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EDITORIALS
Oct 29, 2012

Stumbling blocks for devolution

The abolition in principle of regional bureaus of central government ministries is a pillar of the DPJ-led government's policy of pushing devolution. Of some 300,000 national public servants, nearly 200,000 belong to regional bureaus of central government ministries. The first step toward the abolition...
EDITORIALS
Oct 29, 2012

Too little, too late

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Oct. 17 told the Cabinet members to draw up an economic package because the Japanese economy is losing steam. On the surface, his move seems reasonable. Japan's real economic growth plummeted to an annualized 0.7 percent in the April-June period from the annualized 5.3...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 28, 2012

Hashimoto needs a much thicker skin

There is a breed of political reporter that thrives on misanthropy. These journalists have no use for empathy when trying to understand issues or individuals. They are only stimulated by acrimony, by the need to reveal the darkest impulses of human endeavor. H.L. Mencken, the most eloquent of this ilk,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 27, 2012

Jewish Japanese-American keeps multicultural connections in tune

Even in casual conversation, Danny Katz entertains. His voice doesn't just speak, it croons with comedic pacing, imitations and abrupt shifts in tone. He peppers his speech with accents, New York City slang, Japanese formalities or onomatopoeia.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2012

Axed manager's sexual harassment lawsuit against Prada Japan fails

The Tokyo District Court on Friday quashed a demand by a former manager of Prada Japan that the firm pay her ¥58 million in damages for sexual harassment, ruling that telling her to lose weight wasn't so bad given that Prada is in the fashion business.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 24, 2012

Fund banking on wider trade deficit

Japan's worsening trade gap will make it harder to service the world's largest debt, fulfilling part of the doomsday scenario that Hayman Capital Management LP is betting on.
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2012

September oil imports jump on surge in pretax orders

Oil imports rose to the highest level in 21 months in September as refiners and traders hurried to clear supplies through customs ahead of a tax increase that started Oct. 1.
EDITORIALS
Oct 22, 2012

NRA must ensure transparency

More than a month has passed since the Nuclear Regulatory Authority was inaugurated on Sept. 19. The NRA started in a deplorable manner. In a political maneuver, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda used a provision of the relevant law and appointed the five commission members without Diet approval.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 21, 2012

Using the noodle to gain insight into Japanese culinary culture

SLURP! A Social and Culinary History of Ramen — Japan's Favorite Noodle Soup, by Barak Kushner. Global Oriental, 2012, 289 pp., $90 (hardcover) Under the heading "Ramen is Japan" Barak Kushner asserts: "Ramen (regular and instant) permeates all features of contemporary Japanese life." He goes on to...
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Oct 20, 2012

Experiences put game in perspective for Umesaki

Urawa Reds will be disappointed if their pursuit of this season's J. League title comes to nothing, but attacking midfielder Tsukasa Umesaki has survived enough setbacks in his career to know that the bad times can be just as important as the good.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 20, 2012

American artist takes personal approach to traditional painting

Finding places in Tokyo can be complicated. All too often a simple address is not enough. That's why many people here look like treasure hunters roaming the streets armed with a map or its modern equivalent, the smartphone.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2012

Tokyo International Film Festival hits 25

This year, Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) celebrates its 25th edition and will hold commemorative programs, including a three-day screening of six Japanese films from the Showa Era (1926-89) in the very Showa-esque district of Nihonbashi.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / NOTEBOOK
Oct 17, 2012

Kozo Keikaku Engineering talks; UN Day forum on sustainability; kabuki documentary

events
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Oct 16, 2012

Niseko puts faith in powder to revive tourism boom

Throughout most of the 2010s, the meteoric rise in popularity of Hokkaido's ski resorts among foreign visitors was widely documented in both the domestic and overseas media.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Oct 16, 2012

Straw belts

Dear Alice,
EDITORIALS
Oct 13, 2012

Tehran feels the squeeze

Iran is hurting. Economic sanctions imposed by Western governments designed to push Tehran back into nuclear negotiations have triggered a virtual collapse of Iran's currency, and the effects are being felt throughout the entire economy. While there are reasons to be concerned about the impact of sanctions...
JAPAN / IMF-WORLD BANK IN TOKYO
Oct 12, 2012

Nearly 50 years ago, Tokyo meetings focused on liquidity

For Tokyo, 1964 was definitely one of the biggest years.
JAPAN / IMF-WORLD BANK IN TOKYO
Oct 12, 2012

Project lends helping hand to industry, small brewers

Sake, like Japanese fashion, anime or even sushi, can be an acquired taste. Just like those other cultural exports from Japan, sake comes in a wide variety of different styles and flavors, and while your first taste may not be precisely what you're looking for, it can be rewarding for those who keep...
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2012

Territorial disputes don't rain on Asia's largest parade of cinema

There was very little talk at the 17th Busan International Film Festival, Asia's biggest movie event of the year, of the ongoing conflict between Japan and South Korea over ownership of those rocks in the Japan Sea. It so happens that the festival's Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award was being given to...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Oct 9, 2012

Marines' cowardice left Fujioka to face fans' ire

Seibu Lions fans weren't happy Saturday afternoon and they were letting Chiba Lotte Marines rookie pitcher Takahiro Fujioka feel the brunt of their vitriol.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Oct 7, 2012

Shigesato Itoi shares lots of 'delicious life'

Shigesato Itoi is an established name in the Japanese cultural scene, but what he is known for may differ depending on who you ask.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 5, 2012

A Ta Gueule: French fare born of a one-track mind

The golden age of luxury long-distance train travel is over. The days when overnight journeys were made in exclusive style — complete with Pullman sleeping cars, lounge bar and restaurant on wheels — have gone the way of the steam locomotive.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 4, 2012

Looking at art from a local perspective

In these recessionary times, any contribution to the arts is a cause for celebration. Such a state of affairs makes the opening of the Daegu Art Museum (DAM) in May 2011 in Daegu, South Korea, an especially joyous event.

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