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JAPAN
Jun 2, 2009

Aso wants 55-day legislative extension

Prime Minister Taro Aso said Monday he wants the current Diet session, which is set to close Wednesday, extended by 55 days until the end of July to secure enough time to pass bills related to the ¥14 trillion extra budget for fiscal 2009.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2009

Ban on Internet drug sales blasted

Kazuyuki Sasada has been using the Internet for years to buy medicine because it is difficult for him to go around to different stores to get the drugs he needs.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2009

Squeeze Pyongyang gently

HONG KONG — North Korea demonstrated last week that it knows how to blow an atomic-bomb-size hole through the hot air and pretensions of the so-called rulers of the world. U.S. President Barack Obama was exposed as the outraged huffer and puffer in chief against North Korea's nuclear test, but he was...
Reader Mail
May 31, 2009

Necessary evil in dangerous times

The May 15 AP article "Britain overzealous in terrorism arrests" was critical of the fact that Britons of South Asian descent are more likely to be detained in antiterrorism raids than any other ethnic groups. I agree that this is unfortunate and discriminatory, but it is nevertheless necessary.
Reader Mail
May 31, 2009

A notion that feeds hypocrisy

Regarding Paul de Vries' May 26 article, "Expat life in Japan: the good, the bad and the meaningful": It's rather interesting that de Vries, instead of realizing the errors of his ways, continues to defend his ideal of "group accountability."
EDITORIALS
May 30, 2009

Pyongyang strutting

The provocations and rhetoric from North Korea are escalating. On Monday, the same day it carried out its second nuclear test, it fired two short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan. The next day it launched three more short-range missiles. There is a report that it has restarted reprocessing nuclear...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
May 30, 2009

A look at the outside and the in

"Honne and tatemae" are terms that many feel are linchpinned to the Japanese psyche.
JAPAN
May 26, 2009

More sanctions seen as ineffective

Japan joined the international community in condemning North Korea's nuclear test Monday, but some experts questioned whether imposing further sanctions will help get the reclusive state to drop its nuclear program.
EDITORIALS
May 25, 2009

A first encounter goes well

In retrospect, the first meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was destined to succeed. It was assumed that the two men were deeply divided on two key issues: Israel's relations with the Palestinian Authority, in particular Mr. Netanyahu's opposition...
COMMENTARY
May 24, 2009

An offer Pyongyang can't refuse

Past U.S.-North Korea negotiations on nuclear issues can be roughly classified into two types.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / LIQUID CULTURE
May 22, 2009

A purist at work behind the bar

"A bar is no place for a woman. The important characters are always men."
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 21, 2009

Economy shrinks at record-setting pace

Gross domestic product plunged at a record annual pace of 15.2 percent in the three months to March as exports collapsed and businesses cut production, the government said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
May 21, 2009

The way forward in Afghanistan

So far, 157 British troops have died in Afghanistan and many more have been injured. These are significant and worrying losses. How long will British public opinion accept these losses when it is not clear whether the war in Afghanistan can be won?
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 17, 2009

NPB commissioner wanted to ban foreign players 25 years ago

There are 66 foreign players currently registered in Japanese pro baseball, along with two foreign managers, a farm team manager and three coaches. But, 25 years ago this month, the commissioner of Japanese baseball wanted to ban non-Japanese from playing in the Central and Pacific Leagues.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 17, 2009

1989: A year of hopes turned sour that we all must live with today

Anniversaries do sometimes matter, but it's not often that the anniversary of an entire year deserves noting and celebrating. However, the year 1989, now 20 years past, marks a crucial turning point in history.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 16, 2009

Despite double talk, Tevez likely to stay with Man United

LONDON — It is not always easy being a football reporter. We are sometimes accused of not telling the truth, but knowing who to believe can be more difficult than digging out a world exclusive.
BUSINESS
May 15, 2009

IHI to head offshore for shipbuilding components

IHI Corp. plans to increase imports of shipbuilding components to counter the yen's rise.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
May 15, 2009

Kobe Bryant says series should decide title

A veteran coach, a voice of reason, a passionate advocate for a better and stronger bj-league, Tokyo Apache floor boss Joe Bryant has plenty of suggestions on how to improve the hoop circuit in the future.
EDITORIALS
May 14, 2009

New approach to a dispute?

In meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Tokyo on Tuesday, Prime Minister Taro Aso apparently wanted to achieve some progress in the Northern Territories issue. But Mr. Putin apparently gave priority to strengthening bilateral economic ties. Thus the two leaders mostly talked past each...
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2009

Obama's question for Netanyahu

RAMALLAH, West Bank — As the summit between U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaches, most of the discussion has focused on whether the newly elected Israeli leader will finally say that he backs a two-state solution.
JAPAN / CITIZEN JUSTICE
May 14, 2009

Determining sentences seen as lay judges' hardest task

Third in a series
JAPAN
May 13, 2009

No progress on isles dispute a victory for Moscow

Lack of progress Tuesday on the territorial dispute will go down as yet another win for Moscow as Russia continues to expand its presence on the islands it holds off Hokkaido.
JAPAN / CITIZEN JUSTICE
May 13, 2009

Preparation for quicker criminal trials enhances focus

Second in a series
COMMENTARY
May 12, 2009

Northern Territories dispute lives on self-righteous deadlock

Visits to Japan by Soviet and Russian leaders over the years have done little to break the Northern Territories deadlock — Moscow's refusal of Tokyo's demand for two large islands at the southern end of the Kuril Island chain occupied by Soviet troops in 1945, as a condition for a peace treaty with...
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
May 12, 2009

A boost for DPJ, at LDP's expense

With Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa intending to resign over a political fundraising scandal, the party may regain some momentum for the upcoming general election, analysts say.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight