Colin P.A. Jones - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

Meta

Colin P.A. Jones

For Colin P.A. Jones's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Nov 25, 2018

School rules in Japan offer harsh lessons in mindless assimilation

"You may not put more than three pencils in your pencil box/ If you wish to speak in class, raise your hand forward at a 70-degree angle/ No going to the toilet in groups/ You must finish using the toilet within seven minutes/ Use no more than 30 cm of toilet paper each time/ Even if parents or siblings, males and females must not walk together on the street/ Meals must be eaten in the following order: milk, bread, main course."

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Nov 8, 2018

Jail in Japan for cannabis in Canada? Possible but unlikely

Possession and receipt of marijuana are illegal for Japanese citizens even overseas, but don't expect urine checks at immigration.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Oct 10, 2018

Japan demonstrates how too many rules can ruin governance

Culture of over-regulation helps explain the country's persistent problem with data falsification.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Sep 5, 2018

Dog tale bites judge: His tweets muzzled, Japan's 'Judge White Briefs' faces his own trial

Disciplinary hearings for outspoken jurist over a dog-dumping story can only damage Japan's judiciary.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Aug 5, 2018

The Kanpo: Where everything in Japan goes to happen (officially)

Read all about it in the government's daily gazette, from laws and notices of naughtiness to deaths and even poetry.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Jul 1, 2018

Japan on just 10 judges a day costs a pretty penny

With over 1,000 courts but less than 4,000 judges, somehow 3.5 million cases get cleared every year.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Jun 3, 2018

Left-behind dad's last resort: Impeach Japan's Supreme Court judges

Dogged father in Hague Convention case shines a light on a check-and-balance on the judiciary that barely functions.

Japan Times

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 1, 2018

Keeping parents and children together is basic common sense

Punishing migrant children for the sins of their parents is both stupid and contrary to fundamental American ideals.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

May 13, 2018

When 'Japanese only' rules were OK, and other odd Supreme Court cases

Did that headline grab you? I hope so, because how else are we supposed to get you to read an article about Japanese Supreme Court cases?

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Apr 1, 2018

Japan's Supreme Court orders a child be sent home in a Hague parental abduction case. Maybe.

Defanged habeas corpus grew some teeth in last month's Nagoya international custody ruling, but the problem of toothless enforcement remains.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Mar 11, 2018

Schools plus rules equals Japan minus two

Having experienced schools around the world, why do Colin P.A. Jones' daughters rank Japan's bottom of the class?

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Feb 7, 2018

A year in the (short) life of Japan's Cabinet

Early each year, Law of the Land likes to reflect on what one of Japan's three branches of government did the previous one. This time we'll look at the surprisingly durable Shinzo Abe habitat known as the Cabinet.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Dec 31, 2017

Japan's Supreme Court hands down a road map for parental child abductions

The top court's latest ruling suggests judges will find ways to avoid messy Hague Convention returns that Japan lacks the means to enforce anyway.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Dec 3, 2017

Different constitutions, similar defect?

The Meiji Constitution rise and fall of the affects contemporary constitutional attitudes.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Nov 5, 2017

At the polls, a sweep for Abe and a rubber stamp for Japan's Supreme Court judges

Perhaps unwittingly, Japanese voters just gave their silent nod to the seven most recent appointees to the nation's top court.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Oct 15, 2017

Duck and cover: Regulation by and for the state, through the Japanese people

Bureaucrats rustle up policies that require citizens to do their duty, however irrationally.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Sep 3, 2017

How Japan got new contract law it neither wants nor needs

One possible explanation for the inexplicable change in contract law: It is a giant experiment driven by academic hubris and bureaucratic ambition.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Aug 16, 2017

Dentsu may not escape with summary justice

Last month, a Tokyo summary court judge ruled that advertising giant Dentsu would not get away with just paying a fine for violating the Labor Standards Act attributable to a culture of excessive overtime blamed for the death of several employees. The company will have to endure scrutiny of its employment practices in a public trial.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Jul 16, 2017

When open minds fight closed courts in Japan

Pressure from academic Lawrence Repeta opened Japan's courts to scrutiny by journalists from outside the press clubs, as well as scholars and bloggers.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND

Jun 14, 2017

Conspiracy theory becomes frightening reality for Japan

So-called conspiracy legislation massively expands the state's coercive powers, with few checks in place to prevent abuse.

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

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports