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COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Apr 7, 2009

Why don't my parents count as members of the family?

Dear Ministry of Justice,
Japan Times
LIFE / CLOSE-UP
Apr 5, 2009

Hiroshi Mikitani: Retail revolutionary

On a bitterly cold mid-February day, in the midst of an even harsher economic climate, Hiroshi Mikitani — founder, president and CEO of one of Japan's largest online retailers, Rakuten Inc. — shook off a slight cold to announce at a concise news conference that in fiscal 2008 his company had achieved...
CULTURE / Art
Apr 3, 2009

Going postcolonial, seeking 'altermodern'

Born in Calabar, Nigeria, in 1963 and now dean of academic affairs at the San Francisco Art Institute, Okwui Enwezor has organized a number of seminal exhibitions of contemporary art. In 2001, the internationally touring exhibition "The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa,...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL: KEYES' POINT
Apr 1, 2009

Being a sukebe na sensei is tougher than it looks

"Why don't you get a divorce? (早く離婚したら, Hayaku rikon shitara?)."
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 26, 2009

Piracy and the Constitution

Once again the issue of Japanese contributions to international security efforts is the subject of tortured debate. And once again the proposed government policy, and aspects of the debate itself, reveals fundamental misunderstanding of the relationship between Article 9 of the Constitution and the relevant...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Mar 22, 2009

Holm on the rebound with Sendai after tough year

The Japan Times will be featuring periodic interviews with players in the bj-league — Japan's first professional basketball circuit — which began its fourth season in October. Chris Holm of the Sendai 89ers is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 21, 2009

From box office hit to the serenity of temples

Vampires and yoga seldom appear in the same sentence — except when talking about Fran Rubel Kuzui.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Mar 17, 2009

Feisty Johjima shoots from the hip

SAN DIEGO — We all know how outspoken Kenji Johjima can be. He never gives noncommittal, harmless words in front of the media. Instead, he replies with unexpected answers.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2009

Building markets we need

VIENNA — The greatest challenge of the current global financial crisis is the seeming impossibility of comprehending and managing its diversity. Indeed, the way problems are proliferating appears almost uncontrollable. Plans to meet the crisis, in country after country, have been revamped and restructured...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 11, 2009

Nakasone predicts major changes in politics

Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, who still exerts much influence in Japanese politics at the age of 90, hailed Ichiro Ozawa in an interview toward the end of last year as "having gained dignity, insight and stature during the past year" as the man qualified to lead his Democratic Party of Japan...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2009

Lessons from history for abduction policy

To the delight of the Aso administration, Hillary Clinton not only first made Japan her first foreign visit as U.S. secretary of state, but she met with families of Japanese abducted by North Korea. Unfortunately, by giving the impression that she agrees with Japan, her gesture may prevent a much-needed...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2009

DPJ's way out is to pick new boss

The Tuesday arrest of Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa's chief secretary was an unexpected blow for the largest opposition party but observers say the damage can still be contained ahead of a general election later this year — if Ozawa quits his post.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / GLOBAL ECONOMY SYMPOSIUM
Mar 3, 2009

Financial burdens will continue dollar's long-term decline

The dollar is likely to be on a downtrend over the long term as the United States faces a massive fiscal burden from its efforts to recover from the financial crisis and to pay for its wars overseas, experts told a recent seminar in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2009

Pope should reflect on his universal mission

HONG KONG — Is the pope Catholic! This, of course, is a fabled American rhetorical expression, usually used sarcastically and meaning, how could you be so stupid as to doubt something?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 28, 2009

'Hafu' focuses on whole individual

"I always found it really strange," says Natalie Maya Willer, 30, a photographer based in London, "how I thought I could spot half-Japanese people in the street. . . . Then at the same time, with me not really looking Japanese, I also wondered if there really isn't a half-Japanese look after all!"
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2009

New game pokes fun at Nakagawa

A game developer is cashing in on former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa, who resigned following an allegedly drunken appearance at a news conference at the end of the Group of Seven meeting in Rome earlier this month.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 15, 2009

The meaning of life through its purpose

When it comes to religion, there are two types of rational minds: those who believe that faith is all smoke and mirrors, and those who, though rejecting that which is miraculous or supposition, see in the teachings of prophets, saints and other holy figures, incomparably valuable kernels of truth.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2009

U.S. expert urges death penalty rethink

While 80 percent of the Japanese public is in favor of capital punishment, support for executions would drop if life without parole sentences were also an option, according to an American criminologist who visited Tokyo recently.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 8, 2009

New law may backfire on victims

In December, a new law went into effect allowing victims of crimes and their families to participate in trial proceedings. Previously, victims were virtually shut out of criminal courts unless they were called on to provide testimony. Under the new law, they may sit next to prosecutors during trials,...
EDITORIALS
Feb 4, 2009

Japanese thinker from the Gulag

On Aug. 9, 1945, the Soviet Army started invading Manchukuo, a puppet state of the Japanese military in today's Northeast China, violating the Japan-Soviet Neutrality Pact. Many Japanese, both civilians and soldiers, perished there and the Soviet Union took many Japanese to labor camps in Siberia and...
COMMENTARY
Feb 3, 2009

Aso deserves high praise

Allow me to cite from a private conversation held with former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi around the summer of 2004, following the the Upper House election in July and ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle in September. I had made two requests of Koizumi: Revise the government's interpretation of the Constitution...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2009

Pros and cons of the euro at 10

PALO ALTO, Calif. — The beginning of 2009 will long be remembered for terrible economic news and controversial economic policy in virtually every country. It also marks the 10th anniversary of the euro, the common currency further knitting together several hundred million Europeans in their economic...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 31, 2009

Figuring out what Benitez means is no easy task

LONDON — As Liverpool has lost only one Premier League game this season and trails leader Manchester United by two points, you would think everything is rosy in the Anfield garden.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2009

U.S. chance to make fresh start in the Muslim world

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — President Barack Obama was the world's favored candidate in what was America's first global election. The key question is how the Obama administration will tap this rare good will to re-establish U.S. credibility and repair its reputation. How Obama manages issues in the Muslim world...
COMMENTARY
Jan 20, 2009

Obama and the alliance

Under the Bush administration, the Japan-U.S. alliance has undergone a quiet but important transformation in the eyes of most Japanese people: It has become a global alliance instead of a regional or bilateral one.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 18, 2009

Dialing up the decider one last time before he leaves the Oval Office

With only days left in office for the 43rd president of the United States of America, George W. Bush, I decided, on a lark — or a duck, if you will — to Skype the soon to be ex-commander in chief to find out what preoccupies his thoughts as he bids us a solemn farewell. I want to share this very...
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2009

Crime victims get their say

A new system has started in which crime victims or bereaved family members of crime victims can take part in criminal proceedings. They sit with public prosecutors and can question defendants and express their opinions about sentencing. The system represents a great change to Japan's judicial system,...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 9, 2009

Benoit keeping Broncos focused

The Saitama Broncos have become a playoff-caliber team under the watchful eye of former NBA player David Benoit.
Japan Times
JAPAN / THE MANY FACES OF CITIZENSHIP
Jan 5, 2009

A convenience in peace becomes matter of conflict in war

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