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COMMENTARY / World
Sep 17, 2013

Why the West misread Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin's end goal in his Syrian diplomatic initiative is to put the U.S. back into the U.N. Security Council box.
Reader Mail
Sep 14, 2013

No 'correct' view of history

Regarding the Sept. 5 article "South Korean text lauds Japan colonial rule": The call for Japan to accept the "correct" view of history is routinely heard from South Korean politicians and most alarmingly, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. This is the rhetoric of the uneducated or the autocrat.
Reader Mail
Sep 4, 2013

Nuclear power credibility shaken

Regarding the Aug. 25 article "Tepco's tank leaks blamed on seals, reassembly": It doesn't really look as though Tokyo Electric Power Co. is paying proper attention to the finer details of their recovery work at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. How could 300 tons of water — close to 300 cu....
Reader Mail
Aug 31, 2013

The Catholic acceptance of gays

Regarding Jeff Kingston's Aug. 25 Counterpoint article, "Gay marriage in Japan? Only over the reactionary LDP's cadaver": This sentence in the article caught my eye: "Despite the Philippines being largely Roman Catholic, 73 percent of respondents there said society should accept gays."
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 25, 2013

When does one's native language stop being native?

A 71-year-old man in Gifu Prefecture made headlines recently when he attempted to initiate a lawsuit against broadcaster NHK. Through its excessive use of foreign derived words, the man claimed, NHK had caused him 精神的苦痛 (seishinteki kutsū, psychological pain). He demanded ¥1.41 million...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 24, 2013

It only takes one 'Barefoot' step to cross the line into censorship

If you want people to pay attention to a point you're making, try to bring the subject of children into the debate. Right now, the media is discussing a decision made by the board of education of Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, to limit student access to the manga "Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen)," first published...
Reader Mail
Aug 24, 2013

Giving pet adoption a chance

The Aug. 18 editorial "Too many abandoned animals" caught my attention because it refers to the Feb. 19 article "Millions of dogs, cats coddled, 200,000 gassed each year in pet-mad Japan."
Reader Mail
Aug 17, 2013

Bigger picture of the Japanese

The Aug. 13 Community page article, "Ainu fight for return of plundered ancestral remains," interested me very much. When Japan basked in the world's attention because of its strong economic growth, it would often be described as a "homogenous" society, a result of the Japanese being composed of a single...
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2013

Snowden affair challenges Putin

Regarding the Aug. 6 article by Lilia Shevtsova from Moscow titled "Putin may be the only winner in Snowden affair": I don't think so. Although the article describes the problem of balancing security and liberty, I find the affair to be the result of low-level trickery by Russian President Vladimir Putin....
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2013

Common Western fetishism

Regarding the Aug. 2 article "Myanmar monasteries offer boot camp to calm spirits of frazzled souls": What we seem to be getting here is a case of the grass-is-greener fetishism all too common with Westerners who advocate Buddhism and other Asian religions.
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2013

Japan's assertiveness welcomed

Regarding Paul Gaysford's Aug. 8 letter, "Time for collective self-defense": China's aggressive posture is a cause of fear among a number of countries in Asia, and it is the reason that Japan wants to change Article 9 of its U.S.-imposed Constitution so that a collective defense of Asia can be established....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Aug 10, 2013

In science terms, Japan has no need at all to kill whales

Final arguments from the defence and prosecution were heard in mid-July, and the world court is now considering its judgment. At issue is Japan's right to conduct its seasonal "scientific" whaling program in Antarctic waters. But the case has involved arguments about how to define science itself.
Reader Mail
Aug 10, 2013

Avoiding the 'solitary death'

Reading Amy Chavez's Aug. 3 article, "The yellow flag outside the door — life or death" was instructive and impressive. In bigger cities of Japan, what they call "solitary death" has become a serious social problem because of the graying of society, the trend toward the nuclear family and people's...
Reader Mail
Aug 7, 2013

Keeping dolphins and whales

Regarding Rob Gilhooly's July 26 article, "Japan bucks trend: Captive dolphin biz big": I cannot agree with the opinion of Sakae Hemmi of the Elsa Nature Conservancy that the reduction of dolphins in captivity is the international trend. This trend is a current fashion of Western culture only. We must...
EDITORIALS
Aug 2, 2013

Defense plan would raise tensions

An interim outline of Japan's new defense policy points suspiciously toward deviations from the country's postwar defense-only posture that has won it friends.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2013

Japanese university professor born in, critical of, South Korea says Seoul barred her entry

A Japanese university professor of South Korean descent claimed Wednesday in Tokyo that Seoul denied her entry to the country last Saturday at Incheon airport.
Reader Mail
Jul 31, 2013

A resurrection with messy results

An Observer article published in The Japan Times on July 20 (titled "The quest is to clone a mammoth: The question is, should scientists do it?") raises a passel of strong objections to the exciting idea of cloning a mammoth. Some scientists question the ethics of devoting so much time and money to an...
Reader Mail
Jul 31, 2013

Current behavior is what counts

In Jun Hongo's July 25 article "Leave Constitution alone," anime master Hayao Miyazaki is right about one thing: There is no question that Japan committed atrocities during World War II.
Reader Mail
Jul 27, 2013

When will 'experts' get serious?

Regarding the July 23 front-page AFP-JIJI article "Tepco now admits radioactive water entering the sea at Fukushima": What is it about Japan's nuclear village and its continued defiance, lies and arrogant denial in the face of mounting radioactive contamination and the threat of crippling illness or...
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 25, 2013

Why some people are more prone to mosquito bites

Mosquito season is in full swing. A lucky few people seem immune to the bites of the pesky insects. Others can't seem to avoid them.
Reader Mail
Jul 24, 2013

'Academic society' disappoints

I read with both great interest and deep disappointment the July 11 article "Okinawans explore secession option": interest because of the subject matter, and disappointment because of factual and interpretive problems with the article itself and because of the nature of the "academic society" introduced...
Reader Mail
Jul 20, 2013

'Cool Japan' meme a nonstarter

The Chubu Connection article published in The Japan Times on July 12, titled "Students dealt real-life problems to broaden outlook," describes Tatsuo Hirase, head of the business promotion office of the Chubu branch of Mitsui and Co., leading a two-day marketing seminar at Aichi Prefectural University....
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jul 19, 2013

That's me in the picture: how 'selfies' became a global craze

It starts with a certain angle: A smartphone tilted at 45 degrees just above your eyeline is generally deemed the most forgiving. Then a light source: the flattering beam of a backlit window or a bursting supernova of flash reflected in a bathroom mirror, as preparations are under way for a night out....
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2013

The rush toward Asia-Pacific FTAs

Whichever of three mega-trade-and-investment liberalization blocs is first to conclude a credible agreement will have a signficant impact on world trade and geopolitics.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2013

U.S. experts won't be drawn out on Japan P.M. shrine visit

Two prominent U.S. experts on Japan refused Tuesday to predict how the U.S. government would react if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Yasukuni Shrine next month, an act that would undoubtedly add further strain to already frayed relations with China and South Korea.
JAPAN / Politics / GAME OF NUMBERS
Jul 8, 2013

Hashimoto: from third force to political farce?

Third in a series One year ago, Toru Hashimoto was the toast of the nation's media, with many predicting the outspoken Osaka mayor, who was then laying plans for a new national party, would become prime minister after the next Lower House election. Politicians ranging from Shinzo Abe and Ichiro Ozawa...

Longform

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