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COMMENTARY
Mar 15, 2007

North Korea prefers Bush?

Japan's distress over the rapid progress in U.S.-North Korean talks for normalization of relations is palpable. The government as well as the mainstream media seem united in hopes that Washington will delay normalization until North Korea meets Japan's demands over the abductee issue -- the return of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 15, 2007

In dark woods

The Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Kyushu is a peaceful, tranquillity-filled spot detached from the bustle of big cities like Fukuoka, a half-hour drive away. It has been a place of worship since it was built on the grave of Michizane Sugawara, a beloved high-ranking Heian Period official who died in exile...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 15, 2007

'Crossing the Bridge'

Amusic "scene" tends to arise out of a number of like-minded musicians operating from the same cultural starting point. Think San Francisco psychedelia, Detroit techno, London punk or Kingston's reggae and dub -- all scenes full of musicians sharing the same cultural ferment and arriving at similar sounds....
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2007

Auto, electronics workers get pay hikes

Major automakers and electronics companies agreed Wednesday to raise base wages and bonuses for their employees for the second consecutive year as they enjoy improved earnings amid continued economic growth.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 15, 2007

"Gregory Colbert: Animal Totems -- A Prelude to Ashes and Snow"

Mori Arts Gallery Center Closes in 17 days
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 15, 2007

Baba Zula: from the belly of the beats

Underground music maniacs, the real hardcore otaku (obsessed fans), have long raved about the Turkish psychedelic music of the 1960s and '70s -- crazy reverb-drenched, twangy-guitar tracks that sounded like The Ventures if they'd been a belly-dancer backing band with a taste for hashish and quarter-tone...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 15, 2007

"16 Hour Museum"

March 17, noon-8 p.m. in Daikanyama March 25, 1 a.m.-9 p.m. at Super Deluxe, Nishi Azabu
EDITORIALS
Mar 15, 2007

Expanding security ties south

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Australian counterpart Mr. John Howard have signed a joint declaration to expand security cooperation between Japan and Australia. It has been unheard of up to now for Japan to issue a joint declaration on security matters with a country other than the United States....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 15, 2007

Testing nihonga's limits

Finding their personal voice, something an artist can call their own, is a sublime achievement. The nihonga (Japanese-style) painter Insho Domoto (1891-1975) channeled the voices of at least a dozen others to forge his own unique one and create an exhaustive and encyclopedic body of work.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Mar 14, 2007

Patterson got raw deal from Blazers

NEW YORK -- In the judgment of billionaire Paul Allen, the last year of Steve Patterson's contract as the Blazers president/alternate governor/GM did not merit being exercised. This further confirms why I'll never be in position to make such weighty NBA decisions.
SOCCER
Mar 14, 2007

Maldini out with knee injury

MILAN, Italy (AP) AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini has a left knee injury and could miss both legs of the Champions League quarterfinals against Bayern Munich.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2007

Japan signs landmark security pact with Australia

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his visiting Australian counterpart, John Howard, signed a landmark security accord Tuesday to strengthen bilateral cooperation, making Japan Australia's closest security ally after the United States.
Reader Mail
Mar 14, 2007

Rules needed against hateful rants

Regarding Grant Piper's Feb. 25 letter, "Freedom to dislike anything": True, short of libel, Americans have the right to express politically incorrect hateful, twisted thoughts. And, indeed, consumers can (and sometimes do) vote nay against entertainment and sports personalities by withholding dollars....
Reader Mail
Mar 14, 2007

The blame for the Pacific War

In response to Hisahiko Okazaki's Feb. 24 article, "Telling the truth at Yasukuni," I would like to question Okazaki's assertions that the Hull note of 1941 was "meant to close negotiations" and that it is "a historical fact that Roosevelt induced Japan to carry out the first strike" in opening the...
Reader Mail
Mar 14, 2007

A neutral to racist greeting

Regarding Hidesato Sakakibara's Feb. 28 letter, "Term 'gaijin' has run its course": When I arrived in Japan, it was another foreigner who presented "gaijin" to me as short for "gaikoku-jin" (someone from a foreign country). In Tahiti, where I come from, we use a similar expression: "Popaa." It has become...

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years