Issues | THE ZEIT GIST Sep 18, 2012

Shilling for our side over the Senkakus

by David Mcneill

Akihiro Suzuki does not think war will come, but if it does, he believes Japan will prevail. “Of course, in general military terms China is more powerful,” says the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly lawmaker. “But with the weapons and technology we have from America, we ...

Issues | THE ZEIT GIST Sep 18, 2012

It's past midnight but child-abduction treaty promise is not yet a pumpkin

by Colin P. A. Jones

Despite much promise and a flurry of activity, it didn’t happen: Japan failed to ratify the Hague Convention on international child abduction and pass the extensive piece of accompanying domestic legislation the government felt was necessary in order for it to do so. Both ...

Issues | ZEIT GIST: UPDATE Sep 18, 2012

U.S. judge dismisses rapist's bid to halt case over Yokosuka assault

by Simon Scott

Australian Catherine Fisher is one step closer to seeing justice done after a Milwaukee Circuit Court judge decided earlier this month to hear the case against former U.S. serviceman Bloke T. Deans, who raped her in Japan in 2002. Fisher, who lives in Tokyo, ...

Issues Sep 15, 2012

U.S. Agent Orange activist brings message of solidarity to Okinawa

by Jon Mitchell

Residents of Okinawa Island have recently been confronted with mounting evidence that their land used to be a major storage site for the toxic U.S. defoliant Agent Orange. Over the past 18 months, dozens of American veterans have claimed that they were poisoned by ...

Issues | THE ZEIT GIST Sep 11, 2012

18 months on, 'stayjin' in Tokyo, Iwaki tell a tale of two cities

by Patrick Budmar

While the media both in Japan and overseas reported on a perceived exodus of foreigners in the immediate aftermath of the March 11, 2011, disasters in Tohoku, the reality is that very few actually left for good. As was highlighted in our July 3 ...

Issues | THE ZEIT GIST Sep 4, 2012

With Berlitz beaten but not bowed, union fights on

by Patrick Budmar

Before instructors became embroiled in a fierce legal battle with Berlitz Japan, there was a time when the English language school chain’s robust image made it a top choice among foreign job-seekers. In particular, it was the company’s good reputation over competing language chains ...

Issues | LABOR PAINS Aug 21, 2012

Tepco liable for contract workers' safety in Fukushima

by Hifumi Okunuki

‘Usually I spend New Year’s Eve eating New Year’s soba and go with my whole family to listen to the watch-night bell. But this year, I will spend Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 working. I will see the first sunrise of the year looking ...

Issues | THE ZEIT GIST Aug 21, 2012

Do your research to avoid medical surprises in Japan

by Richard Solomon

Understanding how Japanese medical practice differs from that in your home country can be crucial to avoiding unwelcome surprises next time you or a loved one find yourselves in need of treatment at a local clinic or hospital. Without pre-planning, for instance, an expectant ...

Issues | THE ZEIT GIST Aug 14, 2012

Yokosuka rape victim takes fight for justice to U.S. courts

by Simon Scott

Australian Catherine Jane Fisher, who was raped by a U.S. Navy sailor in Yokosuka in 2002, has now taken her case for compensation all the way to the U.S. courts. A civil judgment by a Tokyo court in 2004 ordered Bloke T. Deans to ...

Issues | THE ZEIT GIST Aug 7, 2012

Poisons in the Pacific: Guam, Okinawa and Agent Orange

by Jon Mitchell

The day after 19-year-old Sgt. Leroy Foster arrived on Guam’s Andersen Air Force Base, one of America’s largest Pacific military installations, in 1968, he was assigned to what his superior officers called “vegetation control duties.” “I mixed diesel fuel with Agent Orange then I ...