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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...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 20, 2009

Musette delivers taste of France

Louis Vuitton may have charmed Japanese wallets, but if Dominique Cravic and Daniel Colin have their way, musette will soon enchant Japanese ears and minds.
EDITORIALS
Nov 19, 2009

Preventing child abuse

Since 2004, November has been designated the month when central and local governments and nongovernmental organizations campaign for prevention of child abuse. Extending support at the local community level will be important to help parents as well as children.
Reader Mail
Nov 19, 2009

Distortions of Pakistan's reality

We are somewhat disappointed that your esteemed newspaper has encouraged Indian professor Harsh V. Pant to write negatively about Pakistan's nuclear assets and to question their security in the wake of alleged Talibanization in Pakistan. The Nov. 15 article "Embedded malcontents of nuclear Pakistan"...
BUSINESS
Nov 19, 2009

MUFG eyes ¥1 trillion share sale; tieup irks

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. said Wednesday it may raise as much as ¥1 trillion selling shares and noted terms of the planned merger between its Japanese securities unit and that of Morgan Stanley have been changed.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Nov 19, 2009

Keikaisen (guard ships)

Dear Alice,

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji