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COMMENTARY
Dec 6, 2009

The Swiss and Iranian agents of provocation

LONDON — There are only four minarets in Switzerland: one for every hundred thousand Muslims in the country. Swiss Muslims keep a low profile, so as not to excite the numerous people in the country who hate and fear them. But since those people are numerous, a political party can prosper by demanding...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2009

Rudd wrestles with refugee crisis

SYDNEY — Just when links between Indonesia and Australia were looking good, along come Sri Lankans fleeing in leaky boats. Suddenly the Indian Ocean marks a diplomatic and humanitarian standoff of grim proportions.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Dec 1, 2009

Hakuho notches another, while Kaio once again raises eyebrows

With the presentation of the Emperor's Cup to yokozuna Hakuho on Sunday evening Nov. 29, the first decade of sumo in the 21st century came to a thundering close. Hakuho (15-0) had just dispatched fellow yokozuna Asashoryu with a wonderful uwatenage throwing technique to claim his 12th top-flight trophy...
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2009

Move Futenma to Kansai airport?

In an unexpected remark, Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto said Monday he is open to having the U.S. Futenma base relocate to Kansai International Airport.
Reader Mail
Nov 29, 2009

Don't pin the fall on globalization

Regarding Ramzy Baroud's Nov. 21 article, "Globalization: a culture killer": I completely disagree with the premise. In my opinion, globalization is the best thing that has happened in global politics and economics for a long time. The development of communications, transportation and information technology...
Japan Times
LIFE
Nov 29, 2009

Bearing the brunt

In a log cabin high on a wooded mountainside in Hiroshima Prefecture, Kazuhiko Maita, 61-year-old director of the nonprofit Institute for Asian Black Bear Research and Preservation, is puzzling over the fate of Japan's black bears.
SOCCER / J. League
Nov 28, 2009

Franca leading Reysol's charge to avoid relegation

Kashima Antlers' attempts to clinch another J. League title will hog the limelight on Saturday, but not everyone's eyes will be focused on the top of the table.
JAPAN / ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
Nov 26, 2009

CO2 cuts will require nation's transformation

First in a series
Reader Mail
Nov 22, 2009

Keen protocol awareness lacking

I view President Barack Obama's bowing and shaking hands simultaneously as more of an insult to the Emperor than an act of groveling. A proper bow is not a difficult thing to do. If done properly, it pays deep respect to the one being bowed to and displays self-respect.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 21, 2009

Shameful incident will brand Henry for life

LONDON — It takes years for a player to build a reputation. During his eight seasons at Arsenal Thierry Henry established himself as, in the opinion of most, the finest overseas footballer to play in England.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 19, 2009

Obama's Vietnam syndrome

NEW HAVEN — There can be no military resolution to the war in Afghanistan, only a political one. Writing that sentence almost makes me faint with boredom. As U.S. President Barack Obama ponders what to do about the war, who wants to repeat a point that's been made thousands of times? Is there anyone...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2009

Slippery slope of doctor-assisted euthanasia

PRINCETON — Of all the arguments against voluntary euthanasia, the most influential is the "slippery slope": once we allow doctors to kill patients, we will not be able to limit the killing to those who want to die.
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2009

When the wall came down

It is rare that a historical era can be defined with precision, but the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago this week is just such a rarity. The breaching of that monstrosity marked the end of the Soviet empire and ushered in a era of both hope and considerable confusion. There is no mistaking the extraordinary...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 13, 2009

Tarantino returns to grind up Nazis

HOLLYWOOD — Quentin Tarantino is back, making another much-publicized and controversial splash similar to (but with more sociological implications) his one-two punch with "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" in 2003 and "Vol. 2" a year later.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 13, 2009

'Inglourious Basterds'

Anyone who drinks outside the privacy of their own home knows the peril of stumbling across the dreaded barroom bore. You know the type: a casual question ("Is that The Japan Times you're reading?") followed by a quick unsolicited opinion ("I've always thought Fazio was a bit of a prat."), which somehow...
Reader Mail
Nov 12, 2009

Japanese men more than willing

Regarding James Guthrie's Nov. 8 letter, "Couples' weak pursuit of romance": As someone blissfully married to a Japanese guy, I am always amused by this sort of opinion. I have yet to figure out why so many non-Japanese males feel the need to inflate their ego this way. Most of the ones I have met who...
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2009

Base relocation remains thorn in side of Japan-U.S. ties

OSAKA — On April 12, 1996, Okinawa Gov. Masahide Ota was meeting with prefectural officials when Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto telephoned with big news.
COMMENTARY
Nov 12, 2009

APEC remains toothless

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping will hold its annual summit meeting in Singapore this weekend, with the leaders of its 21 member-nations expected to attend. But do we really need yet another high-level global talk-fest?
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2009

Yet another 'Battle of Okinawa'

CANBERRA — Elections in August gave Japan a new government, headed by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. In electing him and his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Japanese people, like the American people less than a year earlier, were opting for change. Remarkably, however, what followed on the part...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Nov 11, 2009

Bulls a likely entrant in LeBron sweepstakes

NEW YORK — Big ups to the Cavaliers, who came into New York and rode roughshod over it . . . you know, like Bloomberg.
COMMENTARY
Nov 8, 2009

Don't bank on 'adverse impact' from Hatoyama's carbon cuts

I would like to commend Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama wholeheartedly for his determination to work toward a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2020. It is utterly absurd to question the feasibility of attaining this goal. Rather, the entire nation must recognize the...
Reader Mail
Nov 8, 2009

Japan risks default in five years

I am really sorry to write this, but in my opinion Kumiharu Shigehara's Nov. 3 article, "Central banks 'experimenting' to counter deflationary pressure," is out of it.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 7, 2009

United clash gives Drogba chance to prove player-of-year credentials

LONDON — The prospect of Didier Drogba even being considered as the Footballer of the Year last season would have brought ridicule. The members of the Football Writers' Association have to judge the player who "by precept and example" they believe deserves the award and the Chelsea striker is on course...

Longform

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