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COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2009

Where goes Palestine as Abbas withdraws?

RAMALLAH, West Bank — A political leader's decision not to seek re-election usually triggers fervent discussion about potential heirs. Yet, President Mahmoud Abbas' withdrawal from the Jan. 24 presidential election has produced nothing of the kind in Palestine — not because of a reluctance to mention...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Nov 24, 2009

Every husband a potential 'abuser'

Before the Christopher Savoie case hit the news, Japanese commentators on the Hague Convention on international parental child abduction had already begun fretting over the completely unsubstantiated assertion that "almost all" instances of children being brought to Japan involve a Japanese mother fleeing...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ASEAN JOURNALIST SYMPOSIUM
Nov 24, 2009

Southeast Asian economies look to return to growth in 2010

Southeast Asian economies hit hard by the global crisis expect to return to positive growth in 2010 as signs of recovery started to emerge in recent months following massive government stimulus measures, veteran journalists from the region told a recent symposium.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 23, 2009

Deflation at the vending machine

Vending machines used to be a safe haven for drink companies in Japan, but price-hammering rivals are changing that.
EDITORIALS
Nov 23, 2009

Increase the tobacco tax

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama recently told the Diet that an increase in the tobacco tax should be considered from the viewpoint of improving people's health. He has instructed the government's Tax System Council to study the matter. A tobacco tax increase is long overdue; we hope Mr. Hatoyama's effort...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Japan Pulse
Nov 23, 2009

Japanese now a little less lost in translation

Yeah, some things still get lost in machine translation, but language barriers did grow a lot smaller in 2009.
Reader Mail
Nov 22, 2009

Save Afghanistan aid for Japan

Larry Ejima hit the nail on the head in his Nov. 8 letter, "Aid to Afghanistan a nonstarter." It's bad enough that the United States continues to pour billions in money and liters in blood in that war-wounded country, to realistically achieve what, when? For Japan to contribute even one yen to the mission...
Reader Mail
Nov 22, 2009

Breaking campaign pledge is risky

Regarding the Sentaku Magazine article published in The Japan Times on Nov. 16 under the headline "Does Ozawa run the show as Hatoyama foots the bill?": Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has long been known by informed members of the Japanese electorate as a weak and ineffectual leader during his numerous...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Nov 22, 2009

Beyond Copenhagen there's more than just cutting CO2

Imagine for a minute that global warming is not changing our planet's biosphere and the ecosystems that sustain life on Earth.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 22, 2009

Obsessed with 'ugly' women

When I read the news item in early November about the three men in Tottori Prefecture whose mysterious deaths were linked to a woman already under arrest for fraud, I associated them with the similarly mysterious deaths of several other men linked to a Tokyo woman who was under arrest for swindling....
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / Japan Pulse
Nov 21, 2009

Mottainai fashion makes big strides

Recycling and remaking is de rigueur for Japan's recessionistas.
EDITORIALS
Nov 21, 2009

Same old perk of the ruling party

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan Thursday rushed a bill through the Lower House Financial Affairs Committee on Thursday to help small and midsize enterprises overcome cash flow problems. The opposition Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito refused to join the vote. Later the Lower House approved the...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 21, 2009

Shameful incident will brand Henry for life

LONDON — It takes years for a player to build a reputation. During his eight seasons at Arsenal Thierry Henry established himself as, in the opinion of most, the finest overseas footballer to play in England.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2009

Slowly, secret U.S. nuke deals come to light

Decades since Washington and Tokyo reportedly crafted secret agreements to allow U.S. nuclear weapons in Japanese territory, declassified documents from the U.S. detailing its nuclear presence in Okinawa and elsewhere in Japan during the postwar period are slowly coming to light.
EDITORIALS
Nov 20, 2009

Expanding peacekeeping role

To rectify Japan's impractical limits on joining U.N. peacekeeping operations (PKO), Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has called for a review of Japan's five-point principle on PKO participation.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2009

Drawing out North Korea

SEOUL — Negotiations over the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula look set to resume. Sadly, they are unlikely to end soon. Talk of a "grand bargain" remains just that — talk.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 20, 2009

What lies behind the eccentric?

The German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel wrote that what is "familiarly known" is not "properly known," just for the reason that it is familiar. The familiar historical image of the Edo Period Eccentric painters, one of whom was Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800), is no exception. They are remembered...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 20, 2009

'2012' star tells of being John Cusack

HOLLYWOOD — The year 2012, according to the ancient Mayas, is the year Earth destructs and a new cycle of life begins. (The Aztec and other pre-Columbian American calendars also held a cyclical view of the universe, sort of a reincarnation of planets at the end of each eon). So leave it to Hollywood...

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?