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COMMENTARY / World
Nov 28, 2012

Making the most of Russia's European prospects

In 1966, French President Charles de Gaulle's vision of a Europe "that stretched from the Atlantic to the Urals" was provocative. Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin has advanced an even more ambitious goal: "a common market stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific."
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Nov 27, 2012

Double-A seating power

The AA Stool is the lovely result of a collaboration between Torafu Architects and the Ishinomaki Laboratory, a platform that brings together creators in one of the hardest-hit areas during last year's earthquake and tsunami, Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture.
EDITORIALS
Nov 27, 2012

Shoring up domestic business

Semiannual settlement of accounts of listed companies covering the April-September period shows that the slowdown of the world economy, the strong yen and the deterioration of relations between Japan and China due to the dispute over the Senkaku Islands have negatively affected their business performances....
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 27, 2012

Something new for China?

Political leadership transitions typically signal either a change in direction or continuity. But the mere prospect of such a transition usually postpones some important political decisions and freezes some economic activity, pending the resolution of the accompanying uncertainty.
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Nov 27, 2012

Fukuoka: What should be the next prime minister's top three priorities?

Ian Ruxton, 56
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Nov 26, 2012

Punchy party names hark back to ignominy

So, Shintaro Ishihara, who had abruptly quit the Tokyo governorship in October, set up a political party named Taiyo no To, then merged it with Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's political party that doesn't sound like one, Nippon Ishin no Kai. Another political party that doesn't sound like one, Tachiagare...
Reader Mail
Nov 25, 2012

Have we had enough war yet?

Regarding The Washington Post article by Condoleezza Rice that ran in The Japan Times on Nov. 21 ("America must act as conflict builds in Mideast"): It has been said that the political choice in the United States is between the "Evil Party" and the "Stupid Party."
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 25, 2012

Is the whole world worrying about Japan?; "Villain"; CM of the week: Ezaki Glico

Does Japan suffer from an inferiority complex? That's one way of interpreting the title of the variety special "Nakayoshi Terebi: Nihon no Ima wo Sekaiju ga Shimpai Shite Iru zo" ("Friendly TV: The Whole World is Worrying About Japan Now"; Fuji, Tues., 7 p.m.).
Reader Mail
Nov 25, 2012

Secrecy feeds nuclear skepticism

E. Watters' Nov. 11 letter, "Scientific fact vs. unfounded fear," downplays the dangers of the Fukushima nuclear accident. While I agree that inaccurate reporting should not be the basis of decision making, interpretation of data is crucial for understanding truth.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 25, 2012

Hanyu, Mao victorious in NHK Trophy

Yuzuru Hanyu gave the hometown fans what they wanted most on Saturday — a victory by their hero at the NHK Trophy.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 25, 2012

Attitude change needed to shake up the workforce

Several weeks ago the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, hung around briefly after the IMF finished up its annual meeting — which happened to be in Tokyo this year — and appeared on a special hourlong edition of NHK's in-depth news show "Closeup Gendai." The topic was working...
Reader Mail
Nov 25, 2012

Core element of communism

Jim Makin's Nov. 15 letter, "The inner heart of an ideology," lectures readers about reason, but it contains claims that are anything but rational or factual. For starters, Makin seeks to shift blame for atheist violence and bloodshed by buying into the idea that atheism's political and societal manifestation...
CULTURE / Books
Nov 25, 2012

Shedding light on problems with Japan's psychiatric care

MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN JAPAN, edited by Ruth Taplin and Sandra J. Lawman. Routledge, 2012, 148 pp., $155 (hardcover) This collection of seven chapters makes for grim reading because it details the miserable state of mental health care in Japan.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Nov 25, 2012

Canadian scientist uses math to green Japanese baseball

Richard Hoshino is a tall, slim mathematician, as tightly wound as a precision timepiece, and irrepressibly polite and cheerful. He also has a hard time taking "no" for an answer.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / JAPAN-U.S. SEMINAR
Nov 24, 2012

U.S. ties depend on Tokyo's initiative, leadership

Japan-U.S. relations during the second four-year term of U.S. President Barack Obama will depend much on the stability of political leadership in Tokyo, a leading American expert on Japan said during a recent seminar in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2012

Age of financial repression

Following his re-election, U.S. President Barack Obama almost immediately turned his attention to reining in America's rising national debt. In fact, almost all Western countries are implementing policies aimed at reducing — or at least arresting the growth of — the volume of public debt.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 24, 2012

Netanyahu refocuses on Iran

The domestic criticism started pouring in almost as soon as Israel's ceasefire with Hamas was inked Wednesday night. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had waved a white flag and left the job unfinished, the opposition howled. A snap poll on TV found a large majority of the public did not support the...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2012

Abe economic policy raises serious questions

Not satisfied with bending Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to its will for a snap election, the Liberal Democratic Party has set its sights on Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa, at No. 36 the highest-ranked Japanese on Forbes magazine's 2011 list of the world's most powerful people. (Noda was ranked...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Nov 23, 2012

Williams says changing Saitama track record not easy

Tracy Williams is the Saitama Broncos' eighth head coach since the team entered the bj-league in 2005. Only ex-NBA forward David Benoit lasted more than one season during his time at the helm — 2006-08 — and the Broncos were 36-48 in those two campaigns.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Nov 23, 2012

Christmas drinks in Yokohama; 'One Piece' promotion at Le Daiba; Mandarin Oriental sake sommelier awarded

Holiday-theme drinks in Yokohama The lobby lounge Seawind on the second floor of the Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel and Towers is celebrating the holiday season by offering special drinks through Dec. 31.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2012

Parts thieves shun 'one-model' Prius

Toyota Motor Corp.'s hybrid Prius is less likely to be stolen in the U.S. compared with cars of a similar age, as thieves target autos with parts that can be used in more-common vehicles, the National Insurance Crime Bureau said Wednesday.

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?