Search - people

 
 
EDITORIALS
Jan 28, 2007

Mr. Abe's pitch to the Diet

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a policy speech in his first regular Diet session as prime minister, pitched his top political goal -- changing Japan's postwar regime and revising the Constitution. But just what kind of nation he wants to build through such endeavors is not necessarily clear. In the short...
Reader Mail
Jan 28, 2007

What passes for attractiveness

Recent moves by Spain to rein in eating disorders in the high-fashion industry by sanctioning a healthy body mass index and thereby curbing excessive skinniness among supermodels have spread to Italy and show signs of spreading to other countries as well. This is a good thing and only partly...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2007

SpongeBob soaks up young fans in Japan

Square and loud, SpongeBob wasn't supposed to have much chance for success in Japan, a nation famous for its love of more cuddly characters like Hello Kitty and Pikachu.
EDITORIALS
Jan 27, 2007

State of the Union? Divided

President George W. Bush's State of the Union speeches will be seen as critical moments in his presidency. In 2002, he identified an "axis of evil" that threatened the United States and the world. A year later, he used 16 words alleged to be proof of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's efforts to...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 27, 2007

Fujie Kagami

Fujie Kagami has devoted her life to studying and teaching the koto. She has been honored with a Cultural Award from Aichi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2007

Horie ends trial in defiant, tearful plea

Livedoor Co. founder Takafumi Horie broke into tears during the closing arguments of his high-profile trial Friday, claiming prosecutors lacked impartiality and overlooked evidence in their drive to have him found guilty.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 26, 2007

Treatment of Roma in schools on trial

PARIS -- What good are Europe's treaties aimed at ensuring the legal equality of all citizens when entire groups face systematic discrimination?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2007

Son boasts fashionable, functional '07 handset line

Fashionable may be the best word to describe the 2007 mobile phone industry, at least according to Masoyoshi Son, chief executive officer of Softbank Mobile Corp.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 26, 2007

Wolfmother

Sydney hard-rock power-trio Wolfmother are still young, which may explain why they parade their influences so recklessly. People who deride their willfully 1970s sound say they pick and choose their signifiers purely for their effect: the sci-fi/fantasy album artwork of Frank Frazetta; the poems about...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 26, 2007

The punks descend

How much impact do surroundings have on a group? According to guitarist Lindsay McDougall of the Australian band Frenzal Rhomb, plenty.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 25, 2007

NFL Japan raising level of play

A quarterback throws the ball, but it doesn't necessarily have a beautiful spiral and barely reaches a wide receiver who is 25 yards away.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jan 24, 2007

World champs star Gasol on trade block

NEW YORK -- Earlier this season I revealed Boston had offered Memphis its choice of any combination of Celtics for Pau Gasol.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 23, 2007

The nuts and bolts of the legislature

The Diet is the center of Japanese politics. It's where ruling and opposition lawmakers play power games and employ tactics in both open and backroom negotiations. With this year's ordinary legislative session set to start Thursday, following are some basic facts about the parliamentary system:
EDITORIALS
Jan 22, 2007

Popularity ebbs before battle

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party of Japan have held their party conventions and adopted policy programs for 2007, setting the stage for July's Upper House election, which will decide the future course of Japan. While the prelude for the watershed political battle...
Reader Mail
Jan 21, 2007

Grabbing the golden chance

Ethiopia, in addition to heeding the call of the legitimate Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia for support, was facing a clear danger from UIC forces. UIC has repeatedly declared jihad against us, fomented instability by allowing in destabilizing forces from Eritrea, assisted anti-peace...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 21, 2007

Sex in the Forbidden City

Rene Leys, by Victor Segalen, translated and with an introduction by J.A. Underwood, preface by Ian Buruma. New York: New York Review of Books, 2003, 210 pp. $14 (paper) "Who is this lad, this Belgian youth, who forbids Manchu princes possession of their future concubines? . . . . Who . . . has attained...
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Jan 20, 2007

Toney-El keeps Broncos teammates loose with nicknames

The Japan Times will be featuring periodic interviews with players in the bj-league -- Japan's first professional basketball circuit -- which is in its second season. Marcus Toney-El of the Saitama Broncos is the subject of this week's profile.
EDITORIALS
Jan 20, 2007

Come clean on political funds

Suspicions are growing over the use of political funds and the accuracy of mandatory reports on such funds. Specifically, the suspicions have been aroused by media reports that five Cabinet ministers and two Liberal Democratic Party executives had declared a combined 689 million yen as "office expenses"...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 19, 2007

'Marie Antoinette'

A recurring scene in "Marie Antoinette" shows the young princess (or "Dauphine" as she was referred to in the Versailles Court) with her head leaning against the window of her carriage, looking out at the passing scenery, or craning her neck to look at the sky. She doesn't speak, and the soundtrack is...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 19, 2007

Juggling with the concept of what is art

Juggling is an art. At least it is to Denis Paumier and his performance company, Les Objets Volants. The French troupe has successfully produced juggling events for the stage around the world since 1999. Paumier and crew will bring their mix of juggling, theater, movement and object manipulation to Yokohama...

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?