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Japan Times
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 27, 2008

Athletics squad faces pressure in Beijing

There was a mild dose of optimism Japan would collect a bunch of medals at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Osaka. Some said the nation's athletes would benefit from the home stadium advantage and the fact they were acclimated to the hot, humid summers in Kansai.
Reader Mail
Jul 27, 2008

Japanese beauty on world's stage

Regarding the July 16 article "Miss Universe lesson: Japanese women find beauty inside and out": As the world becomes globalized, the concept of beauty is also globalizing. In 2003 Miyako Miyazaki won fifth place in the Miss Universe competition. In 2006 Kurara Chibana was first runnerup, and following...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jul 26, 2008

Darvish poised for spotlight at Olympics

Cuba beat Japan 4-0 in the final of the 2004 World Junior Baseball Championships, resulting in the Japanese starter that day ending the tournament 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 24, 2008

Yoshida, Hoketsu provide compelling story lines

In less than two weeks, the bright lights in Beijing will shine on thousands of athletes.
Reader Mail
Jul 24, 2008

More questions than answers

Regarding the July 20 article "Teenager held in dad's stabbing": How bizarre we can get? A 15-year-old girl "admitted stabbing her father in the chest several times with a knife." She "didn't like to be told to study" by her parents. The police got a call "from the teen's family" saying "the daughter...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 22, 2008

Clustering with the Europeans

Japan was among the 111 countries that took part in an international conference held in Dublin, Ireland, in May and unanimously adopted a treaty that, in principle, prohibits all signatories from using, developing, producing, stockpiling, retaining or transferring cluster munitions.
LIFE / Language
Jul 22, 2008

Katakana makes Japanese trendy and accessible

Words and phrases in katakana may appear to be easily recognizable to non-native speakers of Japanese, but they are often fiendishly difficult. This generally comes as a surprise to Japanese, who naturally assume that we can understand katakana words readily, seeing as many of them originated in foreign...
Reader Mail
Jul 20, 2008

Nature of rights violations

Regarding the July 15 Zeit Gist article, "Human rights -- strictly personal, strictly Japanese?": Doshisa Law School professor Colin P.A. Jones suggests that the Justice Ministry would like us to think, at least where Japan is concerned, that "human rights violations are a problem caused by citizens...
Reader Mail
Jul 20, 2008

No mention of arrest immunity

In the July 16 article "High crime rate a 'misperception' ": Lt. Gen. Edward Rice, commander of U.S. Forces Japan, reiterates that the crime rate of American service members in Japan is lower than that of the Japanese in general. He does not say whether off-duty U.S. service members suspected of crimes...
Reader Mail
Jul 20, 2008

Crime statistics seem skewed

USFJ Commander Lt. Gen. Edward Rice states in the July 16 article that the rate of off-base crimes committed by members of the U.S. military in Japan is much lower than that for Japanese in general: "We are able to keep the off-base serious crime rate for the U.S. service members to approximately half...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 20, 2008

Lemon-picking prof prompts reflection on strange twists of fate

Lately I have been thinking about some wonderful teachers I was blessed with at university. Three, in particular, shaped my life. Had I not encountered them, I doubt that I myself would have become an author of fiction, a translator and a teacher.
Japan Times
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 19, 2008

Now-retired Nomo made huge impact on baseball

Hideo Nomo's impact on baseball will be felt for decades to come.
Reader Mail
Jul 17, 2008

Rice flour to rescue ramen?

I read with great interest the July 13 editorial "The price of ramen," because I've been working on an article on ramen in America. Undoubtedly, rising prices for this convenient foodstuff will be a challenging problem for some time.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 15, 2008

Keidanren hedging bets on LDP

The Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) is showing signs of changing its unflinching support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as it seeks closer ties with the No. 1 opposition Democratic Party of Japan.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2008

Campaigners call for dual custody of children

Foreigners who have divorced their Japanese spouses are often denied access to their children.
COMMENTARY
Jul 15, 2008

Guantanamo ruling may end the nightmare

NEW YORK — The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that recognizes the rights of Guantanamo detainees to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts is a serious rebuke of the controversial detention policies of the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush. It also may pave the way for the...
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 13, 2008

Focused Tamesue follows his own path in search of Olympic glory

I have a confession to make, and it won't send an electric shock through your nervous system, nor will it instantly give you a Don King hairdo.
Reader Mail
Jul 13, 2008

Profiting at the poor's expense

In his July 8 article "Thickheadedness on African debt," Franklin Cudjoe paints an inaccurate picture of debt forgiveness. Debt relief is a pragmatic and tested tool in the fight against global poverty.
Reader Mail
Jul 13, 2008

Wasteful gesture at a bad time

I read the front-page July 10 article "Russia threatens military action after U.S. inks Czech missile deal" not only with great interest, but also with grave anxiety. Russia has been against U.S. plans to build a missile defense shield in Europe. Russians will not feel comfortable seeing it built near...
COMMENTARY
Jul 11, 2008

Life and death of an American editing legend

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — An over-used cliche in the American language is that some man or woman is or was "larger than life." As with most cliches, this one can render a measure of value by capturing the aura of an unusual individual.
Reader Mail
Jul 10, 2008

Last resort to gain recognition

In the July 1 article, "Society's role in Kato's crime," writer Jenny Uechi sampled a number of Tomohiro Kato's online postings as a source of analysis. I understand that the footprints Kato left on the mobile net site are crucial for tracing the mental trail to his June 8 attack in Tokyo's Akihabara...
Reader Mail
Jul 6, 2008

Customary trust on shaky ground

Regarding the July 1 article "Customs officials had habit of planting drugs" (which reported that three customs officials at Narita airport had planted cannabis resin in travelers' bags more than 160 times to train drug sniffer dogs in violation of Tokyo Customs' rules): Might the same officials have...
Reader Mail
Jul 6, 2008

Ode to the charms of Fukuoka

I read with some elation the June 26 article "Fukuoka world's best shopping city: Monocle magazine survey." Having lived in Fukuoka, I rate it the best-kept secret in Japan, a gem set beside a blue bay. The public transport system is good, and the subway system connects major centers of commercial business...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 6, 2008

Was the Japanese language influenced by Tamil? The war goes on

For years I have been watching from the sidelines as the opponents battle it out. For the players this fight will go on and on, and the theater of war is right here.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2008

Glimpses into Japan's frontier

Hokkaido is seen as a prefecture apart, where the vastnesses are vaster, the wilds wilder and the splendor more splendid than anywhere else in Japan. The Group of Eight summit attendees and other summer visitors will have a chance to see for themselves at the 11 national or quasi-national parks in Hokkaido,...
Reader Mail
Jul 6, 2008

Foreigners who became geisha

Regarding the June 29 article "Aussie geisha speaks out": Why does The Japan Times identify Fiona Graham as the first foreign geisha? American anthropologist Liza Dalby (who spent her first year in Japan with a Saga City family in the 1960s) became a geisha more than 20 years ago. james guthrie
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 6, 2008

Driving scams abound in the world of the bureaucrat

As long as I've lived in Tokyo, I've wondered why the city's public transportation system, maybe the best in the world, doesn't operate round the clock. One of the explanations I've heard is that taxi companies have successfully campaigned against any extension of train and bus services past midnight....
Reader Mail
Jul 6, 2008

Big challenge facing society

Thank you for publishing the July 1 Zeit Gist article, "Society's role in Kato's crime." After living in Japan for more than four years now, I have witnessed a steady decline in economic conditions and morale among the masses. Having a family and a modest income, and living in a regional center, I am...

Longform

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