Search - opinion

 
 
CULTURE / Books
Mar 20, 2011

Black ink, red blood

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRESS NETWORKS OF EAST ASIA, 1918-1945, by Peter O'Connor. Global Oriental, 2010, 381 pp., £61 (hardcover) In the pre- and early war years, the big three newspapers at the center of the networks in Japan were The Japan Times, Japan Advertiser and the Japan Chronicle.
Reader Mail
Mar 20, 2011

Rare throwback to 19th century

Regarding the March 16 article "Ishihara sorry for quake gaffe": Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's remark suggesting that the earthquake-tsunami in northeast Japan was "divine punishment" against the Japanese for egoism shocked me.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2011

Finding a way to make industrial policy work

GENEVA — Industrial policy (IP) is back — or rather, back in fashion. Of course, it never really went away, even in countries formally adhering to free-market principles. But the postcrisis world — in which government intervention in the economy has gained greater legitimacy — will see more of...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 13, 2011

Japan's future is hardly predictable

So this is how history is made. An astonishing phenomenon. Suddenly we are all lifted as by a whirlwind out of our individual, quotidian, petty concerns, into something larger, much larger. Only one name does it justice: Revolution.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 13, 2011

Traditional paddies are great ecosystems

Japan's rice-farming areas face two broad trends: field abandonment and farm modernization. Both impact the environment as well as the economy.
EDITORIALS
Mar 13, 2011

Centennial for an artist

Japanese artist Taro Okamoto died in 1996 at the age of 84, but his ever-young artworks and attitude toward life are gathering new attention 100 years since his birth in 1911. What would have been his 100th birthday on Feb. 26 was commemorated with a Google-logo homage to Okamoto, original music at an...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 13, 2011

Has rice farming passed its expiry date in Japan?

Atsuo Aoki doesn't appear to be an irrational man. At 52, he works in the banking division of the Japan Agricultural Cooperative (JA) in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, an old castle city at the foot of the Japan Alps about three hours by rail north of Tokyo. He lives there with his wife and three children...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 11, 2011

Get ready to switch chairs

Prime Minister Naoto Kan will likely have to decide whether to call a general election or to resign as early as next month as his popularity continues to plummet.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2011

Toyota sets profit goal of ¥1 trillion

Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda said Wednesday the auto giant aims to earn more than ¥1 trillion in group operating profit as soon as possible as it tries to rebound from a record loss two years ago when it was hit by the global economic downturn and massive recalls.
Reader Mail
Mar 6, 2011

Study materials could be better

I enjoyed the Feb. 26 article "Are schools ready for English?" But by the looks of the photographed open book (presented as an example of the teaching materials to be used), my answer to the question posed by the headline would be NO!
BASKETBALL
Mar 6, 2011

Sojourner says JBL superiority just a myth

The ongoing debate about how to improve Japan's basketball, from the elementary school level to the professional ranks, has produced a number of different viewpoints. The one thing that most people agree on is that the current approach isn't working to create a powerful national team and a number of...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Mar 6, 2011

Japanese players grow in bj-league, stagnate in JBL

The simplistic, elitist viewpoint that JBL squads would dominate against bj-league foes is a flawed argument because of the differences in the way the two leagues operate. The JBL's one-foreigner quota and the bj-league's three-imports-on-the-court rule present stark contrasts in their styles of play....
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2011

S&P downgrades Toyota's rating

Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest carmaker, had its long-term debt rating cut by Standard & Poor's, which cited the company's "weak" profitability, five weeks after Japan's credit rating was lowered.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 4, 2011

Playoff battle intense in competitive West

A gripping drama is about to commence in March and April as the bj-league's top seven Western Conference teams vie for six playoff spots. What's more, the seven teams are within seven games of each other in the standings.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 2, 2011

Ono, Ghotbi confident S-Pulse will be contenders

Given the changes that have taken place at Shimizu S-Pulse over the winter, new manager Afshin Ghotbi could be forgiven for playing down expectations in Shizuoka ahead of the new season.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 1, 2011

Solving parental child abduction problem no piece of cake

The Way of Cake is mysterious and paradoxical. A master of the Way can make his neighbors feel they have filled themselves with tasty cake without ever cutting off a piece. The Way allows its disciple to step outside the boundaries of rational thought by partaking of cake while continuing to possess...
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELEMENTARY ENGLISH
Feb 26, 2011

Are schools ready for English?

Come April, English classes will become mandatory for fifth- and sixth-graders, but a 29-year-old elementary school teacher in Tokyo has heard the concerns of her overwhelmed colleagues, especially the older ones, who have neither taught the language nor studied it since their university years decades...
COMMENTARY
Feb 25, 2011

Deciphering Russian aims

The Russian prime minister's surprise visit to the Northern Territories and subsequent Russian hard position on the territorial issue have triggered a series of reactions in Japan, which in turn have hardened the Russian position and thereby spoiled Japan-Russia relations.
Reader Mail
Feb 24, 2011

Dogs have a rich emotional life

I must beg to differ with Grant Piper's views expressed in his Feb. 20 letter. From my own observations and those of a number of respected authors, it is safe to say that many animals have a very rich emotional life and are capable of higher emotions such as empathy, sadness and joy. I dare say some...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 23, 2011

Civil society must push nuke ban

Last year, important international conferences were held to tackle such pressing global challenges as climate change and nuclear disarmament. While these conferences saw the emergence of constructive new consensus, it is not enough simply to sound the alarm: The time has come for action and solidarity....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2011

ICRC operating between the lines

In July 2007, the Taliban took 23 South Korean missionaries hostage in Afghanistan and killed two of them.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2011

Top DPJ body agrees to suspend Ozawa

The top decision-making body of the Democratic Party of Japan decided Tuesday to accept a proposal to suspend Ichiro Ozawa's membership in the party, a participant in the meeting said.
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2011

Mr. Kan's dilemma

Prime Minister Naoto Kan held a one-on-one Diet debate with opposition party leaders last week — the first such debate since he came to power in June 2010. It showed that both the Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Democratic Party share a view that a consumption tax raise is necessary. But...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Feb 13, 2011

Akita's Henry learning fine points from Hasegawa

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Sek Henry of the Akita Northern Happinets is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2011

Medvedev trip wins over Kunashiri locals

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, Russia (Kyodo) Just over three months ago, President Dmitry Medvedev paid a brief visit to Kunashiri Island, becoming the first Kremlin leader to visit one of four isles off Hokkaido controlled by Moscow and long claimed by Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 10, 2011

Driving is believing: Don't trust manufacturers' mileage claims

What kind of mileage do you get in that hybrid? Depends on who you ask.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?