Search - people

 
 
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2008

Absentee ballots easy to use: U.S. voting promoter

With the primaries continuing, it is important that Americans living abroad learn how to cast absentee ballots if they want to play a role in electing the next U.S. president in November, Polli Brunelli, director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program, said Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Mar 15, 2008

Thoughts on the ritual of spring — and summer

Spring — in certain countries in the world — means more than just flowers, butterflies and taxes. It means the crack of bat on ball, the pounding of fist on glove, and a season of hope for something beyond just peanuts and Cracker Jack — yes, hope for a championship pennant. Spring means baseball....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2008

Pinpointing 'sakura' arrival serious business, fine science

When spring comes, millions of Japanese happily turn their thoughts to one thing: When will the cherry blossoms start blooming?
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2008

Mitsubishi Estate eyes property manager M&As

Mitsubishi Estate Co., Japan's largest developer by value, may buy property managers to more than double assets under management to ¥4 trillion ($40 billion) within six years as Tokyo commercial rents slow.
COMMENTARY
Mar 14, 2008

Burma sanctions don't work

NEW DELHI — Burma today ranks as one of the world's most isolated and sanctioned nations — a situation unlikely to be changed by its ruling junta scheduling a May referendum on a draft constitution and facilitating U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari's third visit in six months.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2008

Back to square one after a lifetime of work

With spring comes the annual wage negotiations, when unions press employers for higher pay. These days, however, an increasing number of the workers at the bargaining table are themselves in the autumn of life — 60 or older.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 14, 2008

Blood Red Shoes

After their respective bands broke up in 2004, guitarist Laura-Mary Carter and drummer Steven Ansell of Brighton, England, started jamming and decided to form a band, which they named Blood Red Shoes. Swearing they would always be "just two people" dedicated to the principles if not always the specific...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 14, 2008

A guide to how to wine 'n' dine

Taking your own bottle to a dinner party is a tricky business. Dashing to a convenience store for some plonk that's below ¥1,000 might save cash, but it won't save your blushes if the stuff acts like paint-stripper on the palate, ruining the meal and your chances of being invited back. Even if you do...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 14, 2008

Lions from the West, dragons from the East

K een to push forward their plan to legalize casinos in Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party is now busy winning over skeptics with predictions of tourism and tax revenue bonanzas. Perhaps a ticket to "Dralion," Cirque du Soleil's current performance in Tokyo, might help win over dissenters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 14, 2008

'No Country for Old Men'

Joel and Ethan Coen have proven themselves skilled at three types of films over the years: thrillers ("Fargo"), comedies ("The Big Lebowski"), and just plain weird ("Barber"). Often the lines between the three are blurred: "The Big Lebowski" has a noirish detective story holding together the jokes, while...
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2008

Antivirus software Web site hacked

Trend Micro Inc., a Japanese maker of antivirus software, said part of its Web site was hacked into, allowing a virus to be downloaded onto computers of people viewing the page.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 2008

Good capitalism and bad capitalism

PRAGUE — Many people assumed that when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, "capitalism" had won the ideological cold war and that "communism" had lost. But, while "capitalism" — defined as an economic system built on private ownership of property — clearly has prevailed, there are many differences among...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 2008

Taking the next step on Iran

LOS ANGELES — The approval of fresh sanctions on Iran marks the third time that the United Nations Security Council has been galvanized to stem the Islamic Republic's feared uranium enrichment efforts. Unfortunately, the new sanctions are unlikely to be any more effective than the first two rounds....
Reader Mail
Mar 13, 2008

Activist's contribution valuable

Regarding Lance Braman's March 9 letter, "An activist's means to an end": I found his criticism of the pro-active stance taken by Debito Arudou unrealistic. Braman has not advised how "responsible people" would achieve their desired ends. Should anyone who disagrees with aspects of "Japanese culture"...
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2008

Key sectors to hike pay but amid caution

Major automakers and electronics companies said Wednesday they will raise base wages and bonuses for a third consecutive year but the increases will be moderate this time because of global economic uncertainties.
Reader Mail
Mar 13, 2008

Beyond a 'functional' world

In his letter of Feb. 24, "Critique of culinary culture," Grant Piper confesses to being a "food barbarian." How, and why, a "food barbarian" can criticize top chefs in the Feb. 21 article "Tokyo's samurai chefs devoted to their craft" is a bit confusing.
Reader Mail
Mar 13, 2008

Immigrants welcome in Japan

It's almost as if there's a taboo on politicians and government officials taking up the issue of increasing immigration to alleviate the consequences of Japan's declining birthrate and graying society. I am quite sure that currently in Japan -- unlike in the United States or Europe -- there are no hate...
EDITORIALS
Mar 13, 2008

Andes go to the brink and back

Tensions are on the rise in the Andes. Efforts by the Colombian government to battle leftist rebels have brought relations among it, Ecuador and Venezuela to the brink of war. Cooler heads appear to have prevailed, but problems have only been managed, not eliminated. The real problem is the enduring...
Reader Mail
Mar 13, 2008

Think before charging racism

What in the world is going on with Readers in Council and the charge of xenophobia appearing in letters the past month?
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 12, 2008

Kosovo secession sets dangerous precedent

BELGRADE — The international system that has brought unprecedented prosperity to the world since 1945 is based on rules that apply without exception. This system is supposed to protect the basic, legitimate national interests of every country, whether rich or poor, strong or weak. Its binding principles...
COMMENTARY
Mar 12, 2008

Still stalled in the Middle East

LONDON — "Twenty-four hours a day of rolling news to fill," lamented the senior producer of an all-news radio station recently, "and only two hours of actual news to fill it." But his problem is minor compared to that of people condemned to cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where there is now...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2008

Ministry preaches food self-sufficiency

The recent scare over pesticide-tainted "gyoza" dumplings made in China and the rapid price surges of flour and other food products across the world have aroused serious anxiety among millions of Japanese consumers over imported everyday foods.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2008

Fukuda firm: Muto is the 'best' choice for BOJ governor

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Monday he has no intention of proposing another candidate as governor of the Bank of Japan, even though the opposition camp is mulling whether to reject his original nomination of Toshiro Muto.
Reader Mail
Mar 11, 2008

iPhone sales may surprise

Regarding the March 6 article "Warm reception may not await iPhone in Japan": The iPhone may be a big hit anyway. Why? Because the reasons cited in the article are based on logic, and consumer behavior in front of such a toy is anything but logical. If you consider the electronic music market, you could...
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2008

Merchant confidence stayed low in February

Japanese merchant sentiments held near a six-year low in February as soaring oil and food prices sapped consumer spending power, the government said Monday.
EDITORIALS
Mar 11, 2008

A frozen Garden of Eden

They call it the "doomsday vault," but it is intended to save humankind, not menace it. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which opened Feb. 26 in Norway, will serve as a repository for billions of seeds. It is designed to protect biodiversity and the people and cultures that depend on it. It is one of...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2008

The global economic party has ended

MUNICH — With the United States teetering into recession, the global economic boom has ended. The boom was unusually long and persistent, with four years of roughly 5 percent growth — a period of sustained economic dynamism not seen since around 1970.

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?