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JAPAN
Mar 10, 2009

Abductee kin to meet North spy

Relatives of a Japanese woman abducted by Pyongyang will meet a former North Korean spy Wednesday in hopes of learning her fate, Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said Monday.
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
Mar 10, 2009

Litter sparks Akihabara cleanup

It was unusually warm and windy that particular Friday afternoon last month on which blew haru ichiban, the first strong, warm wind of the spring.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2009

Mexico's fight against organized crime

The international media have recently placed increased attention on the actions carried out by Mexican President Felipe Calderon to combat organized crime and strengthen the rule of law in Mexico.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 8, 2009

Tokyo city: living in constant flux

John Milton was of the opinion that "towered cities please us then, and the busy hum of men." Tokyo would have delighted him. Largest city in the world, it has long busily hummed. Home of the first tower (dungeon-keep of the earliest Edo castle) it now has enough towering skyscrapers for everyone.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Mar 6, 2009

Redefining defiance for a modern Japan

More than 3 million people are likely to tune into the second installment of NHK drama "Jiro Shirasu" on Saturday night — and chances are, most will be waiting expectantly for the re-enactment of one particularly famous episode from the subject's life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 6, 2009

Suntory Hall in 'ruins' for Mozart production

Showing me a sketch of the set of Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni," executive producer Keiko Manabe, who has led Suntory Hall's opera projects since 1989, explains the new production's concept.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2009

There's no deleveraging the illusions of politicians

BALI, Indonesia — In response to the current financial and economic turmoil, U.S. politicians wanted to be seen as "doing something" legislatively, even if costly and ineffective, in order to endear themselves to those voters who received benefits. This is evident in that the "stimulus spending" provides...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2009

Power of words eludes politicians

Japanese prime ministers aren't known for the impact they make with their words, or straight talk with the public.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Feb 27, 2009

FIBA promotes unity between Japan's leagues

Desperate times call for desperate measures, someone once said. And it's safe to say these are desperate times for the Japan Basketball Association.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2009

A year in, Osaka Gov. Hashimoto on a roll

After more than a year in office, Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto enjoys approval ratings Prime Minister Taro Aso can only dream of, and he's wielding his popularity to push budget cuts and sweeping fiscal and economic reforms on the way to what he eventually hopes will be a semiautonomous Kansai region.
COMMENTARY
Feb 26, 2009

Liberal Democratic parties: up and down?

Big crises like the current recession change a lot of things that once seemed to be a permanent part of the landscape. In Japan the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed the country for all but nine months of the past half-century, is about to go over a cliff.
Reader Mail
Feb 26, 2009

Poor motivation to learn English

In his Feb. 15 letter, "Suggestion for teaching English," David Wood seems completely to misunderstand the thrust of my Feb. 5 article, "What's wrong with the way English is taught in Japan."
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2009

Communists looking better lately

The Japanese Communist Party, although still a minor factor in either house of the Diet, is gaining popularity among voters as its membership grows again and as an increasing number of people watch the Web sites of party chairman Kazuo Shii. This worries other political parties, since a general election...
BUSINESS / U.S. DIPLOMACY SYMPOSIUM
Feb 24, 2009

Introspective Europe may find it difficult accepting U.S.'s wider world view

Despite widespread public enthusiasm in Europe for the new U.S. administration of President Barack Obama, long-term worrying trends remain that confront the trans-Atlantic relationship, said James Goldgeier, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Feb 24, 2009

The half, bi or double debate

Following are some of the responses The Japan Times received on the issues raised in Kristy Kosaka's Jan. 27 Zeit Gist article headlined ""Half, bi or double: one family's trouble":
EDITORIALS
Feb 22, 2009

The freedom of Mr. Khan

On its face, the decision to release Mr. Abdul Qadeer Khan from house arrest in Pakistan is a slap in the face of international opinion and a blow to efforts to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons. According to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, the work of the world's greatest proliferator "is a closed...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 22, 2009

Be it booze or cheese, LDP loves to court controversy

Was he or wasn't he? That is the question the media wrestled with last week when discussing former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa's behavior at the Valentine's Day news conference held during the Group of Seven meeting in Rome. By this point everyone seems convinced he was drunk, but the relationship...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Feb 20, 2009

Schiller works to keep baseball on world stage

As Major League Baseball struggles to decide how to punish players who take performance-enhancing drugs, International Baseball Federation president Harvey Schiller made his opinion on the matter loud and clear as it pertains to the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2009

Fiscal hawk set for three big hats

Despite being a fiscal hawk, newly appointed Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano appears positive about taking additional measures to juice the economy.
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2009

EU-China relations back on track

Europe's relations with China appear to be back on track. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's recent tour of Europe was by all accounts a success, with both sides eager to put behind them last year's unpleasantness — a high-level China-EU meeting was canceled because of China's objections to French President...
COMMENTARY
Feb 13, 2009

Blaming bankers' bonuses

LONDON — U.S. President Barack Obama has called for an annual salary cap of $500,000 for directors of banks receiving government funds. (It is worth noting that this sum is $100,000 more than the president's salary.)
COMMENTARY
Feb 12, 2009

Secretary Clinton's No. 1 mission is to reassure allies

HONOLULU — We welcome the news that Hillary Clinton's first overseas trip as U.S. secretary of state will be to Japan, Korea, Indonesia and China. While her visit to Beijing will likely garner the lion's share of attention and her visit to Indonesia will generate the most speculation (can a visit by...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CLIMATE CHANGE SYMPOSIUM
Feb 10, 2009

Rethinking a global post-Kyoto solution

New ways of thinking on climate change are needed if the world is to create a workable post-Kyoto Protocol framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, European scholars told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Feb 8, 2009

Definitive 'Record of Linji' well worth a wait of 40 years

The Linji-lu is one of the most influential of all Zen texts. Presumably a collection of the lectures and sermons of Linji Yixuan (died 866), founder of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism, it helped form the Rinzai sect of Zen in Japan.
Reader Mail
Feb 5, 2009

Fighting spirit is greatest lesson

Edward R. Howe's Jan. 27 article, " 'Marathon' ritual must change," criticizes the focus on wins and high rankings. Howe mentions his son's humiliating experience of being ranked, and why school marathons should not concentrate on winning. In my opinion, ranking and treating students differently just...
EDITORIALS
Feb 3, 2009

Rational boost to agriculture

The Council of Food, Agriculture and Rural Area Policies, an advisory body to the farm minister, has begun discussing a new basic plan for the nation's agriculture. The Cabinet is expected to adopt the plan by March 2010. Since the plan could lead to a drastic change in the nation's agriculture policy,...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2009

Oceania presses Fiji leader for free election this year

SYDNEY — An Australian newspaper has fired an editorial salvo at the military government of the Republic of the Fiji Islands while reminding the world of what happens when a country tramples on media freedom.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?