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EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2009

Final curtain for tuna?

It may be the year of the ox, but if the first auction of the year at Tsukiji fish market is any indication, it might also be the year of bluefin tuna, though not in a positive sense. On the first fish-buying day of the year, a 128-kg fish went for an amazing ¥9.63 million — the highest price paid...
EDITORIALS
Jan 11, 2009

Europe gets the shivers

Europe has been in the grip of a new cold war. This struggle has not been fought with militaries, but rather with energy exports. Yes, Russia and Ukraine are having their annual tussle over natural gas exports, and Europe has felt the effects. It is tempting to see the fight as a geopolitical faceoff...
COMMUNITY
Jan 10, 2009

Former J. League coach still dreams of life in Japan

EXETER, England — Steve Perryman is as London as you can get — born in London, grew up in London, played soccer in London (Tottenham Hotspur). But now, he lives in Exeter in the southwest of England and dreams of Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2009

Israel's response to Hamas' zero-sum game

MELBOURNE, Australia — Imagine your next-door neighbor — with whom you have had a long and bloody feud — pulling out a gun and shooting into your windows, from his own living room, which is densely packed with women and children. In fact, he's holding his daughter on his lap as he tries to target...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 6, 2009

Lessons from when the bubble burst

With the current global financial crisis, there is much talk in the international economic communities about how to prevent the kind of prolonged slump that hit Japan after the end of the bubble economy years.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2009

Diet reopens; relief package main focus

Diet convened Monday for a regular 150-day session, with debate to focus on immediate economic relief measures mapped out in the second extra budget bill for fiscal 2008.
COMMENTARY
Jan 6, 2009

Prophet of world-culture clashes is dead

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — A giant died early last week. His name was Samuel Huntington, a Harvard professor whose gigantism was intellectual. His ideas left huge footprints on our intellectual landscape, the way giant storms impact the Earth. Minds were shaken, sometimes stirred, and never left untouched....
Reader Mail
Jan 4, 2009

Learning to live with each other

A couple of months ago a letter writer stated that she agrees with a government policy under consideration to raise cigarette prices. She thinks smokers are selfish; therefore, the policy seems rational and good for smokers' health. I don't agree with her.
JAPAN / THE MANY FACES OF CITIZENSHIP
Jan 4, 2009

Multinationalism remains far from acceptance in Japan

Third in a series
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CLOSE-UP
Jan 4, 2009

Japan's 'Mr. Television'

Picture the world's busiest television presenter, and imagine yourself squinting through the glare of high-wattage celebrity, struggling to breathe in air perfumed with pampered showbiz egos.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jan 4, 2009

Monta Mino: Japan's 'Mr. Television'

Picture the world's busiest television presenter, and imagine yourself squinting through the glare of high-wattage celebrity, struggling to breathe in air perfumed with pampered showbiz egos.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2009

Small parties play up 'big' role in national politics

Political parties with fewer than 20 Diet seats face an identity crisis as the legislature moves closer to a two-party system following the huge gains made by the Democratic Party of Japan in the July 2007 Upper House election.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2009

Aso set to lead LDP's last stand?

In 2007 it was Shinzo Abe. In 2008 it was Yasuo Fukuda and in 2009 it is Taro Aso.
Japan Times
JAPAN / THE MANY FACES OF CITIZENSHIP
Jan 1, 2009

Debate on multiple nationalities to heat up

First in a series
Reader Mail
Dec 25, 2008

Persistence of superstition

I read with great interest David Klinghoffer's Dec. 17 commentary (originally printed in the Los Angeles Times) "Appeal of the otherworldly remains strong." While I agree that a great interest in the otherworldly is pervasive in America and the world, I find that this hardly indicates the reality of...
Reader Mail
Dec 25, 2008

Moderate our fish consumption

Regarding the Dec. 19 article "Singing the bluefin tuna blues": Most of the blame has been heaped on Japan, which reportedly consumes about three-quarters of the world's bluefin. But could that just be the truth according to Greenpeace? I think it's closer to the truth to say that the global spread of...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Dec 25, 2008

People Tree products pioneering fair trade in Japan

The hand-knit sweaters and scarves and hand-woven bags with an ethnic look are nothing like the products sold to the masses of consumers in most big shopping malls.
Reader Mail
Dec 21, 2008

Language skills needed at stations

Articles this fall have suggested that Japan needs to work harder to become one of the top tourist countries. One report said Japan needs to focus on language and "consider how to present itself" to reach the top. I agree, but I still believe that Japan's tourism agency is progressing.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / WEEK 3
Dec 21, 2008

30 Days in the Wilderness

What miracles will the incoming 44th President of the United States perform?
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Dec 19, 2008

Let's pray to the Great Black One

In Tokyo, it's prudent to pray to the Great Black One if you want to improve your financial outlook for the coming year. Putting in a good word for U.S. President-elect Barack Obama wouldn't hurt as well, once you arrive at the Slope of the Great Black One, or Daikokuzaka, a back street minutes from...
LIFE
Dec 14, 2008

Stone Age Japan

This story spans 10,000 years, yet presents few recognizable individuals. Here's one:
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2008

Japan must offer more than free gas

The Friday extension of the special law to continue the Maritime Self-Defense Force refueling mission in the Indian Ocean will prolong Japan's involvement in global antiterrorism efforts but both supporters and critics of the action agree the nation still has little to show for its efforts on the world...
Reader Mail
Dec 11, 2008

More serious violations out there

Regarding Grant Mahood's Dec. 7 letter, "Fingerprinting law is unjust": Since the new guidelines on fingerprinting foreigners at Japanese ports of entry were issued (November 2007), we have seen discussions for and against them in various forums, including The Japan Times. Some have branded such a practice...
Reader Mail
Dec 11, 2008

Students could use civics courses

I agree with the Dec. 5 article "Politicians failing to engage youth," but one main issue is ignored. As with most articles published about Japan's lack of political participation, this one neglects to address the school's role in citizens' political involvement. As an assistant language teacher (ALT),...

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?