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COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 27, 2008

In memory of one for whom Japan was a muse

A month ago I lost a very close friend. This would not be the proper place to write about it, except for the fact that despite her not being Japanese, her profound understanding of Japan and her love for the country were the lifeblood of her artistic career.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 27, 2008

Bae Yong Joon, superstar, how many hits have you had so far?

Few stars have been cannier with their stardom than Bae Yong Joon, the South Korean actor who won the hearts of Japanese women in the 2002 soap opera "Winter Sonata."
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2008

Shaping the future as an immigrant nation

OSAKA — It is time Japan realized that in order to deal with its population decline, it must accept 10 million permanent immigrants rather than a small number of migrant laborers, said the country's most prominent advocate of a radical new immigration policy.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2008

Hashimoto clings to lead in tight Osaka gubernatorial race

OSAKA — Down to the wire, Sunday's Osaka gubernatorial election continues to be a tight race, with 38-year-old lawyer Toru Hashimoto reportedly holding on to a slight lead over his rivals. But look for a dark horse as 40 percent of voters remain undecided.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2008

Ambulance fiascoes become Osaka campaign issue

OSAKA — With just a few days to go until Osaka elects a new governor, the candidates are finding themselves facing an issue that is literally a life and death situation for all prefectural residents.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 25, 2008

Sendai hopes to keep roll going

SENDAI — The Sendai 89ers have racked up 16 victories in their first 20 games. It's an impressive start, but the team faces a string of contests against the Western Conference heavyweights in the weeks to come.
BUSINESS
Jan 25, 2008

Toyota falls just short of passing GM's 2007 sales

Toyota said Thursday it sold 9.366 million vehicles last year globally, about 3,000 fewer than General Motors' tally, allowing the U.S. automaker to retain its crown as the world's No. 1 automaker.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 25, 2008

'Bee Movie'

"Bee Movie," the latest animated feature from DreamWorks Animation, is about as funny as its title. B-movie, get it? It's a rather weak pun, more so considering there already was an ironically titled "B-Movie" made in 2004.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 25, 2008

Raphael Oleg's keen art of detection

Few concert violinists do more preparation than French virtuoso Raphael Oleg. For him, each performance requires meticulous research on the composer and the work.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / LIQUID CULTURE
Jan 25, 2008

Tokyo hones the craft of the cocktail

"The best bartenders on the planet all work in Ginza," claims Masahiro Kon, ex-bartender and award-winning cocktail creator. "In the U.S., they're mixing drinks with herbs and other weird ingredients, but in Ginza the best guys just polish their cocktails like jewels."
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jan 25, 2008

Time for JBA to stop ignoring bj-league, act in best interests of game in Japan

SENDAI — Ninety minutes after Sunday's Sendai 89ers-Ryukyu Golden Kings game, a slew of players were still visiting with fans or conducting interviews.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 25, 2008

Basking in the northern cold

Sapporo's famed Snow Festival — running this year from Feb. 5 to Feb 11. — began when a bunch of bored school kids in 1950 built a series of snow sculptures in Odori Park in the center of the city. Their enthusiasm during the hardships Japan was suffering after the war struck a chord with the population....
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2008

Bill to keep high gas tax reaches Diet

The government submitted a tax reform bill to the Diet Wednesday that includes a clause to continue the special additional higher gasoline and other auto-related taxes — a key bone of contention that the opposition camp plans to confront the ruling bloc over in the current session.
Reader Mail
Jan 24, 2008

Gifted player deserves coverage

In his Jan. 17 letter, "Accusations by soccer midfielder," Francesco Formiconi states that he does not know why people like Shunsuke Nakamura are given "so much space in the news."
Reader Mail
Jan 24, 2008

Empathy, common sense lacking

It's said that applause for Stalin's speeches went on for so long because nobody wanted to be seen as the first to stop applauding. Japanese salarymen might be reluctant for similar reasons to leave the workplace. Whatever the reason, everyone seems to agree that too much of the burden of "parenting"...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 24, 2008

The girl in the corner

She's one of the most admired actresses in Hollywood, both for her talent and versatility.
CULTURE / Art / INSIDE ART
Jan 24, 2008

The parallel world of art associations

What are the most famous exhibitions of contemporary art in the world? The Venice Biennale? Art Basel Miami Beach?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 24, 2008

Ex-janitor cleans up with comic gem

Winner of the Grand Prize in the short film section at the 1987 Torino Film Festival in Italy, Yosuke Fujita may have been making films for more than two decades, but it's only now that audiences have the chance to see the director's first full-length feature. "Zenzen Daijobu (Fine, Totally Fine)" is...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2008

An Iranian lesson for Musharraf's critics

PRAGUE — As the future of both Pakistan and its president, Pervez Musharraf, wallow in uncertainty in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination, parallels are being drawn to the 1979 fall of the shah and the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Once again, a "pro-American" autocrat seems to be rapidly losing...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 23, 2008

Cars and fuel set to get more political

In 2007, climate change finally became a reality in the wider public's consciousness.

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?