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COMMENTARY
Apr 9, 2007

Redundant higher education

In the 1990s, the education ministry announced a policy of making graduate schools the center of education and research at what had traditionally been undergraduate universities. At about the same time, restrictions on a liberal arts education for undergraduates were relaxed, allowing even freshmen students...
Reader Mail
Apr 8, 2007

Not what you'd call simple R&R

As for the March 24, 2007, article "Nakasone claims his 'ian-jo' was for R&R": I've seen a book of World War II battleground photographs, one of which showed a building with a sign reading "ian-jo."
EDITORIALS
Apr 8, 2007

The annual 'hanami' rethink

Though it happens every year, cherry blossom season still functions as a vibrant experience in Japan. As the blossoms open up, somehow, so do people. Time spent walking or partying under the falling petals makes most people slow down to reconsider what is essential in life. It may be just a bunch of...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 8, 2007

Seeing yourself through the literary ways of others

With the 2007 academic year now about to begin in Japan, it's a good time to take a look at English-language teaching in the nation's universities. Yes, the tides are indeed running there. The emphasis is shifting determindly toward the utilitarian: English as a tool for Internet communication; English...
CULTURE / Books
Apr 8, 2007

Broadening the literary view of choosing a purposeful death

SUICIDAL HONOR: General Nogi and the Writings of Mori Ogai and Natsume Soseki, by Doris. G. Bargen. University of Hawaii Press, 2006, 289 pp., $42 (cloth) The name of Maresuke Nogi (1849-1912) reverberated through the world twice: when he subdued the Russian fortress at Port Arthur (Luxu) during the...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 8, 2007

Ruing the death of Russian womanhood

SOUTH BEND, Indiana -- Valentina Tereshkova, the first female Soviet cosmonaut -- indeed, the first woman to go into space -- recently celebrated her 70th birthday. In an interview, she stated her only wish: to fly to Mars, even with a one-way ticket. It was an implicit wish for a spectacular form of...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2007

Fast-food binge continues to take Japan

After years of staying slim on a humble diet of fish, vegetables and rice, Japanese are developing a sweet tooth. That's proving a business opportunity for Krispy Kreme and other chains from the U.S., a nation famous for knowing a thing or two about fattening food.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2007

Saudi Arabia hosts a theater of reform

PRAGUE -- Having raised expectations for real political reform in Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah has announced that the time for change has not yet arrived. After reshuffling the Cabinet, everything remains the same.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 6, 2007

Multicultural psychosis

Eugene Hutz is a difficult man to pin down. He is rarely in the same country, let alone the same city, for more than a few weeks at a time, touring with his band Gogol Bordello across time-zones and cultures on four different continents for most of the year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 6, 2007

Asakusa Jinta march into history

Unless in search of a cheap, dusty souvenir for a relative, Tokyo's historic Asakusa district isn't on the radar of too many folks under the age of 70. But Asakusa Jinta, a seven-piece band that mixes elements of ska, swing, punk and chindonya (traditional street performance), is hoping to bring the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 6, 2007

'Taitei no Ken'

Japanese action-fantasy pics have become big box office, thanks to CG effects sophisticated enough to lure not just the kiddies, but teens and adults. These films, beginning with Masahiro Shinoda's 1999 hit "Fukuro no Shiro (Owl's Castle)" and continuing to Akihito Shiota's recent smash "Dororo," use...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 6, 2007

The Rapture

Timing is everything in the cut-throat world of commercial pop, especially when your product invites comparisons with other like-minded artists who are releasing their own work at the same time. When Universal delayed The Rapture's 2003 major label debut, "Echoes," for more than a year it missed out...
EDITORIALS
Apr 6, 2007

Battle for textbook accuracy

The education ministry has publicized the screening results for new textbooks, most of which are scheduled for use at junior and senior high schools starting in April 2008. Conspicuous is the government's efforts to impose its historical view of the mass suicides among Okinawan residents during the Battle...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 5, 2007

"Susan Philipsz: Did I Dream You Dreamed About Me"

Mizuma Art Gallery Closes in 10 days
EDITORIALS
Apr 4, 2007

Conrad Black's diversions

The trial of Mr. Conrad Black -- Lord Black of Crossharbour -- began last week in Chicago. While the proceedings will offer considerable insight into the lives of the rich and famous, it will also provide a vivid reminder of the need for effective corporate oversight and the vital role played by boards...
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2007

Japan drops to third place in global ODA behind U.S., Britain

Japan fell to third place in the official development assistance rankings in 2006, dropping for the first time in 24 years, a group of 22 developed countries said Tuesday.
Reader Mail
Apr 4, 2007

Shoddy ruling on baby twins

Regarding the March 24 article "Top court: No registry for pair born surrogate": Why would the Supreme Court judges punish TV celebrity Aki Mukai for seeking the loving support of a surrogate mother to have children? Even if the surrogate in this case happened to be (gasp) an American woman? Does this...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Apr 4, 2007

Breakfast with rodents

Iwas home alone the other evening when I heard a scuttling sound coming from the kitchen. Two mice had climbed up a strut in the woodwork of the sink counter and jumped down into the compost bucket below, which just had a few centimeters of food scraps and vegetable peelings in the bottom. It's a red...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 3, 2007

Time up for bag-happy stores, users

Retailers have long considered plastic bags basic to good service. Supermarket clerks toss tofu, eggs and ice cream into individual clear plastic bags to prevent a mess should the products' own wrapping somehow break. More plastic bags are often provided just in case, then it all goes into bigger shopping...
EDITORIALS
Apr 3, 2007

Britain opts for new nukes

Britain has decided to renew its nuclear deterrent. A parliamentary vote last month sharply divided the ruling Labor Party, forcing Prime Minister Tony Blair to rely on opposition Conservatives to pass the measure. Mr. Blair made his case by arguing that international uncertainty required Britain to...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2007

Challenging Russia's energy dominance

WASHINGTON -- When Gazprom, Russia's natural-gas monopoly, cut off supplies to Ukraine and Georgia in January 2006, the move was widely seen as a clear warning of the Kremlin's willingness to use its energy resources to exert political influence over Europe.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 2, 2007

Think tanks offer Japan plenty of personnel with policymaking potential

The 21st Century Public Policy Institute (21PPI) is a think tank established by Keidanren in 1997. As it enters its 10th year this month, a revamp is in progress to beef up its activities.
Rugby
Apr 1, 2007

JRFU sends 3 to New Zealand

The Japan Rugby Football Union has selected three young players to allocate to New Zealand as part of a so-called ATQ (Advance to the Quarterfinal) Project this year, the JRFU announced on Friday.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 1, 2007

Cooking kaiseki and 'eating the seasons'

KAISEKI: The Exquisite Cuisine of Kyoto's Kikunoi Restaurant, by Yoshihiro Murata. Kodansha International Ltd., 2006, 191 pp., 5,500 yen (cloth) Chef Yoshihiro Murata, the third-generation owner-chef of Kikunoi, the celebrated kaiseki (a light "tasting-menu" meal) restaurant, presents a vivid journey...
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 1, 2007

"Rebel" cartoonist Rieko Saibara

Rieko Saibara is a catoonist known for her work that has both a lyrical and "rebellious" side to it. While regarded as a rebel in the cartoonist world, at times shocking her readers with indecent expressions, she also brings them to tears by her portrayal of hopeless poverty, affection to her children...
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 1, 2007

Drawing on experience

Cartoonists in Japan are as abundant as the cherry blossoms at this time of year -- but Rieko Saibara is probably the only one who has both a lyrical and rebellious side to her work -- along with an astonishing power and what has been called a "lethal poison.''

Longform

Passengers that were on a morning train attacked by members of the Aum Shinrikyo group wait for medical assistance outside Kasumigaseki Station on March 20,1995.
The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo