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EDITORIALS
Jul 16, 2007

Smoother trade in East Asia

The trade ministry's fiscal 2007 white paper calls for creation of an "open and seamless" economic system in East Asia where Japanese companies have already established strong business networks. Behind the call is recognition that a dynamic East Asian economy is indispensable for Japan's economic growth....
COMMENTARY
Jul 16, 2007

Miyazawa knew economics

Obituaries for former Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, who died recently at age 87, agreed that he was a statesman and a genuine internationalist. But some — those from Nikkei, Japan's leading economic media group, especially — also criticized him as a Keynesian economist responsible for Japan's economic...
Reader Mail
Jul 15, 2007

Scant concern for the citizenry

The July 8 letters of Shaun O'Dwyer and Andrew Murphy praising former Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma's remarks reported in the July 1 article "A-bombings 'couldn't be helped' " miss the point. It is plausible for U.S. politicians to claim that dropping the A-bombs "could not be helped" and was necessary...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 15, 2007

Dive into the lower depths

PIERCING by Ryu Murakami. Penguin Books, 2007, 185 pp., $13 (paper) While his wife sleeps contentedly, a father hovers over the crib of his baby daughter, a penlight in one hand, ice pick in the other. Pressures are banking up inside the nervous system of a man who gets goose pimples while soaking in...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 15, 2007

Documentary on global warming, breast cancer patient's last days, phenomena explained

Monday is a national holiday, and Nihon TV is presenting a 90-minute documentary special at 4 p.m. on the state of the global environment. "Tenku Kara Shinkai e (From the Sky to the Deep Sea)" is hosted by actor Satoshi Nakamura and other celebrities who travel to places in the world where global warming...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jul 15, 2007

'Tasty science' puts mystery on the menu

Fed up with foie gras; tired of truffles; and simply sick of sturgeons' eggs? If you're one of those gourmets who's gagging for a new and taste-transporting experience, Tapas Molecular Bar at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo hotel may be the eatery of your dreams.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2007

U.S. sex slave resolution about human rights, not Japan-bashing: Honda

and Rep. Jim Costa talk as they wait for a markup session on the sex slave resolution to start in the House Foreign Affairs Committee on June 26 on Capitol Hill. AP PHOTO
COMMENTARY
Jul 14, 2007

New York Times vs. reality

LONDON — The New York Times has been wrong on Iraq for so long that it has become a tradition, and they respect tradition at the Times. Its Monday (July 9) editorial calling for an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq caused a great stir in the United States: "It is time for the United States to leave...
EDITORIALS
Jul 13, 2007

Upper House campaign commences

The campaign for the July 29 Upper House election has officially started. It is the first national election since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office in September 2006. Under the Abe administration so far, the Fundamental Law of Education has been revised to instill patriotism in children and strengthen...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 13, 2007

Nervous Branagh and his operatic dream

As one of Britain's most iconic actor/directors, Kenneth Branagh has a special relationship with theater. Throughout his career he has often worked to merge the stage with celluloid, delivering such memorable films as "Much Ado About Nothing," which he directed, wrote and starred in.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PARTY LINE
Jul 12, 2007

JCP will go own way regardless of election outcome

The Japanese Communist Party will not form an alliance with the Democratic Party of Japan or any other party regardless of how the July 29 House of Councilors election turns out, according to party leader Kazuo Shii.
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2007

Fujimori's run for the Diet draws condemnation

Human rights activists and legal experts Wednesday slammed disgraced former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori's bid to win a Diet seat in the July 29 House of Councilors election as a shameless attempt to elude justice.
COMMENTARY
Jul 12, 2007

China's 'patriotic' church

HONG KONG — The Vatican, through a pastoral letter from Pope Benedict XVI to the 12 million Catholics in China, has called for reconciliation between the so-called patriotic church, which operates independently from the Holy See, and the underground church, which recognizes the supremacy of the pontiff....
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2007

Enabling a war-ravaged state to recover

NEW YORK — War-ravaged countries confront a double challenge: to create dynamic economies and to promote, at the same time, economic and social inclusion. Without both of these elements, national reconciliation will likely prove impossible.
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2007

Opposition leaders lash Abe over scandals, consumption tax

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ruling bloc drew heavy fire Wednesday over a spate of scandals during a debate with the leaders of five opposition parties on the eve of the official start of campaigning for the July 29 Upper House election.
JAPAN / PARTY LINE
Jul 12, 2007

Komeito to stay firmly in coalition camp

For New Komeito leader Akihiro Ota, the priority in the July 29 election is maintaining the ruling bloc's control of the Upper House, but he won't say if he will resign if the coalition falls short.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 12, 2007

Neither heroes nor villains

The director and producer of a new film on Japan's WWII suicide pilots tell The Japan Times that the doomed warriors of myth were actually teenagers made to die for a lie.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 12, 2007

From a whim to pottery passion

Masayuki Inoue's repertoire includes sky-high monoliths and massive sculptures that span several meters. Many of these monumental works are held together by metal bolts and industrial adhesive, which in itself is not particularly unusual in the world of contemporary art. But here's the twist: Inoue is...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 12, 2007

Speaking up for the 'divine' but undiscussed

Summer is the time of year when the Japanese remember the dead, most notably during the Bon festival, and the end of World War II, though the collective memory of the latter fades with each passing year. The Japanese are probably better at forgetting than other people in the world (indeed, the culture...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 12, 2007

Japan's saucy chameleon of Modernism

Japanese modernist art is often described as being derivative of its Western counterpart, but beneath the surface a real difference between them can be likened to that between religion in Japan and the West.

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?