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COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2010

Middle East needs truly secular governance

BEPPU, Oita Pref. — The march for secularism held on April 26 in Lebanon focused attention on the country and the region's conflicts and battle of values. Thousands of Lebanese from various social backgrounds — Shiite, Sunni, Maronite and more — took to the streets and marched to the national parliament...
EDITORIALS
May 16, 2010

What is next for Nigeria?

The transition of power since the death of Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has been swift and efficient. Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, sworn in a day after the president's passing, declared a week of mourning for his predecessor. It is unclear if Mr. Jonathan will seek to win the office in...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 14, 2010

'Whip It' with Drew

HOLLYWOOD — "The politest thing I can say is, 'It's about bleeping time!' " says Drew Barrymore with a giggle reminiscent of Gertie, the "E.T." role that made her famous back in 1982.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 14, 2010

Mickey springs his mouse trap

Visiting the SHIMURABROS. studio in Yokohama's trendy BankART Studio NYK, one of the venues used for the 2008 Yokohama Triennale, you might think you had made a blunder and walked into a medical facility. Computer screens showing CT scans line the walls with the only one thing giving the game away —...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
May 13, 2010

Pierce prepares for playoffs

The Japan Times will be featuring periodic interviews with individuals in the bj-league. The league's fifth season began in October. Head coach Bob Pierce of the Shiga Lakestars is the subject of this week's profile.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2010

A dangerous deficit of democracy in Britain

HONG KONG — In spite of the United Kingdom's robust and rumbustious election campaign, once the votes were counted and the winning members of Parliament (MPs) were declared, it was clear that the U.K. is suffering a dangerous and growing democratic deficit.
EDITORIALS
May 12, 2010

An inconclusive vote in Britain

There was no winner in last week's election in Britain. The Conservative Party took the most seats overall, but no party emerged with a clear majority, leaving the country facing the prospect of its first hung parliament since the 1970s. That underscores the depths of the divisions in Britain and the...
COMMENTARY
May 9, 2010

Don't talk to space aliens unless you're sure they're not very fast

LONDON — "If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," said the world's most famous theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, late last month.
Japan Times
LIFE
May 9, 2010

Children of Japan

Childhood. We all know it, we've all been through it, we've all lost it. Memory retains traces of it. We recall facts, incidents, fragments — but not what it felt like to be a child. Childish feelings are nameable to the adult, but not recoverable. They are on the other side of an impassable boundary...
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2010

Diffident India won't get U.S., Chinese respect

LONDON — Recently, India engaged with two major powers — China and the United States — at the highest levels. Both are vital states insofar as Indian national security interests are concerned.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 8, 2010

Weaving a bridge between cultures with new fabric

Love of art and a desire for understanding different cultures — so as to find a way to build a bridge among them — have been important aspects of Micaela Metri's life since her youth, when she was a student on a full scholarship at the L.B. Pearson College of the Pacific in Canada.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 7, 2010

Understanding the bank crisis via the stage

"If you want to understand the banking crisis, you should go to the theater" — this isn't a blurb for an economics book, it's from a review for "The Power of Yes," the latest work by English playwright David Hare.
COMMENTARY / World
May 6, 2010

Bankrupt theology lives to distract on another day

GENEVA — Now that the global financial crisis is abating, it is time to take stock of our mistakes and ensure that they are not repeated.
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2010

Nuclear disarmament goal a harmful myth

MOSCOW — Russia and the United States have signed a new strategic nuclear-arms reduction treaty (START). Officially, the treaty cuts their weapons by one-third; in fact, each party will decommission only several dozen.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL: KEYES' POINT
May 5, 2010

Rusuban: The family oni is left holding the fort

"Daddy, when I grow up I wanna be a kyabajō (キャバ嬢, nightclub hostess)!"
COMMENTARY
May 3, 2010

Plans for 'small' reactors nudge waste-disposal concerns to fore

Imagine a world in which midsize cities, factories and towns in many countries have their own small nuclear reactors to generate electricity and heat. Some would be in remote locations unconnected to the national grid but others would be in densely populated zones that need local sources of constant...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 1, 2010

Conspiratorial claims show lack of common sense

LONDON — Conspiracy theory one: Liverpool will let Chelsea win at Anfield tomorrow because it does not want Manchester United to win its 19th title as it would put the Red Devils one ahead of the Merseysiders.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 30, 2010

'Zebraman 2: Zebra City no Gyakushu'

Who wouldn't want to be a superhero? The hero of Takashi Miike's 2004 action comedy "Zebraman" certainly would. Ichikawa (Sho Aikawa) is a nerdy teacher whose life is one big zero — until he dresses up like a 1970s superhero and takes to the streets of Yokohama at night, looking for citizens in distress....
MORE SPORTS
Apr 28, 2010

Orser says he was asked to coach Mao

There seems to be no end to the ongoing drama that envelops the rivalry between Mao Asada and Kim Yu Na.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / ICE TIME
Apr 28, 2010

Mao's magnetism resonates on a global scale

Ever think you had a fairly good idea of the popularity of a public figure only to be completely blown away when you truly found out?
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Apr 28, 2010

Durant not backing down in duel with Kobe

NEW YORK — A casual acquaintance e-mailed me a couple days ago to complain about the Eastern Conference playoff mismatches, as if I had something to do with the short supply of competition.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2010

Japan needs green tech investment

The government should focus more on promoting innovations and utilizing energy-efficient technologies of Japanese companies in the nation's efforts to combat global warming, officials of industry groups said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 26, 2010

Transforming the judiciary

An epoch-making event in the Japanese judiciary system took place Jan. 27, when, for the first time in Japanese legal history, the prosecution's decision not to indict a suspect was reversed by votes of a panel composed of citizens.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Apr 25, 2010

Results of carnal prohibition are no surprise

When the Vatican "scandal" erupted, I happened to be reading Kumagusu Minakata's writings on homosexuality — to be exact, his writings as selected, with comments, by Taruho Inagaki. I was doing so because Inagaki (1900-1977) won Japan's literary "grand prize" for his book, "The Aesthetic of the Love...
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2010

Small parties looking for bigger say

With the approach of the summer Upper House election, several new parties are vying for voters disenchanted with the Democratic Party of Japan, which swept to power last year on the promise of change but became mired in money scandals and accusations of poor leadership.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 23, 2010

Thailand's political and social elite in denial?

BANGKOK — Thailand's political and social fabric is fraying. Indeed, the country's future looks as shaky as it has never been.

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