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COMMENTARY / World
Oct 23, 2009

A day to act in the name of planetary justice

PRINCETON, N.J. — What we are doing to our planet, to our children and grandchildren, and to the poor, by our heedless production of greenhouse gases, is one of the great moral wrongs of our age. This Saturday is a day to stand up against this injustice.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 23, 2009

Yokohama turns Yamashita Park into massive outdoor gallery

Yokohama's Yamashita Park will turn into an outdoor gallery on the weekend of Oct. 30-Nov. 1, with the Yokohama International Open-Air Art Fair 2009 — featuring artworks by U.S. and Japanese artists.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Oct 23, 2009

Sumo Association bypasses Europe again in its trip to Vegas

The Nihon Sumo Kyokai — the Japanese Sumo Association — recently announced it is once again considering an overseas jaunt. Destination this time? Sin City — Las Vegas, Nevada. Again!
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 23, 2009

Halloween events planned throughout Japan

Halloween events are taking place in many cities in Japan.
EDITORIALS
Oct 23, 2009

A base Okinawans can live with

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa in Tokyo this week. The two sides failed to resolve differences over the relocation of a U.S. military base on Okinawa Island. Under a 2006 bilateral agreement,...
EDITORIALS
Oct 22, 2009

New government finding its feet

More than a month has passed since the Hatoyama administration was inaugurated. People can see that it is trying in earnest to implement policy promises spelled out in the Democratic Party of Japan's election manifesto. The administration, which at its outset enjoyed an approval rating that topped 70...
EDITORIALS
Oct 22, 2009

Unexpected Olympic pitch

The mayors of the atomic-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have announced their desire to invite the 2020 Summer Olympics to their cities and have called on the central government and the Japan Olympic Committee for support. Mayors Tadatoshi Akiba of Hiroshima and Tomihisa Taue of Nagasaki put...
Reader Mail
Oct 22, 2009

Trashing a sacred relationship

Regarding the Oct. 16 article "Fukuoka cops free American who tried to get kids back": I am glad to see coverage of this and at least the mention of Japan's refusal to sign the Hague Convention. Japan refuses to recognize the family law of other foreign countries and allows the abduction of children...
COMMENTARY
Oct 22, 2009

Does Japan really want to stay competitive?

LONDON — The reported remarks to members of the foreign press in Tokyo on Oct. 14 by Shizuka Kamei, Japan's minister for financial issues, made me wonder whether he was living in the real world — where nations are interdependent and must compete to survive.
COMMENTARY
Oct 21, 2009

Another twist and shout from North Korea

LOS ANGELES — Like the baby that hurls its rattle out of the crib to grab attention, North Korea has never been known for a subtle diplomatic style. Right now, though, it appears to have abandoned, temporarily at least, the crude infantile approach for a more adult turn.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Oct 21, 2009

Sony, Fujitsu computer models embrace Windows touch

The digital touch: Windows 7 is entrusted with delivering the Microsoft vision that Vista spectacularly failed to conjure. One promise of the new operating system is to help take the touch interface of Apple's iPhone and iPod products to a bigger stage. Sony has joined the ranks of computer-makers offering...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Oct 21, 2009

Kindle confident in face of challenging Japanese market

Amazon.com Inc. has made its electronic-book reader, Kindle, available in Japan, whose e-book market has grown sharply in the past few years.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2009

DPJ wants Cabinet to call policy shots, not juniors

It all began with a single notice handed out last month to Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 21, 2009

PlayStation 3 outsells Wii for first time in U.S.

Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 outsold Nintendo Co.'s Wii console for the first time following a $100 price cut, helping the U.S. video game market end six consecutive months of declining revenue.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2009

Political horse trading and climate change

AMSTERDAM — When the panda smiles, the world applauds. Or so it seemed after Chinese President Hu Jintao's recent speech at the United Nations. Judging by the way much of the media reported his words, it seemed as if China had actually made an important announcement on cutting greenhouse-gas emissions....
COMMENTARY
Oct 20, 2009

Western media stoking conflict

A little more than a year ago, Russia and Georgia were at war over Georgia's small autonomous republic of South Ossetia. We now have two authoritative reports — one from late 2008 by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE ) and the other just released by the European Union —...
EDITORIALS
Oct 20, 2009

An important step forward

Armenia and Turkey took important steps toward overcoming a long bitter history this month. The two governments' agreement to establish diplomatic ties will help reduce the enmity that has dominated their relationship for nearly a century. It could also help transform relations in southeastern Europe...
COMMUNITY
Oct 20, 2009

Foreign parents face travel curbs?

I think it is safe to say that the countdown has begun — the countdown to it becoming more difficult for you to leave Japan with your children. Difficult, that is, if you are non-Japanese and traveling without their other parent (or his or her written consent).
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Oct 20, 2009

What do you think of U.S. President Barack Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize?

Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Oct 19, 2009

Twitter swoops into the Japanese market again

Twitter stepping up its operations in Japan with a new mobile site and video capability. Will this be enough to make Japanese users start tweeting?
EDITORIALS
Oct 19, 2009

New look at Japanese taxes

The government has started the new Tax System Council. Headed by Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii, it consists only of Cabinet ministers and senior vice ministers — a sharp contrast to the days of the Liberal Democratic Party's rule, when the council was composed mainly of scholars and business leaders....
Reader Mail
Oct 18, 2009

Dark side plus more distraction

The Oct. 14 article "Sekai Camera's new reality" describes what seems to be an interesting technology, but I can only visualize a darker side: drug deals, threats, obscenities, libelous statements, etc. We live in a world that is already overwhelming us with audio/visual information. Already there are...

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes