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SOCCER / J. League
Aug 20, 2011

Strong play has Kofu's Havenaar out of father's shadow

Ventforet Kofu might be struggling to keep their heads above water this season, but striker Mike Havenaar is making a big splash in the J. League's first division.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Aug 19, 2011

Evessa excited to have talented Aoki on board

It's only been a few days since the acquisition become official, but Cohey Aoki's impact is already being measured by those on the Osaka Evessa. And he hasn't even participated in a preseason or regular-season contest.
Reader Mail
Aug 18, 2011

Risks from deadbeat tenants

I read with interest the Aug. 2 life & style article "Once settled in, chances are you'll have to pay to stay," as I can understand that the property rental system with its deposits, gratitude fees and renewal fees may be difficult for a foreign tenant to understand. But let's look at this from another...
Reader Mail
Aug 18, 2011

Geothermal is the most practical

With respect to Pete Hourdequin's Aug. 7 letter, "(Prime Minister Naoto) Kan's vision is commendable": Renewable energy in its current state is NOT a viable solution for Japan. Solar power cells may continue to advance technologically, but they don't make sense for Japan geographically.
Reader Mail
Aug 18, 2011

Over-analyzing the British riots

It's ridiculous the way the British government and media are fretting over the causes of recent urban riots in England. They've been deluded by their own social reconstructionist rhetoric, and are left mouthing "why?" like fish gasping out of water.
Reader Mail
Aug 18, 2011

Don't wait for quake-proof plants

In his Aug. 14 letter, "Power-saving mindset has limits," James Dobson makes some good points about the lack of a long-term conservation ethic in modern society. Personally I don't like to use air conditioners or watch TV, although I admit I enjoy the Internet. All three of these devices use considerable...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2011

Maher denies making disparaging remarks

Kevin Maher, a former senior U.S. diplomat sacked in March after allegedly making derogatory remarks about Okinawans, on Wednesday denied ever making the comments and accused the reporter who broke the story of breaching journalistic standards.
Reader Mail
Aug 18, 2011

How will a 'wayward' son learn?

I was interested in the comment in the Aug. 13 editorial, "Muddling as the economy sinks," that some people earlier this month seemed to welcome a default on U.S. debt obligations.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2011

Obama risks 'junk status'

Standard & Poor's controversial decision to downgrade the credit rating of the United States from AAA to AA-plus brought an instant angry riposte from President Barack Obama that "We've always been and always will be a Triple-A country."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2011

Sidelined by quake, Libyans here still seek Gadhafi ouster

Japan's tiny Libyan community found itself in a tight spot when radiation scares swept the nation following the Tohoku triple disaster and foreigners fled the country en masse.
Reader Mail
Aug 18, 2011

People must keep saying 'no'

The Aug. 12 Bloomberg article "Vested interests may stymie energy bill," which quotes Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Taro Kono as saying that growing anti-nuclear "public opinion may not be enough to sway politicians," is deeply disturbing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 18, 2011

Yelle

Your show was packed.
BUSINESS
Aug 18, 2011

Banks may be facing ratings cut

Japanese banks' credit ratings and share prices may decline as global regulators consider measures that seek to avoid the use of public funds to rescue failing lenders, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. said.
EDITORIALS
Aug 18, 2011

Pondering victims and the future

Japan on Monday marked the 66th anniversary of its surrender to the Allied Powers in World War II amid unprecedented circumstances. Both those who attended the anniversary ceremony at Tokyo's Budokan and other Japanese must have superimposed the Tohoku-Pacific region devastation from the March 11 earthquake...
COMMENTARY
Aug 17, 2011

Ten ways to reduce America's budget deficit

It's true: Deficit reduction isn't an economic panacea. It won't instantly boost the economy or the stock market. It won't automatically end financial turmoil. But none of this means that we should ignore deficits. Allowing the government's debt to spiral upward tempts a full-blown future financial crisis....
COMMENTARY
Aug 17, 2011

ASEAN faces a Chinese dilemma

As the United States and Europe struggle with heavy debts and weak growth, China increasingly powers the expansion of nearly every economy in the Asia Pacific region. It raises a critical question, particularly for Southeast Asia and Australia: Which are the ties that bind — those of commerce and rising...
BUSINESS
Aug 17, 2011

UPS resumes Iwate package delivery

United Parcel Service Inc. is resuming the remainder of its services halted in Iwate Prefecture after the March earthquake and tsunami.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 16, 2011

Man eating sharks — and mercury, group warns

What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word "shark"? For many, it's a gaping maw of razor-sharp teeth or a dorsal fin cutting ominously through the water behind an oblivious swimmer. John Williams' iconic Jaws score is probably running through your mind as you read this. Sharks are Hollywood's...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 16, 2011

Volunteers feel for Tohoku, but their duties lie in Nepal

In the physiotherapy ward at Katmandu's Bir Hospital, a middle-aged woman lay in bed, her back strapped to a big mechanical device. Rukmini Roka, 56, who suffers from chronic backache, struggled to stretch her legs as required by the special therapy machine.
BASKETBALL
Aug 16, 2011

Allred finalizes deal with Hannaryz

Former NBA center Lance Allred has agreed to contractual terms to play for the Kyoto Hannaryz this season, the bj-league team announced on Monday.
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2011

Innate keys to a bright future

One of the many interesting and unique aspects of Japanese culture that I experienced as a foreigner in Japan from 2003 to 2010 was jishuku. Jishuku refers to voluntary moderation in one's actions, typically after a terrible event or occurrence involving loss of life or human suffering. Jishuku is a...
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2011

Power-saving mindset has limits

Regarding the Aug. 10 article "Nuclear power debate heating up": I strongly disagree with the notion that just because we seem to be doing fine amid the current electricity deficit, Japan will be just fine without nuclear power plants in the future.
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2011

Cracks in foreign press reports

If I had not been to China, I would probably agree with Brahma Chellaney's assessment of rising social unrest in Tibet, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia (Aug. 6 article, "Cracks in the Chinese wall").
EDITORIALS
Aug 14, 2011

Changing times

Many Japanese felt that an era had ended with the announcement of the last print edition of Pia, the "Time Out" of Japan. Providing information on film showings, stage productions, concerts and art exhibitions as well as various countercultural events, Pia was founded in 1972 by university students influenced...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 14, 2011

A heady witches' brew of midsummer nightmares

Aside from the Summer High School Baseball Tournament at Koshien Stadium and NHK documentaries reminiscing about World War II, mid-August tends to be a quiet time and most of Japan's weekly magazines skip an issue.
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2011

Conditions don't allow free trade

Contrary to Michael Sutton's assertion in his Aug. 10 article, "What in the world happened to free trade?," I think that free trade is impossible. Sutton attacks the easy target of protectionism, but governments do not control the real world. It is dominated instead by greed, fear and prejudice.
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2011

Emergency care system in trouble

Regarding the July 24 Kyodo article "Hospitals turn away patients at record rate": The central and local governments need to exercise strong leadership in getting hospitals and the public to take steps to streamline Japan's emergency care system.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb