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EDITORIALS
Jan 7, 2008

Welcome to $100 oil

It did not take long for the price of oil to reach $100 a barrel in 2008. Rising demand, geopolitical instability and a falling dollar have all contributed to the soaring price of crude. None of these factors is likely to diminish: High prices are here to stay.
EDITORIALS
Jan 7, 2008

North Korea misses another deadline

It was inevitable, really: Pyongyang missed the yearend deadline to declare its nuclear programs and facilities and disable nuclear facilities at Yongbyon. Instead, it railed against the United States, demanding that it end its "hostile policies" toward North Korea. North Korea's prevarications are not...
COMMENTARY
Jan 6, 2008

Embodiment of Pakistan's paradoxes

LOS ANGELES — A gift given to me years ago from Benazir Bhutto, an elegantly decorated wood jewelry box slathered in glossy lacquer, still adorns a sideboard in our home.
Reader Mail
Jan 6, 2008

Deafness to survivors' stories

Regarding Misao Nakayama's Dec. 29 letter, "Korean workers not used as slaves": What term would Nakayama prefer to use than "slave" to avoid having the truth told once again? How many Koreans have told Nakayama that they were "happy" to work for the Japanese government (during World War II)?
Reader Mail
Jan 6, 2008

Sexual division of labor

In the Jan. 1 Zeit Gist article, "Seeking life in balance," writer Michael Hassett says some insightful things about policymakers' responses to the birthrate decline. But he misses one important factor -- the "rational decision-making" of women concerning their fertility. In cultures throughout the world,...
EDITORIALS
Jan 5, 2008

Gloomy economic outlook

The economic outlook for Japan in 2008 is not bright. The Japanese economy faces a variety of factors that are likely to place a drag on its growth, such as the steep rises in oil prices and the expected slowdown of the U.S. economy due to the subprime mortgage crisis. In fact, the Organization for Economic...
CULTURE / Music
Jan 4, 2008

Linda Thompson "Versatile Heart"

When she and Richard Thompson were setting the standard for English folk rock in the 1970s, Linda Thompson was burdened with interpreting her husband's songs of "doom and gloom." Twenty-five years after their divorce, and two albums into a late comeback, Linda finally seems to be lightening up, at least...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2008

Waseda grad school to groom true newshounds

There is no doubt that Japan has produced its share of top-notch journalists: noted political writer Takashi Tachibana, war photographer Ryuichi Hirokawa and videographer Kenji Nagai, who was shot dead in September while reporting close up on the unrest in Myanmar, to cite but a few.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Jan 4, 2008

Ballet Russes

Directors: Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2008

Becalmed Hokkaido prays for G8 wind

TOYAKO, Hokkaido — Lined with traditional merchant homes, wholesalers and other historical buildings dating to the 17th century, Inishie (Antiquity) Street stretches 1.1 km from north to south in the Japan Sea coastal town of Esashi in Hiyama, southwestern Hokkaido.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jan 3, 2008

Hot tickets: Art

Twilight of the Turbulent Gods Long known for photographs in which he transforms himself into Western culture's feminine icons — from Mona Lisa to Marilyn Monroe — Yasumasa Morimura decided two years ago it was time to tackle the male "realm of politics and war."
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2008

What the U.S. presidential hopefuls see when they look East

OSAKA — The Iowa caucus kicks off Thursday in what is expected to be a hard-fought battle for the U.S. presidency. The November election itself will end the era of George W. Bush and offer the victor a chance to reshape America's role internationally.
Japan Times
JAPAN / THIS FOREIGN LAND
Jan 1, 2008

Inevitably, newcomers play growing role

This is the first in a four-part series focusing on issues confronting Japan's growing foreign communities and their increasing impact on society as a whole.
EDITORIALS
Dec 31, 2007

The falsity of 2007

The kanji for the Japanese word "nise," meaning fake or false, has been chosen by the Kyoto-based Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation as the kanji that most appropriately defines domestic events in 2007. Unveiled at Kiyomizu Temple in the ancient capital, the choice underscores flawed ways of thinking...
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Dec 31, 2007

Fukuda keeps thaw with China on track

JINAN, China — Shinzo Abe's trip to China as prime minister in October 2006 was dubbed "the ice-breaking trip" to mend diplomatic relations damaged by predecessor Junichiro Koizumi. Then came Premier Wen Jiabao's "thawing-ice visit" to Japan last April.
Reader Mail
Dec 30, 2007

Korean workers not used as slaves

Regarding Joergen Jensen's Dec. 25 letter, "Japanese aren't the only victims": Koreans were not forced to work as slaves during World War II. Koreans had Japanese nationalities in those days, since Korea had been annexed to Japan in 1910. So they had the same duties as the Japanese had.
Reader Mail
Dec 30, 2007

Precursor of future assaults

Having suffered the tyranny of the Japanese Immigration Department for the past 40 years, I was bemused recently when experiencing firsthand the Justice Ministry's new electronic photo and fingerprinting impediments in action at Okayama International airport as I returned from a business trip to Beijing. ...
Reader Mail
Dec 30, 2007

Christianity's big impact on Japan

As one interested in the history of Christians in Japan, I was excited to see Michael Hoffman's "From Bliss to blood" articles on Dec. 23. Unfortunately, I was sad to see that he had very little to say beyond the common assumed stereotype of Christianity in Japan -- both past and present.
EDITORIALS
Dec 30, 2007

Foundation for better ties

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's visit to Beijing has shown that Japan and China have almost completely overcome the chilly bilateral relations caused by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine, Japan's war shrine.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 30, 2007

Need something to read in the new year?

THE GIFT OF RAIN by Tan Twan Eng (Myrmidon)
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD
Dec 30, 2007

From start to sale in 15 secs

What looks like NASA's mission-control center is actually the world's biggest, most high-tech car auction.

Longform

The sun shines from behind a waving Philippine flag at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
Eighty years after the Battle of Manila, old foes forge new ties