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BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Apr 21, 2008

Squabbling ruined chance for private-sector BOJ chief

The dispute over replacing the Bank of Japan governor, whose seat was left vacant when Toshihiko Fukui's five-year term ended March 19, was finally settled April 9 when Deputy Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa was officially promoted to chief of the central bank.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Apr 20, 2008

Oba blossoming as assistant coach

Yasuhiro Oba is exceptionally tall, but he is a humble and gentle man who never talks big.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Apr 20, 2008

Belly-laughs boffin puts mirth to the test

When people laugh, it is often their cheery sounds or the wrinkles around their eyes that mark out their mirth. Yoji Kimura believes, however, that the key to determining the nature of laughter lies in the diaphragm.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Apr 19, 2008

Antlers logical destination for rehabbing Ronaldo in Japan

Whether there's truth in reports this week suggesting Ronaldo may be headed to the J. League, it is certainly a compelling story.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 19, 2008

A disturbing sign of wildlife

When I first came to Japan, I thought "Where is all the wildlife?" You know, everyday urban-adapted wildlife like we have in the United States such as squirrels, raccoons, and chipmunks. . . Such animals and small rodents can be found living in almost any city or city park in the U.S., but in Japan,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 18, 2008

'Paranoid Park'/'You, the Living'

Spree killer, rock star, average teenage skater. Director Gus Van Sant sees all three in much the same light: emotionless, affectless, blank. Numb characters for a numb generation? Or is Van Sant's penchant for an aesthetic — an aloof, arty minimalism — blinding him to things like personality, expression,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 18, 2008

Asian Dub Foundation's cracked reflection shifts the agenda

"Most world leaders have been on drugs," says Steve Chandra Savale, aka Chandrasonic, guitarist for ragga-breakbeat-punk collective Asian Dub Foundation.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2008

Radio station to air '55 Osaka hanging

Nippon Cultural Broadcasting Inc. will air an audio recording of an execution carried out at the Osaka Detention House in 1955, a spokesman for the AM radio station said Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2008

Enduring anime reveals Japan's ghoulish spirit

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the debut of "GeGeGe no Kitaro," an animated children's TV series about the supernatural that's become a Japanese institution.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 16, 2008

Omatsu, Hashimoto lead Marines past Eagles in slugfest

CHIBA — Shoitsu Omatsu made sure he put the Chiba Lotte Marines in position to win their third game in a row. Late in the contest, Tasuku Hashimoto made sure they did just that.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2008

Soccer philanthropist Nakata signs on for exhibition match

Former soccer star Hidetoshi Nakata announced Tuesday he will play in an exhibition match in Yokohama on June 7 as part of his Plus One campaign to spur people to think about what they can do to make the world a better place.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Apr 15, 2008

An outside eye on Japan

In a nation traditionally seen as a monoculture, there's a multinational range of flowers blooming in Japan's current cultural crop. In the last several years there has been an influx of foreign-born creators — whether architects, designers or writers — and they are thriving in the local scene.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 13, 2008

Landmark case spotlights 'Japanese-style nationalism'

"The most critical thing for us Japanese in the 21st century is to free ourselves from Japanese-style nationalism, both politically and culturally." So said author Kenzaburo Oe to me in the autumn of 1995, a year after he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 13, 2008

Environmental info show, romantic drama, comedy adventure cop-thriller

The "eco" movement gets the feminine treatment on "Asu Tsukaeru Eko Chishiki (Ecology Knowledge You can Use Tomorrow)" (TV Asahi, Monday, 7 p.m.), in which a group of female TV stars learn clever ways to conserve energy and recycle refuse.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2008

Gambari's battle in Burma

SINGAPORE — The United Nations special envoy to Burma is coming under fire for failing to nudge the country's military rulers in the direction of real political reform. But it is wrong to blame the envoy, Ibrahim Gambari. After all, his mandate is from the United Nations and he reports to the U.N....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 12, 2008

Bid to link Japan meets with growing reception

When Ken Ohno's Japanese mother-in-law asked him to keep an eye on the family business in Nagano Prefecture in the late 1990s, he had little idea where it might lead.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2008

Tough call on rate cut awaits new governor

The past three weeks have been something of a roller coaster ride for Masaaki Shirakawa, the former career central banker who was appointed Bank of Japan governor Wednesday by both chambers of the Diet.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 10, 2008

Moving pictures

When its video "One Week of Artwork" received 1 million hits on YouTube in one week, art collective Rinpa Eshidan quickly learned the meaning of the word "viral."
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Apr 9, 2008

A renaissance of hand-held power

Crank up the music: Giving electronic devices mobility is the easy part. Empowering them to function for any length of time before you have to recharge them is quite another challenge. Local gadget whiz Thanko is helping out with its functionally titled Cranking MP3 Player, a new digital- music player...
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2008

JFE, IHI to form top shipbuilder in Japan

JFE Holdings Inc. and IHI Corp. will discuss combining their shipbuilding operations to create Japan's biggest shipyard, challenging South Korean and Chinese rivals.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2008

Merchant sentiment jumps but outlook poor

Though sentiment among merchants rose to a four-month high in March, the gains may not last as they expect conditions to deteriorate in coming months.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 8, 2008

"Yasukuni" director Li on his tough-love letter to Japan

"Yasukuni" director Li Ying shares his thoughts with John Junkerman and David McNeill on the contentious Tokyo shrine, the motivation behind the movie, and his reaction to the furor in Japan over the documentary's release.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Apr 8, 2008

Tokujin meets Swarovksi and other Japan style news

Planting the crystal flag
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 8, 2008

Japan's holidays and their meaning

Following are Japan's national holidays and what they recognize under the Law Concerning National Holidays:
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Apr 7, 2008

Economic dependency makes Japan a silent ally of China

On March 5, Cui Tiankai, China's ambassador to Japan, was invited to speak to members of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai) for the first time in the organization's history.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 6, 2008

Are Japanese people ready for 'change they can believe in'?

Sometimes journalists ask themselves questions that appear to border on the absurd. Here goes one of them.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 5, 2008

Breaking the bubble of pain and isolation

Nobuaki Kobayashi is a phenomenally kind and dedicated man. Life has never been easy, however. Now his wife is chronically unwell and he too is feeling his age.
COMMENTARY
Apr 4, 2008

The power of Vietnam's feminine side

HO CHI MINH CITY — Powerful women seem to be appearing frequently in Asian news these days. Recent headlines have trumpeted the continued defiance of Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi while mourning the assassination of the Pakistani heir-apparent Benazir Bhutto.

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