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Reader Mail
Feb 11, 2007

Getting back on the same page

I must admit to being rather mystified by Barrett Balvanz's Feb. 4 letter regarding my Jan. 19 review of the film "The Departed." Balvanz says the review "fails to credit the original movie 'Infernal Affairs,' " of which "The Departed" is a remake. Perhaps Balvanz is reading something else. That's...
COMMENTARY
Feb 8, 2007

Tony Blair's inglorious end

LONDON -- It is becoming impossible not to feel sorry for Tony Blair, Britain's departing prime minister.
EDITORIALS
Feb 5, 2007

Try again for a first step

The six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons programs will resume in Beijing on Thursday. The coming round comes amid reported signs that both the United States and North Korea may be ready to make some compromise. But optimism is not warranted. In the 3 1/2 years since the six-party talks started...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Feb 3, 2007

Love Stories: the five rules

All is fair in love and war, but still there are rules. At least -- according to a romance-reading colleague -- there are rules in love stories.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jan 31, 2007

Nets likely to move Carter, maybe Kidd

NEW YORK -- Unlike the meaningful conversation the Bulls and Grizzlies are engaged in regarding Pau Gasol, nothing of any substance occurred recently when the Nets and Clippers threw out numerous names in two trade discussions.
EDITORIALS
Jan 25, 2007

Latin America makes a left turn

Upon winning a third term in office, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made a sharp left turn in his policies. Pledging to "devote my days, nights and entire life to the construction of socialism in Venezuela," the fiery nationalist has called on the legislature to give him authority to rule by decree,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2007

North Korea talks should also discuss escapees, forum told

OSAKA -- The plight of Japanese citizens and Japanese-born Koreans who voluntarily went to North Korea in the 1960s but escaped to return to Japan is a human rights issue that needs to be included in the six-party talks on denuclearizing North Korea, a symposium in Osaka concluded Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 23, 2007

Gender identity transformed from 'freak' into rights issue

'When I was a child, I had a feeling I wasn't satisfied with being a human being. To be a human being didn't seem like a beautiful existence to me," says Otojiro Toriyama.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jan 21, 2007

Personal style gurus for common people

When Japan's star pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka inked a $52 million deal to play for the Boston Red Sox in mid-December, one of the most memorable comments he made in a packed news conference on his return from the United States was that he was frustrated with having to go through an agent in the negotiations....
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2007

Japan, Switzerland agree to begin talks on free-trade pact

Japan and Switzerland agreed Friday to launch free-trade agreement talks in a move that will create, if successful, Tokyo's first FTA with a European country.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 19, 2007

Here lies the lore of the land

Against the backdrop of the Northern Japan Alps, isolated and picturesque Takayama, in Gifu Prefecture, is a welcome retreat from big-city life.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2007

Gore in town to push global-warming fight

Midway through a visit to Tokyo to promote his environmental documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth," former U.S. Vice President Al Gore on Monday made sure to praise Japan as the birthplace of the Kyoto Protocol.
Reader Mail
Jan 14, 2007

Wrong motive to study English

I agree with Gregory Clark's idea in his Dec. 30 article, "English should be an elective." Nowadays we often hear of the importance of English education in primary school. But I don't think we should attach great importance to it. Certainly, children can learn languages faster than adults, but in...
EDITORIALS
Jan 13, 2007

Likely more of the same

On Wednesday night in Washington, U.S. President George W. Bush delivered the most important speech of his presidency -- his long-awaited "new strategy" for Iraq. In fact, much of its key provisions had been leaked to the press. And upon close examination, it is difficult to see where the strategy heralds...
COMMENTARY
Jan 1, 2007

Unwise gantlet for teachers

Certain professionals must pass state examinations to obtain licenses for their jobs. They include medical doctors, dentists, jurists, certified public accountants, architects, pharmacists and registered nurses, as well as primary, middle and high school teachers. Amid the severe employment situation,...
CULTURE / Books
Dec 31, 2006

Make sure you read the best Asia books

The holiday season is upon us, and as we look toward 2007, why not make a resolution to read some of the best books about Asia? We introduce a few of our contributors to help you decide what not to miss Donald Richie's selections: RASHOMON AND SEVENTEEN OTHER STORIES by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, translated...
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2006

Cultural attitudes in Japan spell few adoptions

Couples looking to start a family naturally want their own children. But amid the recent debate over whether to legalize surrogate births in Japan, one question has largely been overlooked: What about adoption?
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2006

People slow to embrace offer of free hugs

embraces a passerby in the rain in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on Nov. 19. ERIC PRIDEAUX PHOTO
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2006

People slow to embrace offer of free hugs

embraces a passerby in the rain in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on Nov. 19. ERIC PRIDEAUX PHOTO
EDITORIALS
Dec 26, 2006

Nuclear pragmatism

A merican President George W. Bush has signed legislation that lets his country and India cooperate on civilian nuclear-energy programs. The move is likely to be one of the legacies of Mr. Bush's presidency: It is the cornerstone of his attempt to forge a new relationship between the two countries.
COMMENTARY
Dec 25, 2006

No rush to divide the north

In a recent appearance before the Diet, Foreign Minister Taro Aso floated the idea of settling the long-standing feud with Russia over the sovereignty of the Northern Territories (four islands off Hokkaido) by evenly dividing the total area of dispute. In September, Aso sug gested the possibility of...

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