines

In the competition for writing ever sharper lines, pen makers have been jostling for the title of the world's smallest ball points.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 21, 2005

Horton hears a Who in 'Dare-mura'

I am going to share something with you today that you must keep an absolute secret. You must not tell anyone what I am about to tell you, especially not the police.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 15, 2005

Composing with an eye on the big picture

The Aichi Expo, with its theme on "Nature's Wisdom" and its pavilions packed with technological wonders, obviously sees no irony in its situation. This contradiction may be highlighted, however, when composer Philip Glass brings his ensemble to perform the music of "Koyaanisqatsi." Directed by Godfrey...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 14, 2005

Japan's wildlife: domesticated and lazy

When I first came to Japan, I thought, "Where are all the animals?" Japan doesn't seem to have the small urban-adapted wildlife like we have in the United States, such as squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks or even very many birds. Other than the City Mouse, animals just don't seem to move to the cities here....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 11, 2005

Dolls' surreal influence

Kachina dolls, embodying the beliefs, social structure and moral values of the Native American Hopi have fascinated and inspired artists for a century.
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2005

Mr. Blair's historic victory

The Labour Party of British Prime Minister Tony Blair won a third consecutive parliamentary election on Thursday. The victory is vindication for Mr. Blair, although he has been wounded by the results: His parliamentary majority is much reduced. The key question is how much time the prime minister has...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 3, 2005

Turning back clock on gender equality

As the government emphasizes patriotism as part of the national school curriculum and discussion continues apace over revising Article 9, some LDP lawmakers are now calling for changes to the Constitution that may put equal rights and individual freedom at risk.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 29, 2005

Reliving the good life in the country

Visitors to Japan often go into a form of shock not long after they arrive. It is not the different language, cuisine, or social customs that are the cause, but, rather, the realization that Japanese cities are vast, crowded, hyper-modern jungles of humanity where life seems to be constantly on warp...
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Apr 28, 2005

"The Mermaid's Manual," "Frozen Billy"

"The Mermaid's Manual," Dawn Applerley, Bloomsbury; 2004; 14 pp. "The Mermaid's Manual" should be a dream come true for many little girls out there. Its vibrant, glittery jacket has a neat press-button on it, which makes this picture-book look like a handy kit for wannabe mermaids.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Apr 23, 2005

Nuzhat Niaz

"It is by God's grace that we are donors, not recipients. The sincerest form of gratitude is providing meaningful help to those weaker than ourselves."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Apr 20, 2005

The Koreans who potted in Kyushu

Japan has long been fascinated with outside influences, and voraciously absorbs them in order to create something totally unique. This can be found in almost all aspects of Japanese industry and culture -- and it is nowhere more apparent than in the pottery born in Kyushu. Of course, ancient kilns dating...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 20, 2005

The painter's art is mud

Regarded as Spain's greatest living artist, Catalan painter Antoni Tapies (born 1923) is the subject of a comprehensive retrospective currently showing at the Hara Museum of Art in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward.
EDITORIALS
Apr 18, 2005

Put surplus funds to better use

Japan's corporate sector is said to be awash in money. Many companies, having improved their balance sheets dramatically in recent years, now hold a large amount of surplus funds. For many of them, the crushing debt burden that was once a heavy drag on business development is said to be a thing of the...

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it