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COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2006

Japan heats up whaling wars

The battle over whaling has grown more acrimonious in recent years principally because Japan has become a more vociferous and belligerent advocate for a resumption of commercial whaling. In the recently concluded meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Japan's representative browbeat and...
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2006

Schools taking anticrime steps

Over 90 percent of elementary schools have implemented measures to help protect their students from crime, including "hazard maps," according to an education ministry survey.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jun 24, 2006

Beatrice M. Bodart-Bailey

A new book published by the University of Hawaii Press appeared recently on bookshelves in Japan. Painstakingly written by Beatrice M. Bodart-Bailey, it is titled "The Dog Shogun: The Personality and Policies of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 24, 2006

Irrepressible force raising funds for 3,000 kids

It seems ironic to find 30-year-old Sylvia Charczuk worrying about her biological clock when already she has 3,000 children. But her energy is so prodigious, her determination so single-minded, that it would take a very special kind of partner to fit into the scheme of things. She knows this, of course,...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 23, 2006

Brainstorm to save Shimokita

With the hip, culturally vibrant neighborhood of Shimokitazawa in western Tokyo's Setagaya Ward threatened by a major development project, participatory design group Urban Typhoon is organizing a series of workshops to raise awareness on the importance of preserving the culture of the area. The workshops,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 23, 2006

She sticks the boot into a male world

There aren't a whole lot of women filmmakers and even fewer of them who choose to depict fighting, mayhem and group violence.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 22, 2006

Anime, J-indie equals 'Woodstock for geeks'

'Agrand collision of two Japanese subcultures -- anime and Japanese indie music," was one blogger's take on FanimeCon 2006, the biggest anime convention in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 22, 2006

The D.I.Y. route to rock stardom

From the suburbs of Tokyo to downtown Toronto is hardly the most direct route to pop stardom -- or one assured of success. But it was the path that blues-rock outfit Stone Deaf chose earlier this month in what was a bold move for a group whose sole claim to fame is having been Marky Ramone's backing...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 20, 2006

Should the "Kimigayo" be forced on schools?

Masae Takase Web shop owner, 31 When I was at school, singing the national anthem was just a natural thing to do. We didn't think of it as being right or wrong. I don't believe people should be forced into it, though. We should have the right to choose.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 18, 2006

Roles that lead a company to success

THE TEN FACES OF INNOVATION by Tom Kelley and Jonathon Littman. Doubleday, 276 pp., 2005, $29.95 (cloth). "It's the smile, stupid."
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jun 18, 2006

Retro's where the future's at

Japan's talking heads of a liberal persuasion are clearly troubled by a rising nationalistic sentiment they detect throughout the land. But while speculation on the geopolitical consequences of any such shift may be an absorbing topic, trends in the world of culture -- and the changing tastes of consumers...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jun 17, 2006

Those were the good old days

The other day I spied a foreign couple across the room in a Japanese restaurant. They were so new to Japan they bore an aura of green. Bright green. So bright, I had to squint.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 15, 2006

"Keiichi Tanaami-ism"

Ginza Graphic Gallery Closes in 12 days
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 13, 2006

Should Japan impose restrictions on non-Japanese-speaking-foreigners coming here to work?

Niels Hansen Business owner, 38 I just wonder if the Japanese would want the same standards applied to them if they went anywhere else. It would damage international business. I don't think it's a good path to go down when you start imposing borders.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2006

Ready for global discussion on migrants

NEW YORK -- Ever since national frontiers were invented, people have been crossing them -- not just to visit foreign countries, but to live and work there. In doing so, they have almost always taken risks, driven by a determination to overcome adversity and to live a better life.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 11, 2006

Explore the beauty of stoneware

JAPANESE WOOD-FIRED CERAMICS by Masakazu Kusakabe & Marc Lancet. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause publications, 2005, 320 pp., $44.99 (paper) The art of making ceramics originated in Japan during prehistoric times, and over recent centuries has evolved to rank higher even than painting in the eyes of this country's...
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2006

Nonpermanent workers' training shortfalls hit

Part-time and contract workers in the manufacturing sector get less training than their permanent, full-time colleagues, raising concern that young people may not be gaining enough skills, according to a government report.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2006

Intolerance to the arts is growing in India

MADRAS, India -- The recent anger against director Ron Howard's latest film, "The Da Vinci Code," reminds us that intolerance against artistic freedom is growing in a world that we thought was past caring about such issues.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 10, 2006

Scholar offers illumination on the 'Lotus Sutra'

Gene Reeves, who sounds like he might be an American cowboy but is in fact an internationally respected Buddhist scholar of the highest order, also ranks physically impressive: as tall as he is broad, with a fulsome beard used to going its own way.
EDITORIALS
Jun 8, 2006

The act of a professional?

Mr. Yoshiaki Murakami, who has drawn intense public attention as Japan's most controversial investment fund manager, was arrested Monday by the Tokyo Public Prosecutor's Office on suspicion of violating the Securities and Exchange Law. He is suspected of having engaged in insider stock trading when his...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 8, 2006

Seikado Bunko Art Museum shows off one-of-a-kind collection

Depictions of swashbuckling fights on Japanese battlefields have often graced the silver screen, bringing international fame to the samurai and his indispensable sword. Admired for their craftsmanship, swords hold a special place in Japan not only as weapons, but as an art form as well.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 8, 2006

Behind the scenes is where he preferred to be

"I founded the school in the first place because my father taught me I should do something for young people when I reached the age of 50.'' -- Shohei Imamura (in an interview with a former student in 1994)
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2006

Gentler ecological lifestyle, products catching on in Japan

A U.S. lifestyle proposal that combines consumerism with a bit of ecological conscience is proving a hit in this shopping-crazy land, where workaholic salarymen are looking for quick fixes for stress and thinking green is becoming fashionable.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jun 3, 2006

Chelsea's spending spree may backfire in the end

LONDON -- Chelsea has new tactics as it prepares to dominate European football next season.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jun 3, 2006

Theodore Skillman and Paul Guilfoile

In May 2004, 26 people representing six international schools in the Kanto area met and formed the first International Alumni Council, Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 1, 2006

"Vu Dan Tan -- Tanorigami: Suitcases of a Pilgrim"

Art-U Room Closes in 11 days
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 28, 2006

Look back on the Vietnam War in NHK's "The Time That Moved History" and more

More than 30 years after the end of the Vietnam War, Americans are still debating whether or not it was right to intervene in a civil conflict that itself was a product of someone else's (i.e., France) colonial adventure.
JAPAN
May 27, 2006

Panel mulls teacher license renewals

A subpanel of a government advisory body on education agreed Friday to make currently employed teachers subject to license renewals, education ministry officials said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 27, 2006

Corporate culture of deceit wreaks havoc on wealth and markets

Unethical conduct by corporate executives and employees -- ranging from outright fraud to excessive salaries and perks for CEOs -- can inflict much greater financial damage than deadly terrorist acts, visiting American experts warned in a recent symposium in Tokyo.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?