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July 19, 2024
 

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COUNTERPOINT

COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 26, 2009
Myth-buster points the way to Japan's role as 'credit-crunch' pioneer
T here are five myths circulating the globe regarding the financial crisis that has it in its grip. This is the view of Pavel Minakir, director of the Institute of Applied Economic Research in Khabarovsk, Russia. His fascinating and sobering assessment of these myths appeared in a recent issue of the...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 19, 2009
To be human in today's Japan, is it best to be 'no longer human'?
On June 22, playwright and novelist Hisashi Inoue appeared on national broadcaster NHK's television program, "Close Up Gendai." The occasion was the centenary of the birth of the novelist Osamu Dazai.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 12, 2009
Crimes happen, but are the criminals 'one of us' or 'one of them'?
Crime may not pay like it used to, but the way it is described in the media has not changed much throughout the millennia.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 12, 2009
Crimes happen, but are the criminals 'one of us' or 'one of them'?
Crime may not pay like it used to, but the way it is described in the media has not changed much throughout the millennia.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 5, 2009
Double standards fly high when it comes to bombing of civilians
Sad to say, every generation for the past century has known its own war — wars that have touched so many millions through the loss or traumatization of relatives, friends or fellow citizens.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 28, 2009
Jokichi Takamine: a man with fire in his belly whatever the odds
When I had tummy ache as a child, my mother would say, "Take a diastase." So, I naturally thought — as did my mother — that what I was putting into my mouth was a "diastase."
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 21, 2009
Tokyo spurned in the 'ultra miracle' of new film's linguistic embrace
On June 8, the evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on a fascinating phenomenon — one that may be a harbinger of a broad cultural and social movement in Japan.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 14, 2009
To make an Israeli omelet is it necessary to break so many eggs?
"Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg. . . . Bombers and tanks and rockets and white phosphorus shells are that high, solid wall. The eggs are the unarmed civilians who are crushed and burned and shot by them. . . . Think of it this...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 7, 2009
What price heroism for indoctrinated fighters in unjust wars?
What makes a hero in war? If that war is unjust, do the soldiers involved deserve to be treated as heroes? And what is the civilian role in these heroics?
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 24, 2009
Was Japan's first Western screen star shameful to his homeland?
The Japanese have a term for certain types of movies made outside the country featuring Japanese actors who play Japanese characters. It is kokujoku eiga. Eiga means "movies," and kokujoku, derived from the words for "country" and "insult," means "disgrace" or "denigration." In other words, kokujoku...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 17, 2009
1989: A year of hopes turned sour that we all must live with today
Anniversaries do sometimes matter, but it's not often that the anniversary of an entire year deserves noting and celebrating. However, the year 1989, now 20 years past, marks a crucial turning point in history.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 10, 2009
Manchukuo tragedy finally gets a film its spurned victims deserve
There are many heroes, both Japanese and Chinese, in Sumiko Haneda's deeply moving documentary, "Aa Manmo Kaitakudan (A Story of Manchurian Settler Communities)."
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 3, 2009
It's tough times for type — but too soon to write off newspapers yet
Back in the early 1990s, my wife, children and I were visiting my in-laws when one of my daughters, then aged 6, pointed to something on the table and exclaimed, "Daddy, what's that?"
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 26, 2009
Like it or not, becoming bilingual involves being bicultural, too
Several weeks ago in this column, I wrote about some of the nonlinguistic aspects of raising a bilingual child. These can be social, financial and marital, involving the milieu the child grows up in, the necessity to move back and forth between countries, and even the periodic separation of husband and...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 19, 2009
Soviet-era trove shows that photos never lie, except when they do
"I have not taken a single step, spoken a single word, written a single line, or had a single thought which I need conceal from the party, the central committee, and you personally . . . I implore you to believe my word of honor. I am shaken to the depths of my being."
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 5, 2009
London trauma points with relief to a convenient truth about Japan
Sometimes Japan is just different from everywhere else.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 29, 2009
Japan shows how a good's no good unless it's a character good
"Novels you can eat" was the title of an article in the Asahi Shimbun on March 16. It drew on the initiative displayed by a confectionery-maker in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, to commemorate this year's 100th anniversary of the birth of bohemian author Osamu Dazai. That initiative involves a box of 18...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 22, 2009
Raising bilingual children takes time, huge effort — and lotsa money
An American friend recently asked me a difficult question: How do you bring up a bilingual child?
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 15, 2009
Now that the Celtic tiger's turned tail, whither the Emerald Isle?
Irish patriot, poet and eminent surgeon Oliver St. John Gogarty (1878-1957) once played a wily prank on a drunken acquaintance. He stuffed the poor chap, who was catatonic, into a sack and sold him to The Royal College of Surgeons strictly, one would assume, in the interests of medical science. His friend...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 8, 2009
As prospects darken, Japan's voters need that vision thing again
When James Carville, a political consultant to Bill Clinton, coined the phrase "It's the economy, stupid" for the candidate's 1992 presidential campaign, little did he know that he was speaking for the general election in Japan in 2009 as well.
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.

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