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COMMENTARY / World
Mar 11, 2009

Building markets we need

VIENNA — The greatest challenge of the current global financial crisis is the seeming impossibility of comprehending and managing its diversity. Indeed, the way problems are proliferating appears almost uncontrollable. Plans to meet the crisis, in country after country, have been revamped and restructured...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 11, 2009

Nakasone predicts major changes in politics

Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, who still exerts much influence in Japanese politics at the age of 90, hailed Ichiro Ozawa in an interview toward the end of last year as "having gained dignity, insight and stature during the past year" as the man qualified to lead his Democratic Party of Japan...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2009

Lessons from history for abduction policy

To the delight of the Aso administration, Hillary Clinton not only first made Japan her first foreign visit as U.S. secretary of state, but she met with families of Japanese abducted by North Korea. Unfortunately, by giving the impression that she agrees with Japan, her gesture may prevent a much-needed...
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2009

DPJ's way out is to pick new boss

The Tuesday arrest of Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa's chief secretary was an unexpected blow for the largest opposition party but observers say the damage can still be contained ahead of a general election later this year — if Ozawa quits his post.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / GLOBAL ECONOMY SYMPOSIUM
Mar 3, 2009

Financial burdens will continue dollar's long-term decline

The dollar is likely to be on a downtrend over the long term as the United States faces a massive fiscal burden from its efforts to recover from the financial crisis and to pay for its wars overseas, experts told a recent seminar in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2009

Pope should reflect on his universal mission

HONG KONG — Is the pope Catholic! This, of course, is a fabled American rhetorical expression, usually used sarcastically and meaning, how could you be so stupid as to doubt something?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 28, 2009

'Hafu' focuses on whole individual

"I always found it really strange," says Natalie Maya Willer, 30, a photographer based in London, "how I thought I could spot half-Japanese people in the street. . . . Then at the same time, with me not really looking Japanese, I also wondered if there really isn't a half-Japanese look after all!"
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2009

New game pokes fun at Nakagawa

A game developer is cashing in on former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa, who resigned following an allegedly drunken appearance at a news conference at the end of the Group of Seven meeting in Rome earlier this month.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 15, 2009

The meaning of life through its purpose

When it comes to religion, there are two types of rational minds: those who believe that faith is all smoke and mirrors, and those who, though rejecting that which is miraculous or supposition, see in the teachings of prophets, saints and other holy figures, incomparably valuable kernels of truth.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2009

U.S. expert urges death penalty rethink

While 80 percent of the Japanese public is in favor of capital punishment, support for executions would drop if life without parole sentences were also an option, according to an American criminologist who visited Tokyo recently.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 8, 2009

New law may backfire on victims

In December, a new law went into effect allowing victims of crimes and their families to participate in trial proceedings. Previously, victims were virtually shut out of criminal courts unless they were called on to provide testimony. Under the new law, they may sit next to prosecutors during trials,...
EDITORIALS
Feb 4, 2009

Japanese thinker from the Gulag

On Aug. 9, 1945, the Soviet Army started invading Manchukuo, a puppet state of the Japanese military in today's Northeast China, violating the Japan-Soviet Neutrality Pact. Many Japanese, both civilians and soldiers, perished there and the Soviet Union took many Japanese to labor camps in Siberia and...
COMMENTARY
Feb 3, 2009

Aso deserves high praise

Allow me to cite from a private conversation held with former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi around the summer of 2004, following the the Upper House election in July and ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle in September. I had made two requests of Koizumi: Revise the government's interpretation of the Constitution...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2009

Pros and cons of the euro at 10

PALO ALTO, Calif. — The beginning of 2009 will long be remembered for terrible economic news and controversial economic policy in virtually every country. It also marks the 10th anniversary of the euro, the common currency further knitting together several hundred million Europeans in their economic...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 31, 2009

Figuring out what Benitez means is no easy task

LONDON — As Liverpool has lost only one Premier League game this season and trails leader Manchester United by two points, you would think everything is rosy in the Anfield garden.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2009

U.S. chance to make fresh start in the Muslim world

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — President Barack Obama was the world's favored candidate in what was America's first global election. The key question is how the Obama administration will tap this rare good will to re-establish U.S. credibility and repair its reputation. How Obama manages issues in the Muslim world...
COMMENTARY
Jan 20, 2009

Obama and the alliance

Under the Bush administration, the Japan-U.S. alliance has undergone a quiet but important transformation in the eyes of most Japanese people: It has become a global alliance instead of a regional or bilateral one.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 18, 2009

Dialing up the decider one last time before he leaves the Oval Office

With only days left in office for the 43rd president of the United States of America, George W. Bush, I decided, on a lark — or a duck, if you will — to Skype the soon to be ex-commander in chief to find out what preoccupies his thoughts as he bids us a solemn farewell. I want to share this very...
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2009

Crime victims get their say

A new system has started in which crime victims or bereaved family members of crime victims can take part in criminal proceedings. They sit with public prosecutors and can question defendants and express their opinions about sentencing. The system represents a great change to Japan's judicial system,...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 9, 2009

Benoit keeping Broncos focused

The Saitama Broncos have become a playoff-caliber team under the watchful eye of former NBA player David Benoit.
Japan Times
JAPAN / THE MANY FACES OF CITIZENSHIP
Jan 5, 2009

A convenience in peace becomes matter of conflict in war

Last in a series
Reader Mail
Jan 4, 2009

Terms suggestive of racism

Regarding Brian Clacey's Jan. 1 letter, "On the lookout for a slight": I took up Clacey's suggestion and asked myself why "Jap" is considered racist while "Brit" is not. While perhaps not answering his question completely, I think looking at who uses these labels offers a partial answer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / INSIDE ART
Dec 25, 2008

If you don't get them with art, give them architecture

Struggling to maintain visitor numbers, often in the face of drastic cuts to their budgets, many of Japan's museums have been turning to an unlikely source of respite: architecture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 23, 2008

Children say the darndest things

Another holiday season is upon us. There is a nip in the air, lights of all colors twinkle throughout neighborhoods and cityscapes across the country, and holiday cheer radiates throughout our schools, workplaces and communities. During this festive time, friends and families often come together in true...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 5, 2008

'WALL-E'

They say the best creators of science fiction are those able to extrapolate just a bit into the future. Think of William Gibson's descriptions of a wired, digitally interconnected world dominated by multinational corporations in 1984's "Neuromancer," or Terry Gilliam's imagining of a perpetual war on...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Nov 29, 2008

Second Harvest gets the food to those who need it

Sitting at the wheel of a 4-ton truck, Charles McJilton suddenly says, "Oh wait, wait!" before pulling off his T-shirt and swapping it for a white one with a bright orange Second Harvest Japan logo on the chest and "Food for all people" spanning his back. "It's all about branding," he jokes, as he slips...
CULTURE / Art / INSIDE ART
Nov 27, 2008

Asian art 'madness' a la mode

"Sometimes I think they're all too young to remember what it was like 20 years ago," said Australian curator-turned- academic Caroline Turner at the 3rd Asian Art Museum Directors' Forum, held in Tokyo last week.
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2008

Aso: Extra budget is for next Diet

The government will put off submitting a second supplementary budget designed to stimulate the economy until January, when the ordinary Diet session assembles, rather than float it during the current extraordinary session, Prime Minister Taro Aso revealed Tuesday.

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