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Reader Mail
Jul 24, 2011

Education or indoctrination?

In early June, Japan's Supreme Court ruled that it is constitutional for a school principal to order teachers to stand and sing the national anthem "Kimigayo," echoing a May 30 ruling by the court for a similar edict issued by the Tokyo Board of Education.
Reader Mail
Jul 24, 2011

Enabling women doctors to work

Regarding the July 3 editorial, "Boost women's role in society": Because of a serious shortage of doctors, Japan faces many problems including the runaround that patients get. It's time to improve the working environment for female doctors.
Reader Mail
Jul 24, 2011

U.S. has role in checking China

Regarding the July 19 "Constructing a Pax Asia-Pacifica," I agree with the writer Fidel V. Ramos (the former president of the Philippines) that a framework must be established and agreed upon to deal with existing territorial disputes in Asia.
Reader Mail
Jul 24, 2011

Regret for a generation's faults

Regarding Roger Pulvers' July 3 article, "Murakami puts a bomb under his compatriots' atomic complacency": In his acceptance of the International Catalunya Prize, author Haruki Murakami came down on not only on Tokyo Electric Power Co. but also on those Japanese who are apathetic toward politics and...
Reader Mail
Jul 24, 2011

Photo bares caption-writing flaw

Regarding the July 21 article: "Ichihashi trial bares translation woes": The irony of an article rapping the translation skills of Japan's court interpreters accompanied by a photo caption identifying Julia and Bill Hawker as Julia and Bill "Walker" is just too delicious. Keep up the good work.
EDITORIALS
Jul 24, 2011

A book for the times

This month, Mr. Jun Ikeido won the prestigious Naoki Prize for popular fiction; the Akutagawa Prize for new writers of literary fiction was not awarded as the judges found no exceptional work deemed worthy of the prize.
EDITORIALS
Jul 24, 2011

A bad summer for beer halls

Summer in Japan has traditionally meant fireworks and beer halls, but this year the post-March 11 earthquake mood seems to be continuing, casting a shadow over these hot-weather staples.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 24, 2011

Setsuden and the magic number 28

Japan's summer has started off with a bang, weather-wise.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 24, 2011

Nakamura thrills fans, impresses fellow All-Stars

Takeya Nakamura put his stamp on the All-Star Series on Saturday.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 24, 2011

Distribution gridlock restricts renewables

Dial the clock forward a decade or so, and Japan will be getting a lot more of its electricity from renewable resources and a lot less from nuclear power and fossil fuels — that is, if you go by recent government announcements proclaiming 2011 an energy watershed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 24, 2011

Taking in Tomonoura's many delights

"The most beautiful scenic view in Japan," was how the woman in the temple in Tomonoura translated it when I asked her the meaning of some calligraphy carved into a wooden sign mounted on the wall.
EDITORIALS
Jul 23, 2011

News of the World scandal

The revelations of misdeeds committed by the British tabloid News of the World are horrific but should not be surprising. There have been suspicions about the paper's behavior for years but a perverse fascination with its reporting — like the inability to not watch a car wreck — and a casual refusal...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2011

Takeda's Actos diabetes pill needs new cancer-risk warning, Europe says

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.'s Actos diabetes drug may be kept on the market with new warnings, the European Medicines Agency said after reviewing research showing the drug carried a slightly increased risk of bladder cancer.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Japan Pulse
Jul 22, 2011

A win-win for Nadeshiko and Japan's merchants

Did retailers predict that the Japan women's team would win the World Cup? Probably not, but they're perfectly happy to capitalize on Nadeshiko fever now.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 22, 2011

Geary named first coach of B-Corsairs

Ed OdevenSTAFF WRITER
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 22, 2011

Orchestrating a ska paradise for the summer

It's a standard response for bands to say they are surprised by their longevity and accomplishments, but Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Japan's best-known ska act, are unlikely to be overly humble.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 22, 2011

Very different approaches to the struggling hero theme

James Gunn wrote the screenplay for 2000's "The Specials," a low-budget indie comedy that mocked superheroes, showing them kicking back, whining about their action figure deals or bloviating about their origin stories, but never once engaging in actual crime-fighting.
Reader Mail
Jul 21, 2011

Strange decision on a foundation

The July 12 article "Fukushima plant site originally was a hill safe from tsunami," although unpleasant to read, is welcome as it explains in some detail how the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant came to be constructed against what I personally saw as unfavorable geological conditions.
Reader Mail
Jul 21, 2011

Chinese lessons on Myanmar

Regarding Harsh V. Pant's July 18 article: "India trying to woo Myanmar from China": It should not be hard for India to woo the friendly, but fiercely independent, Burmese if it closely studies the foreign policy of the neutral Southeast Asian nation.
Reader Mail
Jul 21, 2011

Brilliant display of teamwork

Regarding the FIFA Women's World Cup soccer finale: My congratulations to the Japanese team for a brilliant display of teamwork, discipline, determination and patience. The whole world watched how this team handled a much bigger opponent.
Reader Mail
Jul 21, 2011

Winding road to one's potential

Regarding Roger Pulvers' July 17 article, "In charting their life's course, today's youth might better stay foolish": Wonderful article! I read the Steve Jobs' speech cited by Pulvers several years ago, and it continues to inspire me through thick and thin.
Reader Mail
Jul 21, 2011

More cruel than 'widow penalty'

The July 17 AP article "'Widow penalty' immigrants finally allowed back in U.S." tells the story of Miwa Neal, a Japanese woman who married an American man but who was denied permanent residency in the United States because her husband died after less than two years of marriage.
Reader Mail
Jul 21, 2011

PowerPoint method is no excuse

In his July 12 article, "Advantage of taking notes," professor Takamitsu Sawa has invented a strange explanation for the decline in the number of applicants for economics and business administration programs at Japanese universities.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jul 21, 2011

Plugging reactors no longer stated goal for Tepco

The government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. are boasting success in achieving the first stage in the road map to stabilize the reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, but experts said big challenges remain as the utility moves to the second phase, the goal of which is to achieve a cold shutdown...
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2011

No protest over U.S. subcritical nuke tests

Japan will not file a complaint against the U.S. government for conducting two subcritical nuclear experiments, last Dec. 1 and Feb. 2, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama said Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 21, 2011

Calling architects for the house Australia and Japan will build

How do you create an advantage out of adversity, an asset from a liability?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / IN THE RECORD
Jul 21, 2011

Broken Haze

DJ Broken Haze is making big strides with his latest release, "Broken Haze vs. B. Bravo," as well as monthly podcasts cohosted by DJ XLII. The Japan Times takes a look inside his record bag.
COMMENTARY
Jul 21, 2011

Watershed moment in China's food security

China appears to have reached a watershed in its food security strategy, which has long set a target of 95 percent self-sufficiency in four key grains — rice, wheat, corn and soybeans.

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