Search - member

 
 
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2010

Renho beats drum against waste

Renho, the new state minister in charge of government revitalization, reiterated Wednesday her intention to trim waste in special account budgets, saying some aspects of the spending technique call for a thorough investigation by her team.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2010

Wary of protests, whalers set out for hunt in Northwestern Pacific

KITAKYUSHU (Kyodo) Four whaling ships of the government-affiliated Institute of Cetacean Research departed Wednesday from Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, planning to catch 260 whales in the Northwestern Pacific by the end of August.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 9, 2010

'Freshness' of Cabinet faces voter scrutiny

The Democratic Party of Japan was quick to see in weekend opinion polls a reversal in its sagging fortunes after Naoto Kan was voted in as its president. The new prime minister has formed a Cabinet whose ranks include opponents to scandal-tainted DPJ strongman Ichiro Ozawa, who quit as secretary general...
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 9, 2010

Don't count Ozawa out of the scene yet

When Naoto Kan announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party of Japan presidency last week, he told reporters DPJ kingpin Ichiro Ozawa "should remain silent" for a while after quitting as secretary general, considering how his political money scandals helped speed the downfall of Yukio Hatoyama as...
COMMENTARY
Jun 9, 2010

Universities' risky business

Effective April 1 — the start of the new academic year — I became president of Shiga University, a "national university corporation" near Lake Biwa in Japan's Kansai region. It is a relatively small institute consisting only of the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Economics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 8, 2010

Whether covered or brazen, tattoos make a statement

Tattoos have long occupied a place in Japanese society, generally in the shadows of the underworld and the realm of taboo.
EDITORIALS
Jun 6, 2010

Yakuza feel the pinch

Japanese leaders who have chafed at Japan being largely ignored by the rest of the world are now faced with Japan's new prominence as poster boy for how not to handle an economy: Its two "lost decades" are cited as a negative example of the dangers of inaction.
COMMENTARY
Jun 6, 2010

Decks are stacked against China keeping its stake in Korea game

KOREAN DEMILITARIZED ZONE — One of the last Cold War relics, the Demilitarized Zone that cuts the Korean Peninsula in half, is the world's most fortified frontier. Although this division has prevailed for almost six decades, it is unthinkable that it can continue indefinitely, despite renewed inter-Korean...
Japan Times
LIFE
Jun 6, 2010

Dancing for joy in Japan

As I sipped my vin rouge last week during an interval in "The Sleeping Beauty," K-Ballet's latest Tokyo production, a woman at the next table said to her companion: "I can't believe that evil fairy was a man! I just naturally thought it was a woman dancing that role."
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2010

All things have finally come to veteran who waited

New Prime Minister Naoto Kan never hid his ambition to one day take up the post and empower ordinary citizens by ousting the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2010

Work cut out for Mr. Kan

Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan was chosen as Japan's next prime minister by the Diet on Friday, two days after Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama resigned on the heels of his mishandling of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma relocation issue and a scandal involving his political...
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2010

Voters hope new chief is a better fit

Voters were mixed Friday on whether Naoto Kan would be a better fit than his Democratic Party of Japan predecessor, Yukio Hatoyama, as the nation's leader.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2010

Kan front-runner to replace Hatoyama

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Naoto Kan is expected to win the Democratic Party of Japan presidency, get voted in by the Diet as prime minister, then form a new Cabinet — all on Friday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 4, 2010

'Survival of the Dead'

Director George A. Romero kicked off the zombie genre in 1968 with his "Night of the Living Dead," and from the outset he used the undead menace to channel contemporary fears.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 4, 2010

'Koko no Mesu'

Hollywood once used permanent sets for the dozens of Westerns it cranked out annually — the frontier town, ranch house and corral all in one convenient location, built to last. I sometimes imagine something similar for Japan's endless procession of hospital dramas. They all seem to use one generic...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 3, 2010

Car sharing becomes more practical

In a pinch and need to borrow a BMW for 15 minutes? Your car is waiting, sir, via Times Plus, which takes car-sharing to a whole new level.
Reader Mail
Jun 3, 2010

Fair report on Thailand's trouble

I would like to thank The Japan Times for publishing Kevin Rafferty's May 26 article, "Thailand is on the brink," a balanced article of high journalistic quality.

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