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Stories Checked for Students of English by Jamaby

Ivanovic makes winning start to 2009 season

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) Top-seeded Ana Ivanovic started her 2009 season with a 6-4, 6-2 win Monday over Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic at the Brisbane International. Ivanovic, who reached the 2008 Australian Open final last season and had the No. 1 ranking for part of the year after winning the French Open, set up triple match point on Kvitova's serve and clinched it with a forehand winner. (Japan Times)

Okubo equipped to make the most of his second chance

Yoshito Okubo's career may not have followed the course it seemed destined for when he burst onto the scene at the start of the decade, but a move to Wolfsburg gives the striker the perfect opportunity to make his belated mark on European soccer. Okubo is set to tie up his transfer to the German club on Tuesday, beginning his second crack at a foreign league after an unsuccessful stint at Real Mallorca from 2005-06. (Japan Times)

Samurai sport lives

ZUSHI, Kanagawa Pref. (AP) It is about as far from the Olympic sport of archery as it can get. The bow is taller than the person shooting it, and, to the uninitiated, it appears lopsided and unbalanced. There are no sights, no high-tech stabilizers. And, of course, it is done on horseback, at upward of 65 kph. (Japan Times)

BCS title game QBs have little in common

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) Sam Bradford strolled through Manhattan by himself the day after winning the Heisman Trophy. He wore a baseball cap, blended in and hardly got noticed. He returned to Oklahoma the following day, attended practice, then walked across campus without signing a single autograph or posing for a picture. (Japan Times)

Lessons from when the bubble burst

With the current global financial crisis, there is much talk in the international economic communities about how to prevent the kind of prolonged slump that hit Japan after the end of the bubble economy years. The period between roughly 1985 and 1990 was a time of unparalleled prosperity in Japan. But it was also a gilded age defined by opulence, corruption, extravagance and waste. When the bubble economy years ended, Japan entered a prolonged slump from which it has yet to fully recover. (Japan Times)

Mexico airport denizen finds new digs with bath, razor

MEXICO CITY (AP) Oh, what a difference a bath can make. A Japanese man with scraggly hair and a scruffy beard who had been sleeping in Terminal 1 of Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport since Sept. 2 — for no apparent reason — is now living in an apartment and has become a new man. (Japan Times)

Japanese dies of burns from Thai club fire

BANGKOK (Kyodo) A 38-year-old Japanese man who was seriously injured in a New Year's fire at a Bangkok nightclub has died, a hospital official said Monday. Keiichi Wada died Sunday night at Chulalongkorn hospital following treatment for several days in an intensive-care unit. The Japanese Embassy in Bangkok confirmed his death. (Japan Times)

Taxi driver badly injured in latest attack on cabbies

OSAKA (Kyodo) A 61-year-old taxi driver sustained serious injuries when he was robbed in his cab by a man early Monday in Matsubara, Osaka Prefecture. The robbery followed two slayings of taxi drivers in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures last week, prompting the police to investigate a possible connection because of certain similarities. In all three cases, the drivers were stabbed or had their necks slashed with a blade. (Japan Times)

Watanabe set to quit LDP as Aso rejects policies

Former administrative reform minister Yoshimi Watanabe said Monday he will leave the ruling Liberal Democratic Party if his policy proposals are not seriously considered, including calling an early general election and cancelling a cash payout program. His departure from the party appeared unavoidable by the evening, when Prime Minister Taro Aso, who is also LDP President, rejected Watanabe's proposals. (Japan Times)

Even regular workers not safe: Hitachi chief

Hitachi Ltd. President Kazuo Furukawa said Friday that the question of job security for even regular employees remains uncertain and that the global economic downturn may drag on for two years. But the chief executive of Japan's largest electronics maker in terms of sales vowed to pursue growth through mergers and acquisitions in energy and other core businesses. (Japan Times)

BOJ may downgrade forecast

The Bank of Japan is close to downgrading the economic outlook and forecasting negative growth for the next fiscal year, sources said Monday. The BOJ, which will hold its next policy meeting Jan. 21 and 22, is expected to cut the 0.6 percent growth projected in October in terms of real gross domestic product to around minus 1 percent, the sources said. (Japan Times)

Glasses retailer has price-cutting edge

Teruhiro Ueno has seen both his business and reputation grow by upholding a key retail strategy: undercutting the competition. The 67-year-old founder of the Zoff eyeglasses chain has thus taken on the handle of "price-breaker" in the process of revolutionizing the cost of retail glasses. (Japan Times)

What does 2009 hold in store for Japan?

Takeshi KitamuraDesigner, 64I've heard that many Australian tourists visit Japan each year, but I think this will change. The yen is strong and people won't be able to travel as much anymore. Reiko SuzukiData entry operatorI think there will be more tainted food issues. The government needs to have strict inspections of both local and imported products to ensure they are safe for consumption. (Japan Times)

Prophet of world-culture clashes is dead

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — A giant died early last week. His name was Samuel Huntington, a Harvard professor whose gigantism was intellectual. His ideas left huge footprints on our intellectual landscape, the way giant storms impact the Earth. Minds were shaken, sometimes stirred, and never left untouched. His two most famous books burst on the scene decades apart: "The Soldier and the State" in 1957, and "Clash of Civilizations" in 1996. (Japan Times)

2009 could fool the pessimists

LONDON — Deep gloom is predicted for 2009, with talk of deflation, shrinking economies and rising unemployment. Economists point to the huge drop in Japanese output, zero growth in Europe, dwindling world trade, collapsing financial institutions and the threat of worse to come. Before everyone catches the gloom bug, here are a few counter-predictions that things in 2009 may not turn out so badly as the experts are telling us: (Japan Times)

Murray ready to chase Grand Slam title after toppling No. 1 Nadal

ABU DHABI (AP) Andy Murray underlined his growing stature Saturday by beating top-ranked Rafael Nadal in the final of the Capitala World Tennis Championship, following up his victory over Roger Federer the previous day. The fourth-ranked Murray defeated Nadal 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to claim the winner-take-all $250,000 prize money, and the Briton is now aiming to try to win his first Grand Slam title when the Australian Open starts Jan. 19. (Japan Times)

Trying to brush away any doubts

Prime Minister Taro Aso, who over the past year drew criticism for repeatedly misreading kanji characters, may have showed Sunday he is a man of culture after all. At the outset of his first news conference of 2009, Aso drew and showed reporters some of his calligraphy, together with his signature, the date and the phrase "New Spring," which refers to the beginning of a year. (Japan Times)

China rebuffs protests over gas field activity

Japan has lodged repeated protests with China for continuing exploration work at one of the disputed gas fields in the East China Sea, saying it violates a deal struck in June, sources knowledgeable about the bilateral relationship said Sunday. But China issued a statement Sunday saying it is within Beijing's right to develop the gas field, known as Tianwaitian in China and Kashi in Japan. (Japan Times)

Aso: No election until budget passes

Prime Minister Taro Aso said Sunday that the fiscal 2009 budget is his top priority and he won't dissolve the Diet until the budget and related bills make it through the Diet. Aso, holding his first news conference of the year, also reiterated the government's pledge to raise the unpopular consumption tax in three years if the economic conditions will allow it. (Japan Times)

Voice of local assemblies

Local assemblies are an important part of local autonomy. But they often just rubber-stamp proposals made by governors or mayors. The local government system research committee, an advisory body to the prime minister, has been discussing how to make local assemblies responsive to the real needs and wishes of local residents. Governors and mayors, on one hand, and local assemblies, on the other, are supposed to be on an equal footing. But the Local Autonomy Law gives governors and mayors the right to convene an assembly session, and to execute the budget in an emergency situation even without an assembly vote. This has reduced local assemblies to a rubber-stamp role with regard to budgets and bills submitted by governors and mayors. The committee should propose ending this practice in principle and giving an assembly chairman the right to convene an assembly session. (Japan Times)

Open book on screening

The Textbook Authorization Council has submitted to education minister Ryu Shionoya proposals designed to make the textbook screening process more transparent. The proposals are inadequate and may pose the danger of increasing the secretiveness of the process. The proposals were prompted by Okinawan people's furor over the deletion or rewriting in March 2007 of references in history textbooks to the Imperial Japanese Army's role in coercing civilians into committing mass suicides during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. A large protest in Okinawa eventually led the government to allow mention in the textbooks of the army's "involvement" in the mass suicides. (Japan Times)

Hunt whales in home waters

Regarding the Dec. 14 letter "Contradictions from Greenpeace": If Japan wishes to prolong its whaling slaughter under the guise of research or traditional hunting, I ask that it please do so in its own waters. The theft of these protected animals from our waters dishonors Japan greatly in most New Zealanders' eyes, and is considered a criminal act by the custom of the current generation of New Zealanders, excluding a minority. As a New Zealander, I would like to formally ask Japan to stop stealing whales from New Zealand's Antarctic waters. The New Zealand government has successfully defended its right in the New Zealand High Court to report vessels that it detects supporting illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing activities in the Southern Ocean to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. I trust that it will continue to do so against any criminals found performing these undesirable acts. (Japan Times)

Lasting effects of waterboarding

When I was growing up in Britain in 1975, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" remained a popular film, regularly screened on television — to the victors belong the war stories, I suppose. Intercultural understanding is not a new phenomenon, but I believe there remained in the popular mind the vision of the Japanese as cruel, secretive and inhumane, even 30 years after the end of the war. Certainly that vision would have been more prevalent then than it is now. Consider too that for those with family members who suffered or died in the likes of the Bataan death march, or in camps like Changi in Singapore — I had a girlfriend whose Dutch father was a Changi survivor — forgiveness may have been hard to find. (Japan Times)

Terms suggestive of racism

Regarding Brian Clacey's Jan. 1 letter, "On the lookout for a slight": I took up Clacey's suggestion and asked myself why "Jap" is considered racist while "Brit" is not. While perhaps not answering his question completely, I think looking at who uses these labels offers a partial answer. Simply put, Brits are known to refer to themselves as "Brits" in all manner of ways similar to how "British" is used, but obviously in a more informal manner. The same does not hold for "Jap" or for its derivative "Nip." When used, it is usually by non-Japanese in contexts that are generally unflattering. Certainly it is not the benign label Clacey implies it is. (Japan Times)

Cars no longer coveted by young

To get around the city, Yutaka Makino hops on his skateboard or takes the trains. Does he dream of the day when he owns his own car? Not a chance. Like many Japanese of his generation, the 28-year-old musician and part-time maintenance worker says owning a car is more trouble than it's worth, especially in a congested city where monthly parking runs as much as ¥30,000 ($330), and gas costs about ¥100 a liter (about $3.50 a gallon). (Japan Times)

For babies, nationality depends on birthplace, parents

What nationality does a baby born at sea or in the air get? The answer is simple if one of the parents hails from a country that upholds the principle of jus sanguinis, the Latin term for granting citizenship based on the nationality of one's parents. (Japan Times)

Multinationalism remains far from acceptance in Japan

Third in a series In a country notorious for its exclusive immigration policy, the question of whether to allow Japanese to hold dual citizenship became a surprisingly hot policy topic last year after members of the ruling party breached the issue. (Japan Times)

A nation adrift cries out for new visions fired by anger and sorrow

Every era in the life of a country begs for creators to define it and give it momentum for its society to progress. Politicians, economists and bureaucrats seem to believe that culture rides on the wave of the economy — but the opposite is true. It is on progressive waves of culture that economic achievement rides and moves forward. This is particularly true of a close-knit society such as Japan's, where ideas, images and trends circulate swiftly, due largely to the power of the national print and electronic media. Here, various forms of cultural expression have given meaning and direction to society since the end of World War II . . . with the embarrassing exception of the era we are living in today. (Japan Times)

Rounding up 2008's media

Media Figure of the Year: Tomohiro Kato The indiscriminate killings of seven people in Akihabara on June 17 ranks as the most indelible Japanese news story of the year, and though the media quickly turned to other matters, it continues to resonate in people's minds for various reasons. (Japan Times)

Channel surf

One of last year's top phrases was "around 40," which referred to women of a certain age and was the title of a popular drama. This season's demographic target seems to be slightly younger as evidenced by a new half-hour daytime serial, "Over 30" (TBS, M-F, 1:30 p.m.), which starts Monday. The drama's producers don't mean to stereotype. In fact, the theme of the show is that every woman in her 30s is different from every other woman in her 30s, since they are products of various circumstances. (Japan Times)

The beauty of imperfection and much more

"Wabi-sabi," which is two words combined, represents in abbreviated form an elusive concept that is key to the understanding of traditional Japanese aesthetics. Indeed, rather than a single concept, it is a cluster of ideas that permeate artistic practice in Japan, or at least did so in the past. Now, as the titles of these books indicate, it is gaining currency abroad. The portmanteau term unites two separate but related notions: wabi means what is desolate or wretched, while sabi suggests the lonesome or melancholy. Taken together, they evoke an autumnal or even wintry feeling, an unaffected rusticity, a sense of which was keenly developed by the tea ceremony master, Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591) and came to inform other arts as well. (Japan Times)

Red Wings give Blackhawks the cold shoulder

CHICAGO (AP) The atmosphere was electric. Bundled-up fans got a chance to extend their New Year's Eve parties and watch hockey in a venerable stadium where baseball usually fills the seats. If the setting was different, the results were the same Thursday. The Detroit Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks again, this time out in the cold at Wrigley Field in the Winter Classic. (Japan Times)

USC coasts to Rose Bowl win

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) Overwhelming from the start, Southern California put on a championship performance. Too bad for the Trojans, they weren't playing for the national title. (Japan Times)

Gerrard incident gives Benitez food for thought before cup tie

LONDON (AP) Steven Gerrard's top-quality performances have pushed Liverpool within sight of a first English league title since 1990. However, now that his star player faces criminal charges stemming from a brawl at a nightclub, manager Rafa Benitez has to decide whether to take the heat off the Reds captain by leaving him out of Saturday's F.A. Cup game at Preston. The top clubs usually rest their leading stars for the early round of the cup competitions, especially when they face clubs from the lower divisions. While Liverpool faces a team from the second-tier League Championship, Benitez's problem is that he does not want to disrupt Liverpool's impressive form by making too many changes. (Japan Times)

Recalling Nagasaki's fateful day

22nd in a series FUKUOKA — The city has long been rebuilt and moved on, but Hiroshi Ito still can't come to grips with Nagasaki's obliteration by the United States 63 years ago. (Japan Times)

Small parties play up 'big' role in national politics

Political parties with fewer than 20 Diet seats face an identity crisis as the legislature moves closer to a two-party system following the huge gains made by the Democratic Party of Japan in the July 2007 Upper House election. With Lower House members' terms expiring next September — unless Prime Minister Taro Aso dissolves the chamber early and calls a poll — small parties are struggling to make their presence known to voters. (Japan Times)

Deportee scams biometric screener, re-enters

A South Korean woman entered Japan last April passing through Japan's biometric immigration screening despite her previous deportation record, Justice Ministry officials have said. The woman has told authorities she went through the screening by placing her fingers over a fingerprint reader after putting a special tape on the fingers that she said was provided by a broker, the officials said Thursday. (Japan Times)

Leading businesswoman attempts to bridge gender gap

In 2003, when Mitsuru Claire Chino became one of The World Economic Forum "100 global leaders for tomorrow," she had to consider what impact she could make. "I wanted to help women advance in the world — especially within corporate Japan," she recalls thinking at the time. And so it was, Chino — living in a society that would still only rank 91st out of 128 four years later in the 2007 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report — began a quest to bridge Japan's sex divide. The seed for Chino's vision was planted long before she walked on stage at the World Economic Forum (WEF). The ambitious 42-year-old's commitment to diversity is the culmination of an international upbringing teamed with powerful women as role models. (Japan Times)

China key to U.S. foreign policy success

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, asked about his foreign policy priorities when named Person of the Year by Time magazine, listed nuclear proliferation, climate change and global poverty as well as Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, the trans-Atlantic alliance, Russia, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — and then, almost as an afterthought, "managing our relationship with China and the entire Pacific Rim." In a way, this is good since it reflects the relatively calm state of that relationship, with no crisis that needs immediate presidential attention. (Japan Times)

Gamba overcomes Marinos, fatigue, schedule for one more tilt at glory

When Gamba Osaka takes to the field for the Emperor's Cup final on New Year's Day, fatigue could prove to be just as deadly an opponent as Kashiwa Reysol. This past year has been an eventful one for Gamba, but it has also taken a mental and physical toll on a team that began its season with the Pan-Pacific Championship in Honolulu back in February. (Japan Times)

On the lookout for a slight

In his Dec. 25 letter, "Questionable slang about Asia," Adrian Goodhand seems to be one of those well-meaning chaps who have taken it upon themselves to be the Guardians of the Feelings of Our Foreign Friends (whether they want it or not!), regarding perceived "racism" in associating Oriental countries with rice. Indeed, as Goodhand says, the next Japanese one meets might well not laugh at the term "rice rocket." But, then, how often do Japanese people laugh at ANYTHING in English? That aside, readers might like to ask themselves why, for example, "Jap" is considered racist, while "Brit" apparently isn't. As a "Brit" myself, I can assure you that it doesn't worry us in the least. Is that because, I wonder, unlike some peoples, we haven't been taught to be sensitive and always on the lookout for a slight? (Japan Times)

Why attend an Indian school?

Regarding the Dec. 28 article "More parents send kids to Indian, Chinese schools": This would perhaps be very encouraging news to the Indian community in Japan and to Indians in general. But I am only in partial agreement with the views of Little Angels International School founder Angelina Jeevarani. While the Indian school may develop an individual student's leadership skills — perhaps by encouraging curiosity to prevail over curriculum — that should not be the reason to join the school or to start an Indian school for Japanese students. More than 20 years ago a famous Japanese industrialist in Pune, India, was asked the difference between the Indian and Japanese workforces. He said Japanese workers acted collectively when decisions were made just as Japanese rice sticks together when cooked and can be eaten with chopsticks. Indian workers, he said, were like Indian rice, which is separated even when the best-quality basmati rice is cooked. You simply have too many leaders and no group decisions, he said. (Japan Times)

Another form of censorship

Regarding the Dec. 26 article "Summarized textbook screener minutes urged": "Summarized minutes" (as opposed to detailed minutes) are nothing more than another form of censorship and as far from transparency as police interrogations due to similar resistance and conniving. Why the concern about securing a "calm environment" for those with their fingers on buttons that cause explosions when released? It sounds like little more than aiding and abetting the continued exacerbation of Japan's neighbors as well as the majority of ordinary Japanese who are dumbfounded at their own government's incessant only-answerable-to-themselves policies that have mired this country in lies and deceit since the end of Word War II. (Japan Times)

Public apathy in sumo death

The Japan Times forgot to include the judgment recently handed down in a sumo death as one of the most important news events of 2008. Three senior sumo wrestlers who admitted to beating a 17-year-old child to death after tormenting and torturing the victim for hours on end received only a suspended sentence ("Trio avoid prison in sumo killing," Dec. 19). In any of the other Group of Seven countries, such a traumatic criminal case would have caused a public outcry. In Japan the public seems to be completely apathetic. The court ignored the fact that a child was abducted against his will, forced to return to a sumo training camp, beaten about the face and body with blunt objects, tied to a chair while being beaten, tortured with lit cigarettes and then brutally assaulted during a training session the following day until he collapsed and died. Yet the assailants were given a "suspended sentence" (the presiding judge said "it was difficult" for the three to disobey their stable master.) (Japan Times)

Recession to stay until latter half of '09: experts

Japan is projected to stay mired in recession in 2009 after posting negative growth for 2008 as the export-led economy is battered by plummeting demand overseas and the yen's strength against other major currencies. Most economists forecast the economy will take a sharp downturn in the first half of 2009 and gradually pick up when the U.S. economy hits bottom in the latter half of the year. Tokyo will also experience a revival of deflation as crude oil prices continue to dive, they say. (Japan Times)

Barrier-free tours gain popularity

So-called barrier-free tours are on the rise at home and abroad as travel agencies try to come up with a wider variety of travel packages that cater to the needs of elderly and disabled people. Two years ago, Matsuyoshi Yamaguchi, 66, and his wife, Keiko, 62, took part in their first barrier-free tour in Japan on the advice of an acquaintance. (Japan Times)

Aso set to lead LDP's last stand?

In 2007 it was Shinzo Abe. In 2008 it was Yasuo Fukuda and in 2009 it is Taro Aso. In each of the past three years, Japan has kicked off the new year with a different prime minister. With the support rate for Aso and his Cabinet plunging, his administration — which started only three months ago — is already on the rocks. And the ruling Liberal Democratic Party must do something fast, and convincing, before the general election deadline in September unless it wants to be consigned to an opposition role. (Japan Times)

Winning lottery numbers picked

A crowd of about 1,800 people cheered and groaned as winning numbers were picked for the annual End of Year Jumbo Lottery ceremony Wednesday at Tokyo Koseinenkin Kaikan in Shinjuku Ward. According to Mizuho Bank, 68 people are estimated to win the ¥200 million first prize, while 136 second-place winners are expected to take home ¥100 million. The actual number of winners will be confirmed later. (Japan Times)

Bikes back in fashion as eco-friendly alternative

While automakers are suffering from slumping sales amid the global economic downturn and accelerating efforts to develop green cars to spur new demand, the traditional green vehicle — the bicycle — is becoming more popular. "Usually, bicycles sell well in the high season of summer and business is slow when it gets colder, but this year we have remained very busy," said Daisuke Nishikoori, manager of the Y's Road bicycle chain's outlet in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district. (Japan Times)

Ozawa bids to win over young on Aso's 'otaku' turf

On the last day of 2008, Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa showed up at an event held in Tokyo's Akihabara district — home to Prime Minister Taro Aso's "otaku" geeks fan base — apparently to steal some of Aso's thunder. Ozawa appeared on a live Internet talk show that 10,000 people could simultaneously watch on the Nico Nico Douga Web site, run by Niwango Inc. (Japan Times)

870 to run in Lower House election

As of Wednesday, 870 people, including 127 women, were planning to file their candidacies for the next House of Representatives election, which basically must be held by September, according to a Kyodo News tally. Of the total, 800 candidates are planning to run in 300 single-seat constituencies, with head-to-head competition between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition force, anticipated in 257 of these districts, the survey showed. (Japan Times)

Hidenori Inoue takes a stab at Richard III

During his final year at Osaka University of Arts in 1980, Hidenori Inoue founded the Gekidan★Shinkansen theater company with several classmates. The 48-year-old native of Fukuoka in Kyushu hasn't looked back since. "I got a huge response from audiences early on," he told The Japan Times recently, "and because applause is a hard thing to turn away fromI have continued as a stage director for nearly 30 years." (Japan Times)

J-pop prepares an assault on the West in '09

I wouldn't want to shout about it (since it might upset your New Year's hangover), but 2009 might just be the year that J-pop goes global. Several heavy hitters have set their sights on Western domination this year, and more than ever, their chances seem good. Let's start with one of Japan's biggest-selling artists of all time: Hikaru Utada. (Japan Times)

Facing up to the world of waste

"If we live in a creative universe, we are constantly pushing the chaos out of the way to protect ourselves from the nonlogical — the natural," muses Vik Muniz at an interview late last year at Tokyo Wonder Site. "Even when you think, you create waste. But everything is made in a way to conceal the waste." The New York-based artist isn't afraid to step into that chaos. One of his latest projects, currently on show at Tokyo Wonder Site's Shibuya galleries, was realized in the biggest garbage dump in the world, Jardim Gramacho, north of Rio de Janeiro. (Japan Times)

Gingerly start to the new year

Japan greets the new year with political stagnation and dysfunction inherited from 2008. The stifling atmosphere nationwide is due not only to deepening economic difficulties caused by the global financial crisis that started in the United States but also to the failure of Prime Minister Taro Aso's administration to act quickly to implement measures to stimulate the economy, stabilize people's lives and lay the foundations for future economic growth. Opposition forces are also partly responsible for this situation. They failed to fully take advantage of their majority in the Upper House to get the ruling bloc and government to concentrate on minimizing the effect of the global economic slowdown — either because of their lack of tenacity to achieve political ends or because of their artless Diet tactics. (Japan Times)

Drogba: I lost my love for the beautiful game

PARIS (AP) Chelsea's Didier Drogba says he entered this season having lost his passion for soccer. "For several weeks this summer, I no longer had a head for football. I had completely lost the fire. I no longer wanted to hear talk of targets or ambition," the Cote d'Ivoire striker said in an interview with France Football magazine published Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Reds support Gerrard after brawl charge

LONDON (AP) Liverpool threw its full support behind captain Steven Gerrard on Tuesday after he was charged with assault and affray in connection with a brawl at a bar. The England international, hailed as one of the world's best midfielders, was charged earlier in the day alongside two other men after spending 24 hours in police custody following the incident in the seaside resort of Southport in Merseyside. (Japan Times)

Blood types — do they shape a personality or mere stereotypes?

Can blood type determine character? Scholars say blood type and personality have no apparent correlation. (Japan Times)

S. Korean tourists wither with won

The sharp appreciation of the yen and the dramatic fall of South Korea's won has had a big impact on tourism on both sides of the Sea of Japan. South Korea has proved a popular destination for thrifty Japanese travelers who prefer spending the yearend holidays closer to home, but tourist spots in Japan have been seeing dwindling numbers of foreign visitors, particularly South Koreans. (Japan Times)

Search called off for pair swept away in Gifu avalanche

GIFU (Kyodo) Rescue workers ended their search Tuesday afternoon for two climbers caught in an avalanche Saturday on 2,812-meter Mount Nukedo in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture. The search will not be resumed Wednesday because of bad weather, local police said, adding they will try to gather information about the missing pair from other climbers. (Japan Times)

Osaka cabby slain in apparent robbery

OSAKA (Kyodo) A taxi driver was found slain in his cab Tuesday morning in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture, in a suspected robbery, police said. Toshiharu Goto, 67, of Osaka-based taxi operator Shoto Kotsu Co., was already deceased when officers rushed to his cab in a factory parking lot at around 7:25 a.m. after receiving a telephone call from a passerby, the police said. (Japan Times)

Yoshinoya books group net loss

Restaurant chain Yoshinoya Holdings Co. booked a group net loss of ¥839 million in the first three quarters of the current business year, a turnaround from a profit of ¥1.55 billion a year earlier. Yoshinoya blamed the March-November loss largely on extraordinary losses resulting from the closure of 23 restaurants operated by subsidiary Kyotaru Co. (Japan Times)

Foot-to-the-floor Toyota now suddenly has to downshift

Amid the worldwide economic downturn and the dollar's nosedive against the yen, Toyota Motor Corp. is facing a turning point in the aggressive overseas strategy that until now has powered its growth. The global turmoil that some call the worst in almost a century has sent even Toyota, the most financially secure automaker in the world, to forecast its first operating loss in more than 60 years and has pushed the U.S. Big Three automakers — General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor Co. — to the verge of bankruptcy. (Japan Times)

Japan's science in '08

In Chinese astrology, rats are said to hunger for power and to be unpredictable, and in 2008 — a Year of the Rat — both those characteristics were clearly in evidence. What with the financial crisis that is changing the established order of things, and the food and fuel crises that have sent shock waves around the world, many people will be only too pleased to see this rattish year end. As we say sayonara to the rodent for another 11 years, let's look back on what Japanese science has brought us over the last year. Or rather, what I most readily recall from the last year — not necessarily the most important scientific discoveries, but the most memorable moments of what in many ways wasn't such a rattish year after all. (Japan Times)

A year of changes and dangers

If 2008 cannot be called an "annus horribilis," it is only because 2009 might hold even more shocks and surprises. Even outside the worsening economy, everything in Japan seemed a bit subprime in 2008. A midyear survey found that more than 70 percent of Japanese — the highest percentage ever — were worried about their everyday lives and the future. It is not hard to understand why. One worry stems from lingering attitudes and habits. Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff General Toshio Tamogami was dismissed from his post and retired over an essay that denied Japan's military aggression in the 1930s and '40s and showed revisionist nationalist sentiments. The resignation of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in September might have signaled a change, but Prime Minister Taro Aso had a way of making gaffes that were not funny. His transport minister, Nariaki Nakayama, resigned after several Aso-style gaffes, including one in which he said Japan is "ethnically homogenous." (Japan Times)

Grandpa stabs 8-year-old who didn't share bed

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) A 69-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing his 8-year-old granddaughter at their home in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, police said. Teruo Asaka is suspected of stabbing the girl with a kitchen knife with a 24-cm blade at around 3:15 a.m. Sunday after she refused to let him get into her bed. (Japan Times)

Stores hope 'lucky bags' attract amid the slump

Major department stores are promoting "lucky bags" to get customers to loosen their purse strings at the start of the year. "Practical things will likely gain popularity," said an official at Daimaru Inc., which is readying lucky bags with goods geared to catchphrases including "arafour," referring to women of around 40, and "konkatsu," or activities having to do with getting married. (Japan Times)

Marching penguins captivate visitors at Hokkaido zoo

Released from their pen at Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, 13 king penguins are delighting visitors by marching in a line along a 500-meter snowy path for 30 minutes. "It's very cold outside, but our hearts have been warmed up," said Kazuko Ando, 56, of Kitakyushu, who visited the zoo on Sunday. (Japan Times)

Kono prays in Hawaii for war dead

HONOLULU (Kyodo) House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono on Sunday laid flowers at a U.S. memorial cemetery in Honolulu where victims of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 are among those commemorated. The first visit by a Lower House speaker to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific was realized after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited a monument in Hiroshima dedicated to the victims of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing. (Japan Times)

Bullet trains hit by glitch in main system

Five East Japan Railway Co. shinkansen lines halted operations for about three hours from the start of service Monday when the control system malfunctioned, affecting about 137,700 holiday travelers and commuters. The Tohoku, Joetsu, Nagano, Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen lines resumed operations at around 9 a.m. (Japan Times)

More Lawson shops to sell veggies

Lawson Inc. plans to double the number of its convenience stores that market vegetables from the current 1,500 to 3,000 in the next three years, President and Chief Executive Officer Takeshi Niinami said in a recent interview. The decision is based on more people opting to eat at home instead of dining out amid the recession, he said. (Japan Times)

For hotelier, budget prices at resorts are an easy sell

Naoki Yamanaka, president of hotel operator Shiki Resorts Co., wants more Japanese to appreciate the seasonal changes that bless this country. In fact, the name of his firm, "Shiki," means four seasons. (Japan Times)

Foreign university faculty face annual round of 'musical jobs'

Universities in Japan force most of their foreign instructors to play an unnerving version of musical chairs. Every year the music starts and instructors with expiring contracts scramble for an opening at a new school. University administrators force teachers to play "musical jobs" by offering limited-term contracts. The game has lots of players — many with permanent residence and families — searching for a vacant chair. There are about 5,700 foreign instructors working full-time at Japanese universities, the vast majority on limited-term contracts. (Japan Times)

What are your New Year's resolutions for 2009?

Mari KajiuraHousewife, 37I want to get really healthy next year by watching what I eat and exercising every day. I've just joined a pingpong club, so hopefully I'll play regularly. Tam PrasadgurungChef, 25 (Nepalese)I've only been in Japan for about two months, so I don't know that many people. I want to make lots of friends in 2009 and go traveling with them. (Japan Times)

No sign of a 'peace agreement'

More than six months have passed since the presidential election in Taiwan. After a hiatus of eight years, the Kuomintang is in power. This actually represents the restoration of the mainland-lineage forces for the first time in 20 years — if you count the Lee Teng-hui era as rule by non-mainland-lineage forces. As no one can see what lies ahead, we have been keeping a close eye on things with bated breath. In particular, there were worries about what would happen after the summer of 2008 when China's hands, which had been tied by the Olympics, were freed. (Japan Times)

Making nice in Asia during a global slump

SINGAPORE — Global financial dislocation and the economic slump are putting Asian regional cooperation to the test. They also appear to be shaping somewhat different responses in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. The latter, which formed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations way back in 1967, has a big head start in institutionalizing collaboration and recently signed a charter that makes the group a legal entity for the first time. Northeast Asia has no organization equivalent to ASEAN. But that may change if relations among China, Japan and South Korea continue to improve and the wider six-nation talks, chaired by China, succeed in persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear-weapons program and focus instead on economic development and poverty alleviation. These are big "ifs," given the historical and territorial conflicts that bedevil ties among Northeast Asian economies. (Japan Times)

Tally your tanuki skins well in the Year of the Ox

The year 2009 will be an ushi-doshi (丑年) — year of the ox. The ox is one of 12 hoary characters referred to as jūni-shi (十二支, 12 branches) making up the Asian Zodiac, whose creation is credited to China's legendary Yellow Emperor in 2697 B.C. The Year of the Ox is second in the zodiac, after nezumi-doshi (子年), the Year of the Rat that's just ending, and before tora-doshi (寅年), the Year of the Tiger. (Japan Times)

American capitalism, battered

It was a bruising year for U.S. capitalism. Not only did the world's largest economy plunge into recession, but financial mismanagement and misjudgment triggered a global financial crisis. The question now is whether President-elect Barack Obama has learned lessons of history and can rally domestic and international support to stave off a truly Great Depression. If he does, he may restore some of the luster that his country has lost in recent years. Thus far, the signs are positive. Historians will remember 2008 as the year that a financial crisis "made in America" rocked the world. The inability of subprime mortgage holders to repay loans set off a string of failures among financial companies. But not only banks and mortgage companies were holding bad paper. Those debts had been packaged as securities and resold around the world. Those instruments plunged in value as well, leaving other financial institutions with worthless pieces of paper. The rush to salvage those assets triggered a financial crisis that sucked the liquidity out of international capital markets. (Japan Times)

Daiwa Scarlet claims Arima Kinen victory

FUNABASHI, Chiba Pref. — Daiwa Scarlet went wire to wire Sunday in a tremendous show of strength to top the Arima Kinen at Nakayama Racecourse by a length and three-quarters and become the first filly in 37 years to capture the yearend grand finale. The chestnut Scarlet clocked 2 minutes, 31.5 seconds over the 2,500 meters of turf as she bested a field of 14, a field that for the first time in as many years failed to include the fans' favorite for the partially ballot-chosen lineup. (Japan Times)

Wizards win matchup of NBA cellar dwellers

WASHINGTON (AP) The Washington Wizards didn't care that they beat a team with only three wins. They were just happy they won at all. NBA history was made on Saturday night, but not the kind the Wizards and Oklahoma City Thunder wanted. (Japan Times)

Ritsumeikan prepared to go through former hero to win national title

Quarterback Tetsuo Takata is talked about as if he's a historical figure for Ritsumeikan University's football program. Takata led the perennial football powerhouse in Kyoto to two consecutive Rice Bowl titles in 2003 and '04, representing the last time a collegiate representative defeated an industrial Japan X Bowl champion in the game. (Japan Times)

Search halted for missing mountaineers

GIFU (Kyodo) Rescue workers were forced by bad weather Sunday afternoon to halt their search for two climbers engulfed by an avalanche on 2,812-meter Mount Nukedo in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture. Police said the search would resume Monday morning. (Japan Times)

Rough weather hits bullet trains

Operations of bullet-train lines in central and northern Japan were severely disrupted Sunday by rough weather and technical problems, affecting some 27,500 passengers bound for their hometowns during the yearend and New Year's holidays. The Yamagata Shinkansen Line, linking Fukushima and Shinjo, Yamagata Prefecture, suspended 26 runs between Fukushima Station and Yonezawa Station in Yamagata Prefecture due to snow-removal work along the tracks, East Japan Railway Co. said. (Japan Times)

Suppressing more than free speech

I recently read a book that, a decade ago, created a controversy in Japan about homosexuality. In it the prize-winning writer Jiro Fukushima described his sexual relationship with Yukio Mishima dating back to 1951. Because of the book, Mishima's surviving family sued the publisher and the author. Or, more precisely, Mishima's daughter, Noriko, and his son, Iichiro, brought a lawsuit saying Fukushima violated the copyright law and Mishima's "personality right" (jinkaku-ken) by incorporating Mishima's letters into his account without permission. (Japan Times)

Will Europe rise to the Obama opportunity?

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Will 2009 and the beginning of Barack Obama's U.S. presidency mark the beginning of a new era in trans-Atlantic relations, or will the old divisions linger, nurtured by the depth and gravity of the economic crisis? Will the crisis lead to nationalistic and selfish attitudes on both sides of the Atlantic, stymieing the long-awaited rapprochement, if not a full reconciliation? It is, of course, too early to tell. Even if the left wing of the European left — like the most liberal of America's Democrats — voices concerns that Obama has selected a far too centrist Cabinet, a classical form of anti-Americanism is bound to recede in Europe. It is very unlikely that Europeans will take to the streets to denounce the "essence" of the United States — what America is as much as what America does — as they did during the Bush era and even during the Clinton years. America's image in Europe has changed profoundly since Nov. 4, and the style of Obama's diplomacy once he becomes president will probably confirm that change. (Japan Times)

An oddly familiar year

Historians like to say that "history doesn't repeat itself, it rhymes." That would explain the feeling of familiarity that many experienced throughout 2008. While there was one truly unprecedented event — the election of Mr. Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States — there was also an odd sense of deja vu throughout the year. All too often, we had a vague feeling of having experienced these things before — and sadly, once would have been more than enough. In Japan, the political class was again ineffectual in the face of mounting challenges. As prime ministers came and went with alarming regularity, it felt like a return to the "karaoke politics" of the past. As in the beginning and end of the 1990s, Cabinets operated with revolving doors, in which ministers would surface, take a quick turn as head of a ministry and then depart, too often ignominiously. In contrast to the fleeting presence of those politicians, Japan's problems remained and grew to alarming proportions. The year ahead promises little better. (Japan Times)

Villa's emergence shakes up Big Four's hegemony

LONDON — THE MOST fascinating Premier League title chase ever reached the half-way stage on Boxing Day. It is usually a two-horse race and could still be that way but the domination of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United faces a realistic challenge from Aston Villa whose manager, Martin O'Neill, is fighting a losing battle trying to play down his team's chances. (Japan Times)

Kobe's Lakers halt Celtics' win streak at 19

LOS ANGELES (AP) The six-month wait is over. The Los Angeles Lakers can put the anguish of losing the NBA finals to the Boston Celtics and the embarrassment over the way the series ended behind them. Kobe Bryant had 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Pau Gasol scored seven of his 20 points in the final three minutes, and the Lakers used a strong finish to beat Boston 92-83 Thursday, snapping the Celtics' franchise-record 19-game winning streak. (Japan Times)

Smith trying to keep high-flying Falcons grounded ahead of playoffs

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) Mike Smith believes it's too early for the Atlanta Falcons to reflect on defying expectations and making the playoffs. The first-year head coach wants his players satisfied only with improving each week and taking incremental steps toward accomplishing the goal of winning Atlanta's first Super Bowl. (Japan Times)

Widow's film delves into impact of Agent Orange

When her American husband, Greg Davis, succumbed to liver cancer in May 2003 at the age of 54, Masako Sakata was seized with suspicion his death was caused by Agent Orange, which he had been exposed to in Vietnam during his three years of military service through 1970. Five months later, Sakata was in Maine to attend a two-week videography course, with the secret aim of shooting a documentary film on the toxic chemical. (Japan Times)

Warrant served for girl's murder

CHIBA (Kyodo) Police served a fresh arrest warrant Friday on a 21-year-old man on suspicion of killing a 5-year-old girl in September in Togane, Chiba Prefecture. The suspect, Ryo Katsuki, was arrested earlier in the month for allegedly dumping the body of Yukimaro Narita, a nursery school student from Togane, on the side of a road near a park in the city, on Sept. 21. (Japan Times)

20% need booze, drugs to sleep

One in five adults in Japan depends on alcohol and drugs to fall asleep, a national health survey carried out by the health ministry in 2007 showed Thursday. By sex, the breakdown was 22.2 percent for males, up 2.3 points from 2003, and 17.4 percent for females, up 1.7 points, the survey said, without providing the total number polled. (Japan Times)

Trio sought for gas station robbery in Saitama

SAITAMA (Kyodo) Police have launched a manhunt for three men who apparently made off with ¥180,000 early Friday during a Saitama gas station armed robbery. Police have released a tape of the robbery, which was captured by a security camera at the gas station, to the media. (Japan Times)

Ministries, firms glad to see end of turbulent '08

Most government and private-sector offices marked the year's final day of work Friday amid the rapidly growing economic crisis. Many government and business organizations will resume work on Jan. 5 after a nine-day New Year's holiday. (Japan Times)

Fuji Heavy widens output cut plan

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., maker of Subaru cars, said it will expand domestic production cuts in February and March as the global economic downturn cools auto demand. The firm will cut vehicle output by 10,000 additional units in the year ending March 31 and eliminate 300 more temporary jobs in Japan, it said in a statement Friday. (Japan Times)

McDonald's hired diners to boost sales

McDonald's Holding Co. Japan Ltd., a unit of the world's biggest restaurant chain, said about 1,000 people were hired to patronize one of its outlets, inflating sales when a new hamburger was recently introduced. The restaurant in Osaka had a daily sales record of about ¥10 million on Tuesday when it introduced the Quarter Pounder to its menu. About 1,000 of 15,000 customers on the day were hired by a market research company on behalf of McDonald's. (Japan Times)

Record output fall raises alarms

The recession deepened in November as companies cut production at the fastest pace in 55 years and rising unemployment prompted households to pare spending. The trade ministry said Friday that factory output plunged 8.1 percent from October, more than the 6.8 percent estimated by economists. The jobless rate climbed to 3.9 percent from 3.7 percent, and household spending slid 0.5 percent for a ninth drop. (Japan Times)

Crude oil imports down 12.2%

Crude oil imports in November fell 12.2 percent from a year earlier to 115.42 million barrels for the second straight monthly contraction, the energy agency said Friday. Imports from the Middle East accounted for 86.9 percent of the total, up 2.6 percentage points from a year before for the first expansion in three months, the Natural Resources and Energy Agency said in a preliminary report. (Japan Times)

Pennington's career year sparks Miami

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington denies his return to the Meadowlands is about retribution or redemption or reliving the past, even if he was cast aside by the New York Jets like a leaky football. Instead he says the game's solely about the future: whether the Dolphins will be in the playoffs next week for the first time since 2001. (Japan Times)

Project gives points for green steps

The central and local governments have joined hands with businesses to launch the Eco Action Point project, in which consumers earn points and get products in exchange for taking environmentally friendly steps such as purchasing energy-saving goods and using public transportation. The Environment Ministry has stepped up efforts to promote the program because people, while becoming increasingly aware of the importance of fighting global warming, take few actions that have any effect. (Japan Times)

Frogman's unique slant on politics

Animator Ryo Ono, a 37-year-old Tokyo native, achieved his dream of making films by changing his career as a movie production assistant. Despite his late start as an animator in 2004, his first movie, "Eagle Talon The Movie: The Chancellor Only Lives Twice," won the awards for Best Animation and Best International Director of an Animation at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival in February. (Japan Times)

Reformatory for boy, 15, who killed

KANAZAWA, Ishikawa Pref. (Kyodo) The Kanazawa Family Court decided Thursday to send a 15-year-old boy to a reformatory for stabbing to death his mother's boyfriend in August. Presiding Judge Kenji Kamiura said the third-year junior high school student, whose name is being withheld because he is a minor, fatally stabbed truck driver Shinobu Kamikawa, hoping that this would enable him to live peacefully with his mother, 36. (Japan Times)

Nakagawa aide loses job over shady request

A former secretary of Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Hidenao Nakagawa asked the Nagoya Stock Exchange in September 2005 to list a condominium sales company, sources said Thursday, noting the aide was axed last February over the inappropriateness of the overture. Nakagawa's office said the former secretary met executives of the bourse without notifying the lawmaker. (Japan Times)

Spike feared in idled-temp suicides

Nonprofit organizations and Diet members fear they will see a surge in suicides among temporary workers subjected to massive dismissals as the plunging economy gives them no room to survive with little financial or housing support. Suicides in 2007 surpassed 30,000 for the 10th straight year, but unlike in 1998, when the unemployment rate topped 4 percent for the first time ever and key financial firms went bust, idled temp workers now lack the protections provided to laid-off workers a decade ago. (Japan Times)

Meiji University looks to aid foreign students hit by soaring yen

The recent surge in the yen's value has not only hit Japan's export companies hard, but also drastically affected the finances of foreign students living in the country, many of whom have seen the value of their own nation's currency plummet amid the global financial crisis. In response to the economic crisis, Meiji University in Tokyo said Thursday it will provide ¥30,000 in January to every one of the 664 privately financed overseas graduate and undergraduate students studying at the university. (Japan Times)

Summarized textbook screener minutes urged

An advisory body to the education minister outlined a set of measures Thursday to make the screening process for school textbooks transparent, calling for summarized minutes of screening deliberations by the panel's subcommittees to be published after the release of their results. The Textbook Authorization Council stopped short of proposing that detailed minutes of the talks be published, citing the need to secure "a calm environment" for council members to screen textbooks. (Japan Times)

MSDF may get antipiracy duty off Somalia

Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said Thursday that a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer might be sent off Somalia to protect Japanese ships from pirates. The government has never attempted to dispatch a military vessel overseas for policing activities under the Self-Defense Forces Law, and government sources said that, given the strong reservations about the idea, the final say will likely be left to Prime Minister Taro Aso. (Japan Times)

Big Three bailout necessary: JAMA chairman

An emergency bailout by the U.S. government of the ailing Big Three automakers is "necessary" in light of their importance to the U.S. economy, a core market for Japanese cars, according to the head of Japan's automakers association. But Satoshi Aoki, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, added that the industry body wants the Big Three — General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor Co. — to recover through not only a bailout but also "customer-focused" business efforts. (Japan Times)

BOJ was leery of buying corporate debt

The Bank of Japan was reluctant to purchase corporate debt as a way to help companies frozen by the global credit crunch, a summary of the BOJ Policy Board's minutes showed Thursday. The minutes for the Nov. 20-21 Policy Board meeting backed evidence that the method the central bank employed last week was quite unorthodox and that credit conditions in the country have been deteriorating. (Japan Times)

Booming Disneyland proves recession-proof

URAYASU, Chiba Pref. (AP) Sony and Toyota are struggling. Job cuts dominate the headlines. But one brand name is thriving in Japan amid the economic slowdown — Mickey Mouse. According to the company that runs Tokyo Disneyland, Japan's busiest theme park will be more packed than ever over Christmas and New Year's. Despite the bad economy, it's already been a record year for an escape that's cheaper than the average night out in pricey Tokyo. (Japan Times)

More relief eyed for nonregular workers

The Labor Policy Council on Thursday proposed relaxing conditions for nonregular workers to receive unemployment benefits. The advisory body to the labor minister outlined the proposal at a time when companies are accelerating moves to dismiss nonregular workers as they struggle to survive the deepening economic downturn by cutting payrolls. (Japan Times)

Good design is second nature

The problem with a lot of exhibitions by designers is that they seem to approach the project as though they have suddenly turned into artists. You just want to see their latest cellular phone or chair or poster; they just want to show off their newfound penchant for installation art. It's like going to a Rolling Stones concert and being told at the door that Mick will be conducting the London Philharmonic. Who would be satisfied with that? The good thing about "Second Nature" is that its creator, the prodigious Tokujin Yoshioka, clearly doesn't feel the need to put on airs. His design work — all the chairs, interiors, lamps and phones for which he is famous — is itself so absorbing, and the process by which it is made so bizarre, that it's more engaging than a lot of installation art itself. (Japan Times)

2008 in Double vision

Since well before R&B became established in Japan I've been championing it through all my activities. This year was the 10th anniversary of my debut, so for me it was a celebratory year — with a "Best Of" release ("10 Years Best — We R&B"); a special collection celebrating all the collaborations I've done ("The Best Collaborations"); and finally a tour that culminated in a very special live DVD release ("We R&B Tour Final @ Studio Coast"). In the fast-changing Japanese market, to stick with R&B and really develop it has required a persistent attitude on my part. And even if I do say so myself, there is no other way to express how amazing it is to have come this far. (Japan Times)

A turbulent 12 months

Like pretty much everything these days, the fortunes of the music business in 2008 were mainly tied to the global economy. CD sales have long been dropping steadily, mostly due to the steady increase in illegal downloading, but until this year, top artists could still count on fairly decent sales, and indie bands were doing OK by taking the do-it-yourself route. The center didn't hold in 2008. EMI closed offices all over the world and talked about joining forces with Warner. BMG, which in 2004 hooked up worldwide with Sony, as Sony BMG, basically evaporated when Sony bought it out in October — leaving Japan as the only remaining territory where BMG maintains its brand. V2 Records, once one of the world's most important indie labels, stopped putting out new music. The simple truth is that people — or, at least, young people — don't see the point in paying for music anymore. (Japan Times)

Doctors held for talking with the 'enemy'

NEW YORK — Cyrus the Great, the first Achaemenid emperor and founder of Persia, would be ashamed of the actions of the Iranian government with regard to the uncalled for detention in June of two Iranian doctors, who are experts on AIDS. The flagrant abuse of their basic human rights would have been roundly condemned by the emperor, who declared the first charter of human rights known to mankind. Academic institutions and human rights activists worldwide have protested the detention of the two brothers, Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kamiar Alaei. (Japan Times)

Replacing nuclear reactors

Chubu Electric Power Co. has announced a plan to decommission two aging reactors at its Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station in Shizuoka Prefecture and build a new reactor as a replacement. The decision to decommission the No. 1 and No. 2 boiling water reactors with a combined output of 1.38 million kW is reasonable. But the decision to build a new advanced boiling water reactor with an output of 1.4 million kW is questionable. The nuclear-power station is situated over a cluster of potential hypocenters for the magnitude-8 "Tokai Earthquake," which could happen anytime. The No. 1 reactor started operation in March 1976 but has been shut since 2001 when a steam pipe was broken. Water leakage also occurred at the bottom of its pressurized vessel, casting doubts on its safety. The No. 2 reactor started operation in November 1978 but has been idle since 2004 due to a series of troubles. (Japan Times)

Reform in the name of revenue

The government has endorsed a medium-term tax reform program designed to secure revenue sources to cover the ballooning costs of social security, which includes pensions plus medical and nursing care services. It mentions raising the consumption tax from fiscal 2011, but equivocates, because the program is a compromise between the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito. Prime Minister Taro Aso had insisted that the program should clearly state that the consumption tax should be raised in three years. But Komeito opposed referring to the timing of the tax raise, since it was fearful of voters' reactions. Thus the government's original plan was revised. The program now says that the consumption tax will be raised in fiscal 2011 provided that the government takes intensive measures that enable the economy to recover within three years. (Japan Times)

Woods' absence opened door for PGA Tour's other stars to shine

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) Tiger Woods posed next to the trophy on the 18th green, a familiar scene with a rare twist. It was Sunday, and his clothing did not include so much as a trace of red. Plus, he was wearing a jacket — black, not green. (Japan Times)

Hardly a wilderness for cuisine

Regarding Robbie Swinnerton's Dec. 19 article, "Northern Tokyo's top-notch Italian": I had no problem with the review of the restaurant itself in this article, which lived up to Swinnerton's usually good standard. What I did feel aggrieved by was the patronizing tone of the article toward the area in which the restaurant is situated. If I had no knowledge of the places involved, from the description I would have to presume Hakusan to be some kind of desolate wilderness, full of feral children hewing a rough existence out of whatever they could lay their grubby hands on. I would certainly not have presumed it to be in the center of the largest city in the world. There are excellent restaurants over all of Tokyo, not just in the southern half of the metropolis. Indeed, I would confidently state, though Swinnerton may not believe me, that there are even places further north than Bunkyo-ku in which a passable repast can be enjoyed. (Japan Times)

Questionable slang about Asia

In response to Ed Smith's opinion in his Dec. 18 letter, " 'Rice' remark hardly racist," I feel that he has fully illustrated a disturbing yet unfortunately common problem with the American English vernacular: If a word or phrase in "common usage" is not deemed as racist by the user, then this same principal must apply to the rest of the world. Unbelievably, Smith then goes on to cite even more questionable phrases, such as "rice rocket" and "ricers," as being "humorous." Most Japanese people in Japan, even those with a high level of English conversational ability, are probably not aware of these thinly veiled racist slang expressions. I can almost assure you that upon being presented with an explanation of these terms, most would certainly be appalled that they are considered "English conversational slang." At least the six Japanese coworkers whom I asked were. (Japan Times)

Madoff's greatest talent

Recent news articles covering the activities of Bernard Madoff, a brilliant financier for the times, make a compelling case that he be considered for the Nobel Prize in economics next year. His absolute great talent was to make people feel comfortable in turning their money over to him for great returns. He outmaneuvered investment bankers, lawyers, economists, accountants, commercial real estate investors and developers — not to mention the folks at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. No wonder, at a recent luncheon meeting in Hong Kong, Thomas Friedman, a columnist for The New York Times was asked "if America was that corrupt." (Japan Times)

Getting away with murder

Regarding the Dec. 19 article "Trio avoid prison in sumo killing": Some people claim that the perfect murder is impossible. Judge Masaharu Ashizawa of the Nagoya District Court has proven that this is not necessarily the case. Three sumo wrestlers, Yuichiro Izuka, 26, Masakazu Kimura, 25, and Masanori Fujii, 23, pleaded guilty to beating Takashi Saito to death, but walked away with suspended 2 1/2 year prison terms. The reason for the incredibly lenient sentences seems to be that the beating of Saito was "ordered" by the stable master and that corporal punishment is normal in sumo. The lesson from Ashizawa's ruling is that if you want to kill somebody, then drag him into a sumo-training facility and beat him to death. Just make sure to get an order from somebody. (Japan Times)

Moderate our fish consumption

Regarding the Dec. 19 article "Singing the bluefin tuna blues": Most of the blame has been heaped on Japan, which reportedly consumes about three-quarters of the world's bluefin. But could that just be the truth according to Greenpeace? I think it's closer to the truth to say that the global spread of healthy Japanese cuisine as well as exploding consumption in China and Russia are also helping to drive the species toward extinction. I've lived in Europe for more than 35 years. In Paris or New York, you can't imagine the number of so-called sushi bars and the quantity of tuna fish consumed (a single sushi dish composed of six salmon and six tuna!). In Japan, people don't eat sushi in this way; they eat smaller portions of a few different kinds of fish with vinegared rice. This is also how the Japanese eat in general. (Japan Times)

Temps a threatened species as job cuts bite

Last of two parts Temporary workers are bearing the brunt of cost-cutting measures taken by businesses, especially in the manufacturing sector, to weather the recession. (Japan Times)

Job cuts hit dispatch firms hard

In the past few months, companies have started to cut workers to save costs. As well as growing to be a major social issue, slashing temp workers also means agencies dispatching such workers face an increasingly tough time. "Temp agencies of all sizes are in a difficult situation," said Teruo Kawabe, a representative of Japan Staffing Service Association, an industry group of temp agencies. (Japan Times)

Aso failing to lead LDP to promised land

When Taro Aso became prime minister in September, he was chosen by his peers in the Liberal Democratic Party as the man who would reverse their declining ratings. But after three months of the extraordinary Diet session, which closes Thursday, Aso's Cabinet already seems to be in trouble. Recent polls by various news organizations show Aso's support rate has declined sharply to around 20 percent. According to the most recent poll by Jiji Press, the approval rate for Aso's Cabinet has sunk to just 16.7 percent. (Japan Times)

TV celebrity Ai Iijima found dead

Former television celebrity Ai Iijima was found dead at a condominium in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on Wednesday afternoon less than two years after announcing her retirement from show business, police said. Iijima, 36, was found dead in a unit on the 21st floor of the building by an acquaintance who went to visit her after she had stopped communicating. The police said they are looking into the circumstances surrounding her death. (Japan Times)

City is told plan to hire students who lost job offers is unequal

OSAKA (Kyodo) The city of Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, has given up on hiring students whose private-sector employment offers were canceled, after the central government noted the plan would be tantamount to an unequal employment opportunity, Ikeda said Wednesday. Mayor Kaoru Kurata came up with the idea of employing three such students, two for clerical work and another for engineering. (Japan Times)

Desperate need for shelter cited

Aid workers who help homeless people visited the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters Wednesday to call for the urgent provision of shelters for temp workers laid off amid the deepening recession. On Christmas Eve, members of the aid group Moyai, one of whom was dressed as Santa Claus, presented a sleeping bag and cardboard boxes to officials of the ruling party in the Nagata-cho district. (Japan Times)

Watanabe vies for change

A snap election is the most effective way to clear the "sense of stagnation" prevailing in Japan, Lower House reformist Yoshimi Watanabe of the Liberal Democratic Party told The Japan Times after voting Wednesday for an opposition resolution to this end. In an interview following his renegade vote, the former minister of administrative reform did not say he would leave the LDP in a bid to form a new party. But he did say the chance of that happening was "not zero" and that he wants to be a "catalyst for political realignment." (Japan Times)

Isuzu grants a Christmas gift to 550 temps due for layoff

Major truck manufacturer Isuzu Motors Ltd. announced Wednesday it won't cancel the contracts for about 550 seasonal workers after all. The company last month notified some 1,400 contract and temporary workers at two factories, in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Taihei, Tochigi Prefecture, that their contracts would end the day after Christmas. (Japan Times)

Denso warns of '08 operating loss

NAGOYA (Kyodo) Denso Corp., Japan's largest auto parts maker and an affiliate of Toyota Motor Corp., said Wednesday it is likely to post its first unconsolidated operating loss in nearly 60 years because of the plunge in global auto sales and the yen's sharp appreciation. The Aichi Prefecture-based company expects a parent-only operating loss of ¥49 billion for fiscal 2008 through March, reversing its earlier projected ¥36 billion profit. It reported a ¥153.58 billion unconsolidated operating profit the previous year. (Japan Times)

People Tree products pioneering fair trade in Japan

The hand-knit sweaters and scarves and hand-woven bags with an ethnic look are nothing like the products sold to the masses of consumers in most big shopping malls. They are part of the lineup of fair-trade products under the People Tree brand of Fair Trade Co., the pioneer in fair trade in Japan. (Japan Times)

Ruling bloc plans '11 sales tax hike

The government and the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc on Wednesday officially authorized a midterm tax reform program to increase the 5 percent consumption tax in fiscal 2011 if the economy improves. Prime Minister Taro Aso held a news conference to stress the need to bump up the sales levy to cover snowballing social security costs, but he did not specify how high the tax would be hiked. (Japan Times)

Originality and flair hits 2008

A year ago, I was sad to report on the sluggish condition of the Japanese contemporary theater world. Now, I am delighted to have had to struggle to select just five of the best of plays of 2008 from so many worthy contenders — many of them new and original works concerned with the current social situation of Japan. First of all, I have to cheat by mentioning not just Keralino Sandorovich's "Sharp-san Flat-san (Sharps and Flats)," — the director's best piece from 2008 — but all of his original work this year. After a three-year stretch in which he reworked his own older plays and directed others', this master of black humor came back with "Waga Yami (We Wish There Was Not Light)," followed by a superbly adapted version of "The Lower Depths (Donzoko)" by the 19th-century Russian writer Maxim Gorky, a depiction of the downtrodden working classes that featured original live music, a few laughs and a hint of optimism. (Japan Times)

If you don't get them with art, give them architecture

Struggling to maintain visitor numbers, often in the face of drastic cuts to their budgets, many of Japan's museums have been turning to an unlikely source of respite: architecture. That's not to say they are pursuing the so-called Bilbao Effect, whereby the museum constructs a new building so quirky that it becomes a more effective people-magnet than the art it houses. No, the trend in Japan is for existing museums to hold exhibitions of architecture. And they're proving as popular as Bilbao-like buildings. (Japan Times)

Preventing child pornography

In late November about 3,500 people from some 170 governments and from international and nongovernmental organizations attended the third World Congress Against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents in Rio de Janeiro. The conference declared that accessing, downloading, storing or viewing child pornography on the Internet is a crime. It urged governments to legally prohibit such acts. Justice and home affairs ministers of the Group of Eight nations declared in June: "We strongly condemn and denounce all forms of sexual exploitation of children, including the practice of persons traveling abroad and engaging in sexual conduct with children, as well as the alarming flood of images of sexual abuse of children — so-called child pornography — on the Internet." (Japan Times)

Five Arrows standout Okada expands role on offense

The Japan Times will be featuring periodic interviews with players in the bj-league — Japan's first professional basketball circuit. Yu Okada of the Takamatsu Five Arrows is the subject of this week's profile. Position: Shooting guard (Japan Times)

Realignment has added too many mediocre teams to playoffs

NEW YORK — The Arizona Cardinals have lost four of their last five games, allowing 37, 48, 35 and 47 points. Their only win during that period was over St. Louis, a 2-13 team. And if they don't beat 4-11 Seattle at home on Sunday, they will finish 8-8. Do we really want these guys in the playoffs? (Japan Times)

Bears edge Pack in OT

CHICAGO (AP) Alex Brown reached up and saved the Chicago Bears' season. Brown blocked Mason Crosby's 38-yard attempt with 18 seconds to go in the fourth quarter Monday night, forcing overtime against the Green Bay Packers. (Japan Times)

Super-rich Manchester City stuck in relegation zone

LONDON (AP) The richest club in the world is mired in the Premier League relegation zone almost halfway through the season after only one win in nine games. This wasn't what the billionaires of Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment had in mind when they bought Manchester City in September for a reported $300 million. (Japan Times)

Students run bar to reforest Kilimanjaro

OSAKA (Kyodo) People come up with all sorts of ways to raise funds for the environment. In the case of two university students at Kwansei Gakuin University, they are doing so by running a bar in the center of the business district in Nishi Ward, Osaka, aiming to raise money for forestation on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. At the Lohas Packers cafe-bar on the third floor of a fashionable building, customers do their part by buying a drink. For each drink they order, the bar buys a sapling from a nongovernmental organization that will be planted on the iconic African mountain. (Japan Times)

Ailing Crown Princess steadily improving

Crown Princess Masako has shown some signs of improvement after five years of treatment for depression since largely retreating from public view in 2003, but she apparently needs a little more time for a full recovery. The prolonged seclusion of the 45-year-old Crown Princess has caused some public frustration, but her doctors warned years ago that it could be protracted if the source of her stress was "chronic" and they have continued to call for the public's understanding and patience. (Japan Times)

Toyota to pick scion as president

NAGOYA (Kyodo) Toyota Motor Corp., which just announced its worst earnings outlook ever, is expected to appoint Executive Vice President Akio Toyoda as president when Katsuaki Watanabe steps down in the spring, sources said Tuesday. Akio Toyoda, 52, is the great-grandson of the late Sakichi Toyoda, who founded the Toyota Motor group, and is the eldest son of honorary Toyota Chairman Shoichiro Toyoda, 83. (Japan Times)

Climate-change meeting stalls

There is near-unanimous agreement — the few stubborn holdouts will likely never be convinced — that climate change is real and the world must respond aggressively to it. The existing framework for action, the Kyoto Protocol, expires in 2012 and its effectiveness has been limited by the failure of key countries, notably the United States, to ratify the treaty, and its exclusion of other significant polluters from obligations to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. On Dec. 12, delegates from nearly 190 countries concluded two weeks of meetings to discuss a new framework to tackle climate change. They at least agreed that developed nations should continue to take on the duty of fulfilling goals for greenhouse-gas emissions cuts after 2012. But, sadly, real commitments to reduce such emissions were lacking. This is a distressing lack of progress since delegates reached virtually the same outcome at a meeting last year in Bali. (Japan Times)

Worsening economic prospects

The government's economic report for December states that Japanese economic conditions are "worsening," a downgrade from the previous month's assessment that "the economy has weakened further." The term "worsening" was used for the first since February 2002, after the information-technology bubble had burst. The report comes as official recognition of the increasingly gloomy economic prospects. No wonder a comment by economic and fiscal policy minister Kaoru Yosano is not encouraging. He said, "The worsening of the Japanese economy will continue for the time being and there is the possibility that production cuts and employment adjustments will spread." (Japan Times)

Keane pounces but Gunners hold Reds

LONDON (AP) Premier League leader Liverpool was frustrated to be held to a 1-1 draw by Arsenal on Sunday despite enjoying a man advantage for 30 minutes after Emmanuel Adebayor was sent off plus Robbie Keane ending a six-week goal drought. The 18-time champions were left to rely on crosstown rival Everton stopping Chelsea from wiping out their two-point lead and reclaiming top spot on Monday. (Japan Times)

Ferguson eyes further titles after CWC glory

YOKOHAMA — Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson believes his side can use its Club World Cup victory as a launchpad to success for the rest of the season. United beat Ecuador's LDU Quito 1-0 in Sunday's final at International Stadium Yokohama to claim its second world title and first in the tournament's current format. (Japan Times)

Utility to raze old, idled reactors, build new one

NAGOYA — Chubu Electric Power Co. said Monday it will decommission two aging reactors at the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, and build a new reactor there. With a growing antinuclear power movement making it difficult for the government and utilities to find new locations for nuclear plants, they plan to replace old reactors with new ones at existing sites. (Japan Times)

Gay scene: Tolerance, legal limbo

Some countries see homosexuality as a crime punishable by death, while others are open to diversity and make no judgment on the basis of one's sexual orientation. Japan, where gay rights issues rarely become political topics like in the West, remains tepid on the issue. (Japan Times)

U.K. farm grows 'edamame' for supermarkets

LONDON (Kyodo) As British consumers seek a healthier diet, a London farm is the first to grow "edamame" on a commercial scale and has contracted with a major supermarket chain. Watts Farm, located on the outskirts of the capital, is currently cultivating edamame, or baby green soybeans, a common food in Japan and grown in East Asia. (Japan Times)

Flu epidemic measures tested on train riders

A research institute for the transport ministry conducted a test Monday on how far apart passengers should be while riding on commuter trains in the event of a new type of influenza outbreak. According to the Policy Research Institute for the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, passengers would be required to keep a distance of 1 to 2 meters to prevent the infection spreading by coughs or sneezes. (Japan Times)

New high school draft curriculum avoids islets row

A draft revision of the education ministry's curriculum guidelines for high schools released Monday does not specifically mention the Takeshima islets disputed with South Korea. This follows the tussle between Tokyo and Seoul earlier this year over a reference to the territory in a similar document for junior high schools. (Japan Times)

Supermarket sales up in November

Supermarket sales in November rose 0.6 percent from a year earlier on a same-store basis, up for the first time in four months, due in part to bargain sales campaigns, an industry body said Monday. Sales totaled ¥1.11 trillion at 8,791 outlets operated by 71 companies, according to the Japan Chain Stores Association. (Japan Times)

Fuji Electric to shed 2,000 temp jobs

Fuji Electric Holdings Co. will let go some 2,000 of its 6,900 temporary workers by September because it needs to cut production of motors and electronic parts because of poor demand worldwide, company officials said Monday. The company is also considering laying off some of its roughly 19,000 regular workers and slashing executive pay as part of a restructuring of its corporate group, the officials said. Already in the six months through last September, Fuji Electric saw a consolidated net loss of ¥10.7 billion. (Japan Times)

Honda president blasts 'slow' response to yen's appreciation

Honda Motor Co. President Takeo Fukui has rapped the government's "slow" response to the yen's sharp appreciation, saying further rises by the currency would hollow out Japan's auto industry through lost jobs and a shift of manufacturing, research and other activities overseas. While economic worries and tight credit have hit all players in the global auto industry, Japanese carmakers are also suffering from the yen's surge as this erodes their earnings overseas. (Japan Times)

Toyota looks to log ¥150 billion loss

NAGOYA, Hollowing out feared: Page 8 — Toyota Motor Corp. on Monday again revised downward its group earnings forecasts for this year and is now anticipating an operating loss of ¥150 billion — its first since comparable data became available for the year to March 1941 — due to shrinking global auto sales and the yen's further appreciation. The latest projection represents a reversal from the previous estimate of an operating profit of ¥600 billion. The automaker booked an operating profit of ¥2.27 trillion in the 2007 business year. (Japan Times)

PMZ pedals, the Memodesk, horned sockets, Issey Miyake watches and the perfect gift box

There are already plenty of accessories from Plus Minus Zero that bring an added sense of style to all corners of the home. Now the brand has its eyes on the garage as well. PMZ has teamed up with Yamaha to create the lithium-ion battery-powered Electro-Hybrid Bicycle PAS Limited Model. Trading in on the trendy eco-friendly vibe of recent years, there's no mistaking that this is a true PMZ product: It has the soft curvy lines we've come to expect from the brand and models available in gray and blue, the de facto flagship colors of PMZ. The battery takes up to two hours to charge and can go for 65 km. The electric bike has plenty of storage space, including a large basket front and center, making it the perfect vehicle for shopping around town. The PAS Limited Model is not available in stores, and is only being sold to customers in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa in extremely limited quantities. Contact the PMZ customer center for more details on (0120) 2053-99. www.pmz-store.jp (Japan Times)

School bridges China-Japan gap

At first glance it seems to be a typical lunch break at a local Japanese school: Boys rambunctiously chasing one another and yanking at each other's white polo shirts, little girls twirling so hard in their pleated gray skirts that they fall down with squeals of glee. But look closer and you notice that although the signs on the wall are familiar, the Chinese characters are written in simplified form, unlike Japanese "kanji." A group of lanky adolescent boys in navy blazers start kicking around a fuchsia-feathered shuttlecock, or "jianzi," instead of a soccer ball. (Japan Times)

Cross-strait ties leap ahead

Cross-strait rapprochement leaped forward last week as Taiwan and China launched direct flights and cargo shipping services. These new links reflect the economic reality that binds the two sides of the strait: Annual trade between the island and the mainland is about $100 billion. Political issues have slowed these contacts, but these obstacles have diminished and cross-strait ties are rapidly expanding. This progress should be applauded as it calms a regional flash point and contributes to regional growth. While the coming to power in Taiwan of President Ma Ying-jeou has made new relations possible, the Chinese government deserves credit too for seizing the moment. There has been concern in Beijing that Mr. Ma's rule may be an interregnum and, thus, a reluctance to make concessions to him for fear that they would help the opposition further its independence agenda. Apparently Beijing has recognized that the best way to stave off the return of the independence-minded Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is to help Mr. Ma in his quest to improve Taiwan's economy and the lives of ordinary Taiwanese. (Japan Times)

Rooney lifts United to first CWC title

YOKOHAMA — Manchester United overcame a second-half red card for Nemanja Vidic to win the Club World Cup with a 1-0 victory over LDU Quito on Sunday. Inspired goalkeeping from Jose Cevallos kept the Ecuadoreans in the game as United took the first-half attacking initiative, but Vidic's 49th-minute dismissal for an elbow on Claudio Bieler changed the complexion of the game. (Japan Times)

WBC organizers happy with event's progress

There's talk of revenge ahead of the 2009 World Baseball Classic and it's music to the organizers' ears. With the campaign to get baseball back into the Olympic program serving as a backdrop, organizers have been pleased with the level of excitement in the buildup to the 2009 edition. (Japan Times)

Nation's drive toward export-driven economy documented

The government and private sector made desperate efforts to boost exports to the United States in the late 1950s when the country was still recovering from the wounds of World War II, according to Japanese diplomatic documents just declassified. Some of the documents indicate that the government urged manufacturers to develop new products and promote advertising activities in a bid to increase exports to the United States, apparently aiming for export-led economic growth. (Japan Times)

Sato wanted U.S. ready to nuke China

Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, who won the 1974 Nobel Peace Prize for working out Japan's three-point nonnuclear policy, asked the United States in 1965 to use its nuclear weapons against China in immediate retaliation should a war break about between that country and Japan, according to newly declassified Japanese diplomatic documents. In talks with Defense Secretary Robert McNamara in Washington, Sato also said it would be possible for the United States to put such an operation into action immediately from the sea — remarks that could be taken as tacit consent to bring nuclear arms into Japanese territory. (Japan Times)

Dollar must be more than convenient to run global economy

The dollar is strengthening against all major currencies except the yen. That the currency of the nation where the subprime crisis originated — and where the Big Three automakers are begging for federal help to survive — should get stronger appears strange. Why is this happening? (Japan Times)

Japan's global invisibility

Friends of Japan abroad understand why Japanese politicians often assume a low profile in international relations. When they don't — as when paying much-publicized official visits to Yasukuni Shrine or taking a recalcitrant position on whaling — they attract criticism. Japan has nevertheless managed since World War II to produce a number of prime ministers with personality who knew how to get on with foreign politicians, and to ensure that due account is taken of Japanese interests and that Japan exercises its rightful role in the world. (Japan Times)

BOJ matches U.S. rate cut

The Bank of Japan's move and a government report last week point to the rapid deterioration of Japan's economy. The central bank cut the target rate for unsecured overnight call money from 0.3 percent to 0.1 percent. This followed a cut on Oct. 31 — which was the first in roughly 7 1/2 years — from 0.5 percent to 0.3 percent. The global economic slowdown triggered by the financial meltdown in the United States is walloping Japan's manufacturing industry, represented by carmakers and electronics makers. Sales and profits are falling, and they are dismissing workers. (Japan Times)

Blackburn makes smart decision by naming Allardyce new manager

LONDON — We will probably never know why Sunderland did not consider Sam Allardyce to be the right man to succeed Roy Keane, who resigned (by mobile phone text to chairman Niall Quinn) earlier this month. By virtue of the fact Allardyce was not offered the job at the Stadium of Light — he was the favorite with the bookmakers — presumably Sunderland did not think he was suitable, for whatever reasons. (Japan Times)

Filipino caregivers face hurdles

MANILA — Filipino caregiver Stella Lelis trained in Japan for three years and speaks basic Japanese. Like thousands of Filipino nurses and caregivers, the 28-year-old hopes to be among the first batch who will be allowed to care for Japan's seniors. (Japan Times)

NPO chief helping out other charities

Daigo Sato, the man who founded the NPO that set up Japan's first political internship program, Dot-JP, 10 years ago, has embarked on a new mission this year to help the nonprofit organizations themselves. In May, Sato established Charity Platform, the first NPO in the country to act as an intermediary for other NPOs. His aim is to help the more than 35,000 NPOs in Japan raise funds by linking them with companies looking to contribute to society. (Japan Times)

Bullet found in car's license plate

NAHA, Okinawa Pref. (Kyodo) A metal object found in the front license plate of a car in the town of Kin, Okinawa Prefecture, "through visual inspection only, appears to be a steel core penetrator of a .50-caliber bullet," the U.S. Marine Corps said Friday in a statement. "There is no clear evidence showing any connection between this piece and any recent marine corps training activity," the statement added, however. (Japan Times)

Food maker detects aflatoxin in Thai rice, prevents shipment

A highly carcinogenic toxin was detected in Thai rice imported by Japan in June and sold to a domestic processed food maker, the farm ministry said Friday. The revelation marks the first time aflatoxin, a poisonous substance produced by fungi, has been found in rice imported for edible use. (Japan Times)

Diet enacts child insurance law

The Diet enacted a law Friday that will allow young children denied health insurance to get short-term access to coverage. A bill to revise the national health insurance law, proposed by three opposition parties — the Democratic Party of Japan, the Social Democratic Party and Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) — unanimously cleared the House of Councilors with backing from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. (Japan Times)

Subsidies offered to back youth farmer-training program

A new subsidy program that will cover part of the costs to train around 1,000 young job seekers for farm work was unveiled Friday by farm minister Shigeru Ishiba. The program to train mainly people below the age of 40 is partly aimed at helping the unemployed find farming jobs amid the deteriorating employment conditions, officials of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said. (Japan Times)

Komazawa University axes exec over losses

Komazawa University in Tokyo said Friday it dismissed its executive administrative director, Nobuo Miyamoto, on Thursday following a reported ¥15.4 billion loss from derivatives trading. Four other members of the executive board have announced their intention to resign, but the university said they will remain in their posts for the time being to "avoid confusion" before the university's February entrance exams. (Japan Times)

McDonald's first restaurant chain to surpass ¥500 billion in sales

McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) said Thursday that sales at its network of shops are likely to top ¥500 billion in the 2008 business year, making it the first restaurant chain in Japan to surpass half a trillion yen in annual sales. The U.S. fast food chain opened its first shop in Japan in Tokyo's posh Ginza district in July 1971. (Japan Times)

Zero growth forecast for '09

The government offered a sobering outlook on the economy Friday, slashing its forecasts to zero growth in real gross domestic product for fiscal 2009, and a 0.8 percent contraction for 2008 ending in March. Its previous GDP outlook, made in July, was for real growth of 1.3 percent and nominal growth of 0.3 percent. (Japan Times)

Slump to send Toyota to first loss in 59 years

NAGOYA (Kyodo) Toyota Motor Corp. is expected to report an unconsolidated operating loss in the fiscal year through March amid a widening slump in global auto sales and the yen's sharp appreciation against the dollar, sources said Friday. It will be the first time Toyota has reported an unconsolidated loss on a full-year basis since fiscal 1949. (Japan Times)

BOJ reduces key interest rate to 0.1%

The Bank of Japan cut its key interest rate to 0.1 percent from 0.3 percent Friday in the face of pressure to take a bold step to check the yen's rise and provide more liquidity to cash-strapped firms amid the deepening recession. Speculation had been rife that the BOJ would cut the rate, the second cut in seven weeks, since the U.S. Federal Reserve Board adopted a near-zero interest rate policy this week to stem further financial turmoil. (Japan Times)

Zimbabwe's nightmare worsens

In the last few years, Zimbabwe has suffered through an economic crisis that has impoverished the entire nation, the destruction of its agriculture sector, and the theft of elections that its citizens had hoped would end the country's mismanagement. Incredibly, however, the situation continues to deteriorate. An internationally mediated power-sharing proposal appears to be unraveling and a cholera epidemic is sweeping the country. The United Nations says the epidemic has killed about 1,000 people and up to 18,000 others have been infected. Yet Zimbabwe's leaders appear to be digging in — oblivious to the extraordinary costs their misrule is having on the country. President Robert Mugabe claims that the epidemic is over. (Japan Times)

Scenic cliffs drawing suicidal idled part-timers

An increasing number of part-time workers thrown out of their jobs because of the recession and with nowhere else to go are heading to Tojinbo, a popular sightseeing destination — and suicide spot — in Fukui Prefecture, according to a local nonprofit organization. The NPO, which regularly patrols the site, says that in November it talked six people out of jumping from Tojinbo's famous cliffs overlooking the Sea of Japan. (Japan Times)

Singing the bluefin tuna blues

IKI, Nagasaki Pref. — On a gloomy day pregnant with rain and the weight of past expectations, Minoru Nakamura is welcomed back to port like a conquering hero. Three family generations, including Nakamura's father, Toshiaki, and newborn child, Misaki, wait ashore, smiles wide as his boat returns. (Japan Times)

Victim refused by six hospitals dies

FUKUSHIMA (Kyodo) A 79-year-old woman seriously injured in a traffic accident in Fukushima Prefecture was refused admission by six hospitals before dying, firefighters said Thursday. An ambulance arrived at the accident scene five minutes after a minivehicle struck the woman on a road in Yamatsuri at around 6:20 p.m. Wednesday. (Japan Times)

Tokyo condo supply rise seen in '09

The condominium supply in Tokyo and surrounding areas may rise for the first time in five years in 2009 after dropping to a 16-year low in 2008, the Real Estate Economic Research Institute said Thursday. The number of units on the market may increase by 11.6 percent to 47,000 from an estimated 42,102 units in 2008, the institute said in a report released through the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry. (Japan Times)

Nation's auto market could see lowest sales in 31 years: JAMA

Vehicle sales in Japan next year may fall to their lowest level in 31 years as unemployment and the economic slowdown keep drivers out of showrooms. Sales of trucks, buses, cars and minicars may fall 4.9 percent to 4.86 million vehicles from the estimated 5.11 million in 2008, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Thursday. The tally would be the lowest since 1978, when automakers sold 4.68 million units. (Japan Times)

Sharp gets LCD price-fixing fine

The Fair Trade Commission said Thursday it has ordered Sharp Corp. to pay a fine of ¥261.07 million by March 19 for allegedly fixing prices with Hitachi Displays Ltd. for liquid crystal display modules used in Nintendo Co. game consoles. While the FTC did not levy a fine on Hitachi Displays, both companies were given a cease-and-desist order. Sharp said it may challenge the order. (Japan Times)

Department store sales fell 6.4% in November

Department store sales shrank 6.4 percent in November from the year before on a same-store basis amid the deepening economic crisis, extending their downtrend for the ninth straight month, an industry body said Thursday. Total sales came to ¥649.13 billion, the Japan Department Stores Association said. (Japan Times)

Bonuses at big firms drop this winter

Bonuses at major companies averaged ¥889,064 this winter, down 0.36 percent from last year and posting the first fall in six years, the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) said. Bonuses were cut at many firms where labor unions and management held negotiations after the fall, when signs of economic deceleration and falls in corporate earnings became conspicuous amid the U.S. financial turmoil, according to the nation's most influential big-business group. (Japan Times)

Yen casts shadow over BOJ

The Bank of Japan began a two-day policy meeting Thursday amid growing speculation that it may cut its key interest rate to prop up the country's flagging economy as the yen keeps rising relative to the dollar. The BOJ Policy Board meeting comes as the government steps up pressure on the central bank to conduct additional measures to provide liquidity in financial markets and facilitate corporate financing to ward off the fallout from the global credit crunch. (Japan Times)

Chinese reporters push bad-news envelope

HONG KONG — Strange things are happening in the Chinese media. Articles that would normally be expected to be censored have appeared in the establishment press, exposing the possibly illegal behavior of Communist Party officials. For example, the Beijing News, a state-owned newspaper, recently ran a story accusing officials in Xintai township in Shandong province of incarcerating in a psychiatric institution people with grievances against the local authorities who wanted to petition the central government in Beijing. (Japan Times)

An ex-president heads for trial

Taiwan's former president, Mr. Chen Shui-bian, was indicted on corruption charges last week. This is a shocking development in the career of a man who campaigned on a pledge to clean up Taiwan's politics. In the