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Reader Mail
Dec 28, 2008

Scrutinize asylum seekers

In his Dec. 18 letter, "Asylum seekers sidelined," David Wood criticizes "Japan's crass disregard of its responsibility" vis-a-vis opening its doors to asylum seekers. Some, including myself, might see Japan's approach as wise. We — or rather the British government on our behalf — have been very...
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2008

Nakasone talks up '08 global achievements

Offering a positive assessment of Japan's diplomatic achievements in 2008, Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone on Friday praised Prime Minister Taro Aso for working tirelessly to raise Tokyo's reputation within the international community.
Japan Times
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
Dec 27, 2008

Couple's multinational backgrounds make 'good match'

Although Tomoko and Riki Melwani both hold Japanese passports, by background they are multinational.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2008

CPI falls again as commodities ease, recession deepens

Inflation slowed for a third month in November as oil and commodity costs tumbled and the deepening recession weakened demand.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2008

McDonald's hired diners to boost sales

McDonald's Holding Co. Japan Ltd., a unit of the world's biggest restaurant chain, said about 1,000 people were hired to patronize one of its outlets, inflating sales when a new hamburger was recently introduced.
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2008

Record output fall raises alarms

The recession deepened in November as companies cut production at the fastest pace in 55 years and rising unemployment prompted households to pare spending.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 26, 2008

'Tokyo Joe: Mafia o Utta Otoko'

The yakuza, Japan's homegrown mobsters, are favorites of local filmmakers but not documentarians, for reasons entirely understandable. A documentary that seeks to delve into the inner workings of the Yamaguchi-gumi might find an audience, but the hurdles to making it, such as scouting subjects willing...
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2008

Megabanks face global monitoring

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. and three other financial institutions will come under international surveillance as part of a global plan to prevent future financial crises.
Reader Mail
Dec 25, 2008

Questionable slang about Asia

In response to Ed Smith's opinion in his Dec. 18 letter, " 'Rice' remark hardly racist," I feel that he has fully illustrated a disturbing yet unfortunately common problem with the American English vernacular: If a word or phrase in "common usage" is not deemed as racist by the user, then this same principal...
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...
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2008

Preventing child pornography

In late November about 3,500 people from some 170 governments and from international and nongovernmental organizations attended the third World Congress Against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents in Rio de Janeiro. The conference declared that accessing, downloading, storing or viewing child...
Reader Mail
Dec 25, 2008

Getting away with murder

Regarding the Dec. 19 article "Trio avoid prison in sumo killing": Some people claim that the perfect murder is impossible. Judge Masaharu Ashizawa of the Nagoya District Court has proven that this is not necessarily the case. Three sumo wrestlers, Yuichiro Izuka, 26, Masakazu Kimura, 25, and Masanori...
Reader Mail
Dec 25, 2008

Hardly a wilderness for cuisine

Regarding Robbie Swinnerton's Dec. 19 article, "Northern Tokyo's top-notch Italian": I had no problem with the review of the restaurant itself in this article, which lived up to Swinnerton's usually good standard. What I did feel aggrieved by was the patronizing tone of the article toward the area in...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 23, 2008

DPJ has a foot in the door

As the odds grow that the No. 1 opposition Democratic Party of Japan will take the reigns of government after the next general elections, the focus in the Japanese political arena is shifting to the lineup of a Cabinet headed by DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa, and to who would succeed him if he retired early...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 23, 2008

Children say the darndest things

Another holiday season is upon us. There is a nip in the air, lights of all colors twinkle throughout neighborhoods and cityscapes across the country, and holiday cheer radiates throughout our schools, workplaces and communities. During this festive time, friends and families often come together in true...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Dec 23, 2008

Handwriting expert Koshu Morioka

Koshu Morioka, 75, is the founder of the Japan Graphologist Association and the nation's foremost authority on the study and analysis of handwriting. Morioka started out as a psychologist, until his love of calligraphy eventually drew him to graphology. In his illustrious 30-year career, he has examined...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 23, 2008

PMZ pedals, the Memodesk, horned sockets, Issey Miyake watches and the perfect gift box

JEAN SNOW A pedal with pedigree
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 23, 2008

Gay scene: Tolerance, legal limbo

Some countries see homosexuality as a crime punishable by death, while others are open to diversity and make no judgment on the basis of one's sexual orientation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 23, 2008

School bridges China-Japan gap

At first glance it seems to be a typical lunch break at a local Japanese school: Boys rambunctiously chasing one another and yanking at each other's white polo shirts, little girls twirling so hard in their pleated gray skirts that they fall down with squeals of glee.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 21, 2008

The Japanese art of useless homes

Last spring, when the effects of the American sub-prime loan disaster were being felt but the world economy was still relatively OK, there was an article in the Asahi Shimbun written by one of the paper's financial reporters who recalled several years earlier a visit from a friend living in the United...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji