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COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2007

Japan: Say no to India-U.S. nuclear deal

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is hardly a household name. The proceedings of its meetings are secret and it doesn't even have its own web site, but in recent months it has become the focus of more attention than usual. The reason is that each of its 45 member countries, including Japan, has veto...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Apr 14, 2007

Yura Alaiti Yusuf

This coming Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. the annual Asia-Pacific Festival and Charity Bazaar is scheduled to be held in the ANA Hotel, Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2007

China, Japan begin dialogue on energy, economics

Minister-level talks on energy and a preliminary meeting on economic matters got under way Thursday as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao enjoyed the fruit of their efforts to improve a relationship described as "mutually beneficial based on common strategic interests."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 13, 2007

'The Queen'

"The Queen" is, in one sense, a film like so many others these days, trading in the currency of celebrity, using the hook of quality actors doing fine impersonations of famous people to show its pedigree. This is a successful and award-winning proposition for films -- see "Ray," "Capote," et al. -- but...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 13, 2007

A different kind of glam icon

He captured rock 'n' roll iconoclasts David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed at the height of their fame in the 1970s. Now photographer Mick Rock turns his lens toward a different kind of glam icon, kabuki actor Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII, for an exhibition at Tokyo Midtown Hall B, April 20-May 6.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 13, 2007

Not afraid to mention the war

Filmmaker Roland Suso Richter grew up in Berlin at a time when the Wall and all its connotations had full impact on its citizens. "Being a child in Berlin meant growing up entrenched in war and history. There was no escape from it, it was a part of life," Richter says.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 13, 2007

Akiko Yamada

Considered one of the most exciting young violinists, Akiko Yamada is renowned for the breadth of her concert repertoire. For a one-off recital at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Yamada narrows her focus to the works of J.S. Bach, Schubert, Debussy and Cesar Franck, accompanied by celebrated Ukrainian...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 12, 2007

Best when grotesque

One good point about public museums in Japan having "funding issues" is that rather than pulling in the art that the public really wants to see and turning themselves into virtual Musee d'Orsays or ersatz Guggenheims, they instead focus on more academically valuable and locally relevant work.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2007

Toyota cars get real-time traffic data to map smartest routes

New Toyota cars will have up-to-date map and traffic information for electronically determining the quickest routes in an upgrade of network-linking technology now offered mostly in luxury models.
EDITORIALS
Apr 10, 2007

A view toward enshrinement

Documents on Yasukuni Shrine recently released by the National Diet Library shows that the then Health and Welfare Ministry actively involved itself in the enshrinement process for Japan's war dead at Yasukuni Shrine, including Class-A war criminals. The close relationship between the government and...
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.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji