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July 12, 2025
 

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COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 13, 2008
Japan's wild genius of slime-mold fame and more
By Roger Pulvers
First of two parts
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2008
Scandal demands deeper probe
An Upper House panel has questioned a senior executive of a defense-related group in the scandal involving Yamada Corp., a defense equipment trading house. Mr. Naoki Akiyama, executive director of the Japan-U.S. Center for Peace and Cultural Exchange, gave unsworn testimony to the panel Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2008
Clear and present road 'danger'
In August 2006 a car driven on a bridge by a then employee of the Fukuoka Municipal Government rear-ended a sport utility vehicle carrying a couple and their three children. The SUV plunged into Hakata Bay and the three children perished. In the trial of the former municipal worker, public prosecutors...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2008
China's top-heavy showcase
By Ian Buruma
NEW YORK — It will be China's year in 2008. The Olympic Games — no doubt perfectly organized, without a protester, homeless person, religious dissenter or any other kind of spoilsport in sight — will probably bolster China's global prestige.
EDITORIALS
Jan 11, 2008
Assistance for cell research
The fiscal 2008 draft budget includes ¥2.2 billion to push research on the so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, with an iPS cell research center to be established at Kyoto University. The government has decided to spend more than ¥10 billion over the next five years to promote research....
EDITORIALS
Jan 11, 2008
Confidence to have children
The low birthrate in Japanese society is continuing. Although the government is calling for a better work/life balance and proposing measures to improve services for child-rearing couples, these remedies won't work unless the government develops measures that contribute to stabilizing the overall lives...
COMMENTARY
Jan 10, 2008
Mistaken economic policies
By Gregory Clark
Another year, another budget. And yet another increase in public debt as tax revenues yet again fail to provide the funds needed even for the budget's highly restricted outlays.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2008
Establish limits on naval support to U.S.
By Craig Martin
As the debate continues in Japan's Diet this month over a new Antiterrorism Special Measures Law (ASM Law) authorizing Japanese naval force activities in the Indian Ocean, serious attention must be paid to the issues of exactly how such activity is to be limited, and how the Diet can meaningfully monitor...
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2008
Compensation for cerebral palsy
A system to financially help parents of babies born with cerebral palsy is likely to be introduced in fiscal 2008. It will offer compensation to the parents even if obstetricians did not commit negligence during delivery. It will be of great help to families, since the economic and psychological burdens...
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2008
Open season on 1953
Japan's Supreme Court last month handed down a final decision in a dispute on whether copyrights on movies released in 1953 are protected by a 2003 revision to the Copyright Law. Although the revision extended copyright protection from 50 to 70 years, the top court concluded that it does not protect...
COMMENTARY
Jan 9, 2008
Preventing teenage pregnancy in China
By Cesar Chelala
NEW YORK — Parallel to its economic revolution, China is now undergoing a sexual revolution, particularly among youth, that is having far-reaching consequences on their health and quality of life. The response to this challenge will determine how, or whether, young people can overcome serious problems....
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2008
Let the IMF manage foreign reserves
By Harold James
PRINCETON, New Jersey — The world economy is increasingly threatened by volatile market reactions to global imbalances at a time when the International Monetary Fund has largely lost its original raison d'etre as the world's central monetary institution. These two developments should stimulate the...
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
Air India crash report to offer peek into last seconds
Members of the Indian Army's engineering arm prepare to remove the wreckage of an Air India aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 14.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.
NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya holds a board that reads "Japanese First" in Tokyo on July 2. In a joint statement on Tuesday, eight human rights nongovernmental organizations described the far-right party's stance as "hate speech."
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
“Giselle” lead Yuriko Kajiya (center), performing with Connor Walsh as Albrecht, is one of six Japanese dancers at Houston Ballet.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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