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Reader Mail
Apr 19, 2014

Stigma comes with treatment for depression

This is in response to Michael Hoffman's April 13 Big in Japan column, " 'Big Pharma' manipulating the market? Now that's depressing." The role of pharmaceutical companies aside, we feel that the article does little to accurately discuss the complicated issue of depression and its treatment, or to dispel...
Reader Mail
Apr 19, 2014

Cultural rhetoric clouds policies

Regarding the April 16 article "Diet members dine on whale meat in defiance of ICJ ruling": Symbolizing the blatant bare-faced aggressiveness of the government, the report that Liberal Democratic Party members fed on their own hostility leaves a bitter aftertaste in the mouth.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 18, 2014

Nagoya appliance recycling drive reaps success

The city of Nagoya started collecting small household appliances for recycling in February and announced April 11 that it had received more than 31,000 kg of machinery in just two months — five times more than anticipated.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2014

Tortured POW meets his Japanese tormentor

"He is most interested in having contact with you for he has lived with many unanswered questions all these years, questions to which perhaps only you can help him to find the answers." So wrote Patricia Lomax in a letter sent from her home in England to Takashi Nagase, who at the time lived in Okayama...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 16, 2014

Noh master Gensho appears to know no bounds on stage

Noh is a performing art originally developed by and for the samurai class that has continued without a break for 700 years — a mighty span through which Umewaka Rokuro Gensho, as the 56th-generation head of the Rokuro Umewaka family, can trace his lineage.
Reader Mail
Apr 16, 2014

High hopes for special schools

Regarding the April 10 article "Ministry funds programs to hone high schoolers": The idea of Japan's education ministry injecting money into specially designated schools in line with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's growth strategy is an interesting one that, I believe, has a great deal of potential.
Reader Mail
Apr 16, 2014

Pakistan's investment potential

We regret to observe that the March 29 Mai Yamani article titled "Saudi Arabia's diplomatic pilgrimage to Pakistan" is unfounded and based on speculation and conjecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 12, 2014

Loss of after-school program in Osaka will hurt poor kids

In February, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was castigated by local media for keeping public schools open during a snowstorm. One of his reasons for not closing schools was that many parents relied on them not only to look after their kids during the day, but also to feed them. The U.S. Department of...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 12, 2014

'Big Pharma' manipulating the market? Now that's depressing

You're the entrepreneurial type, let's say, ambitious but a little unsure of yourself. What field is ripe for your energy and enthusiasm?
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 12, 2014

Weapons for peace and proactive pacifism

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has relaxed curbs on arms exports and sees great market potential in Asia. In the Pacific Century, Asia's impressive economic growth is funding expanding defense budgets, making the region the most lucrative global arms market. Alas, it is also a region of significant flash...
Reader Mail
Apr 12, 2014

Brother Russia, Ukraine diverge on key values

Regarding the April 9 Bloomberg article “U.S. labels some eastern Ukraine protesters as ‘paid provocateurs’”: As a Ukrainian now living in Tokyo with my Japanese wife, I have been following events back home since the protests late last year against a corrupt government and the subsequent ouster...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 11, 2014

Asao takes helm of Your Party

Your Party formally appoints Secretary-General Keiichiro Asao as its new president to replace founder Yoshimi Watanabe, who exited amid an ¥800 million loan scandal.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 11, 2014

Bike can turn into wheelchair if disaster strikes

Junji Nagayama, the head of a heavy equipment delivery company in Nagoya, has developed a bicycle that, in just a few minutes, can be transformed into a wheelchair.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 9, 2014

'Lady Bess' set to make grand Tokyo entrance

April 13 is a big day for theatergoers in Tokyo, as it sees the world premiere of "Lady Bess," a musical by the world-renowned team of German writer Michael Kunze and Hungarian composer Sylvester Levay, with famed hit-maker Shuichiro Koike directing.
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2014

Retailers who'll come out ahead

Regarding the April 4 Jiji article "Tax hike to spur retailing industry shakeout": The three-percentage-point rise in the sales tax on April 1 was a rather earthshaking event, leaving Japanese shoppers and retailers groping for balance in the new market. Consumers are hesitant to buy as they gauge its...
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2014

Shock and awe over portraits

Regarding the April 6 AP article "Portraits by George W. Bush go on display": I wonder if former U.S. President George W. Bush is very happy with the self-portrait he did [displayed with the portraits of other world leaders in an exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas]....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2014

Your Party chief Watanabe to quit amid scandal

Your Party leader Yoshimi Watanabe says he will step down as president of the minor opposition party due to the loan scandal swirling about him.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2014

LDP gropes for clarity on collective defense rewrite

The Liberal Democratic Party is moving ahead fast in talks to lift the nation's self-imposed restrictions on collective self-defense as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe continues his quest for a more proactive role in the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 7, 2014

New SDF unit shores up thinly protected cyberborders

Japan has embarked on an effort to improve cybersecurity as an ever-increasing number of sophisticated computer viruses threaten to endanger national security.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Apr 6, 2014

Skymark unveils controversial uniform

Skymark Airlines Inc.'s miniskirt uniform for cabin attendants has drawn fire from a group of cabin attendants who claim it will disturb operations and possibly induce sexual harassment.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 5, 2014

Lessons of Fukushima: Reactor restarts are unwise

Kyle Cleveland, my colleague at Temple University Japan, recently published a report in the online Asia-Pacific Journal, "Mobilizing Nuclear Bias: The Fukushima Nuclear Crisis and the Politics of Uncertainty" that has drawn widespread media attention. Based on numerous interviews with government officials,...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 4, 2014

Copenhagen Zoo opts to tell truth about life behind bars

Copenhagen Zoo, which sparked global protests over its killings of a young male giraffe and four lions, will continue to be open about its culling to show the truth about how animals are kept in captivity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 4, 2014

Chubu airport retools to attract foreign tourists

Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya has started various new services to cater to foreign visitors, including new bus services to the city, tourist information and announcements in Chinese and Korean.
BASKETBALL
Apr 3, 2014

Nara bounces back against Oita

Four Bambitious Nara players sank two 3-pointers apiece and coach Koto Toyama's club made it difficult for the Oita HeatDevils to score in bunches, salvaging a series split against the hosts on Thursday night.
Reader Mail
Apr 2, 2014

Homework for Japanese leaders

Regarding the March 27 front-page article "Abe, Park focus on North to stop ties going south": If it had not been for the urging of U.S. President Barack Obama, the meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye, on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit, probably...
Reader Mail
Apr 2, 2014

Recent death sentences in Egypt

Regarding the March 27 AP article, "Anti-Islamist fervor prompts harsh Egypt court sentences": Commenting on reactions from foreign quarters to a Minya criminal court decision referring death sentences against 529 defendants, implicated in acts of sabotage, to the Mufti of the Republic for his opinion,...
Reader Mail
Apr 2, 2014

Most restaurants still don't get it

Regarding the March 31 article "Airports eager to cater to Muslims' needs": It is good to see that Japan is catering to Muslims at airports and a few other places. But as a regular visitor to Japan, I am astounded that Japan is doing nothing for the millions of global tourists who are used to enjoying...

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
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