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Reader Mail
May 16, 2007

Abe adviser is cause for concern

Regarding Ambassador Hisahiko Okazaki's April 30 article "Entente to balance China": Perhaps Okizaki's essay makes sense in its original Japanese. But its English translation comes across as muddled, disjointed ramblings. The only clear theme is his anti-China bias, which is consistent with some of...
JAPAN
May 16, 2007

ASDF Iraq mission extension gets nod

The House of Representatives approved a two-year extension of the Air Self-Defense Forces' transport mission in Iraq on Tuesday, overcoming criticism of Japan's involvement in the increasingly unpopular war.
Reader Mail
May 16, 2007

Constitution paid for in blood

Sixty years after Japan's Constitution was promulgated, so many Japanese people, including the prime minister, seem to have no knowledge about how our compatriots felt when the war came to an end.
Reader Mail
May 16, 2007

Lupus sufferers need help

On May 10, lupus organizations observed the fourth annual World Lupus Day. Lupus is a potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks various parts of the body. Over 5 million people worldwide, including an estimated 50,000 people in Japan, suffer from the disease....
Reader Mail
May 16, 2007

Witnesses to crimes must act

My comments concern an April 23 news story about the arrest of a man who raped a 21-year-old girl aboard a train last summer. Some Japanese people who talked about this crime said "kawaiso" (I am sorry for her). But none had a word to say about the passengers in the car who knew what was happening but...
JAPAN
May 16, 2007

Secret Okinawa details revealed

taxpayers' money. The Okinawa secret pact is just the tip of the iceberg," the 75-year-old added. Nishiyama failed to clear his name in March when the Tokyo District Court rejected his damages suit against the government in which he argued his career was ruined by an illegal conviction stemming from...
Reader Mail
May 16, 2007

A positive dementia policy

Having worked with people with dementia for over 12 years in the United States, I am very impressed with the measures described in your May 1 editorial, "Helping people with dementia." I wish the U.S. was as proactive as Japan is in preparing for the onslaught of people who will be affected by this horrible...
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2007

The true meaning of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the United States

WASHINGTON — Most of the reporting and reviews surrounding the visit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the United States on April 26-27 focused on the issue of North Korea or the wartime "comfort women," but in truth, the significance of the visit was much broader.
EDITORIALS
May 16, 2007

Referendum law raises questions

The Upper House on Monday enacted a law that establishes procedures for a national referendum to revise the Constitution. The legislation was backed by the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, one member of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan and an independent. The law's provisions concern the most...
BUSINESS
May 16, 2007

TBS demands Rakuten answer all questions

Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc., the target of an unwanted takeover bid by Rakuten Inc., said Tuesday it has asked the Internet mall operator for more information about its intentions.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
May 16, 2007

Seasons seen out of sync

I really thought I had missed out on spring this year. Having left Hokkaido when it was still blanketed with snow, I then spent a prolonged spell in South America before island-hopping across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. It all left me overly warm (you can have too much of heat and humidity!),...
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
May 16, 2007

Gadgets fall prey to multitasking, and a mouse keeps an eye on your computer

P eople these days are more like ly to remember to take their keitai in the morning than their keys. After all, the later only protects your life's property and valuables, whereas your mobile phone makes life worth living. Or at least it seems to be for those who spend more time with their portable communicators...
SUMO
May 15, 2007

Sumo and an American woman's search for Hinkaku

The summer basho is underway and I, an American woman who has never been to Japan, am so excited.
MORE SPORTS
May 15, 2007

Abe teaches team importance of mental focus

KAWASAKI — It was what he'd always said it would be.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo