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EDITORIALS
May 26, 2012

True freedom for Mr. Chen

The diplomatic row between the United States and China over how to treat blind Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng appears to have come to an end with the U.S. issuing him, his wife Yuan Weijing and his two young children visas on May 19 and their subsequent arrival in the U.S. the same day....
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 25, 2012

Japan's stellar speller ready for global contest

Natural learner Haruka Masuda's secret is reading, reading and reading.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 25, 2012

As the summer approaches, firefly-themed events light up Osaka

At the start of the month, Tokyo's Sumida River was filled with thousands of LED lights to create the illusion of fireflies. Nature lovers in Osaka hope you'll want the real thing.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 25, 2012

Evessa split with coach Blackwell

The Osaka Evessa have decided not to renew coach Ryan Blackwell's contract, The Japan Times learned late Wednesday night.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 25, 2012

'Mada, Ningen (Still Human Beings)'

Young indie filmmakers have it tough everywhere, but in Japan the hurdles they face are only getting higher. The so-called mini theaters (art houses) that once screened domestic indie films have been closing their doors or changing their programming to more populist fare. Meanwhile, a growing number...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 25, 2012

Play reveals manzai's U.S. roots

Watching the fast-paced, two-person manzai routines that characterize much of Japanese TV comedy these days, it's difficult to imagine that two key influences on that genre's birth were stars of cinema's silent era: Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin.
Reader Mail
May 24, 2012

Tattoo bias shows Japan's colors

Regarding the May 18 article "Osaka's Hashimoto puts municipal workers' tattoos into the limelight": I am quite disappointed in Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's decision to "out" municipal workers who have tattoos and to suggest that they should find employment in other fields.
COMMENTARY / World
May 24, 2012

Beijing's North Korea policy only emboldens Pyongyang

Discussions in Beijing about North Korea are always frustrating. It's not so much due to the sharp divergence in U.S. and Chinese thinking about how to deal with Pyongyang; the two sides differ on many issues. No, the real problem, from our perspective, is the illogic of the Chinese position. Indeed,...
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
May 22, 2012

Newton, Golden Kings know what it takes to excel

Seven seasons are in the record books now, and the only numbers that truly resonate are championships.
JAPAN
May 22, 2012

Spooked lemurs avoid the ground after celestial event

Possibly influenced by the annular eclipse Monday morning, 23 ring-tailed lemurs at the Japan Monkey Center in Inuyama stayed in palm trees and on poles instead of coming down to eat as usual around 7 a.m., said Akira Kato, general manager of the zoo in Aichi Prefecture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 22, 2012

Canteens put employees' health on the menu

Until just a few years ago, shashoku — short for shain shokudō (company canteens) — were sources of convenience food, where meals was gulped down, not chewed and savored, and where the offerings were cheap but bland.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2012

All seems in limbo until Greek polls

The butterfly effect triggered by Greek voters left its mark on Japan's economy last week as stocks took their sharpest drop of the year and the yen soared against the dollar amid deepening concern over the eurozone's debt crisis.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / MIXED MATCHES
May 22, 2012

'Cutest' girl counsels 'distinguished' Ohioan to aisle

Nicholas Canalos, 31, from Ohio, and Akiko, 29, who hails from Saitama Prefecture, both studied and aspired at university to become English teachers — in their respective home countries.
COMMENTARY
May 21, 2012

Bipartisanship alive and well for the 'entitled'

Bipartisanship, the supposed scarcity of which so distresses the high-minded, actually is disastrously prevalent in the United States.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 21, 2012

Save face when taking the expressway

Foreigners in Japan often encounter conversations in which Japanese terms or concepts are expressed in English in ways that, while not necessarily idiomatic, still get the meaning across effectively. One such example would be the Japanese expression 強い (tsuyoi, strong), which in addition to physical...
EDITORIALS
May 21, 2012

True prosecution reform

In the trial of former Democratic Party of Japan chief Ichiro Ozawa, charged with conspiracy to falsify political fund reports, the Tokyo District Court said his testimony could not be trusted because it contained changes in time and other irregularities. (He was acquitted but faces an appellate trial.)...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 20, 2012

Time-travelling reporters; celebrity genes; CM of the week: Schick

As if there wasn't enough news to cover now, NHK has started sending reporters back in time on the variety show "Time Scoop Hunter" (NHK-G, Tues., 10:55 p.m.). Journalists use "warp technology" to travel to different eras to collect information about how people really lived in the past.
Reader Mail
May 20, 2012

Stupidity of planners and builders

I was distressed, but not shocked, to read in the May 14 Jiji article "Extra work jacking up disaster housing costs" that homes for tsunami victims were not being built with the cold in mind.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
May 20, 2012

The wonder of feathers

A soft flake of seeming sky falls, wafts and floats earthward catching the light. Lightly, and soft as gossamer, it lands to add a splash of color to the greenery of spring. It may be no more than a tiny feather that's fallen from a passing bird, but it carries with it a message of mystery and miracle...

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo