Search - u_times

 
 
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Mar 30, 2010

And then there were three (foreign ozeki, that is)

Depending on the exact timing decided upon by the Sumo Association, sometime this week, sekiwake Baruto of Onoe Beya will receive an official visit from members of the association to advise him of his promotion to the sport's second rank — that of ozeki.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 28, 2010

Japanese women can't get no satisfaction

Several weeks ago, star economist and self-help guru Kazuyo Katsuma was the special guest on the TBS variety show "Kinyobi no Sumatachi e." The program's title conflates "kinyobi no tsumatachi" (Friday Wives), which once referred to Friday night "trendy drama" series centered on well-to-do housewives,...
BUSINESS / U.K. JOURNALIST SYMPOSIUM
Mar 26, 2010

Voter behavior holds key to political system change

Six months have passed since the Democratic Party of Japan ousted the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party from power. But whether there will be a fundamental change to the nation's political system will depend not just on the lawmakers but on the behavior of voters.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 24, 2010

Get the sukūpu on crime terms in Japanese

Sometimes I'm asked how I came to be interested in crime in Japan. I guess it began in my early days here as a student and lowly paid salaryman in the late 1960s.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Mar 21, 2010

Kimono like never before

In 1974, Hideko Kariya represented Japan in the Miss Internationals finals, a beauty pageant that started in California in 1960 and moved to Japan in 1968. She placed fifth. Then, in 1981, she married into a family than ran an ever-expanding empire of more than 100 kimono stores across Japan. But as...
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Mar 21, 2010

The jury system, Japan quits League, Hachiko dies, Sahara radioactive fallout in Japan, Tsukuba Expo opens

100 YEARS AGO
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 20, 2010

Mourinho proves Abramovich made wrong move

LONDON — When you are a billionaire I guess it's hard to admit you are wrong.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 19, 2010

Roberts says Broncos have underachieved

Three teams are in the hunt for the Eastern Conference's fourth and final playoff berth. But in a month a clearer picture should emerge as to which team will be the favorite.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 19, 2010

Flower designer Daniel Ost breathes life into Baccarat crystal

Belgian flower artist Daniel Ost is filling Ikebukuro's Seibu Gallery with a taste of spring. His flower decorations and collaborative works with French crystal makers Baccarat will be on display till March 23. "The most important thing in this exhibition is the exchange of my work with Baccarat," Ost...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 19, 2010

Reinterpretations of modern history

One of Japan's pre-eminent contemporary artists, Yasumasa Morimura is known for his gender-bending self- portraits reinterpreting canonical works of Western art history. His works combine aspects of painting, sculpture, set design, performance and photography, and often use humor to subvert revered icons....
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2010

DPJ rule raises Hague treaty-signing hope

It has been over five years since Murray Wood's two children left their home in Canada with his Japanese ex-wife for a supposed visit with their ill grandfather in Japan.
COMMENTARY
Mar 17, 2010

China's diplomacy suffering an identity crisis

Chinese diplomacy generally comes in all sizes and shapes, but until relatively recently the size was small and the shape a question mark.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2010

Japan's first Spelling Bee winner bound for U.S. finals

Students from international schools across the country competed Saturday in Japan's first-ever Spelling Bee, battling to correctly spell English words and book a ticket to the finals in the United States.
COMMENTARY
Mar 11, 2010

The U.S. media badly needs a wakeup call

Different societies allow their news media different roles. In most countries the media is subordinated to power, whether of the government or the ruling class. Surprisingly or not, the American model is not widely emulated globally.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Mar 10, 2010

Lakers starting to look less than invincible

NEW YORK — The Lakers lost a mere 17 games all last season when they won the NBA championship.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2010

Kids at pro-North high schools fret tuition waiver snub

For Om Kwan Ja, excluding "chosen gakko" pro-Pyongyang schools from the government's tuition-waiver program would mean more than just having to shell out extra cash for her kids' education. It's a problem that touches on her family's identity, especially for her son, who is studying at Tokyo Korean Junior...
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2010

Yosano faults Tanigaki rule, eyes LDP exit

Ex-Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano indicated Monday he may leave the Liberal Democratic Party and form a new party, saying LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki "is not qualified" to lead since he has failed to attack the current administration's shortcomings and thus hasn't attracted voters.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Mar 7, 2010

Hark ye to the Donkey's Ears

There is a book in my library written by a Russian sailor named A. Novikoff Priboy who was captured by the Japanese during the Battle of Tsushima in 1905. His book was translated and published in English in 1933. It's a fine story, with vivid descriptions of the Russian squadron's epic journey from the...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Mar 6, 2010

Apache guard Aoki pleased with team's recent progress

Enduring the stress of a season with a number of off-court issues and distractions, Tokyo Apache guard Cohey Aoki is playing with mixed emotions.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
Mar 5, 2010

White, Broxsie tops in February

Natural-born competitors hate to lose.
COMMENTARY
Mar 2, 2010

U.S. 'torture memo' lawyers got off too easily

NEW YORK — The recent statement by the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) that the two lawyers who wrote the so-called torture memos merely exercised "poor judgment" is a disservice to justice. This is a topic that should be properly addressed by a serious inquiry...
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Mar 2, 2010

Sumo body deserves mawashi wedgie for racist wrestler ruling

I've noticed how highly Japan regards sports. We love investing taxes in games and facilities, hosting international events and Olympics. Sports are even part of a government ministry, the one in charge of Japan's science, education and culture.
COMMENTARY
Feb 28, 2010

Why the oppressed must tell their own story

SEATTLE — When American historian Howard Zinn died recently, he left a legacy that redefined our relationship to history. Professor Zinn dared to challenge the way history was written. He defied the conventional construction of historical discourses by the pen of victors or elites.
Japan Times
LIFE
Feb 28, 2010

Japan's love affair with dogs and cats

Takako Toda welcomed her lively, 7-year-old English pointer into her home in the city of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, when the puppy she named Woowo was just a month old.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Feb 28, 2010

Is the Atsugi tragedy finally drawing to a close?

During the 18 years I have been writing this column, few stories have haunted me as much as that about the Japanese-owned incinerator that, for more than a decade, fumigated the U.S. Naval Air Facility at Atsugi in the Kanagawa Prefecture cities of Yamato and Ayase.
COMMENTARY
Feb 26, 2010

Damping the soot emissions could buy time

SINGAPORE — A team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences trekked across frigid highlands in Tibet to confirm a significant recent discovery about climate change. They drilled and analyzed five ice cores from various locations on the Tibetan Plateau to find that the concentration of black carbon, or...
COMMENTARY
Feb 25, 2010

Poland's future looks bright

In the 20th century the very name "Poland" conjured up images of suffering, refugees, slaughter, terrible destruction and division. Here was a country that had been invaded, partitioned, endlessly fought over, defeated and conquered.
Reader Mail
Feb 21, 2010

Kudos to Toyota and other greats

There has been much in the international media lately about Toyota Motor Corp.'s woes, with some journalists even referring to news reports as "Japan bashing." I personally do not agree with this assessment, nor do many residents of the United States. Rather, we are simply shocked and amazed that Toyota...

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat