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Reader Mail
Jan 18, 2014

Japanese seek Asian friendship

Regarding the Jan. 12 Kyodo article "Abe Yasukuni trip aim not lost on U.S. leaders": It is extremely regrettable that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a surprise visit to the war-related Yasukuni (Dec. 26). He said it was not his intention to hurt the feelings of Chinese and Koreans, but the visit did...
COMMENTARY
Jan 17, 2014

The whitewashing of Sharon

Ariel Sharon, the late former Israeli prime minister, was not called the 'the Bulldozer' for being a fearless leader. Nor do Arabs call him 'the Butcher of Beirut' for simply overseeing the invasion of Lebanon.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 17, 2014

Toyota to commercialize robots for physical therapy market in 2015

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to launch a line of physical therapy "robots" as early as in 2015 to tap demand expected for machines that can help the elderly get through rehabilitation.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 16, 2014

Iwate's Yonamine never loses track of ultimate goal: winning

Tsubasa Yonamine doesn't grab front-page headlines or dominate the highlights segment on TV sports shows. He helps his basketball team achieve success.
Reader Mail
Jan 15, 2014

Recreational reading will score

Regarding the Dec. 31/Jan. 1 article "English to get 2020 push but teachers not on the same page": Experts have criticized Japan's reform plan for English for not including enough hours of English instruction to accomplish its goals. They've also noted the lack of resources and staffing.
Reader Mail
Jan 15, 2014

Giving students a chance to soar

As deputy head teacher at the school referred to in the Jan. 6 article "English fluency hopes rest on an education overhaul" (about the challenges facing educators in meeting the expectations of the new national English syllabus): I would like to thank The Japan Times for discussing this very important...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jan 14, 2014

Juiced for a citrus winter

One of my favorite winter pastimes growing up was to snuggle under the futon covering a kotatsu (heated table), doing my homework or watching TV, as I methodically worked my way through a big bowl of Satsuma mikan, the little oval-shaped oranges that are known as clementines or tangerines in the West....
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jan 12, 2014

Washoku added to UNESCO heritage list

Washoku, traditional Japanese cuisine, has been added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, raising the government's hopes of enhancing its global recognition, attracting more foreign tourists and boosting exports of the country's agricultural products.
Japan Times
JAPAN / WEDGE
Jan 12, 2014

Pakistanis find niche in used car business

Led by Pakistanis living in Japan, exports of Japanese used cars are growing, thanks to their durability and high technology. In particular, Pakistanis at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, have been very active in the used-car business, using social networking services...
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 12, 2014

'Architect of 9/11' exchanges letters with pen pal

Details from an extraordinary exchange of letters between a care worker from Nottingham, in England's East Midlands, and the alleged architect of the 9/11 attacks were revealed Saturday, offering an unprecedented insight into the mind of one the world's most notorious Islamic militants.
Reader Mail
Jan 11, 2014

Connect the dots on English study

The Jan. 5 article "English fluency hopes rest on an education overhaul" leaves a logic gap as to why Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should dream of a nation "that will actively re-engage with the global marketplace."
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2014

Give Snowden the Nobel Peace Prize

Since the Nobel Peace Prize committee has shown a consistent bias in choosing people who feed self-righteous Western prejudices, it would have a chance to distinguish itself by going the other way if it gave the next peace award to Edward Snowden.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 10, 2014

Chubu won't stop at just 10 million tourists

The government achieved its target of seeing 10 million tourists in 2013, thanks largely to the easing of visa requirements for Southeast Asian travelers and the weakening of the yen to fight deflation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 8, 2014

New York's Apples make a big impression

In the last three months since I arrived in New York to study American drama with a grant from the Asian Cultural Council, a U.S. nonprofit dedicated to international cultural exchange, I have been to the theater more than 70 times — including at least a dozen visits to somewhere that's been a truly...
Reader Mail
Jan 8, 2014

A simple remedy for inequality

There recently has been debate on this page about whether economics is a science or not. It looked ridiculous to me, since every economist bases his or her economic theory on personal beliefs about humanity and society, and often on unrealistic hypotheses, none of which can be proved scientifically....
Reader Mail
Jan 8, 2014

Scottish ties came with thistles

In his Dec. 18 article, "Is a U.K. breakup in sight?," Sir Hugh Cortazzi gives the impression that the Scottish connection has meant nothing but good for Britain, saying the Scots are "a canny lot" and "It would be hard to find a British company or organization without a good proportion of people of...
Reader Mail
Jan 8, 2014

Rub out anti-tattoo policy

Regarding the Dec. 31 Kyodo article "Tokyo bathhouses look to tap foreigners but ensure they behave": If Japanese onsen owners wish for more foreigners to visit and enjoy their facilities, they may need to revisit their "no tattoos" policy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 6, 2014

The empire strikes back: the top issues for non-Japanese in 2013

2013 saw the enfranchised elite consolidating their power further than has ever been seen in the postwar era, while Japan's disenfranchised peoples slipped ever lower down the totem pole, becoming targets of suspicion, fear and loathing.
COMMENTARY
Jan 5, 2014

Obamacare took a beating in 2013, and this year could be worse — for the law and Democrats

As bad as 2013 was for Obamacare, the year ahead has the potential to be even worse — for the law, the Obama administration and congressional Democrats.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jan 5, 2014

Students getting less exercise

Nearly a quarter of second-year junior high school girls nationwide do no exercise at all except in physical education classes at school, according to a government survey released Dec. 14.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jan 4, 2014

To the Simien and back — 47 years on

By the time you read this I should be in the Simien Mountains of northern Ethiopia. I have been asked to go back there to tell the nation's current generation what the forests and wildlife were like in 1967, '68 and '69 when I served the government of Haille Selassie as the country's first game warden...
Reader Mail
Jan 4, 2014

Abe looks set to reinvent a personal Japan

Regarding the Jan. 1 article "Abe's quest to revive, reshape nation rides on the economy": The headline seems turned the wrong way. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's real revival target is not Japan's consumer economy, but rather Japan's economic prowess internationally.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 2, 2014

Part-timers skewing employment statistics

More restaurants and retailers are hiring short-hour employees to save money.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 31, 2013

Abe's quest to revive, reshape nation rides on the economy

Just six months ago, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was riding high after his party swept the Upper House election. Now things aren't looking so rosy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 29, 2013

So much for nau: What will we say next?

The end of the year is always a good time to reflect on what is, was and will be. With regard to language, one of the most stimulating things I have recently read in this respect was from an article in the journal Nihongogaku (日本語学) about a study in which Japanese university students were asked...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 29, 2013

South Korea's house of cards

Except for Samsung Electronics, South Korea's manufacturing industry appears to be on the verge of a big stall. How long Samsung will be able to maintain its market dominance is an open question.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Dec 29, 2013

An automatic brake demonstration

At a car dealership in Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture, an accident took place on the 10th, while the automatic brakes of a Mazda car were being demonstrated. Mazda announced on the 12th that it will voluntarily refrain from offering such test drives until the cause is made clear.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat