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Reader Mail
Feb 26, 2009

Poor motivation to learn English

In his Feb. 15 letter, "Suggestion for teaching English," David Wood seems completely to misunderstand the thrust of my Feb. 5 article, "What's wrong with the way English is taught in Japan."
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 24, 2009

Communists looking better lately

The Japanese Communist Party, although still a minor factor in either house of the Diet, is gaining popularity among voters as its membership grows again and as an increasing number of people watch the Web sites of party chairman Kazuo Shii. This worries other political parties, since a general election...
BUSINESS / U.S. DIPLOMACY SYMPOSIUM
Feb 24, 2009

Introspective Europe may find it difficult accepting U.S.'s wider world view

Despite widespread public enthusiasm in Europe for the new U.S. administration of President Barack Obama, long-term worrying trends remain that confront the trans-Atlantic relationship, said James Goldgeier, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Feb 24, 2009

The half, bi or double debate

Following are some of the responses The Japan Times received on the issues raised in Kristy Kosaka's Jan. 27 Zeit Gist article headlined ""Half, bi or double: one family's trouble":
EDITORIALS
Feb 22, 2009

The freedom of Mr. Khan

On its face, the decision to release Mr. Abdul Qadeer Khan from house arrest in Pakistan is a slap in the face of international opinion and a blow to efforts to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons. According to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, the work of the world's greatest proliferator "is a closed...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 22, 2009

Be it booze or cheese, LDP loves to court controversy

Was he or wasn't he? That is the question the media wrestled with last week when discussing former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa's behavior at the Valentine's Day news conference held during the Group of Seven meeting in Rome. By this point everyone seems convinced he was drunk, but the relationship...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Feb 20, 2009

Schiller works to keep baseball on world stage

As Major League Baseball struggles to decide how to punish players who take performance-enhancing drugs, International Baseball Federation president Harvey Schiller made his opinion on the matter loud and clear as it pertains to the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2009

Fiscal hawk set for three big hats

Despite being a fiscal hawk, newly appointed Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano appears positive about taking additional measures to juice the economy.
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2009

EU-China relations back on track

Europe's relations with China appear to be back on track. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's recent tour of Europe was by all accounts a success, with both sides eager to put behind them last year's unpleasantness — a high-level China-EU meeting was canceled because of China's objections to French President...
COMMENTARY
Feb 13, 2009

Blaming bankers' bonuses

LONDON — U.S. President Barack Obama has called for an annual salary cap of $500,000 for directors of banks receiving government funds. (It is worth noting that this sum is $100,000 more than the president's salary.)
COMMENTARY
Feb 12, 2009

Secretary Clinton's No. 1 mission is to reassure allies

HONOLULU — We welcome the news that Hillary Clinton's first overseas trip as U.S. secretary of state will be to Japan, Korea, Indonesia and China. While her visit to Beijing will likely garner the lion's share of attention and her visit to Indonesia will generate the most speculation (can a visit by...
BUSINESS / CLIMATE CHANGE SYMPOSIUM
Feb 10, 2009

Rethinking a global post-Kyoto solution

New ways of thinking on climate change are needed if the world is to create a workable post-Kyoto Protocol framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, European scholars told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Feb 8, 2009

Definitive 'Record of Linji' well worth a wait of 40 years

The Linji-lu is one of the most influential of all Zen texts. Presumably a collection of the lectures and sermons of Linji Yixuan (died 866), founder of the Linji school of Chan Buddhism, it helped form the Rinzai sect of Zen in Japan.
Reader Mail
Feb 5, 2009

Fighting spirit is greatest lesson

Edward R. Howe's Jan. 27 article, " 'Marathon' ritual must change," criticizes the focus on wins and high rankings. Howe mentions his son's humiliating experience of being ranked, and why school marathons should not concentrate on winning. In my opinion, ranking and treating students differently just...
EDITORIALS
Feb 3, 2009

Rational boost to agriculture

The Council of Food, Agriculture and Rural Area Policies, an advisory body to the farm minister, has begun discussing a new basic plan for the nation's agriculture. The Cabinet is expected to adopt the plan by March 2010. Since the plan could lead to a drastic change in the nation's agriculture policy,...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2009

Oceania presses Fiji leader for free election this year

SYDNEY — An Australian newspaper has fired an editorial salvo at the military government of the Republic of the Fiji Islands while reminding the world of what happens when a country tramples on media freedom.
Reader Mail
Feb 1, 2009

Overcoming a discouraging word

According to the Jan. 25 Associated Press article "Discrimination claims die hard in Japan," politician Hiromu Nonaka pulled out of the 2001 prime minister race after Taro Aso, now the prime minister, allegedly referred to Nonaka's roots as a "burakumin," a descendant of former outcasts.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Feb 1, 2009

Chizu Saeki: Beauty's more than skin deep

Skincare guru Chizu Saeki's expertise is such that her abilities have been compared to those of a fortuneteller. She can, for example, determine people's physical and mental health condition, the key experiences that have influenced them, and even their outlook on life, merely by running her fingers...
COMMENTARY
Jan 30, 2009

Dreaming of a pound floor

LONDON — These are dark times, especially for Britain: The pound sterling is dropping like a stone; the huge British financial sector, a major part of the British economy, has shrunk dramatically; unemployment is rising; and the stock market is looking sicker by the day. Britain is now officially in...
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2009

Aso vows 'bold' steps to remedy economy

Prime Minister Taro Aso on Wednesday renewed his pledge to lead Japan out of the current economic crisis faster than any other country through drastic economic and employment measures.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2009

Extra budget with cash handouts passed

Political wrangling in the Diet over the controversial second supplementary budget for fiscal 2008 ended Tuesday when the ruling bloc's legislation effectively prevailed by default.
Reader Mail
Jan 25, 2009

Bathhouse a specious example

The main reason Gregory Clark's opinion has caused such a stir is the title, which is not an accurate indication of all that he has written. In addition, the particular example (Otaru bathhouse case) on which Clark has based his entire premise has little to do with the general nature of discrimination...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 25, 2009

Poking fun at the ¥12,000 handout

The opposition parties' objections to the extra fiscal 2008 budget, which was put together to deal with the unexpected seriousness of the economic downturn, center on the ¥2 trillion in cash handouts originally conceived by the LDP's coalition partner, New Komeito, last summer during the final days...
EDITORIALS
Jan 24, 2009

The 'Decider' goes home

Mr. George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, believes history will vindicate him. That thinking is typical of his presidency: It bespeaks an enduring optimism and faith in the future, a relentless refusal to bend to facts, and the certitude that his decisions, no matter how controversial,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2009

Reformist Koike loyal to LDP, waits in wings

While last year's Liberal Democratic Party presidential race ended in a landside victory for Prime Minister Taro Aso, there were signs that the old guard's grip on power is slipping.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2009

2channel founder ponders next step after forum's sale

A short message recently posted on Hiroyuki Nishimura's personal blog sent shock waves across the online community. In a single sentence dated Jan. 2, he announced that he had sold 2channel, his wildly popular Internet forum.
Reader Mail
Jan 22, 2009

Efforts of activists misguided

Although bombastically titled, Gregory Clark's Jan. 15 article was a welcome riposte to the chorus of criticism originally inspired by Paul de Vries' Dec. 2 Zeit Gist article, "Back to the baths: Otaru revisited."

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?