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SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Jul 28, 2009

Dejima bows out as Hakuho picks up another Emperor's Cup

In July 1999, longtime Musashigawa Beya sekitori Dejima Takeharu won his first and only career Emperor's Cup after defeating former yokozuna Akebono in a play-off victory.
JAPAN / G8 ITALY SUMMIT
Jul 8, 2009

Climate unity a cloud on G8 horizon

This year's annual Group of Eight summit, hosted by Italy, is expected to focus on complex political and economic issues of immediate concern, ranging from North Korea and Iran to international economic and financial recovery.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 7, 2009

NHK a fount of info, a lot of it from the government

Sometimes compared with the British Broadcasting Corporation or America's Public Broadcasting System — and by its fiercest critics even to the state-run media in China and North Korea — NHK boasts two terrestrial television services, three satellite television services, three radio networks and the...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 7, 2009

What price heroism for indoctrinated fighters in unjust wars?

What makes a hero in war? If that war is unjust, do the soldiers involved deserve to be treated as heroes? And what is the civilian role in these heroics?
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2009

Did media go too far on swine flu?

The swine flu scare seems to be over, at least in Japan and at least for now.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 31, 2009

A slight unmasking of Japan's flu 'pandemic'

While traveling through Scandinavia two weeks ago, I had scant opportunity to monitor Japan's anxiety over the sudden increase in confirmed cases of H1N1 flu that led to closings of schools in the Kansai region. Europe seemed barely concerned about the new flu and when I caught BBC World in hotel rooms...
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Apr 27, 2009

Blunders with North show Japan still child at handling media

Earlier this month, when many in Japan were enjoying the arrival of spring and the accompanying cherry blossoms, something else was in the sky, something much more dangerous than a warm breeze: a three-stage missile, launched from North Korea.
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2009

Two false alarms leave Japan egg-faced

North Korea may have spent Saturday toying with a jumpy Japan over its plan to send a rocket over the Tohoku region, but it managed to cause a meteoric embarrassment to Tokyo — twice — without ever pushing the launch button.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2009

Unbalanced bargaining game with China

SINGAPORE — The territorial dispute in the South China Sea — referred to as the Spratly Islands dispute — used to be described as a major regional security flash point. Although core issues remain unresolved, economic integration and globalization, since the beginning of this decade, have temporarily...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 25, 2009

Soft power beckons as time comes for academia to act sustainably

As I am for the most part an optimist, it seems only right to kick off 2009 with an upbeat column and, as an educator, one area I believe offers great promise is education.
BUSINESS
Nov 26, 2008

Nissan to skip Detroit, Chicago auto shows

Nissan Motor Co. said it is pulling out of the Detroit and Chicago auto shows, citing the tough economy and the lack of new vehicles to unveil.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 8, 2008

What's all the shouting about?

I boarded the shinkansen the other day and couldn't believe what I saw: everything! Yes, things I never used to see in the shinkansen are now extremely visible, in your face, in big, bold letters making it very hard to avoid reading them. The aisle and seat numbers were all in much larger fonts. Even...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Nov 3, 2008

Halloween in Japan: a commercial break from global nightmare

Since when was Halloween such a big thing in Japan? Admittedly, you could see it coming these past few years. But this autumn it is simply everywhere.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Oct 22, 2008

Apple lightens, brightens lineup

Pick an Apple: Like a magician pulling a rabbit out of the hat, Apple Inc. always conjures up a buzz out of its product announcements. In its latest trick, the technology maestro has unveiled a much-anticipated lineup of new MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air notebook computers that are already triggering...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Oct 22, 2008

Xbox 360 steals Tokyo Game Show

The biggest announcement at the four-day Tokyo Game Show 2008 (Oct. 9-12) at Makuhari Messe convetion center in Chiba Prefecture was not for a Japanese title and not by a Japanese company.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 20, 2008

Coordinating human life

While I was in the city the other day, I saw a sign on a building that described a certain company, in English, as "human life coordinator." I suppose life is something like a pant suit — you've just got to coordinate it.
BUSINESS
Sep 18, 2008

Lehman-linked losses could hit ¥245 billion

Japan's banks and insurers, including Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., announced a combined ¥245 billion of potential losses tied to the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Aug 25, 2008

The longest day ever for Japan

I recently stumbled upon a YouTube recording — actually, two — of the Showa Emperor telling his subjects over the radio that Japan was accepting defeat. The first one I heard was what appeared to be a cleaned-up version; the second was the one with static, bits of which I had heard before. This was,...
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Jul 29, 2008

Asa might not have been all there, but Haku certainly was

When yokozuna Asashoryu withdrew from the July 13-27 Nagoya Basho on Day 6, public opinion was largely split.
BASKETBALL
Jul 2, 2008

Six groups officially apply to join bj-league

The bj-league received 10 offers from groups interested in being part of the league's next wave of expansion, beginning on Nov. 1, 2007, and ending on Monday.
COMMENTARY
Jun 29, 2008

Japanese keeping score on a weighty matter

LOS ANGELES — The overweight citizen has been taking a pounding of late. But it may be that the issue is being blown out of all proportion. For starters, both Japan and the United States have been in the news on the issue of citizens who are pulling too much of their own weight around town.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 13, 2008

Are you prepared for the next major earthquake?

Louis Chan Nurse, 30 (Hong Kong) I would try to stay up to date with the news and special announcements — if possible, I would check the Internet — but in terms of emergency supplies, I don't have anything prepared.

Longform

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?