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JAPAN
Feb 25, 2010

Japan starting to balk at footing bill for U.S. forces

GINOWAN, Okinawa Pref. — In Japan, where land is a precious commodity, many U.S. bases boast golf courses, football fields and giant shopping malls whose food courts offer everything from Taco Bell to Subway to Starbucks.
EDITORIALS
Feb 24, 2010

Nagasaki shows DPJ fault line

A candidate supported by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito clobbered a candidate officially endorsed by the Democratic Party of Japan and its two coalition partners in Sunday's Nagasaki gubernatorial election. The outcome shows that many voters are displeased with the irregularities involving...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2010

The IMF to Greece's rescue?

WASHINGTON — Traditionally "you should go to the IMF" was not something you would say to friendly neighbors and close allies. Over the past few decades, the International Monetary Fund became associated with excessive fiscal austerity, extreme political insensitivity, and — since the Asian financial...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Feb 22, 2010

Root of premier ambitions

Interior Affairs Minister Kazuhiro Haraguchi is that rare politician who doesn't hesitate to say he'll eventually be prime minister. He has apparently become more confident than ever after receiving support and encouragement from two of the most influential figures in the Japanese media.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Feb 21, 2010

Seeking out fine sake at its Saijo source

As we walked out of the station, the sleepy town of Saijo stretched before us like a cat in the late-afternoon sun.The streets were quiet. Pockets of snow lay in the chilly shadows and melting frost dripped from the telephone wires.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 21, 2010

Secret history of Takiji Kobayasshi; a detective's all-seeing eye; CM of the week: Leopalace 21

Since it was reprinted in 2008, the novella "Kanikosen" (The Factory Ship) has sold 500,000 copies. Originally published in 1929 by proletarian writer Takiji Kobayashi, the story was rediscovered by the current generation of young people who have tried to enter the workforce and, in many cases, failed...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Feb 21, 2010

Singing the praises of sparrows

In a rush of small wings, a fluttering, chirruping, congregation of familiar birds — Eurasian tree sparrows — descended on the bush in front of me. They chattered noisily among themselves, each shifting its position almost constantly as if unsure whether it had the right to be on any given perch....
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2010

The West's final decline?

PARIS — In 2040/2050, will demographers speak of "the white man's loneliness" in the way historians once referred to "the white man's burden" to describe the so-called "imperial responsibilities" of some European nations?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2010

BOJ to Hatoyama: rein in debt

Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa escalated pressure on Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to contain the world's largest debt with a warning that investor "trust" won't be assured in the aftermath of Greece's budget woes.
EDITORIALS
Feb 19, 2010

Debates miss big picture

Liberal Democratic Party leader Sadakazu Tanigaki and Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi had separate one-on-one debates with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in the Diet Wednesday, although the debates were a long time coming. Five months have already passed since the Hatoyama administration began. Such debates...
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2010

Semi-public bodies are on notice: Edano

New reform minister Yukio Edano said Wednesday a second round of scrutiny in April will target independent administrative institutions and public interest corporations that are believed to be squandering taxpayer money.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2010

Top marine says Okinawa bases are vital

The U.S. bases in Okinawa are strategically necessary and marines are prepared to die to protect Japan, the commander of the U.S. Marine Corps of the Pacific said Wednesday in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2010

Perilous U.S.-China games

BEIJING — Beijing is increasingly playing hardball on every issue that brings it into contact and potential conflict with the rest of the world: democracy in Hong Kong; U.S. arms sales to Taiwan; the visit of the Dalai Lama to the White House; sanctions against Iran; the value of the renminbi; the...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 16, 2010

Steeped in tradition, Shinto, sumo is also scandal-stained

The national sport of sumo traces its origins to an early Shinto ritual to pray for a bountiful harvest, and the professional tournaments of today date to the 17th century during the Edo Period.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Feb 16, 2010

Instinct key for singer-entrepreneur

For a musician and entrepreneur with many professional faces, Australian Donna Burke is surprisingly wary of constantly taking work-related calls.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Feb 15, 2010

LDP flailing for relevance

The once dominant Liberal Democratic Party is said to be trying to re-establish its identity as a genuine conservative force, but the LDP leadership appears to be doing nothing more than working desperately to maintain the status quo.
Japan Times
LIFE
Feb 14, 2010

Tiger of the snows

White flakes slip delicately down. Dusting the glow of graceful moss-clad forest relics rotting back into the ground, they illuminate the few giants still standing — majestic Japanese yew and lofty Korean pine. The ancient trees are silent; the only sound is from the hustle of our camouflaged legs...
Japan Times
LIFE
Feb 14, 2010

Dersu's lair that inspired Kurosawa

After leaving Kolya's cabin, I visit the remote village of Krasny Yar on the River Bikin. This is one of just a handful of settlements in this vast region still partly inhabited by indigenous hunter tribes — the Udege and Nanai. The original Dersu tribe — whose eponymous member traveled with czarist...

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