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EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2007

Assuaging fears of being a judge

Within two years, the lay judge system will be introduced in Japan. Citizens will be able to have their opinions directly reflected in initial, lower-court trials for heinous crimes. But the system will impose new civic duties and burdens on citizens. It is imperative that the courts, the bar and the...
Reader Mail
Jun 20, 2007

Perils of looking inward

Mariko Nihei's comments in her June 6 letter, "Study in Japan is good enough," are at best shortsighted and, at worst, symptomatic of the perils of choosing to look inward.
EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2007

A lesson for Nova Corp.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has decided that Nova Corp., the nation's largest English-language school chain, violated the Specified Commercial Transaction Law and ordered it to partially suspend business. Saying that Nova committed 18 types of violations, the ministry imposed a six-month...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 19, 2007

Five storms set collide in the Mideast

AMSTERDAM — The region between Egypt and Pakistan is a caldron of five discrete, explosive components: Iraq's civil strife, Afghanistan's insurgency, Iran's nuclear ambitions, the long-standing Israel-Arab conflict, and the risk of clashes between extremist groups and corrupt, repressive governments....
BUSINESS
Jun 19, 2007

TBS' Rakuten snub reflects protected world

Hiroshi Inoue, president of Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc., does not hide his displeasure when he talks about online shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc.'s attempt to make the broadcaster its affiliate.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 19, 2007

Creating calm in children's minds

It's no big secret that children in Japan need to relax a bit more. With many undergoing entrance exams at age 12 — some even at age 6 — today's pre-teens are pressured to compete with their peers and be stellar academic performers from early on. Then there is ijime (bullying), a perennial problem,...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 18, 2007

World Bank's ongoing corruption battle

PRAGUE — The recent turbulence surrounding the resignation of Paul Wolfowitz from the presidency of the World Bank has underscored the need to push ahead with the bank's good governance and anticorruption agenda. This is necessary not only for the sake of the bank itself but, more fundamentally, for...
Reader Mail
Jun 17, 2007

Safe from unprovoked terror

The June 7 editorial, "Six Day War left mixed legacy," was thoughtful and balanced except where it states that Israel needs to concede more territory and settlements for there to be peace.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2007

Mentally ill exceeded 3 million in '05

The number of Japanese suffering from mental illnesses, including depression and Alzheimer's disease, topped 3 million for the first time in 2005, the government said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 15, 2007

Worst student suicide rate yet

The National Police Agency says that suicides in Japan topped 30,000 for the ninth consecutive year in 2006. While the total number, 32,155, was down 1.2 percent from 2005, the number of suicides among students, 886 — up 25 (2.9 percent) from 2005 — was the worst since 1978 when the NPA started compiling...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 15, 2007

'Zukan ni Notte Nai Mushi'

We all need to escape, once in a while, from being serious people in the real world, trying to ace the big test, land the big contract, or earn an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. Rinko Kikuchi, who accomplished the last feat for her turn as a hearing-impaired high-school girl in "Babel,"...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 15, 2007

A year to remember in pictures

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then everyone who visits the World Press Photo Contest's traveling exhibition will have plenty to digest. That's because the WPPC, which runs at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography from June 16-Aug. 5, features the best photojournalism of 2006 from lensmen...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 15, 2007

'The Prestige'

In Hollywood, many a bright young director arrives thinking he'll make a film or two by their rules, pay the mortgage, and then use his newfound power and prestige to make the films he cares about.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 15, 2007

Losing his head on Rachmaninov

Russian piano virtuoso Boris Berezovsky is on the phone and he's very excited, though not as excited as he should be when he plays the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo this summer. There, Berezovsky will be performing Rachmaninov's Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30, a work he considers "infamous" because...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 15, 2007

Tofuya Ukai: Below the Tower a Garden of Edo

Tofuya Ukai is one of those "only in Japan" experiences. In the heart of the city, minutes from Roppongi and at the very foot of Tokyo Tower, you round a corner and find yourself in front of a samurai-era merchant's residence, its low-slung wooden gateway announced by an imposing white lantern and a...
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2007

Pepsi Cucumber hits store shelves

Consumers can stay cool as a cucumber this summer with Pepsi Ice Cucumber, a new soda based on the crisp green gourd.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 14, 2007

More international by the year

The title of the 52nd Venice Biennale, "Think with the senses, feel with the mind," has an almost paradoxical twist. But in the context of the international art scene it is a strong statement — some would even call it controversial.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’