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COMMENTARY / World
Apr 23, 2012

Identifying the world's 'invisibles'

They have no twitter army, no righteous war being waged for their rescue. They are visible; they are out there on the streets. From ruthless lanes of Dhaka to dangerous dark alleys of Rio, tens of millions of children the world over are daily fighting hunger, violence and abuse just to survive and scratch...
COMMENTARY
Apr 23, 2012

Filling in for the 'Angel in charge of distribution'

For several years now, New York poet Jack Agueros has been living with Alzheimer's. Slowly but unrelentingly, the disease is erasing his memories. As his daughter Natalia told The New York Times, "There is nothing sadder than a poet without words." The following is a homage to a great poet.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 23, 2012

Land grabs raise security issues

A foreign-capital property buying spree that has extended to areas in and around facilities of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the American armed forces could pose a threat to Japan's security.
EDITORIALS
Apr 23, 2012

Neglect of nuclear regulation

The Nuclear Regulatory Agency was originally scheduled to be set up on April 1. Although the Noda Cabinet endorsed a bill to establish the agency on Jan. 31 and send it to the Diet that day, the Diet has yet to start deliberating on it. The legislature should be strongly censured for its neglect.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 22, 2012

TV 'wide shows' question decision to restart Oi reactor

When it comes to public relations, the Japanese government tends toward imprecision. Many say the Japanese language is already built for vagueness, but that doesn't mean Japanese people can't see through the haze.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2012

Mekong states get ¥600 billion in ODA

Japan will provide ¥600 billion in official development assistance within three years to the Mekong region countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to bolster their development, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda declared Saturday.
EDITORIALS
Apr 22, 2012

Cutting CO₂ without reactors

An Environment Ministry draft report states that Japan can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent without relying on nuclear power. This news is most welcome after the dangers of nuclear power were starkly exposed by the Fukushima nuclear fiasco.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 22, 2012

Chinese National Army and the Golden Triangle

The Secret Army: Chiang Kai-shek and the Drug Warlords of the Golden Triangle, by Richard M. Gibson with Wenhua Chen. Wiley, 2011, 384 pp., $32.95 (paperback) Anyone who has stared into the devitalized eyes of an opium addict will know how grave the legacy of the narcotics trade continues to be in the...
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2012

81 lawmakers visit Yasukuni ahead of festival

A total of 81 Diet members visited Yasukuni Shrine on Friday, one day before the controversial Tokyo institution starts its annual Reitaisai spring festival.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Apr 21, 2012

Drogba theatrics taint impressive Chelsea first-leg win

He is built like a heavyweight boxer but has the pain threshold of a child. Didier Drogba stands 190 cm but unfortunately his impressive frame spends too much time on the ground. There isn't an ounce of fat on his muscular body, yet the slightest touch can bring a reaction as if he has been hit by a...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 21, 2012

Kansai's new budget airline offers juicy savings

On March 1, the first flight of All Nippon Airways' new low-cost carrier, Peach Aviation Ltd., was launched. Yes, now we know that fruit can fly. This may bring on a whole slew of flying fruit — flying bananas, pineapples, and even low-budget strawberries.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2012

Censure motions passed on ministers

The Upper House passed nonbinding censure motions Friday against Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka and Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Takeshi Maeda, delivering a double blow to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's administration.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / Japan Pulse
Apr 20, 2012

Kokeshi back in style with a new look

Once sinister-looking souvenirs, kokeshi make a comeback.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 20, 2012

'Le Havre'

Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki has always been free from a particular pressure of the modern world: the pressure to grow and change. You know, the one where we have to make more money, be better looking and forever fit, and go on better vacations than the Joneses (or Suzukis) and post the pictures...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 20, 2012

'Bridesmaids'

The word out on "Bridesmaids" is that it's a successful port of the Judd Apatow-style bromantic comedy to the chick-flick platform. That's partly true: The coarse humor, the emphasis on how people act when members of the opposite sex aren't around and the emotional honesty that's lurking behind all the...
COMMENTARY
Apr 20, 2012

How Beijing demonstrates a lesson in harmony

From the outside it seems as though China's leadership is facing its biggest crisis in a generation with the country's most prominent political star, Bo Xilai, the czar of Chongqing, suddenly dismissed from all of his posts while his wife and a household assistant stand accused of the murder of British...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 20, 2012

World Gardening Fair at Hotel Okura

This year, the Hotel Okura Tokyo marks its 50th anniversary, and as part of the celebrations, the hotel will host the 12th Annual World Gardening Fair from May 1-6 at the Heian Room on the first floor of its main building.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 20, 2012

L'As: New French restaurant does things differently

It is always a pleasure to discover a great new restaurant — and even more so when "new" means a lot more than just "recently opened." L'As is a small place with a young crew and a location that is easy to overlook. But since opening in early February in the backstreets of Minami-Aoyama, it's been...
Reader Mail
Apr 19, 2012

Buddhist explanation for flaws

The recent debate on this page did not start with the relative superiority of atheism over religion but with the cruel criticism of a letter from a reader who tried to console people who had lost loved ones in the 3/11 tsunami. The main religion of the Japanese, Buddhism, has explanations for the complaints...
Reader Mail
Apr 19, 2012

'Sink or swim' ethic in America

Regarding Robert J. Samuelson's April 16 article "Look at Social Security for what it is: welfare," unfortunately millions of retired Americans depend upon Social Security payments for survival. Because the concept of "lifetime employment" is virtually unheard of in the United States, we do not often...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 19, 2012

Looking beyond the giant canvases

The image of Jackson Pollock as the archetypal American artist, making big gestures on giant canvases, is firmly entrenched in the public consciousness. Dripping paint on canvases laid out on the floor, working in rather than working on his art, Pollock epitomizes the rebellious artist, disregarding...

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?