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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 6, 2012

Fanning the flames of art

Shingo Tanaka (b. 1983) has installed his panels so seamlessly into Kyoto's eN arts gallery that the works first appear to be done on the walls. Though having trained as an oil painter, the soft scumblings and wisps of smoke and licks of fire in a restricted palette of black and ochres on white background,...
EDITORIALS
Aug 31, 2012

Diet business at an impasse

Diet business has reached paralysis as the opposition forces on Wednesday passed a censure motion against Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Following passage of the motion, the opposition forces plan to boycott all the deliberations in both houses of the Diet on bills submitted by the government.
Japan Times
SPORTS / ODDS AND EVENS
Aug 19, 2012

Taking a look back at the spectacular London Games

Before boarding the plane on Wednesday to return to Japan, here are items I scribbled down on paper from the Olympics extravaganza of the past few weeks, days that will always remain in my memory.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 17, 2012

'Wallace & Gromit' creator Peter Lord to play major role at animation festival in Hiroshima

The Hiroshima 2012: International Animation Festival has done pretty well for itself since its debut in 1985. It is now considered one of the four most respected animation festivals in the world.
EDITORIALS
Aug 15, 2012

The minimum wage dilemma

The number of people receiving livelihood assistance known as seikatsu hogo (literally, livelihood protection), Japan's final social safety net, increased for nine consecutive months and reached a record 2,108,096 as of March 2012.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 2, 2012

Contemporary Japanese artists strive to create works uninfluenced by the West

"Real Japanesque: The Unique World of Japanese Contemporary Art" at the National Museum of Art, Osaka, is in many ways a trying exhibition. Its concept claims that Japanese artists born after the 1970s are attempting to create something entirely new and that they are distancing themselves from imitating...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2012

Nippon Yusen slashes spending as rates slump

Nippon Yusen K.K. will slash spending on new vessels by at least ¥260 billion as rates to transport commodities slump due to the swelling global fleet.
OLYMPICS
Jul 30, 2012

Recognizing a giant of the industry

Thousands of journalists are filing stories from the Main Press Centre (MPC) during the London Olympics. All of them would be wise to list John Rodda as an admirable figure, a role model in this cut-throat business of scoops and deadlines.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 8, 2012

How astrology and superstition drove an increase in abortions in Japan

I like to think of myself as a rational human being most of the time, but I have to suppress a shudder if someone opens an umbrella indoors, and I'd probably comment if a black cat crossed my path.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 4, 2012

Aoki returns to Tokyo; Aomori, Nara get expansion teams

The bj-league will add a pair of new franchises for the 2013-14 season, and Cohey Aoki, the only six-time All-Star in league history, is returning to the capital city.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 14, 2012

In the light of Rinko Kawauchi

It's quite surprising to find out that "Kawauchi Rinko: Illuminance, Ametsuchi, Seeing Shadow" is Rinko Kawauchi's first solo exhibition in Tokyo. For a winner of prestigious photography prizes, who has published multiple books — not to mention held major exhibitions overseas — this mid-career show...
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jun 8, 2012

Oketani era finished in Okinawa: sources

A major shift in the bj-league's coaching ranks appears imminent.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jun 2, 2012

Racism not confined to Euro hosts

Before the 2006 World Cup in Germany we were told by certain sections of the English media that neo-Nazi gangs would terrorize visitors. Two years ago South Africa would, allegedly, be a machete-wielding war zone.
COMMENTARY
May 4, 2012

A catastrophic social budget

During the past two years, Vladimir Putin repeatedly stressed his special attention to and personal patronage of the efforts to keep up and somehow improve the pitiful situation concerning the overall social position and living standards of retired and disabled people, such as those receiving pensions...
EDITORIALS
May 2, 2012

Lightening the load on businesses

The Bank of Japan on Friday announced that it will boost the size of its asset purchase program by ¥5 trillion. The decision follows an earlier decision in February to add ¥10 trillion to the program. As a result, the total size of the program will be raised to ¥70 trillion.
COMMENTARY
Apr 25, 2012

What happens to world's economy if Spain fails?

Just when you thought the world economy might be improving, along comes Spain. It's Europe's next economic domino, struggling to cope with big budget deficits, massive unemployment and an angry public. Will it fail — and, if so, with what consequences?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 5, 2012

Ceramics as a blossoming form of art

In 1981, Etsuko Tashima (b.1959) completed the postgraduate ceramic course of Osaka University of Arts, where she is now professor. Her graduation work, "Censored" (1981), was a series of legs cast from her own body and arranged so that they appeared to grow out of the ground. Attaching breasts to cups...
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2012

Experts: 10% tax too minor to dent deficit

The Cabinet on Friday made good on its vow and moved forward on doubling the consumption tax by 2015, but some experts and lawmakers already see it as only a tiny step in cutting the ever-expanding fiscal deficit.
COMMENTARY
Mar 12, 2012

Fear and consequences of defense budget cuts

It turns out that "budget sequestration," portrayed as an evenhanded way to spur bipartisan negotiations over budget deficits, is actually a dagger aimed at defense spending. The president and other top administration officials have said the automatic spending cuts required by sequestration are "bad...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 3, 2012

Redknapp may make England wait

When Fabio Capello said he wanted to resign as England manager, David Bernstein, the chairman of the Football Association, said it was "best for the F.A." so the Italian's offer was one he could not refuse.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 26, 2012

Many NPB veterans hanging on too long

How does a professional baseball player know when it is time to retire?
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 19, 2012

Has anything changed? Americans still feel the need for moral supremacy

When he published his brilliant cartoon in the Washington Post on Dec. 12, 1961, American cartoonist Herblock, may, oddly enough, just as well have been addressing one of the primary concerns of today's political debate in the United States.
EDITORIALS
Feb 17, 2012

Public servant wage cuts

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the opposition Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito are engaged in a tug of war over wage reductions for national public servants. The Diet has the responsibility to decide on wage levels and working conditions for national public servants.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Feb 11, 2012

No love lost as Capello's reign ends

The post of England manager is often called the impossible job which is probably why it nearly always ends in tears. Fabio Capello became the latest victim when he resigned on Wednesday, leaving England with no coach and no captain four months before Euro 2012.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake