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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 1, 2007

From comedian to politician: an easy step for Miyazaki's governor

Since last September when Shinzo Abe became prime minister, no event has had as powerful an impact on Japan's political landscape as the January election of Hideo Higashikokubaru to the governorship of Miyazaki Prefecture. Many see the former comedian's victory as a harbinger of what to expect not only...
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2007

Hijacker Nishikawa given life in prison

A former Japanese Red Army member who took part in the hijacking of a Japan Airlines flight in 1977 was sentenced to life in prison Friday, two decades after being freed in a hostage exchange with the group.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Mar 31, 2007

Patricia Cardenas

Patricia Cardenas, ambassador of Colombia, is chairperson of this year's Cherry Blossom Charity Ball. The International Ladies Benevolent Society's annual fund-raiser will be held April 13 at the Hotel Okura.
EDITORIALS
Mar 30, 2007

Candidates out of the gate

The watershed Upper House election is a few months away. But local-level battles are in full swing. Election campaigns kicked off March 22 for gubernatorial elections scheduled April 8 in Tokyo and 12 other prefectures. Mayoral elections also are set that day in Sapporo, Shizuoka, Hamamatsu and Hiroshima,...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2007

Getting to 'yes' with Iran

BERLIN -- There is a wise American saying: "If you are in a hole, stop digging." The six governments that are considering the next steps to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb -- the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany -- should heed that advice. Otherwise, they could...
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2007

Whalers threaten to sue activists over sea clash

Japanese whalers threatened Tuesday to sue the environmental groups Sea Shepherd and even Greenpeace for physically attempting to thwart the fleet's government-backed research hunt earlier this year in the Southern Ocean.
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2007

Ailing Nissan to halve domestic sales force

Continuing efforts to improve efficiency, struggling Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday that it will reorganize its dealer network into 10 regional groups and halve its domestic sales workforce by the end of 2011.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 27, 2007

Life in the cloudy Imperial fishbowl

Although the media and insatiable public curiosity can expose the private secrets of superstars, the Imperial family remains largely out of view.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 27, 2007

Fingerprint law furor revisited

Thomas in Tokyo wrote to Lifelines in response to my Jan. 9 answer to an inquiry from reader Nick on the new law requiring the photographing and fingerprinting of foreigners on their entry into this country. I wrote that Japan Helpline is coordinating a response to the measure.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 26, 2007

Turn Japan-South Korean ties into a real partnership

HONOLULU -- We are dismayed by the current state of Japan-South Korean relations. The two countries are natural partners. Both are U.S. allies, democratic societies, and share similar values and security concerns. During the Cold War, both Japan and South Korea feared expansion of communism from the...
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Mar 26, 2007

From steel and coal deal to integration: EU fetes 50 years of history

On Sunday, Europe marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, the historic agreement that established such bodies as the European Parliament and the Court of Justice.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 25, 2007

Despite vision deficit, Europe survives

PRINCETON, New Jersey -- The celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome come at an opportune moment. For now is the time for the European Union to call an end to its self-imposed "reflection period" following the rejection of the European Constitution by the French and the Dutch,...
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2007

Osaka homeless in residency registry limbo ahead of polls

OSAKA -- As the Osaka Municipal Government's deadline looms for thousands of the city's homeless to change their residence registrations or be struck from the books, the two sides are still far apart about establishing bona-fide addresses for them to be able to vote in next month's local polls.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 24, 2007

If it looks like yesteryear, you know you're skiing in Japan

After a winter in Hokkaido, I feel at home skiing on the mountains here. Sometimes I even forget I am in Japan, until something "only in Japan" happens.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2007

Two-edged sword of values

WASHINGTON -- Japan's recent decision to develop a foreign policy based on support for universal values is a step forward in the development of a more coherent, strategic vision to pursue its national interests. The new policy is likely to make coordination with the United States easier and allow Tokyo...
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2007

Daiei proposes Aeon Mall president to be its new chairman

Struggling Daiei Inc. said Tuesday it will invite Yoshiharu Kawato from the Aeon supermarket chain to be its chairman as part of the business and capital alliance between the two retailers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / INNOCENT VICTIMS
Mar 21, 2007

Foster-care group aims to change the way Japan treats its children

When Kazuko Sakamoto found herself unable to conceive a child, she and her husband figured there was more than one way to start a family.
COMMENTARY
Mar 21, 2007

Crusading to cut carbon emissions

LONDON -- The obvious route is not always the best one. Throughout Europe the governments and political parties, as well as the central European Union Commission in Brussels, are all vying with each other to prove who is the greenest. The simplest way of doing this is to produce ever more ambitious plans...

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