Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Voices | VIEWS FROM THE STREET Jul 8, 2013
Nagoya: What was your best holiday ever, and why?
by Stephen Carr
South Korea. I have many Korean friends and I love going to Seoul. It is a wonderful city for shopping, eating and pampering yourself. Some of the food is rather like delicacies you can find in Japan, yet subtly different, such as tok, their ...
Voices | VIEWS FROM THE STREET Jun 25, 2013
Tokyo: Do you think conscription — in Japan or elsewhere — is a good thing or a bad idea?
by Mark Buckton
Alice GicqueauStudent, 16 (French)I think conscription is a bad idea because we always say people are equal and can do what they want, and I myself am all for liberty and freedom of choice. To that end, people, whoever they are, must be able ...
Voices | HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO Jun 18, 2013
Mr. Mayor, tear down this smoking area and make Toshima a true 'safe community'
To Yukio Takano, Mayor of Toshima Ward, Tokyo: I urge you to dismantle the new tobacco industry-funded smoking area in the crowded center of our ward. Please instead respect Toshima Ward’s commitment as a World Health Organization-certified Safe Community and our nation’s obligations under ...
Voices | COMMUNITY CHEST Jun 18, 2013
Readers' letters: praise for Article 9, scorn for TPP and concerns for education
Some readers’ letters in response to recent Community articles: War is crime, Article 9 the solution I try to stay out of Japanese politics, not being a native of Japan. But I live here, and this includes me in the politics of this country. ...
Voices | HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO Jun 11, 2013
Please, prime minister, just let me be a father
Dear Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, As a boy growing up in America, my mother and father would have frequent arguments. It was a stressful time for everyone, and eventually they got divorced when I was in 2nd grade in elementary school. During the divorce ...
Voices | VIEWS FROM THE STREET May 28, 2013
Osaka: What do you make of Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s comments about “comfort women” and his suggestion that U.S. forces in Okinawa use local brothels?
by Ray Franklin
Edo Lastiri “Retired hippie,” 70 (American) He’s a perfect example of why “diapers and politicians should be changed often, and for the same reason”! He’s too incompetent for Osaka, and should be “promoted” to national government. I’ve lived here for 30 years; I miss ...
Voices | COMMUNITY CHEST May 28, 2013
Politicians whitewashing history, burning bridges to the past
Joel Assogba, in his Hotline to Nagata-cho column on April 30 (“Stand up to Abe for the sake of Japan, Asia’s future“), wrote that the Japanese [in particular] want to forget their most unpleasant memories as quickly as possible. He may be right. But ...
Voices | VIEWS FROM THE STREET May 21, 2013
Yokohama: What do you think of the prime minister's 'Abenomic' strategy so far?
by Paul Nehls
Businesses are getting better, and at least finance types are strong. But in my business salaries are not going up.
Voices | VIEWS FROM THE STREET May 14, 2013
Tokyo: What do you make of Gov. Naoki Inose's comments about Muslims and Istanbul's Olympic bid?
by Mark Buckton
I think many people in Japan see all foreigners as fighting with each other, not just Muslims. But, focusing on the positives [and ignoring Inose's negative comments], I see Istanbul as the better option [to be 2020 host].
Voices | HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO Apr 30, 2013
Stand up to Abe for the sake of Japan, Asia's future
Life is comparable to a spiritual drama that in retrospect can be recalled as a series of happy, sad and bitter memories
Voices | VIEWS FROM THE STREET Apr 30, 2013
Tokyo: What are the best and worst things about living in Tokyo?
by Mark Buckton
I love how Tokyo is a big, chaotic mess, unlike my hometown, and I also enjoy getting lost when I am out and about, but the best thing is that I can eat and drink 24/7.
Voices | VIEWS FROM THE STREET Apr 23, 2013
Hiroshima: What sweets tickled your taste buds at the National Confectionery Exposition?
by Tomoko Otake and Satoko Kawasaki
"A bag of cheap sweets and snacks from Osaka, as well as candies using tangerines from Sakurajima, Kagoshima Prefecture. I buy sweets mostly to give away to my kids and their friends."