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COMMENTARY
Sep 2, 2011

U.S.-China 'win-win' game

In spite of the polar positions of the United States and China in the global system, during the past dozen years their economies have become intertwined to such a degree that one is tempted to speak of an emerging new giant macroeconomic entity with a common metabolism — at least with regard to some...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 2, 2011

'Surviving Life'

Czech novelist Milan Kundera once said in an interview that Prague "is full of quirks and poetry, unlike any other city in the world." If that's true, then Czech filmmaker Jan Svankmajer has molded himself into Prague incarnate, embodying the essence of the city through himself and his work.
BUSINESS
Sep 2, 2011

Urge firms to invest abroad: Gyohten

Incoming Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda should encourage companies to use the yen's rise to invest abroad instead of protecting them by intervening in the currency market, former currency official Toyoo Gyohten said.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 2, 2011

Cristiano's: A taste of Portugal in Tokyo's backstreets

Charcoal-grilled fish, lots of fresh seafood and seasonal produce, rice at least once a day and no fussy seasonings or sauces: Portuguese cuisine has so many points of overlap with Japan's, it's a wonder that it hasn't caught on here more widely.
Reader Mail
Sep 1, 2011

Small steps to an attractive home

Stephen Hesse's Aug. 28 Our Planet Earth column, titled "Is youth's 'creeping passivity' happening by design?," is a very interesting and well-thought-out piece. I've often had thoughts like these, but will instead offer a contrasting point of view.
Reader Mail
Sep 1, 2011

Other routes of dioxin exposure

Regarding the Aug. 24 article "Okinawa vet blames cancer on defoliant": Dioxin is recognized, medically, as a toxic carcinogen. What is not so clear, particularly to the public, is how we are exposed to dioxin on a regular basis — in ways that do not involve Agent Orange. The primary source of dioxin...
Reader Mail
Sep 1, 2011

Don't send debris elsewhere

Regarding the Aug. 29 Kyodo article "Cesium in incinerator dust across East Japan": I would like to draw readers' attention to a related problem. The Environment Ministry is said to be planning to ship radioactive debris from Iwate and Miyagi prefectures to incineration plants in western Japan and Hokkaido...
Reader Mail
Sep 1, 2011

Pioneering efforts in Tohoku

Regarding Dreux Richard's Aug. 23 Zeit Gist article, "Peace Boat-Rolls talks lay bare ethical minefield": It is not easy to stir up controversy and cast doubts on the motives of a small group of selfless volunteers working to help Tohoku, where more than 5,000 volunteers have spent days and weeks at...
EDITORIALS
Sep 1, 2011

Rampancy of child-porn files

Photos and moving images of sexually abused children are spreading over the Internet. In the first half of 2011, the police unearthed 649 child-porn cases, an increase of 9.1 percent from a year before and either arrested or sent papers to the prosecution on 455 people (a 9.4 percent increase).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 1, 2011

Sachiko Hara makes her mark in Germany

Tokyo-born Sachiko Hara, 46, was the apple of her ordinary, working-parents' eye. She was encouraged to get a degree in German studies from the prestigious Sophia University, and after that it seemed some sort of high-flying career was hers for the taking.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Sep 1, 2011

Artisans who lived by their swords

The samurai sword has long been a symbol of great allure in Japan. It conjures images of virility, tradition, austerity and the mystery of legends. Not only is it said that the Shinto gods possessed swords but, as part of the Imperial regalia, such blades were believed to signify the divinity and divine...
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2011

Noda a grappler, wears many hats

Depending on who you ask, Yoshihiko Noda is a fiscal policy expert, a conservative who believes the Class-A war criminals were not in fact so, or the ailing Democratic Party of Japan's last hope to regain the public's trust.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2011

Days of Ozawa's influence seen dwindling

Yoshihiko Noda's victory against Banri Kaieda in the Democratic Party of Japan presidential runoff Monday dealt yet another blow to disgraced kingpin Ichiro Ozawa, who backed Kaieda in an apparent bid to boost his waning influence.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2011

Destroying five myths about earthquakes

Earthquakes rattle our psyches as well as our structures. We Californians can crack jokes about jumpy East Coast types, but the truth is, our blood pressure also rises precipitously when the Earth suddenly springs to life, without so much as a warning.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2011

Nuclear reform will be uphill slog

In a bid to restore public confidence, the government has unveiled plans to reform the nuclear regulatory agency, separating it from the ministry in charge of promoting atomic power.
COMMENTARY
Aug 31, 2011

China's economy not a model for emulation

At a time when the United States and Europe are beset by economic crises, it is natural that the Western model of economic development, including a democratic political system, should be viewed with some skepticism while China's growth model is greatly enhanced.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2011

Public looks to Noda to provide stability

People interviewed Tuesday on the streets of Tokyo voiced hope that new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will quickly find ways to rebuild the tsunami-ravaged Tohoku region but were frustrated by the frequent changes in leaders and called for a stable government.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Aug 30, 2011

Winning: 'The Alien': readers remember life in '90s Japan

The following are a selection of the winning submissions in response to last month's Zeit Gist competition to win copies of "The Very Best of Neil Garscadden's Alien Humor," a collection of many of the pieces Garscadden wrote while editor of the humor section of The Alien magazine.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Aug 30, 2011

Japan's 'silent tsunami' severs parental ties, wrecks children's lives

To the next Prime Minister,
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2011

Contracts for rare earths shifting to quarterly basis

Japanese rare earth buyers are switching to quarterly sales contracts and looking for alternative sources after China curbed shipments, increasing prices for the materials used in hybrid cars and missiles.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 30, 2011

Cleverness in things great and small

Milestones for cyclists There's a bicycle craze currently sweeping the nation — or so the media would have you believe — and in the midst of it, we're starting to see designers pay particular attention to cycling accessories. Design trio Mile has introduced a beautiful take on the bike stand with...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2011

Foreign embassies give kids taste of many cultures at Tokyo event

Children tried their hand at Thai vegetable carving and practiced Indian yoga at an intercultural event put on by foreign embassies Sunday in Tokyo.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Aug 29, 2011

Eagles soar into race for final playoff spot

The gauntlet the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles faced the past 11 games, could've all-but ended their season.
Reader Mail
Aug 28, 2011

Don't export what you won't use

I don't understand the Japanese government's policy on nuclear power plants. On one hand, it has come out with a denuclearization policy domestically; on the other, it is planning to sell nuclear power plants to Turkey, Jordan, Vietnam, Lithuania, and Kazakhstan by 2020. This is a double standard.
Reader Mail
Aug 28, 2011

China-baiting goes over the top

Regarding Michael Richardson's Aug. 24 article, "Taiwan arms deal serves as litmus test of U.S. resolve": Richardson's biased assumptions and pandering to paranoid anti-China elements borders on yellow journalism. He uses the straw man of a Chinese "red line" regarding U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan to...
Reader Mail
Aug 28, 2011

One-land, two-country solution

Territorial problems between countries are sources of permanent tension and conflict. In the past, wars and military victories were considered the main tools for solving such problems. Although the probability of applying such tools these days has essentially decreased, we still hear about military drills...

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear