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COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 21, 2012

So, fat cats and a blue caterpillar will save Japan from nuclear hell. OK

If you visit the Alice Pavilion at the Shika nuclear power plant in the town of Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, you will be happily entertained by Prof. Aomushi (Blue Caterpillar), who, water pipe in mouth, sits in the sun and, together with Alice, "teaches you about radiation."
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 21, 2012

Watching the wealthy, a popular spectator sport

Twenty-five years ago, in what was to became known as the bubble economy, many Japanese suddenly found themselves awash in money.
Reader Mail
Oct 18, 2012

Christianity not without violence

In Jennifer Kim's Oct. 7 letter "Tolerance for hurt feelings," she bemoans a lack of tolerance for her religion in the Muslim world, but her beloved Christianity has been demonstrably anti-Semitic since the first centuries of the common era and culminating in the Holocaust.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2012

KDDI also considered move on Sprint this year but opted not to, chief says

KDDI Corp. President Takashi Tanaka revealed Wednesday that his firm in the past year had discussed acquiring Sprint Nextel Corp. but in the end opted not to buy the U.S. carrier.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Oct 9, 2012

A guide to navigating Japan's exotic legal-eagle menagerie

A common mistake made by foreigners trying to accomplish things in Japan is to go to a lawyer (bengoshi) with their problems. It is not a mistake because of a bunch of hooey about Japanese people not looking to the law for solutions, but because a lawyer may not be the best man or woman for the job....
EDITORIALS
Oct 7, 2012

Work remains for consumer safety

A consumer protection commission was launched last month to investigate consumer complaints about appliances, food and commodities. Unfortunately, the seven-member Consumer Safety Investigation Commission might be a case of too little too late.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 7, 2012

Seen through the victim's eye

THE STORY OF MY ASSASSINS, by Tarun J. Tejpal. Melville House, 2012, 544 pp., $27.95 (hardcover) Tarun J. Tejpal's "The Story of My Assassins" begins, "The morning I heard I'd been shot I was sitting in my office. ..."
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 2, 2012

Companies liable for drug trial damages

MJ is considering using an experimental drug that his doctor has offered to treat colitis, but isn't sure who is responsible if anything goes wrong.
EDITORIALS
Sep 30, 2012

Baby steps toward better child care

Anew program in Osaka City will begin to help relieve the waiting list for child care centers by providing more individual care for young children. The plan will establish a resource bank of workers available to look after children up to the age of 2 in the children's homes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 29, 2012

Pro tips on how to act like a native Japanese

This column is for Kim Bostwick, who is moving to Japan this week. I've made a list of pertinent things to know for her smooth transition into Japanese culture. Do these things, and people will mistake you for a native Japanese:
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Sep 29, 2012

Terry's legacy tainted by scandals

Four Games.
EDITORIALS
Sep 29, 2012

Mr. Putin's 'pivot' toward Asia

Russia is a huge country that spans eight time zones, stretching from the borders of Europe to the Pacific Ocean. For centuries it has grappled with its "Eurasian" identity, debating whether its national interest are best served by choosing between one half or the other or offering itself as a bridge...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Sep 28, 2012

Parker not expecting to win fifth straight scoring title

Shimane Susanoo Magic forward Michael Parker, the four-time reigning scoring champion, predicted on Monday he won't win the scoring title this season.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 28, 2012

'The Bourne Legacy' / 'Haywire'

If going to the movies has taught me anything, it's that being a spy ain't easy. Even if the guy is a graduate of the School of Uber-spies, with perfect abs and hair streaming in the wind as the bad guys in black Mercedes come yelling in Euro accents. In fact, the more uber a spy is, the more tribulations...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 28, 2012

'Iron Sky'

Watching "Iron Sky", it felt like the entire point of this film was to include a scene where a slack-jawed New Yorker points to the sky, eyes wide with terror, and screams: "Space Nazis!"
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2012

Secret of success for the top-rated universities

No country dominates any industry as much as the United States dominates higher education. According to Shanghai Jiao-Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities, for example, 17 of the world's 20 best universities are American, with Harvard topping the list by a substantial margin.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 23, 2012

No trusting those who descend from heaven

Just for fun, try this whimsical little experiment: search the Japan Times website for "regain trust." It's an expression that recurs so often, and has such a long history, you'd almost think it meant something.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Sep 23, 2012

Evolution revelation sparks MAD inspiration to sucker the (U.S.) soul

Thank god for all things virtual.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 22, 2012

Giants clinch 34th Central League pennant

For the last two years, the Yomiuri Giants have watched another team celebrate. Watched as another group of players paraded around the field clutching the Central League pennant.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 21, 2012

Companies reopen as anger eases in China

The widespread protests in China appeared to ease Thursday as Japanese companies were left with yet another stinging reminder that doing business in China comes with risks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 21, 2012

Yorozuya Okagesan: Michelin-starred food tastes better by the bottle

The entrance to Yorozuya Okagesan is, to put it mildly, discreet. The modest sign is set back so far from the sidewalk you'd never spot the steps unless you knew to look. And you'd never go down them anyway unless you had a reservation since, politely but inevitably, you would be turned away.
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2012

Dole sells packaged food, Asia units to Itochu for $1.69 billion

Dole Food Co., the world's biggest supplier of fresh fruit and vegetables, said Tuesday it has agreed to sell its food packaging and Asia fresh produce businesses to Itochu Corp. for $1.69 billion in cash.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2012

The Neil Armstrong I knew — and flew with

Before manned space flights began, officials pondered what background they should seek in the crew for this bizarre new venture: Danger lover? Bullfighter? Mountain climber? Should they search for people who were self-aware and calm in extreme conditions? A deep-sea diver, perhaps? Finally, they settled...
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 2012

Mayor Hashimoto goes national

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, also head of Osaka Ishin-no Kai (Osaka Restoration Association), a local party, on Sept. 12 declared the establishment of Nippon Ishin-no Kai (Japan Restoration Party). Basically his local party was upgraded a party for national-level politics.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Sep 11, 2012

Hotelier sees disaster bring out best in Japanese

As a veteran of the tourism and hotel industries in Japan for more than two decades, Tony Virili says he will "never forget" what took place at one of his firm's franchise hotels in Sendai on March 11, 2011.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Sep 9, 2012

Yamadera, the man with 1,000 voices

Prior to interviewing Koichi Yamadera, a top voice actor, mimic and TV celebrity, I thought it would be tacky to ask him for samples of his many voices, from the characters on the popular "Anpanman" kiddy cartoon show to the hero of Hitoshi Takekiyo's new animated horror-comedy "Hokago Middonaitazu (After...

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