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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...
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.
EDITORIALS
Dec 26, 2009

Mr. Ozawa is out of line

Ripples from the controversy over Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's exceptional audience with the Emperor on Dec. 15 have not died down. Statements on the relationship between the Cabinet and the Emperor made by Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa raise serious concerns.
EDITORIALS
Dec 26, 2009

Not a benchmark to celebrate

The 100th day of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's administration was marred by disgrace. On Thursday, two former secretaries to Mr. Hatoyama were indicted for falsifying political funds reports. The case is not linked to corruption, but it casts serious doubt over the transparency of the Hatoyama office's...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 26, 2009

Storyteller of implausible success

Imagine this: An Indian diplomat in London churns out his first novel during a two-month hiatus before his next posting. The novel becomes an international best-seller and is translated into 42 languages. Before the book is even printed it has been optioned for a film, which goes on to win eight Academy...
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2009

Children's rights treaty turns 20

Acknowledging that children often require special care and protection, and pushing for the world to recognize that children have human rights, in 1989 world leaders moved to draw up a special convention for people under the age of 18. The resulting Convention of the Rights of the Child spelled out the...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 25, 2009

New Year's concerts held across Japan

If nightclubs aren't your thing, but you still want to hear live music over the New Year's holidays, classical music concerts might be just the ticket.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / LIQUID CULTURE
Dec 25, 2009

Japan's favorite hangover cures

Tis the season to be jolly. And when you've finished being jolly, tis the season to wake up with veisalgia, more popularly known as a hangover.
EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2009

Holding steady on gasoline tax

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Tuesday decided to maintain the current rates on gasoline and other road-related taxes throughout fiscal 2010 even though the road-related tax system will be overhauled by April 2010. The abolition of surcharges on road-related taxes was a main campaign pledge of the...

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