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Reader Mail
Apr 5, 2009

Both party leaders should resign

Regarding the March 27 article "Aso rating up, at Ozawa's expense": I can understand the recent drop in support for Democratic Party of Japan president Ichiro Ozawa as I personally think he should resign, but why does this translate into increased support for Prime Minister Taro Aso and the Liberal Democratic...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2009

Two decades past Poland's 'compromise'

WARSAW — "Poland — ten years, Hungary — ten months, East Germany — ten weeks, Czechoslovakia — ten days."
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 5, 2009

Gender-bender drama, 'Three Kingdoms' spinoff anime, little-known big biz

In Japan, the term "new half" usually refers to a man who becomes a woman through some sort of medical procedure, but on the new daytime drama series, "Mama wa New Half" ("Mom is a New Half") (TV Tokyo, Mon.-Fri., 1 p.m.) it simply describes a man who performs in drag at a special "new-half pub" in Tokyo....
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 5, 2009

Deciphering 'A Page of Madness'

Teinosuke Kinugasa's "A Page of Madness" ("Kurutta Ichipeiji," 1926) was long thought lost. Only some 75 years later did the discovery of the missing negative allow the picture to be finally viewed by the present generation. At the same time there emerged a critical need to evaluate it because it seemed...
Reader Mail
Apr 5, 2009

Root of immigration problem

The March 26 article "Immigration reforms spell Big Brother, JFBA warns" was an eye opener. The latest immigration bill before the Diet appears to criminalize the good while in pursuit of the bad. If a foreigner does not carry the new ID card, he or she might have to pay a ¥200,000 fine — which could...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 5, 2009

Gates, gardens and . . . war

"Ohayoooo gozaimasu!" I greeted my 22-year-old nephew, Chris, using my foot to nudge him awake on the first morning of his 10-day visit to Japan. "What do you say we walk around Ginza?"
Reader Mail
Apr 5, 2009

English aptitude of the Japanese

Hiroaki Sato's March 29 article, "Hold the SOS call on the Japanese language," is an insightful article. Japan's case is different from that of the Indian subcontinent where, due to various reasons, English has become an absolute necessity. Take a language like Bengali, which has almost twice the number...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 4, 2009

Giants fans show spirited support on opening day

After seeing a full-blown display of nationalistic pride in the World Baseball Classic with jam-packed stands, the Big Egg was again filled up. But this time with more of a local taste, one that was created by spectators cheering for their own, beloved franchise.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2009

Politician Fujikawa leads in beauty poll

Yuri Fujikawa, a city assembly member in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, who has attracted media attention in Japan for her beauty, has gone global. On the Web site of Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos, she was rated the most beautiful female politician in a poll as of Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
Apr 4, 2009

Childhood friends, partners for life

KYOTO — Dan Bertuzzi, 39, and his wife, Asuka, 31, have a relationship that's a fairy tale come true.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 3, 2009

Fleeting beauty, timeless dining

Impatient to see the first sakura of the season, we followed the crowds into Ueno Park. It's been a good while since we last joined in the revelry at Tokyo's largest, most boisterous cherry blossom-viewing party — and never before have we done it in such gourmet style.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 3, 2009

Lost & Found

The discovery in a German archive of documents and photographs related to the Prussian mission to Japan in 1860-61 has shed new light on the early history of photography in Japan. In particular, newly uncovered letters and records help explain the mystery of why so few images from the well-equipped mission...
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2009

Sudden cut seen in summer bonuses

Summer bonuses for workers may fall at the fastest pace in seven years, according to Mizuho Securities Co.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 3, 2009

Innsyoutei: Fleeting beauty, timeless dining

Impatient to see the first sakura of the season, we followed the crowds into Ueno Park. It's been a good while since we last joined in the revelry at Tokyo's largest, most boisterous cherry blossom-viewing party — and never before have we done it in such gourmet style.
Reader Mail
Apr 2, 2009

Assembly members flunked class

Regarding the March 23 editorial " Stay out of the classroom": I remember hearing about this incident six years ago, and although it struck me at the time as odd, it wasn't until an example of the kind of sex-education class involved was broadcast on television recently that I realized how ridiculous...
Reader Mail
Apr 2, 2009

Peers will set pace of language

Regarding Roger Pulvers' March 22 article, " Raising bilingual children takes time, huge effort — and lotsa money": While I do agree that being bilingual is a benefit, you can't force the child to learn something they don't want. His or her peers are going to be the biggest influence on which language...
Reader Mail
Apr 2, 2009

Generalizations invite challenge

Debito Arudou does paint a bleak picture of the travails of many foreigners at the hands of the Japanese legal system. I do have issues with a couple of his points, though. First, he asserts that "bail [is] impossible for non-Japanese to get." Yet, simply typing "foreigner bail" into The Japan Times'...
COMMENTARY
Apr 2, 2009

Women should lead Russia

Do not underestimate Russia. That is just what many commentators are doing these days as they look at its declining population, its collapsing stock market, its dangerous reliance on oil and gas exports, the dismal style of its political leadership, its docile parliament, its aggressive foreign policy,...
Reader Mail
Apr 2, 2009

Lessons from a junior high school

Regarding Debito Arudou's March 24 article, "Punishing foreigners, exonerating Japanese": Although I have never had to deal with Japan's criminal justice system, a small anecdote about two relatively minor incidents at a public junior high school does serve to support one of Arudou's major points.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / 2009 CENTRAL LEAGUE PREVIEW
Apr 2, 2009

Giants aiming for third straight Central League title

The following is first of a two-part preview for the upcoming Nippon Professional Baseball season. Team-by-team previews of the six Central League clubs are listed in order of predicted finish.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2009

Group of 20 too diverse to succeed

HONG KONG — Amid great fanfare, pestered by a rainbow alliance of protesters, and protected by almost blanket security costing $30 million for a mere seven hours of meetings and making London a virtual no-go area, the leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) countries meet this week, promising to restore hope...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Apr 1, 2009

LeBron committed to winning title with Cavs

CLEVELAND — The entire course of Cavaliers history was altered by the 2003 lottery when they won LeBron James in a game of chance.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2009

Imperial Hotel, Halekulani sign up for synergy

It may sound a bit odd to hear about an iconic Hawaiian resort hotel joining forces with a landmark Tokyo inn, but the two share top-flight status and hope to create synergy amid the global recession.

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?