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Reader Mail
Jul 18, 2007

Welcome back 'Iwoto'

I share Philip J. Cunningham's concern in his July 2 article, "Goodbye Iwojima, Hello Iwoto," that stirrings of language police are a harbinger of oppressive nationalism. But there is more behind the move to call Hollywood's "Iwo Jima" Japan's "Iwoto" than meets the eye or ear.
Reader Mail
Jul 18, 2007

Flair can't pass for substance

One of the few perks I enjoy living so far from Hollywood, and everything else associated with "La-La Land," is that I no longer have to endure the sycophantic ramblings of movie critics and the opinions of self-righteous actors. Or so I thought.
Reader Mail
Jul 18, 2007

U.S. also shortchanges students

Regarding the July 4 article " 'Some' civilian Okinawa deaths won't halt textbook rewrite": Textbook censorship of historical events is not limited to Japan. The long tradition of local control of schools in the United States has meant that 50 different versions of supposedly historical facts are possible....
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 17, 2007

Hinomaru, 'Kimigayo' express conflicts both past and future

To some they are symbols of national pride, to others icons of a militaristic past. "Kimigayo," the national anthem, and the Hinomaru, the national flag, have been perpetual sources of controversy because of their contentious historical backgrounds. Following are some basic questions and answers about...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 17, 2007

Schools single out foreign roots

Since 1990, when Japan started allowing factories to easily import foreign labor, the number of registered non-Japanese (NJ) residents has nearly doubled to more than 2 million.
COMMENTARY
Jul 16, 2007

Miyazawa knew economics

Obituaries for former Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, who died recently at age 87, agreed that he was a statesman and a genuine internationalist. But some — those from Nikkei, Japan's leading economic media group, especially — also criticized him as a Keynesian economist responsible for Japan's economic...
Reader Mail
Jul 15, 2007

Scant concern for the citizenry

The July 8 letters of Shaun O'Dwyer and Andrew Murphy praising former Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma's remarks reported in the July 1 article "A-bombings 'couldn't be helped' " miss the point. It is plausible for U.S. politicians to claim that dropping the A-bombs "could not be helped" and was necessary...
Reader Mail
Jul 15, 2007

Candidate is fooling herself

In response to the July 4 article "Candidate Tojo seeks resolution against A-bombings": I must say that I am in full agreement with Yuko Tojo -- who seeks election to the Upper House - in her bid to bring a resolution against the United States for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Reader Mail
Jul 15, 2007

Hypocrisy doesn't apply to all

Regarding Florian Coulmas' July 9 article, "Act of missionary hypocrisy": It is not the American government, per se, that is calling on the Japanese government to acknowledge the pain suffered by the "comfort women." In fact, President George W. Bush has let it be known that he has no problem at all...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 15, 2007

No care in the world for caregivers as profit is all that matters

Scandals are coming so fast and furious now it seems eons ago when nursing care provider Comsn Inc. was busted by the government for inflating the number of employees on its payroll. Actually, it was only last month, and at the time the media could only concentrate on the particulars, namely Comsn's...
Reader Mail
Jul 11, 2007

Slow response to toxic pollution

Regarding Stephen Hesse's June 27 article, "Is this a poisons coverup?": Some other questions might be: Who was responsible for building the Jinkanpo incinerator so close to a housing area at the U.S. Naval Air Facility at Atsugi? Why didn't the Japanese government take greater care to safeguard the...
Reader Mail
Jul 11, 2007

No sweat in being averse to hugs

Regarding Mark Schreiber's July 1 translation ("Will 'free hugs' take hold in Japan?") of a Weekly Playboy article: I accept that the Japanese are not likely to hug each other in public, but neither is it common practice in Australia. The concept of "personal space" is very prevalent, and one does...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 2007

Pro-Taiwan, not anti-China

TAIPEI — In 2003, while still serving as U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia, I was asked by Taiwanese reporters what the U.S. view would be on the proposal for Taiwan to hold a national referendum with the 2004 election. My convoluted answer could have been summarized more concisely...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 10, 2007

Wronged employees seek redress through mediation

Imagine you feel wronged by your employer and find simply sharing your work woes with friends and chat groups inadequate. You want compensation and acknowledgment that your employer acted unjustly.
Reader Mail
Jul 8, 2007

Inventor of 'ethnic cleansing'

I was deeply saddened to read Gregory Clark's article. It seems that all Clark did was check a few Serbian Web sites to get his education on Balkan history. Clark falsely states that the Croatian Ustashi murdered some 1 million Serbs during World War II, when in reality the number of Serbs that perished...
Reader Mail
Jul 8, 2007

Different take on the Serbs

As an Australian Serb who migrated to Australia in the late 1980s, I would like to thank Gregory Clark for his July 2 article, "Serbia owed justice." The reason is that for many years I have been reading so much nonsense published by the media about the Serbs and how evil they are. It's so rare to...
Reader Mail
Jul 8, 2007

'Kawaii' trend is not dead

Regarding the June 30 article "Miss Universe director turns Japanese into women of worldm": I find it quite rich that the one person who actively works for an event that is nothing more than an archaic display of male chauvinism and sexism has the guts to scoff at the "kawaii (cute)" ideal in Japanese...
Japan Times
LIFE / REFUGEES AND JAPAN
Jul 8, 2007

Sit-ins win new home, in Canada!

All Kurdish asylum-seeker Erdal Dogan wanted was a peaceful home for himself and his family.
Reader Mail
Jul 4, 2007

How dare China criticize Japan

Regarding the June 22 article "Don't deny Nanjing death toll: Beijing": I find it cynical for China to say that Japanese lawmakers show a lack courage for claiming that the "Rape of Nanking" death toll has been grossly inflated. Beijing demands that Japan face historical facts, but as a complete outsider,...
Reader Mail
Jul 1, 2007

A concrete or a conceptual road?

The June 24 editorial, "The new Silk Road," is very interesting, but it has many flaws. First of all, for new readers and people with little knowledge of the Silk Road, the editorial does not give much information about the history of the Silk Road. It does not explain how the idea for a new Silk Road...
Reader Mail
Jul 1, 2007

More than a mother's life

Regarding the June 21 article "Jehovah's Witness shuns blood, dies": The medical establishment has a duty to protect life. When a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses sect gave birth in May by Caesarean section and then refused a blood transfusion to save her life, the Osaka hospital's decision to allow...
Reader Mail
Jul 1, 2007

Unwelcome candidate in Japan

Regarding the June 20 article "Fugitive Fujimori is asked to run for Diet": It is completely unbelievable to me that a man like Alberto Fujimori is given the chance to participate in Japanese politics after all the stealing and twisted politics he is alleged to have taken part in as the president of...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 1, 2007

Food for thought — and a writ to go

Dear Reader: Today I bring you news of the most chilling and awful purport. Don't worry, it doesn't affect you — at least I hope it doesn't. It is yours truly who is getting the short end of the chopstick on this one. I tell you, I feel as if I've been reborn with a greasy spoon in my mouth — but...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 1, 2007

Immigrant workers in Japan caught in a real racket

The debate over whether Japan should allow foreign workers in to make up for current and future labor shortages is dominated by the so-called foreign trainee program, which is overseen by the Japan International Training Cooperation Organization (JITCO). The program is itself the subject of a debate,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 29, 2007

David Helfgott: Genius reborn

Critical praise — not public adulation — has eluded piano virtuoso David Helfgott since his life inspired the hit movie 'Shine.' But that's fine by him
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Jun 29, 2007

Taste receptors bow to flavor god

It used to be said that the human tongue perceived flavor in the form of four basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Then a Japanese scientist, Ikeda Kikunae (1864-1936), detected a rich, satisfying taste common to meat, cheese and Japanese dashi (stock) — among other things — which couldn't...
Reader Mail
Jun 27, 2007

Profiting off a soft target

Regarding the June 17 article "Sony apologizes for using cathedral in violent video game": As a longtime resident of Japan and a one-time Sony investor, I would like to ask the responsible people at Sony Computer Entertainment to consider the consequences if they had used another place besides Manchester...

Longform

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