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EDITORIALS
Jun 30, 2009

Taxing way to save pensions

The Diet has enacted the revised National Pension Law, under which more tax money will be used to cover part of the public pension's base tier. The coverage by tax money will be raised from the current 36.5 percent of the base tier to 50 percent. In view of the graying of the population and the low birth...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2009

Sample-product cafe targets young women

A cafe with a new concept will open Wednesday in Tokyo's Shibuya district, offering women product-marketing samples — and a place to hang out if they've missed the last train.
EDITORIALS
Jun 29, 2009

Sundown on the merger era

A panel of the internal affairs ministry has submitted a recommendation to Prime Minister Taro Aso that the mergers of municipalities carried out at the initiative of the government in the past decade end by March 31, 2010. The mergers were aimed at using financial resources efficiently and streamlining...
Japan Times
JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
Jun 29, 2009

Fun and fashionable rubber boots help shake off rainy season gloom

Rainy days can be a downer, especially for women who want to look fashionable but don't want to get wet in soggy and gloomy weather.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2009

More European hope, less American fear

PARIS — Since the arrival of President Barack Obama in the White House, there has been an undeniable rapprochement between Europe and the United States. But on the deeper and more fundamental level of emotions and values, is it possible that the gap between the two sides of the Atlantic has widened?...
Reader Mail
Jun 28, 2009

Warming up to third-grade math

For some time now we have been told that humanity is unleashing a global environmental crisis, and that if we don't act now we will do irreversible damage. These are serious claims. Governments around the world are spending huge amounts of money to correct a problem that may not be a problem.
Reader Mail
Jun 28, 2009

The frustrating hunt for goat meat

It was interesting to read the June 19 article on the promotion of goat meat consumption in Okinawa ("Okinawa trying to get goat back on the menu") and on the efforts to reinvigorate what is apparently a traditional industry there.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 28, 2009

Kandy, Sri Lanka: Highland jewel in an enchanted isle

The war is over, peace-building is under way, and Sri Lanka is one of the most enchanting islands you could ever imagine.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 28, 2009

Priorities and politics 'must change fast' to head off global calamity

The 19th-century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer declared: "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2009

Jackson enjoyed loyal following in Japan

Despite years of child molestation accusations and deep financial difficulties, Michael Jackson could always count on one nation for unquestioning fan loyalty and lucrative advertising deals — Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jun 28, 2009

Chiang Mai: Thailand's beguiling Rose of the North

It is a great time to visit Thailand. The political crisis has abated, the airport is open, everything is a bargain and tourists are few and far between. What more could a traveler ask for?
Japan Times
JAPAN / CONTROLS ON FOREIGNERS
Jun 27, 2009

Drawing a bead on illegal residents

With bills to revise the immigration law expected to clear the current Diet session, the Immigration Bureau aims to get a clearer picture of the facts surrounding foreigners who overstay their visas, a bureau official said.
EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2009

Japan Post faces the music

Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Tsutomu Sato has approved the retention of Mr. Yoshifumi Nishikawa as president of Japan Post Holding Co. And now, with Prime Minister Taro Aso's endorsement of Mr. Sato's decision, the political turmoil over whether Mr. Nishikawa should remain in his position...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jun 27, 2009

Standard of living meets house of correction

Recently I had coffee in the Ginza with a friend from abroad, a Japanese gentlemen making a rare pilgrimage back to the land of his upbringing.
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2009

CPI tumbles at record pace

Consumer prices fell at a record pace in May, adding to signs that a return to deflation may hamper a rebound from the nation's worst postwar recession.
EDITORIALS
Jun 26, 2009

Guidelines on fiscal 2010 budget

Since the days of the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, financial reconstruction through reform of revenue generation and spending has been the core government policy. But the basic budget guidelines adopted by Prime Minister Taro Aso's administration represent a virtual scrapping of...
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2009

Tigers fans hope resurrection of deep-sixed 'Colonel' helps lift jinx

Fans of baseball's Hanshin Tigers hoped to exorcise a 24-year "curse" Thursday by honoring a repaired statue of Colonel Sanders at Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Osaka.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 26, 2009

Cool down this summer on a booze cruise

Does drinking, dancing and enjoying a magnificent view on a ferry cruising around Tokyo Bay sound like a great night out to you?
Japan Times
JAPAN / CONTROLS ON FOREIGNERS
Jun 26, 2009

LDP's point man on immigration bills

First in a series
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 26, 2009

A creative life that blossomed in the asylum

To view the pictures of Aloise Corbaz is to enter a fantastic, colorful world of a beautiful young woman with her handsome suitor, filled with carriages and crowns, roses and nights at the opera. The belle is Aloise herself, or, perhaps more precisely, Aloise's ideal self, center stage in a theatrical...
Reader Mail
Jun 25, 2009

Enjoying what surrounds us

Regarding Tomoko Otake's June 18 article, "The safety nets for would-be suicides": I am very happy to learn of the advances on this important issue in Japan. Legal progress and the increasing number of advocates and safety networks are really the way to improve this unbearable situation. Coming from...
Reader Mail
Jun 25, 2009

Risible promotion of cuteness

It is a disgrace that Japan's Foreign Ministry is using celebrity "kawaii ambassadors" to introduce Japanese pop culture to young people overseas. Young adults dressed in "very short skirts" not only legitimize this provocative mode of dress but also promote immorality as a Japanese export. Young girls...

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?