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July 19, 2024
 

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COUNTERPOINT

COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 4, 2010
Basking in misplaced faith is no way to prepare for any disaster
"Calender journalism" is what it's called. It's when the anniversary of an event, ideally in some round number of years, provides the point of departure for an article commemorating the event and/or considering its ongoing relevance.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 28, 2010
Words of wisdom from beyond the grave of Japan's secret pacts
A drama currently being played out on the stage of national politics in Japan may well mark a turning point in the country's postwar history.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 21, 2010
Who ever could make war if they saw it through children's eyes?
The misery of war remains for many long years as scar tissue in the minds of children deeply traumatized by it. And yet, there are not many works of fiction or nonfiction that have conveyed the confusion and pain felt by such children.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 14, 2010
Patient's tale casts a sublime lightness on some awful scars of war
"Elephant," by Minoru Betsuyaku, is a postwar classic of Japanese drama.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 7, 2010
For humanity's sake, let's tie whaling in with animal welfare as a whole
Back in the early '90s, my wife, children and I lived in the picturesque and historical Sydney suburb of Mosman . . . well, historical by white-settler Australian standards.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 28, 2010
Feeling revulsion may signal you're finally home away from home
There is a curious and very telling phrase in Japanese to describe the feeling of hatred that people can have for family. It is kinshin-zoo, or "close-relative abhorrence."
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 21, 2010
Never mind 'strategy,' a basic education involves others' languages
"Americans have never been particularly interested in learning other languages and are even less interested today. . . . Our government spends 25 per cent less, adjusted for inflation, than it did 40 years ago on foreign-language training at university level."
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 14, 2010
Today's complex society in Japan spawns a new 'foreigner complex'
Among the many Japanese words and phrases that have fallen by the wayside of late and become shigo (obsolete), gaijin komupurekkusu (foreigner complex) is certainly among the least missed.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 7, 2010
To resolve its 'core issue' Beijing needs to take heed of Dalai Lama
"From the perspective of Chinese Communist Party ideology, China was a victim of Western imperialism from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, and, as a result, the Chinese tend to remember the humiliations they suffered while rarely considering their own nation to be an imperial power."
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 31, 2010
Checkmates and imbalances are derailing Obama's bid for change
When historians look back on the Obama administration, they may deem the senatorial election in Massachusetts on Jan. 19, 2010, to have been the pivotal event determining its destiny.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 24, 2010
For all his failings, MacArthur was a fine precursor of Obama's bow
Two photographs, separated in time and context by 64 years, may symbolize, as well as anything can, the nature of the postwar Japanese-American alliance. Both in their time gave rise to uproar.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 17, 2010
Seeking exactitude can sometimes exact a high cultural price
I freely admit a prejudice. It is against the concept of "national character," or kokuminsei in Japanese. Is there really such a thing or is it merely a jumble of stereotypes, whichever is the country or culture in question?
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 10, 2010
Danger lurks when self-restraint segues into media self-censorship
If I had to choose a word that characterized a good deal of Japanese social behavior it would probably be jishuku.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 3, 2010
A world beyond the United States now beckons Japanese youth
...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 27, 2009
Decade's end abuzz and a-flutter with wist for a warm poetic past
At the end of the year — and, particularly, the end of a decade — an old man's fancy turns, involuntarily, to nostalgia.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 27, 2009
Decade's end abuzz and a-flutter with wist for a warm poetic past
At the end of the year — and, particularly, the end of a decade — an old man's fancy turns, involuntarily, to nostalgia.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 20, 2009
Stunning book speaks volumes about the ravages visited on Tibet
Ten years ago, near the end of 1999, the Chinese author Wang Lixiong received a package from a young woman of Tibetan origin named Tsering Woeser. It contained several hundred black-and-white negatives.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 13, 2009
Tragedy exposes need to care more for carers' mental well-being
Shortly after 1 p.m. on April 21, 2009, a worker at Fuji Reien cemetery in Gotenba City, Shizuoka Prefecture, discovered the body of a woman on its grounds. Nearby, a semi-conscious elderly lady sat shivering in a wheelchair.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 6, 2009
Politically incorrect maybe, but also some trenchant home truths
The world used to be one hell of a racist place. All you need do is go back a few decades to find public pronouncements that today would land you a punch on the schnozz, if not a stint in the slammer.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 29, 2009
Though elusive to all, the language of Japan surely merits a break
When I was staying in a pension in Seoul for a month in the autumn of 1967, I tried to speak some Japanese, our only common language, with its 80-year-old Korean proprietor. He refused outright until about a week into my stay, when he gave in and said, "I haven't spoken Japanese since the war and I vowed...
Triple whammy takes Japan bankruptcies to decade high
More Japanese firms have gone bankrupt in the first half of this year due to soaring costs, labor shortages and the end of pandemic-related support.
With eye on China, Japan deepens ties with Pacific islands at Tokyo summit
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the Cook Islands' Prime Minister Mark Brown shake hands during 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting on Thursday in Tokyo.
Say cheese: Japanese scientists make robot face 'smile' with living skin
A researcher at the University of Tokyo shows a face mold covered in human skin tissue at its lab.
Rainy season ends in Tokai and Kanto regions
The streets of Tokyo's Ginza district on Thursday. The rainy season appears to have ended in the regions of Tokai and Kanto, including Tokyo, on Thursday, according to the Meteorological Agency.
India’s envoy in Japan calls for boosted supply chain and defense cooperation
Indian Ambassador Sibi George says one of his main tasks in his post is to boost Japanese public and private investments the South Asian powerhouse.
After Tokyo Olympic disappointment, Nadeshiko Japan look for redemption
Japan's Hikaru Kitagawa dribbles past a defender during an Olympic qualifying match against North Korea at National Stadium in Tokyo in February.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

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