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Reader Mail
Oct 4, 2012

Laws of economics and physics

A thank you to Timothy Bedwell for his Sept. 27 letter, "Why do producers finish last?," which was a response to my Sept. 23 letter soliciting a "rationale for redistribution." But there are a number of ambiguous statements in Bedwell's letter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 4, 2012

"Beppu Contemporary Art Festival 2012: Mixed Bathing World"

Beppu in Oita Prefecture is one of the most prosperous hot-spring areas in Japan. Nonetheless, it has been suffering a depopulation of youths and a decline in tourists. In response, a number of volunteers and NPO organizations have been working on reinvigorating local culture through art projects.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 4, 2012

Young pianist Umi delighted to capture Osaka prize

Notwithstanding the best efforts of Typhoon Jelawat, which swept over Osaka on Saturday night, the 13th Osaka International Music Competition was held over the weekend, with more than 800 musicians from around the world competing in 40 categories and age groups.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 3, 2012

Nippon Ishin no Kai: Local but with national outlook

After months of preparation, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's new political party, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party), was formally inaugurated at a mid-September gathering that drew more than 3,000 supporters.
EDITORIALS
Oct 3, 2012

Cracking down on drunk driving

The ban on driving under the influence of alcohol must be more vigilantly enforced to reduce the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents. People who drive under the influence of alcohol are said to be nine times more likely to be involved in a deadly accident than sober drivers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2012

Maehara vows extra scrutiny of BOJ

New economic and fiscal policy minister Seiji Maehara pledged a closer watch over the Bank of Japan to ensure it meets a 1 percent inflation goal, adding that purchases of foreign bonds may be a powerful tool for easing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 2, 2012

What it means to be 'Made in Japan'

"Made in Japan" is a such a simple phrase, yet it instantly evokes an image of exceptional design and high-quality production. Japan today is known for creating some of the most stylish, innovative and whimsical products in the world.
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2012

Sumitomo sees 'solar bubble' with rejection of nuclear power

As Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and billionaire Masayoshi Son lead a swarm of investors seeking to exploit Japan's solar power subsidies — the largest in the world — Sumitomo Corp. is betting on wind.
Reader Mail
Sep 30, 2012

Noda's about-face a plain shame

Regarding the Sept. 20 front-page article "Cabinet fails to OK new nuclear strategy": Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has been criticized for backtracking on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and on the government's recent pledge to aim for zero dependence on nuclear power by 2030. Backtracking on TPP...
Reader Mail
Sep 30, 2012

Game of chance sure beats war

Territorial disputes are pushing governments and the peoples of various Asian nations closer to the edge. The media is full of reports about governments urging calm, open-minded responses, with statements such as "I don't understand what the problem is." Talks between the concerned parties go nowhere,...
Reader Mail
Sep 30, 2012

Getting Taiwan on Japan's side

Regarding the Sept. 26 front-page article "50 Taiwanese boats intrude near Senkakus": I do support Japan in this conflict, but this is a major problem as long as China shows such lust for control. A brilliant way to stop this would be a 100-year-long agreement with Taiwan. It would be a needle in the...
Reader Mail
Sep 30, 2012

A demonstration of tolerance

Thank you very much for the Sept. 26 article "Muslim prayer room set up in Japanese shopping mall." As a Bangladeshi working for a Japanese company, I was so surprised to see the article when some people were making fun of the prophet for 1.5 billion Muslims because of a humiliating short film that sadly...
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Sep 30, 2012

Panasonic helped bring foreign players to Japan

Just as the Japan Basketball League is preparing to re-brand itself as the National Basketball League (NBL) for 2013-14, it is also coping with the planned loss of one of Japan's most successful basketball clubs, the Panasonic Trians.
Reader Mail
Sep 30, 2012

The only cool head in the room

Regarding the Sept. 20 editorial "Cooler heads needed over islet row": It is so right that cooler heads are urgently needed for the islet row in the East China Sea, but it is hard to make both China and Taiwan believe that Japan's "nationalization" of these uninhabited islands serves their interests...
Japan Times
LIFE
Sep 30, 2012

Teleworking: Home sweet ... office

On March 13, 2011, just two days after the Great East Japan Earthquake, as massive aftershocks rocked the capital and fears of a radioactive cloud spreading over the country seemed all-too real, Yasuyuki Higuchi, president of a Tokyo-based software company, sat down and typed an email to his 2,200 staff....
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Sep 29, 2012

Terry's legacy tainted by scandals

Four Games.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 28, 2012

Postelection fiscal cliff raises stakes for the world

As America's elections approach, with President Barack Obama slightly in front of his Republican challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, pollsters still rate the races for control of the presidency and the U.S. Senate too close to call, with the House of Representatives likely to remain in...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 28, 2012

'Iron Sky'

Watching "Iron Sky", it felt like the entire point of this film was to include a scene where a slack-jawed New Yorker points to the sky, eyes wide with terror, and screams: "Space Nazis!"
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2012

Monstrous robotic behemoth brings anime fantasies to life

It's hard to say whether technology will ever catch up with sci-fi anime and realize an era when giant robots roam the earth, but for artist Kogoro Kurata and student Wataru Yoshizaki the future can't come soon enough.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Sep 27, 2012

NHK uses carrot and stick approach to get your money

NHK finds new way to get paid, but there's also a new way to avoid paying.
Reader Mail
Sep 27, 2012

Why do producers finish last?

In his Sept. 23 letter, "The rationale for redistribution," Joseph Jaworski asks for a valid rationale to justify the redistribution of wealth. After all, no one would expect a burger flipper to make as much money as the CEO of that company.
Reader Mail
Sep 27, 2012

Indulgence that appears to work

In her Sept. 22 Japan Lite column titled "Japanese as a second body language," Amy Chavez devotes four paragraphs to the topic of Movement. It's an interesting and valid point: How do people in different cultures physically occupy and move in the three dimensional space that surrounds them?
Reader Mail
Sep 27, 2012

Nuclear assessment reliability

Michael Radcliffe's Sept. 20 letter, "Fear-mongering over fuel rods," makes dangerous and unsupported claims about the nuclear situation at Fukushima. Apparently we are to believe that a nuclear disaster is no big deal and that we should all just take a breather.

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’