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Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2011

Look at who received a medal

I usually enjoy Tom Plate's relativistic ruminations and ramblings, but I have to question his judgment concerning Lee Kuan Yew and the Lincoln Medal in his Nov. 7 article, "Asian leader receives coveted American award." Ironically this letter, and perhaps even some of Plate's columns, would probably...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 13, 2011

'Calamity' awaits those unready for climate-change refugees

There is a wonderful expression in Japanese: Fūdo ni nareru, which means something like "to become acclimatized to natural conditions."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2011

Risk-averse Noda shuns hallway interviews

Words are often the strongest weapon in a politician's armory, but the slightest slip of the tongue can turn into a huge liability, as evidenced by the number of occasions prime ministers and Cabinet members have been caught out in the last six years.
COMMENTARY
Nov 11, 2011

Two days that shook the CIS

On Oct. 18-19, eight of 11 members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) — gathering in St. Petersburg for its annual session — accepted a proposal from Russian Prime Minister and returning President Vladimir Putin to establish a free trade zone, thus taking a decisive step toward a Eurasian...
Reader Mail
Nov 10, 2011

Why are refugees complaining?

I enjoyed the Nov. 3 article "Karen refugees snub farm, try luck in Tokyo," but am a bit surprised. I know that many Japanese work Saturdays and nearly 10 hours a day. A two-hour commute on a train to go to work and another two hours to return home is not uncommon. I know people who have done this for...
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Nov 10, 2011

The next big thing, and one that never quite made it

Leading up to the 2011 Kyushu tourney down in Fukuoka, the world of sumo is looking to round off another annus horribilis.
COMMENTARY
Nov 9, 2011

This time, how about a debate of substance?

The GOP presidential candidates, their sinews stiffened and their blood summoned up, may rightly dread Wednesday's version of what are inexplicably called debates. The candidates have some explaining to do, particularly regarding two subjects that deserve more searching examination than is possible in...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2011

The Commonwealth's missed opportunity

On Oct. 28-30, representatives of 54 countries, mostly heads of government, attended the bi-annual Commonwealth Meeting. High on the agenda was a report by the Eminent Persons Group (EPG), established to reinvigorate the Commonwealth, strengthen its Secretariat, and transform its approach to human rights....
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2011

Pacific trade pact could help consumers: expert

If Japan joins the U.S.-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement and tariffs on highly protected farm products are lifted, it would greatly benefit consumers by boosting imports and lowering product prices, a point often overlooked amid recent intensifying debates, experts said in a recent...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Nov 6, 2011

Kiyoshi Nakabayashi: Ex-Tokyo cop speaks out on a life fighting gangs — and what you can do

Kiyoshi Nakabayashi well remembers how, when he was a high school student in the late 1950s and early '60s, newspapers were full of stories of violent gang wars being fought out openly on the streets of Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 6, 2011

Lessons of loss and healing

This is a haunting saga, brilliantly told, about the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines flight in the mountains of remote Gunma that claimed 521 lives. It is a gripping tale that explores what happened and why while probing the human tragedies that have unfolded since that fateful day. At the footer of each...
COMMENTARY
Nov 5, 2011

Conformity enforced in the name of diversity

Illustrating an intellectual confusion common on campuses, Vanderbilt University says: To ensure "diversity of thought and opinion" we require certain student groups, including five religious ones, to conform to the university's policy that forbids the groups from protecting their characteristics that...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2011

The domestic logic behind Iran's foreign policy plots

The history of the Islamic Republic is filled with cases of factions exploiting foreign policy to gain power against their domestic rivals. It is common for competing groups to sacrifice national interests — such as Iran's international credibility — to achieve their own goals.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 5, 2011

Best for Capello to leave Terry out

The best that could happen to John Terry Saturday is that Chelsea beats Blackburn and he is injured. Not badly, just a hamstring strain perhaps.
BUSINESS
Nov 5, 2011

Olympus delays earnings release pending M&A probe

Olympus Corp. said Friday it was postponing the release of second-quarter earnings pending the results of a probe into $1.4 billion in writedowns and fees related to the company's acquisitions.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2011

Taxation alone won't save Japan from its public debts

Jun Azumi has joined the chorus of those promising the imminent prospect of a rise in Japan's consumption tax. As finance minister, one would think — hope, perhaps pray — that Azumi should know what he is talking about.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Q&A
Nov 4, 2011

Science far from conclusive on low-level radiation risks

The March 11 nuclear accident at the Fukushima No. 1 plant has transformed what used to be a long-standing academic debate into an urgent issue for millions of ordinary people: Will long-term exposure to low-level radiation cause any health problems?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 4, 2011

'Rabbit Hole" / "Another Year"

As the marketing budgets for movies about alien invasions, Nordic gods and talking cars grow exponentially bigger, they increasingly tend to define our notions of what cinema is or could be. This has resulted in a generation or two out there who see little reason to go to a movie about, well, people....
COMMENTARY
Nov 2, 2011

U.S. military spending cuts have gone too far

We shouldn't gut defense. A central question of our budget debates is how much we allow growing social spending to crowd out the military and, in effect, force the United States into a dangerous, slow-motion disarmament.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2011

Aide denies Ozawa saw fund reports

A former aide to Democratic Party of Japan kingpin Ichiro Ozawa testified Tuesday that he never consulted with his former boss about making alleged false entries in the financial statements for Ozawa's political fund management body, Rikuzankai, in 2004 and 2005.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2011

TPP bandwagons play tunes not all find pleasing to the ear

The question of whether Japan should join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks has taken center stage in the Diet as the chasm grows between TPP advocates, mainly on the side of businesses, and opponents, representing long-protected farming and fishing constituencies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2011

Japan needs a 'fresh start' to resolve lingering issues

Post-March 11 Japan faces the challenge of not just rebuilding from the damage of the massive earthquake and tsunami, but also tackling the nation's structural economic and political problems that have largely been left unresolved over the past two decades.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 1, 2011

Wall Street mans the barricades

In spite of the current economic turmoil, some Americans do not have any problems with jobs, money or housing. Indeed, Houston oil executive John Schiller built a new Cape Cod house for just $50,000 a couple of years ago. A bargain, you might think, except that this was a play-house for his four-year-old...
EDITORIALS
Oct 31, 2011

A breakthrough in Brussels

European leaders agreed last week — at last — on a comprehensive plan to tackle the euro-zone debt crisis. The plan consists of three pillars — a real "haircut" by Greek debt holders, an infusion of capital into the European bailout fund and recapitalizes European banks. The program could break...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 29, 2011

Late surge makes Giants a good bet in Central League Climax Series

The Tokyo Yakult Swallows faced the Yomiuri Giants 24 times this season and for the first time in 11 years proved themselves to be the better team.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 28, 2011

All eyes on Darvish in Climax opener

Yu Darvish has a few things to take care of before deciding which side of the Pacific he wants to pitch on next season.

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