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COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2013

Why Putin's peace pact in Chechnya will collapse

The involvement of two ethnic Chechens in the Boston Marathon bombing shows that the wars that ravaged the Russian republic more than a decade ago aren't over.
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2013

The paradox of the Boston bombing

Essentially the Boston bombers' stories are not so different from those of America's home-grown 'lone wolves' — typically white and equally disenchanted.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 1, 2013

Fringe independence party sends shivers down Tory spines

Landing on doormats across Somerset in recent weeks has been a Tory election leaflet the like of which locals have never seen before: "A vote for UKIP is a vote for the Lib Dems. UKIP has no plans or policies for Somerset. Only the Conservatives can deliver an In/Out referendum by 2017."
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
May 1, 2013

Woodson beating odds with Knicks

Mike Woodson likes to tell the story of how he first got into NBA coaching, which was something of a symbol for his basketball life.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
May 1, 2013

Is Hakuho on his way to becoming the greatest ever?

On sumo's list of all-time yusho winners, Hakuho currently stands tied with Kitanoumi on 24 championships to date. Just three men stand between the Mongolian and the all-time record: Asashoryu at 25, Chiyonofuji at 31 and Taiho at 32.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Apr 30, 2013

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu on a mission to spread Japan's kawaii culture

'Cool' may have been the official buzzword, but if the chants of the 20,000 strong audience at a recent festival are to be believed, that word has been ousted by a new one: 'kawaii.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / JAPAN-CHINA SYMPOSIUM
Apr 30, 2013

Japan, China at risk of losing sight of true interests

As Japan deals with China, the nation needs to get an accurate picture of what the giant neighbor is and where it is headed, rather than be swayed by what could be a larger-than-life image of the new economic and military power in East Asia, China watchers said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 30, 2013

Tokyo: What are the best and worst things about living in Tokyo?

I love how Tokyo is a big, chaotic mess, unlike my hometown, and I also enjoy getting lost when I am out and about, but the best thing is that I can eat and drink 24/7.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Apr 29, 2013

Indian activists push for clean cities

As more Indians travel the world and their country's growing economy and population gain more global attention, they are increasingly embarrassed about one of India's dirtiest features: its cities.
EDITORIALS
Apr 29, 2013

24-hour transportation in Tokyo

Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose is thinking of allowing some bus routes to run 24 hours a day and extending subway operating hours to avoid the nightly shutdown.
EDITORIALS
Apr 29, 2013

Pseudo electoral reform

The bill just passed by the Liberal Democratic Party and ally Komeito to rectify vote-value disparity between districts is no more than pseudo electoral reform.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 29, 2013

$34 billion to rebuild Christchurch

The rebuilding of Christchurch, New Zealand's third-largest city, which suffered a major earthquake in February 2011, will cost a total of 40 billion New Zealand dollars ($33.9 billion), an increase of 33 percent from a December estimate, Prime Minister John Key said Sunday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 28, 2013

Cook Islands paradise isn't plain sailing for all

They span an area the size of western Europe, but the Cook Islands may seem like the ends of the Earth when viewed from Japan — an 11-hour flight away south to New Zealand, followed by a four-hour "local hop" to the capital, Avarua, on the main island of Rarotonga.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 28, 2013

Daytime in Kin Town's nocturnal city

The three drunken U.S. Marines who stumbled into my motorbike headlamps were clearly combat-trained, as their agility in shifting from advanced inebriation to performing a nimble leap onto the sidewalk suggested seriously attuned reflexes.
Reader Mail
Apr 28, 2013

Funny piece about 'bosozoku'

The April 18 article "Documentary chronicles disappearing world of 'bosozoku (biker gangs)" was funny! Kazuhiro Hazuki, a former gang leader, is quoted as saying he couldn't stomach the violence of being a yakuza loan shark, so he became a kick boxer.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 27, 2013

Can you really train your brain to be more intelligent?

My week has been pretty hectic so far. On Monday, I manned a busy beach bar and had to remember a range of ice-cream and pizza orders for a constant stream of customers.
EDITORIALS
Apr 27, 2013

Defend Japan's interests in TPP talks

It is almost certain Japan will join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks within 90 days. It's not clear, though, whether the TPP is good for Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 26, 2013

Murakami's 'Jellyfish Eyes' blends kawaii and creepy into a postquake critique

In the West he's been referred to as 'the other Murakami.' To those in Japan, the difference is so prominent that very few would ever confuse artist-cum-filmmaker Takashi Murakami with novelist Haruki Murakami.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Apr 26, 2013

Japanese photographer points his camera at Cameroon for exhibition

Photographer Michio Hiraiwa has been given the title of goodwill ambassador for Kenyan tourism because of his numerous visits to the country — 150 times since 1972. The 78-year-old has also traveled to neighboring Tanzania 80 times. Hiraiwa's daughter, Masayo, eventually began to join him on his voyages,...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2013

Somalia comes back enough to receive arms

Somalia was a failed state for more than 20 years. But now it has come back enough for the U.N. Security Council to partially lift the embargo on arms sales.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 25, 2013

Reassessing Thatcher's legacy

Now that her funeral is over, let's begin a dispassionate assessment of why politicians of all parties remain enthralled by the legacy of Margaret Thatcher.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 25, 2013

Why people stay scared after tragedies

After a tragedy such as the one last week in Boston, people develop a heightened sense of risk. Often that response is far greater than reality warrants.
Reader Mail
Apr 25, 2013

Yasukuni serves useful purpose

Regarding the April 22 Kyodo article "(State minister Keiji) Furuya shows up at war-linked Yasukuni": I am a U.S. citizen with Japanese heritage on my mother's side. I was born in Japan only 16 years after the end of the great war. Although I do not have any real memories about what life was like at...
Reader Mail
Apr 25, 2013

Rightward-bound regardless

Regarding Paul Gaysford's April 14 eulogy of Margaret Thatcher, 'Iron Lady' is worth emulating": I don't believe history is made only by leaders. With or without Thatcher, Britain would have swung right. It was already happening with James Callaghan (prime minister 1976-79), who could be described as...
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2013

Record 168 lawmakers visit Yasukuni

A record 168 Diet members visit Tokyo's war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, following visits by three Cabinet ministers and offerings by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person