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COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2013

Five myths about Benghazi

The events surrounding the deaths of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012, look dramatically different depending on your politics. Republicans tend to see a cover-up and a scandal. Democrats see an attempt to damage President Barack Obama and...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 20, 2013

What the Bloomberg terminal scandal reveals about the media and its money-making ways

The chatter across the world of financial journalism over the last few days has been the story of Bloomberg reporters accessing information about subscribers of the firm's financial data service that those customers thought should remain secret. The episode contains some important lessons for how the...
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2013

Dispelling five myths about missing children

The number of missing-person cases and other crimes against children in the U.S. have been dropping. Cell phones are almost certainly part of the explanation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 14, 2013

Tokyo: What do you make of Gov. Naoki Inose's comments about Muslims and Istanbul's Olympic bid?

I think many people in Japan see all foreigners as fighting with each other, not just Muslims. But, focusing on the positives [and ignoring Inose's negative comments], I see Istanbul as the better option [to be 2020 host].
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 14, 2013

Turks in Kansai fear Inose gaffe indicative of wider ignorance about culture

'Stupid', 'shockingly provincial' and 'a sign of how little Japanese people really understand that part of the world' were among the reactions of Turkish residents in Kansai to Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose's comments about Turkey and the wider Muslim world.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2013

Problems with figuring poor countries' GDP cloud judgments about which policies work

Since we can't be sure whether one poor country's GDP is higher than another's, we should not use GDP alone to determine which policies lead to growth.
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2013

The West's absurd beliefs about Syria's needs

Western notions of channeling assistance to certain elements of the Syrian opposition are absurd, as is the concept of 'nonlethal' aid. Syria is now an enclave for extremism.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 30, 2013

Tokyo: What are the best and worst things about living in Tokyo?

I love how Tokyo is a big, chaotic mess, unlike my hometown, and I also enjoy getting lost when I am out and about, but the best thing is that I can eat and drink 24/7.
Reader Mail
Apr 28, 2013

Funny piece about 'bosozoku'

The April 18 article "Documentary chronicles disappearing world of 'bosozoku (biker gangs)" was funny! Kazuhiro Hazuki, a former gang leader, is quoted as saying he couldn't stomach the violence of being a yakuza loan shark, so he became a kick boxer.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Apr 26, 2013

Why are investors punishing Apple?

By almost any measure, Apple Inc. had an awfully good start to the year.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2013

Time for the U.S. to come clean about torture

The U.S. government's use of torture against suspected terrorists, and its failure to fully acknowledge and condemn it, makes the use of diplomacy more daunting.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 21, 2013

Views of Japan through Western films

Most readers encountering a book called 'Under Foreign Eyes: Western Cinematic Adaptations of Postwar Japan' will expect it to contain an interesting claim or claims about these Western representations of Japan, and that the claim or claims will be buttressed by sophisticated analysis of the films.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / TRAVEL INSIDER
Apr 17, 2013

Cathay Pacific Facebook quiz; SAS Munch fares to scream about; Jetstar domestic destinations

Cathay Facebook quiz
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 16, 2013

Mad court rush could brake or bless Abe's vision

As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Cabinet rush to diminish the Bank of Japan's bothersome independence, join the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations (sort of . . .), start pouring lovely, popular concrete before the summer House of Councilors elections and (sotto voce) maybe even amend the Constitution,...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2013

Five myths about the Iraq war

That the war changed Iraq into a stable and peaceful democracy is a myth. It has been left a broken and dysfunctional country. The big winner is Iran.
Reader Mail
Apr 4, 2013

Reservations about 'Abecation'

Recently we've had an earful of "Abenomics." And now it looks like (wow!) "Abecation"! While any improvement in English education in Japan should be welcome, reservations regarding the prime minister's proposals demonstrate, at best, skepticism if not mistrust.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2013

Dispelling five myths about stress

Life coaches talk about working toward emotional fitness, as if we can judge our psyches. But some ideas about stress and its risks are simply wrong.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2013

Appliance makers get serious about beauty products

'Beauty' may not be the first thing that pops into people's heads when they think about electronics, but struggling Japanese home electronics manufacturers see a great deal of promise in a range of beauty gadgets targeting women, from high-tech hair dryers to steam skin moisturizers.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 30, 2013

What sculpture reveals about sex and the Romans

Nothing is more likely to inspire us to see for ourselves than a warning about the effects of looking. Take the media interest this month when it was revealed that the British Museum's exhibition, "Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum," is to include a "parental guidance" notice. The reason? An...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2013

Five myths about Chinese hackers

The Internet, poorly secured, has been a tremendous boon for spying for every major power. Where Beijing crosses the line is in economic espionage.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 27, 2013

Chinese sentenced for military data theft

Measured in millimeters, the tiny device was designed to allow drones, missiles and rockets to hit targets without satellite guidance. An advanced version was being developed secretly for the U.S. military by a small company and L-3 Communications, a major defense contractor.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 20, 2013

Debunking five myths about Iraq

Today a new set of beliefs defines many discussions about the war in Iraq and its aftermath. Are they just as wrong as the 2003 prewar rhetoric
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 19, 2013

GIs suing Tepco for $2 billion

Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s bill for its Fukushima nuclear disaster may swell as more U.S. service members pursue claims that the utility lied about radiation levels they faced while assisting in relief efforts in fallout zones after the March 11, 2011, megaquake and tsunami disaster.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2013

Blithe as can be about the risks to everything

Due to the existence of human-induced threats, those of use living in the developed world are less secure than we think.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 6, 2013

Escort 'paid to make up tale about U.S. senator'

An escort who appeared on a video claiming that New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez paid her for sex has told Dominican authorities that she was instead paid to make up the claims and has never met or seen the senator, according to court documents and two people briefed on her claim.

Longform

Passengers that were on a morning train attacked by members of the Aum Shinrikyo group wait for medical assistance outside Kasumigaseki Station on March 20,1995.
The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo