Hiroaki Sato - The Japan Times

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Hiroaki Sato

A Japan Times columnist since 2000, Hiroaki Sato has won prizes for his translation of poetry (PEN American Center, Japan-US Friendship Commission). A paperback edition of his "Legends of the Samurai" has recently appeared. He is now working on a second collection of samurai tales with their origins.

For Hiroaki Sato's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Dec 26, 2011

Strange how isolationist stance can ruin a politician's reputation

Perhaps because it's a round number, the 70th anniversary of Japan's assault on Pearl Harbor has given me the impression that more articles on it saw print than in the past, except for, as I recall, the 50th anniversary of the same.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Nov 28, 2011

Learning to live with the builders of America

During one week this month, the drivers of four taxis that I took hailed from four different countries.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Oct 31, 2011

Controversy is no stranger to Nobel Peace Prize

Earlier this month, when the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced its decision to award its annual Peace Prize to three African women — two Liberians and one Yemeni — Time magazine published online, on the same day, a list of the top 10 among "the most controversial moments in the 110-year history of the prize," giving the pride of place to U.S. President Barack Obama. That has led me to revisit the issue ("Standing army still the prize peace-breaker," Oct. 24, 2009).

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Sep 26, 2011

Two 'systematic' acts of brutality and coverup

When Mark Hatfield, who had served as a U.S. Senator from Oregon for three decades, died in early August, obituaries noted that he was one of the first U.S. soldiers to visit Hiroshima not long after the atomic bombing of the city, and that experience led him to work for nuclear arms control later, after he became a Senator.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Aug 29, 2011

'Gratuitous' bombing of a defeated enemy

The International Center of Photography recently had an exhibition, "Hiroshima: Ground Zero 1945," and I attended the panel discussion. This month 66 years ago the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Jul 25, 2011

The self-inflicted costs of a 'war of choice'

In mid-July when Mumbai was attacked with three explosions, The New York Times carried photos of some of the bloodied casualties up front — at least in its online version — and I wondered: If the newspaper for "all the news that's fit to print" had carried photos of victims of American bombing and gunning from the moment the United States assaulted Afghanistan in the fall of 2001 and invaded Iraq in the spring of 2003, would Americans have put up with the destruction of these countries so long?

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Jun 27, 2011

Dealing with addiction to the 'war on drugs'

Earlier this month a spate of reports and commentaries came out on the failure of the U.S. "war on drugs," beginning with the Global Commission on Drug Policy flatly stating the war "has failed."

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

May 30, 2011

Bedfellows of those 'lax,' 'insular' Japanese

Are some of those who write for The New York Times utterly unaware of the rest of the world — including the United States?

COMMENTARY

May 1, 2011

The lowdown on sieverts and a healthy diet

Gastronomic habits are hard to change. That was conventional wisdom as regards Japanese food when I arrived here more than four decades ago. After all, back then, there were said to be only about a dozen Japanese restaurants in this city.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Mar 27, 2011

Don't destroy that invader, it was here first!

NEW YORK — Among the most recent invaders of the United States to be exterminated that I learned about is the red lionfish. Before that, the Asian carp got all the attention. About the time the carp scare was quieting down the yellow jacket — yes, the wasp — came forward as a heinous invader to be destroyed.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Feb 27, 2011

Indefensible costs of military one-upmanship

NEW YORK — I was recently surprised to learn that Singapore has 72,500 troops on active duty and plans to double the number of "combat-ready aircraft" to more than 200. It also plans to have 10 more submarines to add to the four it has today. Or so the Wall Street Journal reported ("Asia's New Arms Race," Feb. 12-13).

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Jan 30, 2011

Pushing the U.S. Constitution to the brink

NEW YORK — On opening day of the 112th session of the U.S. Congress, the members of the House of Representatives recited the U.S. Constitution. The Republican Party, now the majority, instituted the unprecedented step. The tea party instigated it.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Dec 26, 2010

Sexual politics and the veneer of free speech

NEW YORK — One intriguing story that has come to light as a result of the latest round of WikiLeaks revelations is, to use a somewhat dated term, the sexual politics in Sweden. I, like many, I'm sure, had assumed that Sweden is among the most sexually liberated developed countries. As it turns out, it actually isn't, in some unexpected ways.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Nov 28, 2010

Education profiteers and the public trough

NEW YORK — A college or university, especially of a private variety, may not be "an eleemosynary institution," as Sen. Sam Ervin, of the Watergate hearings, might put it were he alive, but the American insistence on free-market notions has brought the matter to the other extreme in higher education. It has spawned education profiteers. Worse, many of these colleges get most of their "revenues" from the government.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Oct 31, 2010

Why does distance ameliorate a war crime?

NEW YORK — One aspect of the modern sense of war, be it delusional, duplicitous or both, was palpable in two articles paired at the top of the front page of The New York Times toward the end of September. The headline of one said "Drug Use Cited In Killings of 3 Civilians"; the headline of the other, "CIA INTENSIFIES DRONE CAMPAIGN WITHIN PAKISTAN."

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Sep 26, 2010

Where the osprey and the oxymoron play

NEW YORK — The United States sets aside an area larger than Japan for wildlife conservation. This is one of the things I found out as we spent two weeks this past summer at an isolated cottage on the Chesapeake Bay.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Aug 29, 2010

No country for millions of Canada geese

NEW YORK — The State of New York plans to "gas" or otherwise kill 170,000 Canada geese to reduce the number from 250,000 to 85,000.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Jul 25, 2010

The samurai who were let out of the box

NEW YORK — The Museum of the City of New York has an exhibition titled "Samurai in New York: The First Japanese Delegation, 1860." The "delegation" was the first embassy dispatched by Japan in more than a millennium. The previous one, in 838, went to the Tang Dynasty court to pay tribute to the Chinese emperor. The new one went to Washington to ratify a commercial treaty.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

Jun 27, 2010

Still shy of reversion after all these years

NEW YORK — Just about the time Yukio Hatoyama resigned as Japan's prime minister, apologizing to the Okinawa people in tears, I was writing about the last day of Yukio Mishima's life — Nov. 25, 1970.

CULTURE / Books

Jun 6, 2010

Chaos will reign if hidden Buddhas die

"Hidden Buddhas," or hibutsu, are Buddhist statues that are kept out of sight, though only a few are kept so permanently. Most are put on display for worshippers at regular intervals: once or twice a year, once every several years, once every 33 or 66 years.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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