Transport authorities launched a full-fledged investigation Sunday into the derailment of a bullet train on the Akita Shinkansen Line in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, on Saturday afternoon.
It's a dangerous, unpredictable world. Twice in January Chinese warships in the East China Sea challenged Japan's Maritime Self Defense Forces patrols in a manner deemed threatening. And on Feb. 12 came North Korea's nuclear test.
Here's an open secret: Japanese men have a bad international reputation on the romance front.
SELLING WOMEN: Prostitution, Markets and the Household in Early Modern Japan, by Amy Stanley. University of California Press, 2012, 282 pp., $49.95 (hardcover) In the vast cultural landscape, Japan fascinates the mainstream with manga and anime, the martial arts, Zen and kimono. Of course, ...
Kenta Maeda shook off worries about his form with five shutout innings as Japan beat China 5-2 in first-round Pool A of the World Baseball Classic on Sunday at Fukuoka Dome. Japan improved to 2-0 following a tough win over Brazil in Saturday evening’s ...
Tomomi Morita Waitress, 21 (Japanese) I attended my coming of age ceremony, which was a big event for me, even though I actually turned 20 the year before. I wore a kimono, and after the ceremony near where I live I went to Senso-ji ...
Kuniko Sano Housewife, 69 (Japanese) I argue with my husband a lot, so I hope that diminishes next year! And I hope everyone stays healthy, especially my four grandkids and new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, since he previously quit for health reasons. I worry ...
George Ianus Rocket science Ph.D., 29 (Romania) For me it is a case of family — and snow. It’s a time to remember your home and family. Now, we are all in different parts of the world but, in my mind’s eye, I can ...
Daniel Dumas English instructor, 53 (American) The first thing I’d like to see is a rethink of policy regarding bicycle transportation. The use of bicycles should be encouraged and more parking areas should be created. As we learned on 3/11, bicycles can be very ...
Parallels with wartime general Re: “The world according to Toru Hashimoto” by Eric Johnston (Light Gist, Oct. 30): Only one kana syllable (or one letter in romaji) separates (Nippon Ishin no Kai leader Shintaro) Ishihara from (Imperial Japanese Army) Gen. (Kanji) Ishiwara, but there’s ...
Eva Wyatt Student, 28 (American) I think that something should be done to prevent further incidents (such as the alleged Oct. 16 rape of a Japanese woman by two U.S. servicemen and Nov. 2 home intrusion and assault). At the same time, as the ...
Re: “Labor law protects expectant and new mothers — to a point” by Hifumi Okunuki (Labor Pains, Oct. 16): Japanese society has long been “traditional” in the sense that women who became pregnant, or even simply got married, were expected to end their working ...
Ian Ruxton, 56 Kitakyushu resident (British) Send Self-Defense Forces right now to defend the Senkaku Islands and build on them, taking a leaf out of South Korea’s book; repair and restore good relations with the U.S., which have dipped recently; and encourage more Japanese ...
Kohei Yoshimura Salesman, 27 (Japanese) He did shirk his responsibility as governor of Tokyo but he has big ideas on how to improve the national government and Japan. If he waited until the end of his term as governor he would be too old, ...
Doi Real estate agent, 28 (Japanese) I think a dog would be the ideal pet. I’ve never had a dog, but if I was going to get one, I think I would want a big dog. I am big so a big dog would ...
The truth of Mormon As a Mormon living in Japan, I would like to take a moment to comment on John Spiri’s article “Against all odds, Mormons in Japan soldier on” (Zeit Gist, Oct. 23). It is nice to see more written on the ...
Some readers’ letters in response to Debito Arudou’s Oct. 2 Just Be Cause column, “Revisionists marching Japan back to a dangerous place“: Your bias is showing, Arudou As a professional in international politics and security, and a longtime resident in Japan, reading Arudou’s column, ...
