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August 16, 2025
 

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Reader Mail
May 2, 2017
Don't cherry pick smoking evidence
Jeff Birtwistle's letter "Making a case against ban on public smoking" in the April 16 edition is another flat-earther response to the dangers of secondhand smoke. It seems like he has googled "evidence" that secondhand smoke does not cause cancer, therefore Japan need not regulate smoking in public...
Reader Mail
May 2, 2017
One-day English immersion program not the way to go
I agree with David John ("Another bad idea for English education", April 16) that a one-day emersion program in English is a poor idea and a waste of scarce monetary and human resources.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 1, 2017
Let's discuss Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike was named one of the world's 100 Most Influential People of 2017 by Time magazine.
Reader Mail
Apr 21, 2017
LDP usurping spirit and power of democracy
Regarding the story "Nearly 70% of public doesn't buy Abe's Moritomo explanations" in the April 16 edition, in a little reported incident on April 13, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe used his majority wild card in the Diet to shelve any possibility of a timely investigation into his and his wife's dealings...
Reader Mail
Apr 21, 2017
Teaching to the test not the right path
In his opinion piece on the disappointing Eiken test results, Walt Gardner offers up dubious advice ("Modify instruction to improve English skills" in the April 11 edition.)
Reader Mail
Apr 21, 2017
Who are the real Okinawa traitors?
The other day, in Naha's Omoromachi district, I encountered a right-winger loudspeaker truck blaring out an anti-China message with the Rising Sun and Stars and Stripes hoisted on both sides of the vehicle. The flags clearly show that Japan's right-wingers identify themselves with the U.S.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Apr 14, 2017
Tweeters spill their guts on #gaijinconfessionfriday
Things got real this Friday — real funny —u00a0as non-Japanese living in Japan admitted their biggest blunders, mistakes and unpopular opinions using the #gaijinconfessionfriday hashtag.
Reader Mail
Apr 14, 2017
Where are the protests to the march to war?
If you've picked up the paper this week, you might have come to the disturbing conclusion that the U.S. is marching ever closer to the brink of a devastating war with North Korea. It's a conflict that would be sure to hit Japan hard, yet there seems to be relatively little pushback from the people who...
Reader Mail
Apr 14, 2017
Making a case against ban on public smoking
So, the World Health Organization "tells Japan to ban public smoking" (April 9). Is this the same WHO that repressed a 1998 study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer on environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) which found "weak evidence of a dose-response relationship between risk of lung cancer...
Reader Mail
Apr 14, 2017
Another bad idea for English education
The capital's proposal to improve high school English ("Tokyo to build English-language immersion facility for kids" in the March 24 edition) sounds like it has sunk to a watery grave even before it could be floated. The idea that a facility alone will somehow magically solve the country's abysmal record...
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 12, 2017
United won't use police to remove overbooked passengers, CEO says
United Airlines will no longer use law enforcement officers to remove passengers from overbooked flights after global outrage erupted over a video showing a passenger dragged from one of its planes in Chicago.
Reader Mail
Apr 7, 2017
Cherry blossom 'index tree' at Yasukuni Shrine
The Meteorological Agency's responsibilities include forecasting and tracking typhoons, earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, snowstorms, volcanic eruptions and ... cherry blossoms. To help the agency track the "blossom front" as it crosses the country, each prefecture has a designated "index tree" to report...
Reader Mail
Apr 7, 2017
Don't put Tohoku on back burner
The aftermath of a natural disaster is never dealt with easily, especially when it comes to developing emergency housing for the surviving victims. Japan is no different, but it does have its own unique issues — namely, a nuclear meltdown and a disproportionately elderly affected-population.
Reader Mail
Apr 7, 2017
Change to JR Pass wrongheaded
To promote tourism and assist local business and the overall economy of Japan, the Japan Railway group offers overseas short-term visitors the use of an economical Japan Rail Pass. In more recent years this facility was extended under strict conditions to Japanese nationals living permanently overseas....
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2017
Toshiba likely to miss earnings deadline for third time
Toshiba is likely to miss a third deadline for reporting quarterly earnings, meaning it will have to seek a fresh extension or face potential delisting.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 27, 2017
Let's discuss Henn na Hotel coming to Kanto
Major travel agency H.I.S. Co. celebrates the opening of its second robot-staffed Henn na Hotel.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 24, 2017
In Japan, 'sakura' treats are in full bloom
In recent years, more and more corporations have been adding some 'sakura' flair to their products. Here are some of the top items that are blooming this year.
Reader Mail
Mar 16, 2017
A look ahead at Japan under oppressive rule
Reading about America's dystopian future ("A wry squint into the future of the U.S." by George Will, in the March 12 edition) makes you wonder how oppressive Japan's LDP will become by 2030.
Reader Mail
Mar 16, 2017
Abe is not a nationalist or a revisionist
In William Pesek's March 8 commentary piece, "Abe's nationalism hurts Japan" and Jeff Kingston's March 12 column, "Abe's revisionism nets own goals at home and away" the authors argue that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "nationalism" or "revisionism" damages Japan.
Reader Mail
Mar 16, 2017
Like a bad TV show that always returns
Regarding "Moritomo overstated costs to ministry" in the March 8 edition: The story so far — here's what we missed. ...
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
Japanese star convicted of indecent assault in Hong Kong
J-pop idol Kenshin Kamimura leaves the West Kowloon Law Courts on bail in Hong Kong on Wednesday, after he was found guilty of indecent assault of a woman who worked as his interpreter at a restaurant in Mong Kok district in March this year.
Tens of thousands left stranded at Osaka Expo by train service interruption
Visitors rest inside the Osaka Expo venue early Thursday morning
Welcoming foreign residents benefits Japan, three quarters of economists say
The streets of Tokyo's Ginza district in April. The number of foreign residents in Japan hit a record high at 3.76 million as of the end of last year, comprising just over 3% of the population.
Hiker missing in Hokkaido after bear attack found dead
The Rausu mountain range at Hokkaido's Shiretoko National Park. A man in his 20s who went missing after being attacked by a bear while hiking on Mount Rausu has been found dead.
The indelible memory of being a part of Unit 731
Hideo Shimizu, 95, says he cannot forget seeing the prisoners' bloody wills scribbled on the walls of prison cells at Unit 731 in 1945.
Will Ishiba's critics be able to garner enough support for a leadership race?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's political survival likely hinges on whether a leadership race will take place within the Liberal Democratic Party following its decision to have its election committee canvass the opinions of party members and prefectural chapters on the subject.
Hidden rosters and the legacy of Japan’s germ warfare
Katsutoshi Takegami, 77, in his storehouse attic where he discovered his father's Unit 1644 documents
Osaka Expo highlights the challenge of holding events in Japan's scorching summer
People huddle near a large fan blowing icy-cold mist at the Osaka Expo on July 12. Amid Japan's relentless summer heat, organizes have put myriad measures in place in order to keep guests safe.
At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul
At Himawari Shokudo 2, chef Hozumi Tanaka serves Italian-inspired fare with a focus on Toyama produce, such as this appetizer of lightly blanched "hotaru ika" (firefly squid) served atop mixed wild plants and a crepe prepared from "yamato-imo" yam.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers
By Tomoko Otake

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