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EDITORIALS
Dec 23, 2008

Scoring the ability to think

The education ministry says that a halt to the recent slide in Japanese children's scholastic ability is indicated by the relatively high scores of Japanese fourth and eighth graders who took international achievement tests in 2007 for math and science. But it should not be proud.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2008

Internet translation site takes a humorous turn on fathers

Bring up the subject of fathers with Japanese people studying the English language and you might find their locutions a little on the strange side.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Nov 11, 2008

One year after the collapse, what are your thoughts on Nova Corp.?

Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 8, 2008

Translating in the spirit of samurai

Iehiro Tokugawa arrives at the publishing house Kobunsha, for which he works on occasion as a translator, accompanied by his Vietnamese wife. He is all in black; she is in blue jeans with a waterfall of shining hair down her back, and very lovely too. Speaking in fluent English, he extends his hand to...
Japan Times
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
Nov 1, 2008

Second time a charm for reunited couple

Michael Claxton, 61, and his wife, Rieko, 43, are living proof of the saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2008

Japan extends claim to undersea territory

Japan will file a request with a U.N. commission to claim rights to continental shelves in the Pacific Ocean beyond its Exclusive Economic Zone in hopes of tapping into greater undersea natural resources, a government panel on ocean policies said Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 29, 2008

Obama, McCain all but ignore poverty issue

PRINCETON — Barack Obama worked for three years as a community organizer on Chicago's blighted South Side, so he knows all about the real poverty that exists in America. He knows that in one of the world's richest nations, 37 million people live in poverty, a far higher proportion than in Europe's...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2008

Addiction to the worst of worlds

COPENHAGEN — Have you noticed how environmental campaigners almost inevitably say that not only is global warming happening, but that what we are seeing is even worse than expected?
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 19, 2008

A video archive that is music to the ears

JAPANESE VOICES: A Video Archive of Singing Styles and Techniques in the Japanese Language. Compiled, written and edited by Ichiro Nakayama. English translation by Mika Kimula under the supervision of Christopher Yohmei Blasdel. Osaka: Ad Popolo, 2008, Vol. I, 148 pp. (paper); Vol. II, Musical Examples,...
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2008

Blood thinner prasugrel still on track, drugmakers say

Drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo Co. and U.S. partner Eli Lilly & Co. sought to reassure investors Friday that a highly anticipated blood thinner remains on track for approval, despite escalating concerns of further delays by federal health regulators.
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2008

Cigarette price of ¥1,000 a pack would save 190,000 lives, health studies say

Cigarettes should cost at least ¥1,000 to discourage young people from smoking — a price that would also help sharply reduce deaths caused by the public nuisance, according to two research groups funded by the health ministry.
COMMENTARY
Oct 17, 2008

A way for North Korea's leaders to revamp

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Sometimes Americans give North Korean officials far more credit than they deserve for allegedly outsmarting us. Just how smart, really, are they?
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Sep 7, 2008

Japan is both a model and warning for today's rising world powers

The United States of America considers itself the world's democratic social prototype. At least most Americans seem to buy into that national self-image.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 28, 2008

Ainu musician Oki brings the world to Hokkaido

With a Japanese mother and Ainu father, the appearance of Oki on "The Rough Guide to the Music of Japan" with his Oki Dub Ainu Band presents a rare glimpse of the multiracial underbelly that Japan seems reluctant to own up to. Despite being indigenous to Hokkaido, or Ezo as it is known to them, the Ainu...
Japan Times
LIFE
Aug 24, 2008

Biomimicry: Natural by design

I magine being able to maintain a perfect temperature and humidity in your home year round, without spending a single yen in electricity or gas bills. That's exactly what Professor Emile Ishida of Tohoku University in northern Japan is striving to achieve — and he got the idea from termites.
EDITORIALS
Aug 18, 2008

Reining in abuse of temps

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has started discussions that will eventually lead to stronger controls over the dispatch and use of temporary workers. The move will reverse the direction of the nation's basic labor policy. Labor market liberalization has progressed since the law on dispatched...
Reader Mail
Aug 17, 2008

Education doesn't meet all needs

The number of people not in education, employment or training (often called NEETs) reached 640,000 in 2004. Sadly, they are often described as people who are unwilling to work hard and end up relying on their parents for support. Some are actually eager to work and pursue their interests, but somehow...
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2008

English program may disappoint

I have been reading about the program to bring 300,000 foreign students to Japan, and to increase the number of offerings in English. But I would have to question why anyone would want to study in an English program here.
Japan Times
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
Aug 9, 2008

Interpreter's trip to Britain translates into family of four

Alfie Goodrich and Hiromi Kumai first met in south Wales in 1999 when she was acting as an interpreter for her mayor's delegation to the town of Monmouth.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2008

Nomura may ship water to Australia via empty coal-carriers

A Nomura Holdings Inc. unit plans to study exporting water from Japan to Australia for agricultural and industrial use as that nation recovers from its worst drought on record, two people familiar with the proposal said.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2008

Osaka governor rests but rough air on radar

OSAKA — After six months on the job, Osaka Pref. Gov. Toru Hashimoto will take his first extended vacation during the Bon holiday in mid-August.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2008

Believe it or not, Mugabe still has supporters

HIROSAKI, Aomori Pref. — The world can't understand how Robert Mugabe has support left in Zimbabwe. After violence and intimidation against his opponents he was able to steal a victory, but at great cost. Why do his people put up with it and why did he gain over 40 percent of the vote in the first...
EDITORIALS
Jul 27, 2008

Asian Erasmus

The Japanese government revealed plans last week to set up a network of academic exchange programs throughout Asia. Based on the European ERASMUS program, which helps students transfer and accumulate credits between EU universities, the proposal to be announced later by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is...

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan