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COMMENTARY
Apr 11, 2012

Why Japan and U.S. should ban the death penalty

Japan's decision to hang three prisoners after nearly two years without executions has been severely criticized by Amnesty International, which calls it a "retrograde step." Justice Minister Toshio Ogawa authorized the executions of three men, stating that this was his "duty" as minister. "Justifying...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2012

European Court of Human Rights is a necessity

At a time when the ongoing European debt crisis is fracturing public faith in the continent's political and economic institutions, one would expect Europe's leaders to strengthen as many unifying symbols as they can.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2012

Debate growing over 'local' reactor consent

Dissent between those inside Fukui Prefecture who want two reactors in the town of Oi restarted quickly and those in adjacent prefectures who want to wait for stronger safety measures or are opposed altogether, highlights the dilemma Tokyo faces in obtaining local consent.
BUSINESS
Apr 7, 2012

Japan-like fertility rate, aging population pose threats to China

The rapid aging of China's population poses a serious threat to the country's future growth and social security, and policy actions need to be taken now to deal with the repercussions in the coming decades, said a senior Chinese scholar from Shanghai.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2012

Dark days for the Jewish community in Europe

Rabbi Shneur Kesselman estimates that he has been the victim of 100 or so anti-Semitic confrontations since he arrived in the southern Swedish city of Malmö in 2004. The latest was just last week when some young immigrants in a car spotted him on his way home after the evening service at the synagogue....
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Apr 3, 2012

Keene should engage brain before fueling 'flyjin,' foreign crime myths

Congratulations to Donald Keene, who was granted Japanese citizenship last month with great media fanfare. At 89 years young and after a lifetime contributing to world scholarship on Japan, he truly deserves it.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2012

3/11 cast a spotlight on the importance of international cooperation: Sadako Ogata

The March 2011 disasters have increased Japanese awareness of international cooperation, says Sadako Ogata, and the departing president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency hopes this will lead the government to play a larger role in assisting developing nations.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 30, 2012

Fire in veteran Miyamoto still burning strong

There were a handful of NPB players in their 40s last season, and they performed at varying states of effectiveness.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 29, 2012

Ex-pitcher Hasegawa offers insight on Ichiro, Mariners

In the final week of March, they're usually playing the preseason games. So why give 100 percent at this time of a year?
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2012

Bill passed to lift temp workers' lot but no manufacturer dispatch ban

The Diet passed a bill Wednesday to amend the Workers Dispatch Law, aiming to improve the working conditions of temporary employees.
COMMENTARY
Mar 28, 2012

The symmetry of slaughter

After Mohamed Merah died in a hail of French police bullets last Thursday, people who had known him talked about "a polite and courteous boy" who liked "cars, bikes, sports and girls." His friends had trouble believing that he had murdered seven people, including three children, in a 10-day killing spree...
COMMENTARY
Mar 27, 2012

Bizarre logic of America's 'freedom' campaign

The Afghans are a proud people with a long and formidable history of resistance to foreign occupation. The fact that they have always prevailed should not distract from the horror they still routinely experience.
EDITORIALS
Mar 27, 2012

Ensure justice in Mr. Ozawa's trial

The proceedings of the trial of former Democratic Party of Japan leader Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, which began in October, ended March 19 as he entered his final plea of innocence and his defense counsel made its closing arguments. On March 9, court-appointed lawyers acting as prosecutors had demanded three years'...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 27, 2012

Kawasaki's personality winning over Mariners

Without his familiar jet-black hair, Munenori Kawasaki looked more like a high schooler than a major leaguer as he sat between Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge and catcher Miguel Olivo.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 22, 2012

"Centenary of Venanzo Crocetti's Birth"

Italian sculptor Venanzo Crocetti (1913-2003) is best known for his figures cast in bronze, and in particular for his bronze relief "The Door of Sacraments" at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 22, 2012

"Centenary of Venanzo Crocetti's Birth"

Italian sculptor Venanzo Crocetti (1913-2003) is best known for his figures cast in bronze, and in particular for his bronze relief "The Door of Sacraments" at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2012

Is Burma's reintegration with the West for real?

In a world beset by war, ethnic conflict and humanitarian disasters, Burma (aka Myanmar) seems one of those rare places where diplomats can say they are making a positive difference.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 13, 2012

New Zealander loses legal fight over crippling med addiction

When Wayne Douglas arrived home in New Zealand from Japan in early 2001, his own mother didn't recognize him at the airport.
COMMENTARY
Mar 12, 2012

Fear and consequences of defense budget cuts

It turns out that "budget sequestration," portrayed as an evenhanded way to spur bipartisan negotiations over budget deficits, is actually a dagger aimed at defense spending. The president and other top administration officials have said the automatic spending cuts required by sequestration are "bad...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2012

Turkey moving to ensure religious rights for all

After decades of official neglect and mistrust, Turkey has taken several steps to ensure the rights of the country's non-Muslim religious minorities, and thus guarantee that the rule of law is applied equally for all Turkish citizens, regardless of individuals' religion, ethnicity or language.
Reader Mail
Mar 11, 2012

If you really need a seat, say so

Regarding the March 4 Kyodo article "Elderly force subway to rethink 'all priority seats' policy": The policy of setting aside priority seats on trains is often criticized for reinforcing discriminatory attitudes toward the elderly and pregnant women, as the system literally demarcates and even isolates...

Longform

Ayumi Matsuki, a priestess at Yoshiwara Shrine, shows off some "o-mamori" charms. She says visitors to the shrine have increased since the NHK drama “Unbound” began airing this month.
Tracing Tsutaya Juzaburo, Edo’s media maverick