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Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2009

Citizens find their place on the bench

As far as civic duties go, most Japanese would probably say voting is the most serious. But last month, a contender emerged with the first trial under the lay judge system.
Reader Mail
Sep 3, 2009

Slow response to bird disaster

Regarding the Aug. 20 article "Avian killing fields of lotus": Thank you for this much needed coverage of birds that are being trapped around Lake Kasumigaura. I drive through the area on a weekly basis, and the sight of birds struggling in the nets is one I will never forget. Most of them hang by a...
EDITORIALS
Aug 31, 2009

Historic day for Japanese politics

In a historic change in Japan's parliamentary political history, the Democratic Party of Japan defeated the Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito ruling coalition in Sunday's Lower House election. The DPJ has captured 308 seats out of the 480 seats in the all-important chamber.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 30, 2009

Japan at a crossroads of government and of its citizens' values

Charles de Gaulle, the magisterial president of France from 1959-69, was inordinately fond of the phrase, "Moi ou le chaos" — "Me or chaos." It was not much of a choice.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2009

Brazilian delegation studies Japan's cremation technology

In a country where most people are Roman Catholic, Brazilians have traditionally buried their loved ones in the ground under the doctrine of resurrection of the body.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 28, 2009

Dipping into modern art at Naoshima's bathhouse

At 2 p.m. on July 26, operations commenced at the first public bathhouse on the island of Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea between the mainland of Honshu and Shikoku. Titled Naoshima Bathhouse "I Love Yu" (the "Love" represented by a heart symbol and "Yu" in kanji form) and designed by artist Shinro Ohtake...
COMMENTARY
Aug 27, 2009

Are green shoots sprouting?

Is recovery from the global recession already under way? In Germany, France and the United States, authoritative voices are declaring the recession over and telling us that growth has resumed. And now the same view is heard in Japan. Yes, if you take a magnifying glass you can see tiny little specks...
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 27, 2009

Fierce battles rage for Tokyo seats

The 2005 Lower House election was a bitter experience for candidates on the Democratic Party of Japan's ticket who ran in Tokyo's 25 single-seat constituencies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 25, 2009

Tanaka battling in New Komeito heartland

AMAGASAKI, Hyogo Pref. — Yasuo Tanaka, the leader of New Party Nippon and former governor of Nagano, is attempting to unseat New Komeito heavyweight Tetsuzo Fuyushiba in a race widely seen as a test of Tanaka's popularity in a region where his volunteer activities after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake...
COMMENTARY
Aug 23, 2009

Japan has plenty of work to do in transforming how it governs

The world is changing dramatically and political governance is at stake.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2009

Gene trick found that helps rice survive floods

Japanese scientists have discovered genes that enable rice to survive high water, providing hope for better production in lowland areas affected by flooding.
COMMENTARY
Aug 21, 2009

Decay of Japanese politics

Japan's politics in recent years has lacked dynamism and incurred people's distrust. The purpose of politics is to present a vision for the nation's future, identify the systems and policies needed, and ensure the safety and prosperity of the nation and its people. Recently, though, Japanese politics...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Aug 18, 2009

Weighing the nuclear option

In his 2008 New Year's speech, Japanese political doyen and former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone warned that without a clear-cut national vision and objective, Japan might tread a path toward ruin like the ancient city-state of Carthage, which was defeated and destroyed by Rome in 146 B.C.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Aug 18, 2009

Power harassment plagues workplaces

Dear Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Yoichi Masuzoe, I can still recall the phone conversation with my spouse on June 2, when I was crying profusely due to harassment at work. Earlier that day, the manager of my unit asked me to resign, stating that one of the deputy managers didn't like me. On...
EDITORIALS
Aug 16, 2009

Lonely shoplifters

The rapid rise in theft by elderly people has caught the police and Justice Ministry off guard. A Justice Ministry report revealed that over 30,000 people over 65 were convicted of theft in 2007, with crimes by the elderly in 2008 rising to the highest level ever.
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 16, 2009

Frontale's Chong draws strength from pride in North Korean heritage

KURIHIRA, Kanagawa Pref. — Kawasaki Frontale's North Korean striker Chong Tese has a busy year ahead of him.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 14, 2009

The spiritual side of making wine

Between the cold steel of enormous fermentation tanks and the state-of-the-art equipment in the tasting rooms of today's modern wineries, it's hard to believe that there is any element of the winemaking process that is not governed by the strict dictates of science. So imagine my surprise when, visiting...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Aug 13, 2009

Fish master Tatsuo Ichikawa

Tatsuo Ichikawa, 69, is an English-speaking volunteer tour guide and an expert on all things fishy in Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish market. He's not only a serious history buff, but also an osakana meister (fish master), whose mission is to educate the public on the health benefits of eating his favorite food....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Aug 13, 2009

Fish master Tatsuo Ichikawa

Tatsuo Ichikawa, 69, is an English-speaking volunteer tour guide and an expert on all things fishy in Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish market. He's not only a serious history buff, but also an osakana meister (fish master), whose mission is to educate the public on the health benefits of eating his favorite food....
COMMENTARY
Aug 12, 2009

Seven global lessons from a teachable event

WATERLOO, Ontario — Apparently Sgt. James Crowley's arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. in Boston on July 17 was "a teachable moment." Here are seven lessons relevant to world affairs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 12, 2009

Party platforms offer no quick fix to job woes

Fourth in a series

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat