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JAPAN
Feb 4, 2012

In Okinawa, meddling seen as nothing new

Okinawa Defense Bureau chief Ro Manabe's alleged attempts to influence the Feb. 12 Ginowan mayoral election by indirectly suggesting that ministry officials and their families vote for Atsushi Sakima over Yoichi Iha have angered, but not surprised, Okinawans, who say such interference by Tokyo in local...
EDITORIALS
Feb 4, 2012

State of the Union: campaign time

For the last few months, followers of U.S. politics have been treated — or subjected — to a steady diet of Republican campaigns. Democrats have been mostly quiet as the GOP candidates battle among themselves for the nomination. President Barack Obama will be the Democratic Party candidate and, as...
BUSINESS
Feb 4, 2012

Suppliers cut jobs amid yen battering

Japan Inc. is suffering and the supply chain is bearing the cost.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2012

Record lows recorded at 38 locations

The country experienced severe cold weather Friday and morning temperatures dropped to record lows at 38 locations nationwide, the Meteorological Agency said.
BUSINESS
Feb 4, 2012

TSE glitch no payday for platforms

Japan's alternative trading platforms missed out on a potential payday as regulators stopped them from fielding orders when a computer error caused the biggest trading disruption in six years Thursday at the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
COMMENTARY
Feb 3, 2012

Let economic impetus drive a deal in territorial dispute

Judging by the latest events in the seemingly endless territorial dispute between Japan and Russia over the "Northern Territories," the Japanese side has decided to confirm its steadfast stance by presenting strong historical and judicial arguments — some traditional, some rather new.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 3, 2012

'Machine Gun Preacher'

'Machine Gun Preacher" is extraordinary on two levels: First, it's based on a true story about a man who went from a life of violent crime and drug addiction to building an orphanage in war-torn Sudan. And second, he did it all without looking at a computer screen, ever.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 3, 2012

Ice sculptures, snow slides at Hokkaido fest

The City of Sapporo will be hosting the 63rd annual Snow Festival this month. The event is considered a "must see" for tourists and about 2 million people visited the festival last year.
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2012

System glitch halts some trading on TSE

The Tokyo Stock Exchange suffered its biggest system glitch in six years Thursday, temporarily suspending trade of 241 stocks and other financial instruments for more than three hours.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2012

Honda surprises with gain in resurgent U.S.

Honda Motor Co. ended eight months of shrinking U.S. sales with an unexpected January gain as recovering auto demand also buoyed growth for Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 3, 2012

Botan: Put a little sukiyaki fire in your belly

On one side of the battered shōji screen with its panels of flimsy washi paper, the sleet and biting wind. On the other, a small old-fashioned hibachi brazier, its coals glowing softly. There's no contest: At Botan, the charcoal wins every time.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / Japan Pulse
Feb 2, 2012

The bags that came from another dimension

Stay creative and carry bags that push the boundaries of perception. You're guaranteed to turn a few heads.
Reader Mail
Feb 2, 2012

'Stress test' a charade for banks

The editorial "Power users on the hook" (Jan. 27), wittingly or otherwise, contains a perspicacious "King's New Clothes" revelation in the seventh paragraph: "Banks are pressuring Tepco (Tokyo Electric Power Co.) to restart the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant and to raise power rates as the conditions for new...
Reader Mail
Feb 2, 2012

May the spirit of Tsukiji survive

Having worked in the neighborhood of the Tsukiji fish market for almost two decades, I am surprised that the Jan. 29 article "Fish tales of Tsukiji" describes the atmosphere there and fishermen's spirits so well. Tsukiji is talked about a lot lately on TV programs and in the mass media, but the content...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2012

The Putin regime's terminal disease

The history of successive authoritarian regimes in Russia reveals a recurring pattern: They do not die from external blows or domestic insurgencies. Instead, they tend to collapse from a strange internal malady — a combination of the elites' encroaching disgust with themselves and a realization that...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 2, 2012

Tokyo Jihen "Color Bars"

Tokyo Jihen's first five albums have titles relating to types of television programming, "Sports" or "Variety" or "Adult." The Shiina-Ringo-led group's sixth album, though, is titled "Color Bars," after the rainbow lines that grace the TV screen during technical difficulties or dead-air time. It's a...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 2, 2012

Warner's Ishizaka says 'exterminate' illegal downloads

Not many music-business executives compare themselves to Oda Nobunaga or Napoleon Bonaparte.
COMMENTARY
Feb 2, 2012

Eventually not a drop of groundwater to drink?

The world is in the midst of a boom in groundwater use. The rate of extraction from aquifers more than doubled in the 40 years to 2000. It has continued to soar since then.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2012

Hamamatsu new 'gyoza' capital

Boasting dozens of restaurants and shops and the highest household consumption rate of "gyoza," Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi Prefecture, has long been regarded as the capital of the Chinese dumpling as well.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2012

NISA OK on stress tests but gets poor PR grade

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has been overseeing reactor stress tests in a proper manner but needs to communicate better with the people living near such facilities, an International Atomic Energy Agency official said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Feb 1, 2012

Justice minister feels signing off on hangings just part of job description

Toshio Ogawa is the first justice minister to tacitly support capital punishment since the Democratic Party of Japan came to power in September 2009 and has no intention of engaging in the debate over whether to end the death penalty.

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?