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Reader Mail
Oct 4, 2009

Solution to North Korean problem

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's proposal for an East Asian Community along the lines of the European Union is an excellent idea. I made the same proposal in my 2008 book, "Peace in East Asia" (published by Edward Elgar).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 4, 2009

The 'Rocky' of Nanimwa, a boutique dairy and the drama debut of Arashi's Aiba

Now he's an actor and television personality, but 25 years ago Hidekazu Akai was known as the "Naniwa Rocky," a professional boxer from the Naniwa region of Osaka. Recently, the boxing club of Kinki University, where he made his reputation, was rocked by a scandal. Some of the members were arrested for...
Reader Mail
Oct 4, 2009

National health plan preferred

Regarding the Sept. 29 article "Brace for a possible spring shock": I'd just like to say that private health insurance companies can give policyholders a hard time about honoring claims. I had private insurance during my first year in Japan and ended up having to go to a hospital in Iwate Prefecture...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 4, 2009

Japan's gender equality may be 'insufficent,' but it's surely coming

As the vast majority of societies worldwide are male dominated, one of the most contentious issues they face as they evolve centers on the status of women.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 4, 2009

Japan's gender equality may be 'insufficent,' but it's surely coming

As the vast majority of societies worldwide are male dominated, one of the most contentious issues they face as they evolve centers on the status of women.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2009

Unemployment rate falls to 5.5%

Japan's unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent in August after reaching a record high a month earlier, the government said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Oct 3, 2009

Mandate for Chancellor Merkel

In Germany's Sept. 27 national elections voters solidly backed Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has demonstrated leadership in coping with the economic crisis and diplomatic challenges. By winning 33.8 percent of the vote, her Christian Democrats (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU),...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 3, 2009

The first Western diplomat in Japan

Pop quiz: The first Western diplomat to set foot in Japan came from what country? Portugal? Holland? England? Actually, the correct answer is Mexico.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 2009

Irish voters weigh the Lisbon Treaty again

MAYNOOTH, Ireland — On Oct. 2, Irish voters go to the polls for a second time to decide whether to adopt the European Union's Lisbon Treaty. The mood in EU capitals is one of nervousness as polling day looms, with the future of the EU in the hands of Ireland's unpredictable voters. On two of the last...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 29, 2009

Gaijin health coverage: an appeal for choice

Unless you've just made it to this corner of the world in the last couple of weeks, you're probably well aware of the new visa guideline that's scheduled to go into effect in April 2010. Because of this guideline, foreigners who wish to renew their visa and who are required to be enrolled in social health...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 27, 2009

Cyclists unite in calling for new road-sharing infrastructure

Staff writer Edan Corkill rolled up with his camera to last weekend's 40-km "Tokyo City Cycling 2009" event to celebrate the joys — and utility — of urban bicycling, and asked participants how often they ride, where they like to ride and how they think bike-riding in Japan could be made safer.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Sep 27, 2009

Inner life of a giant revealed

REFLECTIONS IN A GLASS DOOR: Memory and Melancholy in the Personal Writings of Natsume Soseki, by Marvin Marcus. Honolulu: Hawaii University Press, 2009, 268 pp., $49 (hardcover) Author of a well-received study of the biographical writings of Mori Ogai ("Paragons of the Ordinary," 1993), Marvin Marcus...
COMMUNITY
Sep 26, 2009

Look for the 'mounted knights' at undo-kai

It could be any weekend in September or October, in any town across Japan. Excitement hitches onto every breeze as teams face off against each other, brightly colored headbands proclaiming allegiance.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 26, 2009

Reaching young people with music

When someone asks his age, Michael Di Stasio sometimes responds that it is the same as the late king of pop, Michael Jackson: "May he rest in peace."
COMMENTARY
Sep 25, 2009

China's two-sided 'miracle' should warn the ebullient

CHANGCHUN/LONDON — Is China the economic locomotive that will lift the world back onto the growth path and help eradicate its vast debts?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 25, 2009

There's a new maestro in town

The New York Philharmonic led by conductor Alan Gilbert, who debuted as its new music director at the opening gala concert on Sept. 16, heads off for an Asian tour in October, with Tokyo as the first stop.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Sep 24, 2009

Can LDP recoup the glory days?

Is former Prime Minister Taro Aso solely to blame for the crushing defeat of his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the Aug. 30 general election at the hands of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)?
EDITORIALS
Sep 24, 2009

Chance to rebuild in opposition

Campaigning for the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party is now in full swing. The party is struggling to recover from the fallout of the Aug. 30 Lower House electoral battle against the Democratic Party of Japan, when defeat forced the LDP out of power after more than 50 years of rule. It is hoped...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2009

Stabilizing Africa's Horn

STRASBOURG, France — After almost two decades as a failed state torn by civil war, perhaps the world should begin to admit that Somalia — as it is currently constructed — is beyond repair.
COMMENTARY
Sep 23, 2009

Time to boost Japan-EU ties

CINDERFORD, England — Yukio Hatoyama and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) have finally taken up the reins of power after their stunning election victory Aug. 30. The promise of their manifesto is change. With politicians on top and bureaucrats on tap, Japan is to develop a proactive autonomous foreign...

Longform

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