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JAPAN
Aug 7, 2009

Citizens stepped up, fulfilled new court duty

With the Thursday close of the first lay judge trial, Japan has joined the ranks of some 80 countries whose citizens participate in criminal trials.
EDITORIALS
Aug 6, 2009

Strive for nuclear disarmament

As Japan marks the 64th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world sees two forces working in opposite directions when it comes to the issue of nuclear weapons.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2009

DPJ to be more assertive on U.S. ties: Okada

The Democratic Party of Japan says that if it comes to power it will confront the United States on key military and diplomatic issues but still regard it as the nation's most important ally.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2009

First lay judge trial kicks off in Tokyo

The first trial involving lay judges kicked off Monday in the Tokyo District Court with Katsuyoshi Fujii, 72, pleading guilty to murdering his neighbor, Mun Chun Ja, 66, in May.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 3, 2009

Angst over opposition rule

There is a palpable sense of anxiety in some quarters in Japan at the prospects of a Democratic Party of Japan-led majority emerging from the Aug. 30 Lower House elections.
Reader Mail
Aug 2, 2009

The wealthy don't create wealth

N.R. Williams' July 23 letter,"A guiding light for the economy," states an interesting opinion with which I agree. After World War II, the governments of most Western countries intervened in the control and management of their national economies. This contributed to maintaining stable economic growth...
COMMENTARY
Aug 1, 2009

Tough times for politicians

Democratic governments everywhere are in trouble. In Britain, the Labour government is tottering. In Japan, defeat looms for Prime Minister Taro Aso's Liberal Democratic Party. In Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is clinging on amid a sea of scandal. In France, hyperactive President Nicolas Sarkozy...
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Jul 29, 2009

Politicians tap Twitter to tweak profiles

At 6:44 p.m. on July 15, Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Seiji Osaka posed a question on his Twitter profile: "I think bringing the voting age down to 18 years old is OK. What do you think about it?"
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2009

DPJ platform vows to weaken bureaucrats

With a month to go before the Aug. 30 election, the Democratic Party of Japan unveiled its campaign platform Monday, featuring five main principles centering on a government led by politicians rather than bureaucrats.
COMMENTARY
Jul 28, 2009

Challenge of a straight question

LONDON — Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, recently was asked twice by the Defense Committee of the House of Commons whether the army chief of staff had requested that reinforcements of 2,000 men be sent to Afghanistan, where British forces have recently suffered a string of casualties. Brown...
JAPAN
Jul 27, 2009

DPJ plan could send jobs overseas

The Democratic Party of Japan, leading in polls for next month's election, has announced proposals to help workers but could end up sending jobs overseas, according to some economists.
Reader Mail
Jul 26, 2009

Words of wisdom for the long haul

I was pleased to see Mariko Kato's interview with Thomas Dillon in the July 14 Who's Who article, "Wit, humor help longtime columnist come to grips with life in Japan." Having always enjoyed Dillon's gentle style of wit in his regular column, it was interesting to read more about him.
Japan Times
JAPAN / PARTY POWERS
Jul 25, 2009

Ruling bloc lowers sights for poll, sets goal as 241-seat threshold

The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc's goal in the Aug. 30 Lower House election is simply to keep its majority and grip on power, a far cry from its landslide win in the September 2005 poll, LDP Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda said.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2009

BOJ could ease rates under DPJ: analysts

The Bank of Japan would be able to raise interest rates more easily under a government controlled by the Democratic Party of Japan, increasing household savings and spending, economists said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2009

Crisis management lacking: experts

Japan has a reputation abroad as a country whose government, corporations and citizens are fully prepared for natural and man-made catastrophes after the bitter lessons of the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and the Kobe earthquake, both in 1995, as well as the regular occurrence of typhoons....
Reader Mail
Jul 19, 2009

Different aircraft and missions

Regarding Jochen Legewie's July 13 article "Japanese choices in aviation market reveal overreliance on U.S.": Being a pilot and aviation enthusiast, I was interested in this article, but as I began reading, my excitement faded to disappointment. The article was a biased bashing of the U.S. aviation industry....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 18, 2009

Duo weaves matchmaking magic with 'world of letters'

Dede Prabowo and Jim Wagner are telling stories about Alam Aksara, the organization that Prabowo started four years ago to find sponsors for Indonesian children who are unable to go to school.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2009

Aso foes unlikely to block dissolution

Moves by lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to remove Prime Minister Taro Aso as LDP president looked doomed Thursday because it appeared they will be unable to prevent him from dissolving the Lower House early next week.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 17, 2009

Enter the dance-rock dragons Shikari

"We were really worried before they came over 'cos England's so s--t," says Rob Rolfe, the drummer from British post-hardcore/metal/dance fusion band Enter Shikari of their anxieties before embarking on a 2008 tour with their friends, the Japanese punk-metal group Maximum the Hormone.
Reader Mail
Jul 16, 2009

Motivation for planning an exit

As a foreigner married to a Japanese national and living in Japan legally, I find the new laws with regard to immigration quite troubling. I do not disagree with the Japanese government's desire to have a more effective system for visas and immigration of foreigners. However, I do have an issue with...
COMMENTARY
Jul 16, 2009

Reflecting on the lessons of Robert McNamara's war

The death of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara at age 93 has reopened the debate on his role, first as architect for the Vietnam War, and then later in apologizing for it with his 1995 book "In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam." Since a hawk with a conscience is a rare commodity,...

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