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Reader Mail
Jan 3, 2010

Did doctors recognize a fugitive?

Something has been bothering me since the arrest in November of Tatsuya Ichihashi (who was subsequently charged with the rape-murder of English-language teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker). I can't believe that nobody else seems to have raised the issue yet. During his 2 1/2 years on the run, he underwent several...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Jan 3, 2010

Tropicana turns 70 with kitsch, showgirls

HAVANA — When the Tropicana nightclub and casino opened its doors in a leafy Havana garden on Dec. 30, 1939, World War II was raging in Europe, "Gone With the Wind" had just hit U.S. theaters and a rebellious youngster named Fidel Castro had just turned 13.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jan 3, 2010

Nature's oaken towers of power

Have you ever looked closely at the peak of a Western general's uniform cap — or that of an admiral or chief of police — or at their epaulettes?
CULTURE / Books
Jan 3, 2010

Tale of toxic morality

Minamata disease was named after a fishing port on the island of Kyushu where it was discovered in 1956. Chisso Corp. had been dumping methyl mercury directly into the bay since before World War II, but sharp increases in production in the early 1950s increased the flow of contaminating effluent. People...
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 1, 2010

Okada stands firm on goal of reaching World Cup semis in S. Africa

For all the charges leveled at Takeshi Okada, no one could ever accuse him of lacking confidence.
Reader Mail
Dec 31, 2009

'Japan hands' ready with ill advice

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton summoned Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki to the State Department early last week and told him that there was no change in the U.S. position regarding the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps air base at Futenma, Okinawa. This was reiterated the following...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Dec 30, 2009

Lakers, fans embarrassed on Christmas Day

NEW YORK — Win or lose, Laker fools remain consistently bad sports. Secure a championship at home and they burn the surrounding neighborhood. Have calls go against them in a game already decided in their disfavor and they chuck souvenir foam fingers (I get the imagery) and plastic bottles onto the...
EDITORIALS
Dec 30, 2009

New slogans won't help the LDP

The Liberal Democratic Party, which fell from power in the Aug. 30 general election after ruling Japan for more than five decades, plans to adopt a new platform in late January. The party's study group in charge of figuring out how the LDP can regain power submitted a report containing basic ideas for...
COMMENTARY
Dec 30, 2009

A decade of Western losses and Asian gains

Decades don't usually have the courtesy to begin and end on the right year. The social and cultural revolution that Western countries think of when they talk of the " '60s" only got under way in 1962-63, and didn't end until the Middle East war and oil embargo of 1973-74.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 29, 2009

Annals of cheap: Hanamaru

Outside of Shikoku, sanuki udon is a premium dish at premium prices, but that's simply not the case at udon chain Hanamaru.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Dec 29, 2009

Reconciliatory value of a visit to Nanjing

Dear Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama,
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2009

Lowly Nikkei still has upside to offer

The Nikkei 225 stock average, the world's worst performer in the 20 years since it set its highest level, offers a cheap way to bet on emerging markets, according to Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Dec 28, 2009

Trends in Japan 2009: celebrity drug busts

Following a brief period of reefer madness in 2008, celebrity drug busts in 2009 threw a searchlight on the availability of harder stuff in Japan.
COMMENTARY
Dec 28, 2009

Economy chasing its tail

The Japanese have a saying — "sandome no shoujiki." Roughly translated it means that "after getting it wrong twice you finally get it right the third time."
COMMENTARY
Dec 28, 2009

Star artists reveal the essence of a nation's bureaucratic ways

LOS ANGELES — In America, trying to understand what makes other complex countries and cultures tick is usually done in the university classroom, through travel abroad or by following the mass news media. But there's another option that sometimes produces gold: Peering into other cultures through the...
Reader Mail
Dec 27, 2009

Japan may get what it wishes for

Regarding Masahiro Matsumura's Dec. 16 article, "What does Japan want from Washington?": If the United States starts a war with Iran — which is highly likely — it will be overburdened by wars in the Middle East for at least the next two decades and therefore unlikely to be able to defend any allies...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 27, 2009

Decade's end abuzz and a-flutter with wist for a warm poetic past

At the end of the year — and, particularly, the end of a decade — an old man's fancy turns, involuntarily, to nostalgia.
Reader Mail
Dec 27, 2009

Education Ministry lacks a plan

I would like to respond to Brett Gross' Dec. 13 letter, "A dangerous notion if widespread," and to Alexander Ross' Dec. 13 letter, "Narrower vs. broader view of study." I understand their point (that Japanese people should learn English for more than just reading texts and writing exams). But I wonder...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 27, 2009

Wendy's decision triggers memories of a unique pre-game tradition

A brief news article on Page 1 of the Dec. 12 edition of The Japan Times reminded me of former Yakult Swallows and Rakuten Eagles pitcher Kevin Hodges. "Wendy's pulling out of Japan by end of month," read the headline above the story about the U.S. hamburger chain ending its operations in this country....
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Dec 27, 2009

COP15 farce: There's always more time, till there isn't

Post-conference analysis of the Copenhagen COP15 has ranged from despair and disgust to guarded optimism that 2010 will bring a new and better agreement.
Reader Mail
Dec 27, 2009

Civil rights and immigration issues

Regarding the Dec. 22 article "Level playing field for immigrants: responses": I am not surprised to see that the people who kindly told columnist Debito Arudou to mind his own business and let Japan do as it wishes have given up on Japan and left, will do so soon, or do not even live here. Maybe the...

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