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Reader Mail

Dec 10, 2014

Students take on nuclear debate

The Dec. 4 editorial, "Debating nuclear energy," raises many issues on which high school students have been focusing — in English — for much of this year. The proposition for the Ninth Annual All Japan High School English Debate Tournament is that "The government should abolish nuclear power plants."...

Reader Mail

Dec 3, 2014

Why the clenched fists?

When Japanese are excited they punch the air with raised arms and clenched fists. Recently Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did it in photographs accompanying stories like "Wealth gap widening under Abe" (Nov. 23), and "U.S. in suspense over 'Abenomics,' " and another one accompanying "Newspapers take sides...

Reader Mail

Nov 22, 2014

Snap election is a cynical waste of tax money

There could be no more cynical way to waste the shrinking pie of public tax money than another meaningless election, reminiscent of the callous election Osaka leader Toru Hashimoto foisted on its citizens not so long ago just to bolster one individual's own political omnipotence when what is needed is...

Reader Mail

Nov 22, 2014

Also ask voters about Article 9

When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said recently announced his decision to hold a snap election next month. He said, "We do need to ask Japanese citizens about the tax raise from 8 percent to 10 percent." His words seem to be very democratic but why not ask Japanese nationals about the change of Article...

Reader Mail

Nov 19, 2014

Coexisting with differences

The Nov. 8 editorial "A shameful statement on Ainu" reminded me of my experiences overseas and made me think of living in peace with differences.

Reader Mail

Nov 19, 2014

Teach more about the Ainu

Why hasn't LDP Hokkaido prefectural assembly group member Masaru Onodera been asked to resign? The Ainu are among the most indigenous of people to ever dwell in the archipelago now called Japan since the Jomon era. It's believed by many cultural anthropologists that the Ainu have lived in northern Japan...

Reader Mail

Nov 12, 2014

Minister's idea of free expression

With regard to Tomohiro Osaki's Nov. 6 article titled "New justice minister against outlawing hate speech," I'd like to add my two-pence worth. First, I wonder what Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa means by "freedom of expression." It seems that many politicians in Japan believe that freedom of expression...

Reader Mail

Nov 12, 2014

No complaints from the natives

Regarding professor Jiro Yamaguchi's Oct. 20 article, "Perilous spirit of the times": I entirely agree with his observation that "It is pathetic that we have to quote the foreign media to criticize what's going on in this country."

Japan Times

MULTIMEDIA

Nov 11, 2014

[PHOTO GALLERY] A new afterlife awaits

Funeral arrangements are normally for those left behind, but the latest trend in Japan — which literally translates to “end of life" preparations — is for the aging to prepare their own funerals and graves.

Reader Mail

Nov 8, 2014

Transparency trumps DIY rules

In his Oct. 25 article, "Western media distorts Japan," Gregory Clark tries to justify the reprehensible behavior of certain executives of Olympus.

Reader Mail

Nov 8, 2014

Japanese are big gamblers already

The Oct. 30 editorial "Take a balanced look at casinos" conflates two issues: introducing Western-style casinos and addressing the negative aspects of gambling.

JAPAN / Politics

Nov 7, 2014

Japan denies report that abductee Yokota died of overdose in 1994

The central government on Friday denied a report out of South Korea claiming that Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea at the age of 13 and remains a symbol of the four-decade campaign to recover kidnapping victims, died in 1994 of an overdose.

Reader Mail

Nov 5, 2014

Japan's own form of terrorism

Regarding the Oct. 31 Kyodo article "University may cave into sex slave threats": One reads with incredulity the reports that the president of Hokusei Gakuen University in Hokkaido is considering not renewing a contract by a professor who wrote articles concerning forced prostitution in World War II....

Reader Mail

Oct 29, 2014

Keep out the military jargon

The Oct. 11 article by William Pfaff, "The war against Islamic State," contains a reference to "asymmetric wars." Can Pfaff please tell us what this means? I am sure I am not the only one who is baffled by this arcane term, which was no doubt the intention of the Pentagon when they dreamed up this piece...

Reader Mail

Oct 29, 2014

Turnoff for foreign academics

Regarding Takamitsu Sawa's Oct. 22 article, "The battle to boost universities": Japan might be fighting a losing battle in its efforts to attract highly qualified foreign academics to teach and do research here, as one of the first major obstacles would be the language barrier.

Reader Mail

Oct 29, 2014

The Swiss-Japanese friendship

Magdi Laoun's Oct. 23 letter, "Pleasant surprise in the big city," made me happy that the Laoun family enjoyed Tokyo during their vacation. I have visited Switzerland twice with my family, and the breathtaking scenery has never disappeared from our memories. Not only big cities but also towns such as...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Oct 27, 2014

Scenes from Tokyo International Film Festival 2014

The made-in-Japan anime moves into the spotlight for the 27th Tokyo International Film Festival. Accordingly Ultraman and Doraeman and other less famous characters dropped by the festival on opening day to take part in the red carpet event.

Japan Times

LIFE / Style & Design

Oct 27, 2014

Scenes from Tokyo Designers Week 2014

“Last year was not crazy enough; this year will be even more fun,” promised Design Association chair Kenji Kawasaki. We think the event has delivered on that project. The special themed exhibitions showed off strong suits in design, style and architecture in Japan and overseas.

Reader Mail

Oct 22, 2014

Lawbreakers from the get-go

Regarding Daniel Krieger's Oct. 10 feature article,"Making noise about keeping the decibels down": The Japan Election Law prohibits door-to-door solicitation/campaigning, which is a tremendously good thing. But this explains why candidates have to resort to patrolling the streets shouting their names...

Reader Mail

Oct 22, 2014

Foreigners still getting welfare

Recent articles about foreign residents' claim to welfare benefits have misrepresented the Japanese Supreme Court ruling. It did not say that foreigners are "ineligible" or "can't claim" welfare benefits. It said they don't have the "right."

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.

How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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