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Reader Mail
Feb 3, 2011

A bow to anti-GM sentiments

In his Jan. 25 article, "Inflation and food supplies," Hugh Cortazzi commented that the "The use of GM crops may well be necessary, but we do not yet know what the long-term implications for wildlife may be."
COMMENTARY
Feb 1, 2011

A contrarian view of how 'austerity' bleeds Japan

With the Standard and Poor's downgrading of Japan's long-term credit rating from AA to AA minus, the focus even more is on how the economy can get out of its current deflationary quagmire.
BUSINESS
Feb 1, 2011

Risk of Algerian default puts builders in CDS bind

Two of the nation's biggest construction companies are learning the risks of expanding in developing markets to offset dwindling domestic demand, credit default swap prices show.
Reader Mail
Jan 30, 2011

Australia as rare earth supplier

RegardingMinoru Matsutani's Jan. 26 article, "Worse rare earth shortages 'yet to come' ": What isn't widely known is that Australia has a large part to play in resolving this situation, as Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed companies control more than 40 percent of the world's rare earth element...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 30, 2011

Cultural insensitivity no laughing matter

The tempest in a teapot whipped up by a segment on the British quiz-cum-comedy show "QI" has prompted debate on cross-cultural sensitivity. The BBC has apologized for the segment, which, contrary to a statement issued by Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, did not make fun of its subject, the late Tsutomu...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jan 30, 2011

Pushing the U.S. Constitution to the brink

NEW YORK — On opening day of the 112th session of the U.S. Congress, the members of the House of Representatives recited the U.S. Constitution. The Republican Party, now the majority, instituted the unprecedented step. The tea party instigated it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 29, 2011

Kaiten-zushi chains gird for battle

You got your exclusive high-grade sushi, and you've got your bargain sushi, good for the whole family.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 29, 2011

Nagoya 'Tokyo Girls Collection' set to target cash-flush women

Young Japanese males may no longer be interested in buying new cars, brand-name clothes or other expensive items, but their female counterparts appear less reluctant to part with their money, and retailers are tuned in.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 26, 2011

Economics for the people

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — We are in the midst of a boom in popular economics: books, articles, blogs, public lectures, all followed closely by the general public.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 25, 2011

Waiting for the WikiLeak dam to break

Like a giant dose of salts to a bloated and constipated patient, "Cablegate" has scoured its way through the post-9/11 United States empire, exposing its internal workings to merciless scrutiny: In Iraq, U.S. forces and their Iraqi subordinates kill civilians and journalists while their commanders turn...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2011

Whither Tunisia's 'Jasmine Revolution'?

NEW YORK — As I try to grasp the meaning of the Tunisian Revolution and gauge its future, I am looking at my desk, where I have spread two issues of The New York Times, both featuring Tunisia on their front pages. The two issues are dated 23 years apart.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jan 24, 2011

Japan's chance to exploit Russian suspicion of China

Military policy and maneuvers undertaken by Russia in recent months appear to indicate that Moscow has begun to feel threatened by China's growing military strength, according to experts on Russian affairs.
Reader Mail
Jan 23, 2011

Fate of northern islands is sealed

I read Masami Ito's Jan. 18 article, "Russian-held isles: so near, so far," with great interest. Japan's government claims that the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty does not apply to the four islands off Hokkaido, known as the Northern Territories. We hear stories that U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt...
Reader Mail
Jan 23, 2011

Lavatory facilities are almost there

Regarding Kaori Shoji's Jan. 19 Bilingual page article, "Paying respect to the Japanese toilet god": While Japanese lavatories are very clean, I sometimes miss soap and water or otherwise with which to wash my hands. May I recommend including soap as a necessary adjunct? Public lavatories at highway...
Reader Mail
Jan 23, 2011

'Gun' headline misfires

The headline for the Jan. 14 article "Leave the gun, bring 'takoyaki': East Village" baffles me. Is this an off-color reference to the recent gun violence in America? Or was the editor just at a loss for words? Is the headline supposed to mean that it is safe in the East Village (Manhattan, N.Y.) because...
Reader Mail
Jan 23, 2011

Service with a smile sets us apart

Regarding the Jan. 11 Kyodo article "Japanese service winning customers in Europe": I am delighted that Japanese service is rated highly, because there hasn't been much good news recently. I feel that Japan is inferior when it comes to politics, scholastic ability and self-sufficiency, so I'm happy that...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 23, 2011

The countdown: six months and a day till TV goes digital

Quick: what happened in Japan on Sept. 10, 1960? A few people might recall that was the day Japan commenced color TV broadcasting. At the startup, color programs were few in number, but consumers still had four years and one month to buy a color set before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
COMMENTARY
Jan 23, 2011

Beyond the protests in another 'Arab regime'

SEATTLE — When faced with problems, most authoritarian regimes maintain a policy of rigidity when the appropriate response should be flexibility, political wisdom and concessions. In this way, authoritarian leaders can control their populations to serve the interests of a few individuals and political...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 23, 2011

Forests worldwide: a primer

For those living in Japan, it's easy to forget that forests are not a given.
Reader Mail
Jan 23, 2011

Safe life for celibate homebodies

Regarding Alex Martin's Jan. 14 article, "Young men, couples shunning sex": Maybe it's the growing intrusion of technology into our lives that encourages a corresponding insularity that partly accounts for the rise of disinterest in sex among teenage boys and young adult men. Yet, the advice that young...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 22, 2011

Frenchwoman follows pearl of destiny to Japan

A Frenchwoman who was fascinated by the shine of Japanese pearl works has come here all alone to master the skill from an artisan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2011

Facebook and dark matter

HONG KONG — News that Goldman Sachs has taken a $450 million stake in Facebook in a deal that puts a $50 billion valuation on the fledgling company raises interesting and somewhat troubling questions beyond the immediate gawping and jaw-dropping headlines that a spotty-faced Harvard dropout aged 26...
COMMENTARY
Jan 21, 2011

China 'reasonably' pre-empting N.Z. justice

HONG KONG — Last October, when the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace prize to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, official Chinese spokesmen waxed indignant. A spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Higher People's Court, which had sentenced Liu to 11 years in prison on a...
Reader Mail
Jan 20, 2011

Heartwarming news this winter

Regarding the Jan. 14 Kyodo article " Gakkyusha also gets donation fever": Every time I hear of more news related to the "Tiger Mask Phenomenon," I feel that Japanese people are answering some purpose.
Reader Mail
Jan 20, 2011

Offer of time and skills to a child

Regarding the Jan. 12 Kyodo article "More anonymous 'cartoon hero' donors leave gifts for kids in need": I was pleased to hear about local donations to orphanages across Japan. It has long been something that has been behind closed doors and it is good to see an increased awareness of it in the public...
Reader Mail
Jan 20, 2011

No inducement to return islands

Regarding the Jan. 14 Kyodo article "Territory settlement 'impossible' now": This is a very sad situation, especially for those Japanese wishing to return to the place of their birth. If you look at any of the media sites for Russian television, the point of view of the Russian populace is that the "Northern...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2011

Hu's momentous U.S. visit

HONG KONG — The pomp and circumstance marking President Hu Jintao's arrival in Washington could define a dangerous moment in relations between the United States and China. Political hype and pressures could easily poison the atmosphere and prevent progress on the proliferation of business, economic...
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Jan 19, 2011

Japanese Web outlook and predictions for 2011

Last year saw many changes for Japanese Internet users as people began to shift from Japanese social networks to international ones, and from regular cellphones to smart phones. The international influence was felt in other web-based areas too. So what can we expect for 2011?
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jan 18, 2011

Up the prosecutor's road

Public Prosecutor General Hiroshi Obayashi was forced to resign after being in office for only six months in the wake of a series of scandals involving the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office's special investigation squad, including the tampering of evidence by one of its prosecutors.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Jan 18, 2011

NPB's 50-homer club unlikely to be expanding ranks

The period between the start of the calendar year and the beginning of camp is often wrought with bold proclamations and lofty goals as ambition helps power players through their final winter preparations.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?