Search - u_times

 
 
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...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2013

Right royal load of parochial hot air

BBC World television coverage of the birth of the new British prince, including the mindless prattling and cooing about what he would look like, was a disgrace.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jul 29, 2013

There is more to my son than the fact he's a 'half'

For foreign residents, having a child in Japan can be a daunting prospect. Going to the hospital and trying to figure out what the doctor is saying in complex Japanese medical terms is just one of myriad trials.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 24, 2013

August Live

For those people who can't take time off work for any of this month's major music festivals, there are still plenty of options for live music across the country.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 15, 2013

Nintendo brought arcade games into homes 30 years ago

On July 15, 1983, Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. launched the Family Computer video game console, or "Famicom." Priced at ¥14,800, more than 63 million units of the iconic white, red and gold machine were sold worldwide, laying the foundations for today's gaming industry.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jul 13, 2013

Fukuoka targeting Tuck as next coach

The Rizing Fukuoka are in pursuit of a former Chinese Basketball Association star to fill their coaching vacancy, The Japan Times has learned.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society / FOCUS
Jul 7, 2013

'Winning' noises from slot machines spur gamblers

Whether you're in Las Vegas or the small-town casino down the street, slot machines sound more or less the same: jangly music, the whir of spinning reels, accompanied by loud beeps and chimes.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jul 6, 2013

'Water of life' helps to keep spirits up

Back in 1980, when I first settled in Kurohime, up in the hills of northern Nagano Prefecture, I often had to go to Tokyo to meet editors. They were good times, as those office-wallahs would take pity on young struggling authors and use them as an excuse to visit bars.
JAPAN / Politics / GAME OF NUMBERS
Jul 5, 2013

Poll may see end to divided Diet but what follows may be worrisome

Unlike the past two House of Councilors elections, in 2007 and 2010, that saw opposition forces win big against the ruling parties, this time around they look to take the hit.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 4, 2013

'New' Royal Ballet spans the frontiers of dance

For the first time in three years, one of the world's most esteemed ballet companies is bringing its talent to one of the world's most appreciative audiences, as part of a tour that explores the parameters of dance.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 4, 2013

Former Tokyo players train with ex-coach Hill in Texas

Former members of the Tokyo Apache have strengthened their friendship in recent days in Texas.
BASKETBALL
Jul 3, 2013

Geary done with Yokohama, poised to take over in Chiba

In a major announcement that was expected for weeks, Reggie Geary told The Japan Times on Monday evening that he won't return to coach the defending champion Yokohama B-Corsairs.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jul 2, 2013

Boehner 'soft' approach boon, bane

When someone crosses John Boehner, he or she can expect a couple of reactions from the House speaker. Sometimes it is a thwack on the back and a disapproving shake of his head, quickly followed by a begrudging smile to indicate that all is forgiven. Sometimes it is a fake yell and then a shrug. One recalcitrant...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2013

Preposterous population forecasts for Africa

It's hard enough to see how the world can sustain another 4 billion people by 2100. The alarming figure is that three-quarters of that growth will be in Africa.
EDITORIALS
Jun 30, 2013

Internationalizing university terms

After abandoning the idea of a fall start to the academic year, the University of Tokyo will try again to internationalize by setting up an interim quarterly system.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 30, 2013

Delving into Ethiopia's ancient past and present

I'm edging my way through a long tunnel in pitch darkness, feeling for the roof so I don't hit my head, waving my trusty flashlight around to scan the walls and sandy floor and check for any unwelcome wildlife. I feel like Indiana Jones but a lot less brave.
EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2013

Makeshift fix for electoral disparity

Ruling coalition party members in the Lower House ramrod passage of an overdue reapportionment measure that only begins to address vote-value disparities.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 25, 2013

Unpaid overtime excesses hit young

Some companies are compelling their younger employees to work more than 100 hours of uncompensated overtime a month to maximize their profits.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Jun 24, 2013

Abe's rhetoric reveals a growth strategy aimed at global conquest

The greatly hyped "third arrow" of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic plans has fallen spectacularly by the wayside. The stock prices on which Abe & Co. had staked their all began falling even as he was explaining his economic strategy in a speech.
Reader Mail
Jun 23, 2013

Right to express religious views

When I noticed Drusilla de Lanor's June 13 letter, "No offense taken to 'that guy' " (which was a reaction to Brian Redmond's June 9 letter, "An offensive religious reference"), I thought of how enlightened De Lanor must be.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 20, 2013

Cyber-snooping only one side of the information war

Efforts by the NSA and others to find out what we are thinking have long been matched by black- or gray-information programs to tell us what we should think.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jun 19, 2013

Dragons, mist and bouncy clouds await in west Tokyo

About 45 minutes from Tokyo's skyscrapers, resting in the hinterlands of Tachikawa there is a land of mist and dragons. It's a place where rolling hills tumble toward an Aztec pyramid, and children bounce on clouds. The place is called Showa Kinen Koen, and an afternoon there is time well spent.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jun 18, 2013

Chatting about Japan with Snowden, the NSA whistle-blower

Edward Snowden, the fugitive former CIA employee and NSA contractor who leaked secrets about America's spying operations, often hung out online with foreigners in Japan who shared his interests in anime, video games, martial arts, the stock market and the expat lifestyle.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jun 16, 2013

Family-crest master fears he's one of a dying breed

Dressed in a black kimono and wearing a pair of eye-catching black, triple-framed spectacles, Shoryu Hatoba straightens his back as he sits on the tatami floor of his quaint studio in Ueno, central Tokyo, holding a pair of bamboo compasses fitted with a brush dipped in ink in place of a pencil.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 14, 2013

'Great Gatsby' reunites Luhrmann, DiCaprio

"The Great Gatsby" is a classic novel from 1925 that is often a required part of the school curriculum in North America. However, it has yet to become a classic film.
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Jun 12, 2013

Once a young phenom, Matsui now a veteran leader for upstart Eagles

The plays aren't as flashy or spectacular as they used to be, but Kazuo Matsui still makes them.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 9, 2013

Darvish impressing experts with his strikeout ability

If you watch the home broadcast for one of Yu Darvish's starts for the Texas Rangers, you will, at some point, hear play-by-play man Steve Busby exhorting, "got him swinging," after Darvish fans a batter.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jun 4, 2013

As evidence of Agent Orange in Okinawa stacks up, U.S. sticks with blanket denial

In April 2011, these Community pages published the first accounts of sick U.S. veterans who believe their illnesses were caused by exposure to Agent Orange on Okinawa during the Vietnam War era.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami