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JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 14, 2012

Mainali case exposes flaws, bias in judicial system

Facing retrial, exoneration and freedom after spending 15 years in prison for the 1997 murder of a Tokyo woman — a crime for which he was initially acquitted — Govinda Prasad Mainali could be a case study in the flaws in the nation's judicial system.
EDITORIALS
Jun 14, 2012

Bottom line of welfare

A weekly magazine in April reported that the mother of an entertainer earning an annual income of ¥50 million has been receiving public livelihood assistance known as seikatsu hogo (literally livelihood protection). Through a blog of a Diet member and other media, the entertainer was identified as TV...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Jun 13, 2012

Gadgets and games to keep you dry in the washroom

It's not the classiest of topics, but here I go touching on the taboo — toilets. We all visit the bathroom several times a day, and what a relief that we do! The experience can conjure a curious mix of emotions: pleasure, pain, anxiety, boredom, impatience, pride. Japan famously produces toilets with...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jun 12, 2012

'Flyjin' feel vindicated, worry for those left in Japan

Although more than a year has passed since the magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami struck Tohoku on March 11, 2011, Ivan Stout's memory of the moment when the Shinmarunouchi building in Tokyo's Chou Ward began to tremble is as vivid as ever.
Reader Mail
Jun 10, 2012

Great need for Christian witness

Contrary both to common parlance and to what Dipak Basu writes in "What need for missionaries?," I think that rather than describing Christianity as "Western," it is more accurate to describe all three of the main monotheistic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — as Asian religions. Mesopotamia,...
Reader Mail
Jun 10, 2012

Scuttle useless Article 9

Regarding Craig Martin's June 6 article, "LDP's dangerous proposals for amending antiwar article": Article 9 of Japan's Constitution has never protected anyone. There are plenty of people who go on about how important Article 9 is, but I think these people are either lying or willfully ignorant.
Reader Mail
Jun 10, 2012

The definition of nonviolence

Regarding Dipak Basu's June 7 letter: Basu conveniently omits to tell us of the backlash against Christianity in Edo Period Japan, in which "nonviolence as the supreme principle" manifested itself in the form of crucifying Japanese Christians, a process in which the Buddhist temples were wholly complicit....
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 10, 2012

It's not that easy to quit

"If you don't like it, quit."
CULTURE / Books
Jun 10, 2012

Okinawa: a long history of hardship

THE OKINAWAN DIASPORA IN JAPAN: Crossing the Borders Within, by Steve Rabson. University of Hawai'i Press, 2012, 312 pp., $55.00 (hardcover) Okinawa, mainland Japan's subtropical playground, is no paradise to Okinawans. Ryukyu, the archipelago's original name, means "circle of jewels." Lush appearance...
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Jun 10, 2012

The Marshall Islands: Tropical idylls scarred like Tohoku

With all its American, European and Asian cultural influences, it's easy to forget that Japan is also an island nation in the Pacific.
Reader Mail
Jun 10, 2012

Osaka mayor should be watched

In my understanding of human nature, most of us have a hidden agenda in our dealings with the world at large — private thoughts and desires often not shared with those nearest to us. I believe this is even more true of politicians. Assessing the depth and width of their humility and humanity is usually...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 10, 2012

The self-styled 'Land of the Free' nurtures yet another facet of hypocrisy

Last month, two members of the U.S. Senate vilified Eduardo Saverin, the cofounder of Facebook Inc., for doing something that Americans are apparently coming to consider a punishable sin.
Reader Mail
Jun 10, 2012

Pejorative use of 'homophobic'

Philip Brasor's June 3 Media Mix column, "Homophobic joke goes awry for 'Beat," shows just how far prejudice has permeated the media. But not the way most readers think.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2012

Wanted: round-trip freedom for China's dissidents

Western media describe my friend and colleague Chen Guangcheng as a blind activist who made a flight to freedom when China allowed him to journey from Beijing to the United States. What is essential about Chen is neither his blindness nor his family's visit to the U.S., but the fact that he upholds a...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2012

Fugitive hid in city, in plain sight

Police have been hunting Katsuya Takahashi since Aum Shinrikyo waged its nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995, mobilizing thousands of officers over the last 17 years.
BASKETBALL
Jun 9, 2012

Ryukyu confirms Oketani's departure

The Ryukyu Golden Kings on Friday officially announced head coach Dai Oketani will not receive a new contract for the 2012-13 season, and his tenure with the club has ended.
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
Jun 9, 2012

New financial services minister eyes stiffer fines for insider trading

The Financial Services Agency may impose heavier fines on those who engage in insider trading in light of a spate of recent cases, according to its new chief.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jun 9, 2012

Matsuda eyes rematch against Olympic legend Phelps

An athlete can tell you a tale with words that are as relevant as live action. Use your imagination to fill in the details.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2012

Oi reactors' restart is vital, Noda stresses

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda stressed Friday that restarting the Oi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture is crucial to meet the nation's energy needs this summer and to ensure sustainable economic growth in the longer term.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 8, 2012

'My House' takes Tsutsumi home

"Auteur" is not the first word that leaps to mind to describe Yukihiko Tsutsumi. In a directing career that began with a segment of the 1988 comedy anthology "Bakayaro! I'm Plenty Mad," the prolific Tsutsumi has made films in a variety of genres — mystery/thriller ("Spec: The Movie"), dystopian fantasy...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2012

Kosovo leader urges assistance

Japan's investment and skills are crucial to Kosovo's development, but the country also has much to offer Japanese businesses seeking opportunities in the region, visiting Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci told The Japan Times in an interview Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 8, 2012

'Michi' actors Yoshizawa and Bae learn from their characters that experience is key to understanding

It's been a long while since the Korean Wave first washed through the Japanese entertainment industry and altered the landscape forever. Not a day goes by without a Korean star making an appearance in the Japanese media. DVD rental stores devote huge sections of floor space to hanryū productions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2012

Refugee pines to go back to, help Myanmar

When Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi announced her trust in President Thein Sein last August, Tin Win Akbar decided it was time to return home after spending almost 16 years as an exile in Japan.
Reader Mail
Jun 7, 2012

What need for missionaries?

Regarding Catherine Wallace's May 31 letter, "Japan's access to Christianity": Does it matter whether Japan had access to Western Christianity in the 16th century or in 1945, when Japan is historically a Buddhist country?
Reader Mail
Jun 7, 2012

Don't let nativism trump health

In the April 24 Kyodo article, "Some municipalities set to deny services to illegal foreign residents: poll," I was appalled to read that "33 [municipalities] said they will not vaccinate illegal foreigners against tuberculosis and other diseases" (when the revised basic resident registration law takes...
Reader Mail
Jun 7, 2012

'Parents' should raise children

The June 4 editorial, "Married women want to work," takes up an important issue, but the discussion misses what I think is a key point: "Families" should raise children, not just "women." Consider the following sentences from the editorial:

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’