Are you too fat for Japan? Concerned about the prospect of an aging nation afflicted with cardiovascular disease and diabetes, Japanese lawmakers have set a maximum waistline size for anyone age 40 and older.
Japan 
The correct way to eat sushi
A charmingly illustrated do-and-don’t guide to getting the most out of your sushi-eating, without offending your Japanese host. Always dip fish-side down, don’t mix wasabi in the soy sauce, and don’t stick your chopstick in the rice.
How Hello Kitty got her paws all over the world
Japan’s favourite feline, Hello Kitty, is celebrating her 35th birthday. The LA Times looks at how one cool cat went from a cute Japanese decal to a global phenom, complete with a theme park, TV series and restaurant.
Only in Japan: the Windows 7 Whopper
In an bizarre cross-marketing campaign, Burger King in Japan has created a special Whopper to celebrate the release of Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system, featuring seven quarter-pound beef patties.
revealed 
The Middle East’s secret plan to bring down the dollar
Arab states, along with China, Japan, Russia and France, have been holding secret meetings to plot a move from doing oil deals in US dollars, instead moving to a mix of the yen, yuan, euro, gold and a new, unified Arab currency.
Japan’s Sarah Palin Party
The Democratic Party of Japan has come under fire for recruiting young, attractive, female candidates, with little political or life experience — including a former erotic film star — in what critics see as a cheap and shameless attempt to broaden its appeal to voters.
Mein Kampf: the manga edition
A comic edition of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf has become a hit in Japan, with 45,000 copies being sold in six months. The manga editions of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and Marx’s Das Kapital have been less popular.
busted The cruel craziness of Japan’s death row
It’s not just innocent people on death row that has Amnesty giving the Japanese legal system a swerve. Prisoners are being driven clinically insane and then executed anyway.
Question Time: is a long-winded answer better than a punch in the face?
Let’s turn to other democracies for inspiring tips on how to keep Question Time proceedings moving in a civilised way. Best to avoid South Korea though, writes Crikey intern Nina Nicoll.
Japan to cut emissions by 25%
Japan’s incoming PM Yukio Hatoyama has vowed to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by the year 2020, putting the country at the forefront of the fight against climate change. Now Japan has made the first leap, will other countries in the region *cough*Australia*cough* follow?
Malcolm Turnbull’s Japanese lesson
There is a local lesson to be learned from the Japanese election result. Like what happens when a party’s long-term decline has been masked by one leader’s success…
A sinking economy in the land of the rising sun
For all the talk of “change” in the wake of Japan’s election, one thing will remain the same: the country’s economic woes, with growing national debt and few innovative ideas from the incoming Democratic Party oh how to tame it.
Change Japan can believe in
After almost 54 years of uninterrupted rule by the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan, the winds of change swept the Democratic Party of Japan to an overwhelming victory in yesterday’s election.
Meet Japan’s new Prime Minister
The Guardian profiles Japan’s new Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, heir to a political dynasty and now a strong mandate from the Japanese public. Yet, according to one expert, expectations are not high for him as a leader.
Sheridan: Japan’s election could be pivotal for Australia
Japan is Australia’s largest export market and the biggest Asian investor in Australia. Will Japan’s big moment of change be one for Australia, too? asks Greg Sheridan.
Young swinging Japanese voters cause landslides
Young Japanese voters — middle class, university educated, nonchalant about politics 30 somethings — often turn out to be the biggest decider of Japanese elections.
Political snippets: Japan’s election gets underway
The Japanese election action begins, Kevin Rudd can’t win on China, the insanity of the US health care debate, the politics of caged eggs, old stoners still puffing away, and more from the mind of Richard Farmer.
Big Government hiding an inconvenient truth
If you believe Nobel-Prize winning New York Times commentator Paul Krugman, we’ve all been saved by the state and their quick thinking Big Government. Except, the worst may not be over.
No hero for North Korea’s other foreign prisoners
It was a fairy tale ending for the two American journalists detained in North Korea, when former President Bill Clinton swooped in to save them. But for the 1000 South Koreans and 20 Japanese being held by the secretive state, there is no such knight in shining armour.
Japan’s secret dolphin slaughter
A new documentary, The Cove, exposes the thriving but clandestine Japanese dolphin meat market. The film’s creators, photographer Louie Psihoyos and animal activist Ric O’Barry explain how they infiltrated the industry.
What is it with the Japanese and robots?
It seems every few years, Japanese engineers roll out a headline-grabbing new robot, yet the robotics industry is yet to really take off. Are they just playing out Astro Boy-fueled fantasies, or is Japan getting a foothold in the next big tech market?
Shanghai surprise spooks the market
Yesterday’s drop in the Chinese stockmarket means all eyes will be glued to it today, while Japan’s recovery is continuing, but may run out of puff.
Japan’s big plans for solar energy
Partly spurred by the loss of dominance in the solar industry, Japan has plans for widespread deployment of solar PV technologies to push the price of solar energy down to the same as conventional energy.
Japan faces political upheaval
With Japan’s Prime Minister Taro Aso dissolving Parliament for a new election, the country faces an end to the 54-year reign of the Liberal Democratic party. But with an opposition party that lacks a clear mandate or agenda, the future looks stormy for the land of the rising sun.
Video of the Day: Get ready for work in 5 minutes, Japanese-style
A typical Monday morning for an respectable Crikey worker looks a little like this. We love the necku tayu.
