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JAPAN
Dec 22, 2009

More seek, fewer win status as refugees

and years in which we have few," an official in the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau said. "It takes one year or more on average for us to conclude whether to grant (refugee status), so even if the number of applicants increases, that is not immediately reflected in the number of applications approved,"...
COMMENTARY
Dec 21, 2009

No such thing as classless

According to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the taxation policies of the Tory (Conservative) Party were decided on the playing field of Eton (one of Britain's top private schools). Thus, Gordon Brown, whose Labour government trails in the opinion polls behind the Conservative opposition, seemed from this...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 21, 2009

Hatoyama girds to review security alliance with U.S.

Only people in their late 60s and older remember the turmoil that raged in Japan in 1960 between the proponents and opponents of ratifying the revised security treaty with the United States. As these generations have aged, the security alliance between the two nations itself has grown somewhat antiquated...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2009

Renewed dialogue welcome, but talks alone won't win peace

LONDON — Speculation has been building up on the Subcontinent that dialogue between India and Pakistan is about to restart. Last month Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir that if Pakistan showed "sincerity and good faith," India "will not be found...
EDITORIALS
Dec 20, 2009

Which promises to keep?

Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa has submitted a list of budgetary demands for fiscal 2010 to the administration. Unfortunately the process of compiling the demands lacks transparency. As Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama moves toward a final decision about the budget, his political...
COMMENTARY
Dec 20, 2009

Wake up a friend about China at Christmas

LOS ANGELES — Attention last-minute holiday shoppers: We have an easy-to-purchase gift to recommend. And we guarantee that it will fit all sizes, shapes and tastes. This is assuming your intended recipients are intelligent, literate and eager to learn about the world.
Reader Mail
Dec 20, 2009

J. League watches over members

The Dec. 12 editorial "A yellow card for J. League" seems oblivious to underlying facts. The decision by the Yomiuri conglomerate to finally cut its ties to Verdy has been coming for at least a decade, and it was just a question of when the other shoe would drop. The timing may be related to economic...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2009

Jeff Kingston: Best books of 2009

Maybe not a comfortable read for the holidays, but this is a poignant reminder about the human consequences of aerial bombing. The authors in this collection of essays demonstrate that such bombing does not win wars but does devastate, and it is civilians who suffer disproportionately. It appears that...
Japan Times
JAPAN / READERS' FUND
Dec 18, 2009

NPO 'builds hope' for kids in rural Cambodia

Second in a series
COMMENTARY
Dec 18, 2009

Realities of disarmament

WATERLOO, Canada — The international commission on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament, chaired by former foreign ministers Gareth Evans of Australia and Yoriko Kawaguchi of Japan, faced two hurdles even before its work was completed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 18, 2009

French writer Claudel paints a not-too-pretty picture

Philippe Claudel is one of France's best known novelists who also defines himself as a teacher.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 18, 2009

Back to basic instincts

Mamoru Oshii is best known here and abroad as an anime auteur whose works, from the seminal dystopian SF "Kokaku Kidotai" ("Ghost in the Shell," 1995) to the air-action epic "Sky Crawlers" (2008), have often viewed the future of humanity through a glass darkly.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 18, 2009

Ryugin: Refined flair in the dragon's lair

It's that season once again, when we pause, look back and savor some of the outstanding meals we have enjoyed over the past year. High on that list has to be going back to eat at Ryugin last month.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 17, 2009

Turning the Japanese household on its head

Aya Ueto is cute, but we think Softbank's Shirato commercials are brilliant because they subvert both the notion of family and being Japanese.
Reader Mail
Dec 17, 2009

Hard to view Tokyo as a model

In his Nov. 27 article, "Tokyo's urban design role," Jared Braiterman paints a very glowing and cheery picture of the integration of urbanism and nature in Tokyo. While I agree that many Tokyo residents show ingenuity in their use of mostly tiny available spaces for propagation of plants, projects such...
EDITORIALS
Dec 17, 2009

Single-parent allowance revived

The Hatoyama administration has decided to revive the once-abolished allowance for single-parent households on welfare with children aged 18 or younger. This is the first social welfare-related measure included in the Democratic Party of Japan's election manifesto to be implemented. The allowance began...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 17, 2009

Tokyo's trendy greens

Etsuo Asano is Japan's undisputed rock star of specialty vegetable farming.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Dec 16, 2009

Donaghy's claims don't stand up to scrutiny

NEW YORK — Originally, Tim Donaghy says he bet on 13 NBA games he refereed. Presently, the contention is 47, all but 10 resulting in wins by the point spread, or by picking the over-under.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2009

Lavatory scrub joins kids' curricula

The clock struck 1:25 p.m., and six fifth-graders at Minami Elementary School in Yokohama headed for lavatories carrying brushes, mops, dustpans and toilet paper.

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