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Reader Mail
Oct 25, 2012

Insanity of U.S. gun ownership

No one who lives in Japan can truly understand the insanity that allows all Americans to own nearly any sort of gun. While long guns such as rifles and shotguns could be argued by some as a defense against tyranny, handguns have no such defense. I truly feel for Mieko Hattori, but her heartfelt words...
Reader Mail
Oct 25, 2012

American arrogance here to stay

Regarding Sadaaki Numata's Oct. 9 opinion piece, "The evolving dimensions of U.S.-Japan relations,": Even though Numata's appeal for equal footing with the United States is amply justified by international standards or under international law, America's arrogant and hegemonic mind-set will be here to...
Reader Mail
Oct 25, 2012

When in Japan, learn Japanese

Regarding Akky Akimoto's Oct. 17 article, "Apple should team up with local companies to solve Maps dilemma": While I fully agree that Apple should have tested the Japanese maps better, and should customize their options more, the article mentions the fact that many available apps that are more Japan-specific...
Reader Mail
Oct 25, 2012

Administration is not ownership

Regarding Ayako Mie's Oct. 12 analysis article, "No quick Senkakus fix, but return to status quo likely," Mie writes, "China has yet to indicate it is willing to back down and work to restore badly frayed bilateral ties." The flip side of this statement is that Japan has yet to indicate its willingness...
Reader Mail
Oct 25, 2012

Tragic, but gun rights needed

Regarding the Oct. 22 article "Hattori's mom appeals for wider U.S. gun control effort," I have always been heart-sickened by the death of this young man. Who knows what he could have created for his nation, his people, the world? That being said, those firearms she wants removed were a fundamental reason...
Reader Mail
Oct 25, 2012

Taking the measure of ice

Regarding Michael Richardson's Oct. 18 opinion piece "Is geography behind sea-ice paradox?": First, let's be clear that climate is changing, as it has throughout the course of history. However, the author seems blind to some rather obvious issues. For example, the Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest...
Reader Mail
Oct 25, 2012

Appeals falling on deaf ears

Regarding "Hattori's mom appeals for wider U.S. gun control effort," the poor woman is appealing to a nation that looks upon gun ownership with almost religious zeal and for many American males, gun ownership is a rite of passage and sign of macho toughness. America celebrates the gun.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 25, 2012

Netlabels Ano(t)raks and Canata Records give the old DIY spirit a go with some new tools

Dai Ogasawara's fledgling online label Ano(t)raks has released music from six Japanese artists from the Kansai region since the summer. However, Ogasawara, who lives in Aomori Prefecture, has yet to meet any of them.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2012

METI eases regulations so nonutilities can offer power

JIJI
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 25, 2012

What is art in the face of disaster?

Broadly speaking, two types of art have emerged in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the ensuing tsunami and nuclear crisis. On the one hand there is art that has been made for the crisis — that is to say, for the benefit of those who were or are suffering from its manifold effects. On...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 24, 2012

Chaos continues in Osaka as Evessa fire coach

How the mighty have fallen.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 24, 2012

Former Dodger Houlton uses veteran poise to eliminate Dragons

D.J. Houlton didn't know what to expect, and there was a good chance no one else did either.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Oct 24, 2012

Untangling smartphone tethering plans

With the spread of smartphones and high-speed communication networks, so-called Internet-tethering services are now a possibility in Japan. But what is actually involved in such services can be confusing — such as what phones are tethering-ready, how much the service costs and if there are differences...
Japan Times
Uncategorized / TRAVEL INSIDER
Oct 24, 2012

KLM to fly to Fukuoka; SAS renews in-flight menu; Cathay's Auckland-Japan campaign

KLM to fly to Fukuoka
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2012

IMF-World Bank meet was weak: co-op head

The annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Tokyo earlier this month saw strong messages delivered on ending poverty and food scarcity, but the gathering failed to map out a solution to these issues, the president of the International Cooperative Alliance said....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Oct 23, 2012

Samurai-armor restorers Chizuru and Fumio Nishioka

Chizuru, 58, and Fumio Nishioka, 59, are samurai-armor restorers. Among the handful of such specialists in Japan, they are the only ones who use the same techniques as artisans historically did in the past. Whether 900 or 150 years old, a samurai's armor reveals its history through its layers of skilled...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 23, 2012

Leadership development meeting draws Girl Scouts from around world

No matter what nationality you are, it's likely that several times in your life you have come across a Boy Scout or a Girl Scout dressed in that unique uniform — be it a friend or someone else from the community.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 22, 2012

Ishii powers Giants into series decider

Tokyo Dome was rocking and the Chunichi Dragons were reeling. All it would take was one final blow to finish putting the nail in the coffin.
Reader Mail
Oct 21, 2012

Open up U.S. political system

Regarding Jennifer Rubin's Oct. 11 Washington Post opinion article, "The curtain falls on the U.S. left's forced exuberance," Rubin takes U.S. President Barack Obama's lackluster performance in the first presidential debate and runs with it; taking a mile where she was given an inch. The biggest problem...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 21, 2012

Enka scandal keeps star in the news

The conflict between Japan and South Korea over Takeshima/Dokdo has spilled over into the entertainment realm. Some Korean actors and K-pop stars have stated publicly that the group of islets belongs to Korea, causing Masayuki Matsumoto, the president of NHK, to express concern. Last month he hinted...
Reader Mail
Oct 21, 2012

Koreans not as Japan sees them

Regarding Philip Brasor's Oct. 11 article on the Busan Film Festival, "Territorial disputes don't rain on Asia's largest parade of cinema," I enjoyed reading it, but I would like to comment on one sentence at the beginning stating "Koreans' reputation for demonstrating strong feelings in public."
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Oct 21, 2012

Payton says NBA players lack will to defend

Gary Payton played point guard as fearlessly and with as much intensity on defense as anyone has ever done. He's equally as bold when it comes to dishing out his opinions about the sport he still loves.
Reader Mail
Oct 21, 2012

Scientific accuracy needed

In Janick Magne's Oct. 7 letter "Risks of spent nuclear fuel rods," Magne asserts that the zircaloy that covers nuclear fuel rods is a highly flammable material that cannot be extinguished by water.
BASKETBALL
Oct 21, 2012

Davis, Susanoo Magic rout Shining Suns

Center Jeral Davis was an unstoppable force for the Shimane Susanoo Magic in Satuday's bj-league series opener against the Miyazaki Shining Suns, scoring 27 points on 13-for-17 shooting.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 21, 2012

Using the noodle to gain insight into Japanese culinary culture

SLURP! A Social and Culinary History of Ramen — Japan's Favorite Noodle Soup, by Barak Kushner. Global Oriental, 2012, 289 pp., $90 (hardcover) Under the heading "Ramen is Japan" Barak Kushner asserts: "Ramen (regular and instant) permeates all features of contemporary Japanese life." He goes on to...
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Oct 21, 2012

The colonial exposition, Japan branded 'aggressor nation,' Cuban missile crisis, Black Monday stock market crash

Despite rainy weather yesterday, the Colonial Exposition at Ueno [in central Tokyo] was visited by an enormous number of people, who thronged in and about the building to enjoy the queer objects.
SOCCER / J. League
Oct 20, 2012

Experiences put game in perspective for Umesaki

Urawa Reds will be disappointed if their pursuit of this season's J. League title comes to nothing, but attacking midfielder Tsukasa Umesaki has survived enough setbacks in his career to know that the bad times can be just as important as the good.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Oct 19, 2012

Today's J-blip: 'Yurei Attack!'

This little book has all you need to tell killer stories of Japanese ghosts — and to get away from them.
EDITORIALS
Oct 19, 2012

The IMF's new message

Mea culpa. That might be the biggest message from the recent gathering of global financial leaders in Tokyo. The annual IMF/World Bank meeting is an opportunity for finance ministers and central bankers to seek agreement on the state of the global economy and ways to ensure greater or more stable growth....

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’