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BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2009

End of BOJ funding measures tied to economy

The Bank of Japan should consider whether to stop pumping extra cash into the banking system by evaluating trends in corporate financing and the economy, BOJ Policy Board members said last month.
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2009

Test runs start on 320 kph bullet train

East Japan Railway Co. started testing a bullet train capable of reaching 320 kph, the fastest ever.
EDITORIALS
Jun 13, 2009

Greenhouse-gas cuts

Prime Minister Taro Aso has announced that by 2020 Japan will try to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 15 percent from 2005 levels. He characterized this midterm plan as "ambitious" since it means a 33 percent improvement in the nation's energy efficiency.
COMMENTARY
Jun 6, 2009

Dodging a CO2 hangover

Officials from Japan and other parts of the world are meeting in Bonn, Germany, until June 12 for more negotiations on a new set of global arrangements to prevent runaway climate change. The deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which ends in 2012, is supposed to be clinched at a climate summit convened...
EDITORIALS
Jun 4, 2009

A return to arms control

Despite North Korea's recent nuclear test, it has generally been a good year for arms control. For the past decade, the very idea of agreements limiting weapons and their delivery systems has been looked at with disdain. While it is tempting to blame the United States for this sad state of affairs; in...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 10, 2009

Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in Tokyo worth a visit

One of the items on my "bucket list" is a trip to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Nope, despite being from the East Coast, I have never been there but hope to make the trek to (what I hear is) the picturesque village in upstate New York.
JAPAN
May 6, 2009

Sake maker to use imported rice for ethanol

Oenon Holdings Inc., a maker of sake and liquor, will start ethanol production this year at the nation's largest biofuel plant using rice imported by the government.
Reader Mail
Apr 26, 2009

Ichiro and Dice-K 'irresponsible'

The Japanese people were thrilled when Japan repeated as World Baseball Classic champions last month, with Major League stars like Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka performing as integral parts of the team. In the interim, however, Ichiro was forced to go on the disabled list with an illness and miss...
MORE SPORTS
Apr 25, 2009

Despite recent success, swimmer Irie focuses on long-term goals

It's no surprise that teenage athletes make continuous improvement — day to day, week to week — in their respective sports.
EDITORIALS
Apr 21, 2009

Ensure safety of nuclear power

The white papers issued by the Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) and the Japan Nuclear Safety Commission (JNSC) highlight the difficult situation faced by Japan's nuclear power industry. The JAEC's 2008 white paper says that facility utilization rates at Japan's nuclear power plants dropped to a...
MORE SPORTS
Apr 21, 2009

Terakawa, Irie lead charge as Japan names swimming squad for worlds

Aya Terakawa and Ryosuke Irie will headline the 37-member squad for the FINA 2009 World Swimming Championships in Rome, the Japan Amateur Swimming Federation announced Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2009

Sarkozy pushing the limits of Bonapartism

PARIS — After four decades, France has returned to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's unified military command. At a stroke, President Nicolas Sarkozy overturned one of the pillars of French policy — and of the legacy of Charles de Gaulle, the founder of Sarkozy's own political party.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake