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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."
Reader Mail
May 31, 2009

Revised Japan strategy suggested

I am a 37-year-old Caucasian male who has lived in Japan for four years. My attitude with regard to posturing "standout" assimilators would be accepted as the norm in my native Australia. I would say to Paul de Vries that if he came to Japan more to learn than to preach, then he should stop doing exactly...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 31, 2009

Open mind key to Hillman's success

First excerpt in a two-part series of updated "You Gotta Have Wa"
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 31, 2009

A slight unmasking of Japan's flu 'pandemic'

While traveling through Scandinavia two weeks ago, I had scant opportunity to monitor Japan's anxiety over the sudden increase in confirmed cases of H1N1 flu that led to closings of schools in the Kansai region. Europe seemed barely concerned about the new flu and when I caught BBC World in hotel rooms...
CULTURE / Books
May 31, 2009

The violence specialists of Japanese politics

Japanese voters are frustrated because even if they throw the bums out of office, they know the opposition is much the same. These days money is the root of political scandals and influence buying, but here we examine how violence became institutionalized in Japan's politics from the first parliamentary...
COMMENTARY / World
May 30, 2009

Key role for young Iranians in June's presidential poll

TEHRAN — Iranians will go to the polls June 12 to elect a new president. While some argue that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election is a foregone conclusion, the outcome is, in fact, not at all clear.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 30, 2009

Little alternative to risky flu drugs

Many may wonder at the use of Tamiflu to treat young victims of the H1N1 flu, given reports in recent years of teen deaths linked to the antiviral drug. But experts say prescribing Tamiflu is inevitable because there are only limited alternatives for combating the latest virus.
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 Times
CULTURE / Music
May 29, 2009

Brahman

You might expect a band named after the Sanskrit term for "absolute reality" to be a bit, well, pretentious. But if their moniker is evocative of patchouli, long beards and even longer guitar solos, Brahman's music remains firmly grounded.
JAPAN / YOKOHAMA AT 150
May 29, 2009

Yokohama — city on the cutting edge

Last in a series
MORE SPORTS
May 29, 2009

Russian Isinbayeva gets Laureus

ROME (AP) Russian pole vaulter and Olympic gold medalist Yelena Isinbayeva won her second Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award Wednesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
May 29, 2009

Iwakuma, Tanaka give Eagles a real 1-2 punch

Masahiro Tanaka was electrifying during his Pacific League Rookie of the Year season in 2007. In 2008 his numbers dipped while he took a back seat to teammate Hisashi Iwakuma, who embarked on a Sawamura Award-winning 21-4 campaign.
SOCCER
May 29, 2009

Ronaldo won't rule out move

ROME (AP) Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United became uncertain again when he wouldn't say whether he will remain with the English champions next season.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 29, 2009

'Chandni Chowk to China'

Indian filmmakers have apparently been learning much from Hollywood's hits: They've picked up on the use of digitally-generated FX, they're learning to work crossmarket platforms, and they've also mastered the art of making comic-book plots so stupefying they could serve as large-animal tranquilizers....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 29, 2009

Forget Michelin, it's a Pellegrino

This year's string of accolades hasn't affected the modesty of chef Yoshihiro Narisawa. After earning a star in the 2009 Michelin Guide, Les Creations de Narisawa debuted at no. 20 on San Pellegrino's list of best restaurants in the world. Selected by fellow chefs as well as food critics and other experts,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 29, 2009

'Star Trek'

The latest "Star Trek" is about sharing. And caring. And interspace harmony. It draws from a sincere, well-intended sentiment garnered from the voice over narrative of the original 1970s TV series by Gene Rodenberry: The Starship Enterprise wants to "explore new worlds" rather than conquer and occupy....
BUSINESS
May 29, 2009

Toyota, Nissan gear down

Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. led a drop in global auto production as sales in North America plunged amid rising unemployment.
Reader Mail
May 28, 2009

Best after-sales service anywhere

Regarding the May 25 article "Traditional merchant values resurgent in recessionary Japan": In my 16 years living and working in Japan, I found the merchant values overwhelmingly positive — once you could communicate in Japanese — especially when shopping for big-ticket items. Anyone who has bought...
Reader Mail
May 28, 2009

Longevity speaks for itself

I would like to thank Grant Piper for his May 21 letter, "Symbolic cleanliness vs. hygiene," which enlightened us on the unhealthy practices of the Japanese. My goodness! To think that most of these people actually bathe DAILY! And imagine this: They even remove their shoes before entering the home rather...
EDITORIALS
May 28, 2009

Deciphering Iran

Tragedy often results when individual lives are caught up in great power politics. When state interests are placed on the scale, individuals are invariably overwhelmed — at best they are pawns in bigger games. It is not yet clear how journalist Roxana Saberi fits into the larger mosaic of U.S.-Iran...
COMMENTARY
May 28, 2009

Words alone won't end torture

"We are going to smash your hands to pulp like the Chileans did to Victor Jara." Those were the words of the torturers in a Uruguayan prison spoken to my friend Miguel Angel Estrella, a pianist from Argentina. They were referring to the fate of the imprisoned Chilean singer and guitarist Victor Jara,...
SOCCER / World cup
May 28, 2009

Okazaki double helps Japan trounce Chile

OSAKA — Japan romped to a 4-0 victory over Chile in the opening match of the three-nation Kirin Cup at a blustery Osaka Nagai Stadium on Wednesday night.
BUSINESS
May 28, 2009

J-Power in talks to buy three U.S. plants as domestic demand slows

J-Power is in talks to acquire three plants in the United States this year to help more than double its generation capacity in the world's biggest energy market as demand slows at home, according to one of the company's senior executives.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’