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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Feb 19, 2013

Journey to Kenya turns writer's life on its head, spurs Africa fascination

It was a single visit to Kenya in 1972 that completely changed Michio Hiraiwa's philosophy on life. He fell in love with the country, and visited there 150 times over the past 40 years. Once a workaholic, Hiraiwa says he now leads a stress-free and relaxed life, visiting Kenya and Tanzania four times...
Japan Times
LIFE / LABOR PAINS
Feb 19, 2013

Teachers are workers, not martyrs: the severance scandal that isn't

'Teachers quitting before graduation?!' the headlines screamed as we headed into the new year.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Feb 19, 2013

Millions of dogs and cats coddled, 200,000 gassed each year in pet-mad Japan

Cast in bronze, Hachiko sits in a position of prominence befitting a storied daimyo or prime minister, right next to the busiest intersection in Japan, if not the world.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 18, 2013

Americans find taking family leave can poison their careers

Eight weeks before Danelle Buchman's baby was due, an artery ruptured in her uterus, which nearly killed her and her child. Delivered by emergency C-section in 2010, her newborn daughter, Avery, spent one month in intensive care. Buchman survived only after an immediate hysterectomy. When she tried to...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 16, 2013

China digs in history to bolster isle claims

Beneath its bellicose rhetoric, China has been quietly bolstering its territorial claims with ancient documents, academic research, maps and technical data.
BASKETBALL
Feb 16, 2013

Struggling Fitzgerald released by Happinets

The Akita Northern Happinets have terminated forward Dan Fitzgerald's contract, the bj-league club announced on Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Feb 15, 2013

British photographer documents lives outside the lines

Uchujin, aka Adrian Storey, a British photographer and filmmaker based in Tokyo, drolly explains his rather unusual business moniker: 'I'd rather be an alien than an outsider.'
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 15, 2013

Party picks up in Chinatown this weekend

While it seems politics is all that comes to mind when talking about China these days, the current New Year's holiday shows what a remarkable breadth of culture the country has.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 11, 2013

Brazil dams Amazon to feed energy-hungry economy

When it is completed in 2015, the Jirau hydroelectric dam will span the Madeira River, feature more giant turbines than any other dam in the world and hold as much concrete as 47 towers the size of New York's Empire State Building.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 10, 2013

Lots of blame, but few solutions to terrorist attacks abroad

On Jan. 16, Islamic militants believed led by the elusive commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar struck a natural-gas processing plant in Ain Amenas, Algeria. In the rescue attempt by units of Algeria's army, as many as 81 people may have died, among which were 10 Japanese employees of JGC Corporation.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 10, 2013

Murakami ideal man for new U.N. goodwill ambassador role

Kudos to Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese player in the major leagues, on his recent appointment as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. "Mashi" is highly qualified to take the leadership role in supporting charities and, having been acquainted with him for...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 10, 2013

Military is key to emerging democracy

After five decades under military rule, Myanmar faces many challenges in building a robust democracy. The election of Aung San Suu Kyi and 41 other members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in parliamentary by-elections last April has stoked a degree of euphoria tempered by grim realities still...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 10, 2013

Future leaders stress 'politics of the daily'

In 2015, Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar's current president, Thein Sein, will both turn 70, so a great deal depends on future leaders. On a recent visit I caught up with two promising aspirants who focus on the "politics of the daily."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Feb 8, 2013

Founder of TIS makes creativity cornerstone of school's curriculum

Patrick Newell, 47, founder of Tokyo International School, calls himself a “learning activist,” a zealot on the frontlines of learning.
EDITORIALS
Feb 8, 2013

China's dangerous conduct

It is deplorable that Chinese warships recently locked their fire-control radar on an MSDF destroyer and an MSDF helicopter in the East China Sea.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 8, 2013

Japanese attorneys throw their nets farther out

Big city lawyers are moving to the sticks to drum up business.
EDITORIALS
Feb 8, 2013

Mr. Kerry's challenges

Mr. John Kerry has been confirmed as the United States secretary of state and has officially taken office. Although his predecessor, Ms. Hillary Clinton, left a big legacy to live up to, the five-term senator from Massachusetts is well suited for the job. Mr. Kerry's new post caps a distinguished political...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2013

Breaking past the tired old plot with Pyongyang

Stop me if you've heard this one before. North Korea decides, for whatever reason, that it is time to once again challenge the international community by conducting missile and nuclear tests. It announces a "satellite launch" and proceeds, despite international condemnation and warnings of dire consequences,...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 8, 2013

Lantern festival to put spotlight on Nagasaki's Chinese neighborhood

Recent diplomatic squabbles between Japan and China have dampened enthusiasm around many bilateral events, but it seems nothing can dull the glow of the Nagasaki Lantern Festival, which will be held as always during the Chinese New Year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 7, 2013

Tadasu Takamine's not so 'Cool Japan'

In May 2011, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry promoted the idea of "Cool Japan," presenting Japanese culture as a product amid the confusing circumstances after the Great East Japan Earthquake. As Japan continues to suffer a declining population and weak economy, it was a government attempt...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 7, 2013

Abe presses ahead on collective self-defense

Japanese corporate executives doing business with China as well as diplomats stationed in Japan and neighboring countries are probably breathing a sigh of relief now that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has dialed down his hawkish stance from the campaign trail in December and has instead focused on stimulus...

Longform

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