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EDITORIALS
Jul 2, 2009

Gender-free spirit lagging

Ten years have passed since the Diet enacted the Basic Law for a Gender-free Society. The law says that in view of a graying population and low birthrate, it is urgent to realize a society in which men and women respect each other's rights and share responsibilities while giving full play to each person's...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2009

Single moms fight for kids' futures

For single mothers, no government financial assistance means no higher education for their children — and probably no future.
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2009

Cabinet OKs record-high budget cap; poll outcome will decide fate

Prime Minister Taro Aso's Cabinet on Wednesday endorsed a record-high ¥52.7 trillion spending cap for the fiscal 2010 budget to cover rising social security costs, but its implementation could depend on the outcome of a Lower House poll expected soon.
Reader Mail
Jul 2, 2009

How to deal with a rising China

I respectfully disagree with Brahma Chellaney in his June 25 article, "Dancing with the dragon." As a center-left American, I agree with President Barack Obama's approach to China and would prefer that he go further. If any country is likely to become the next superpower, it is China. It is ahead of...
COMMENTARY
Jul 2, 2009

Don't bait the Russian bear

U.S. President Barack Obama's Moscow visit offers a historic opportunity to avert a new Cold War by establishing a more stable and cooperative relationship between the West and Russia.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2009

LDP leaders scramble to end disarray

The Liberal Democratic Party fell into further disarray Tuesday, with party executives scrambling to stop the movement to oust Prime Minister Taro Aso from spreading as some LDP lawmakers grew louder in their calls to replace the unpopular party chief ahead of the Lower House election.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2009

Aso portrays DPJ as national security threat

Prime Minister Taro Aso said Tuesday the Democratic Party of Japan's foreign policy of the poses a serious threat to the nation's security and prosperity.
EDITORIALS
Jul 1, 2009

Waste not, want not

The Fair Trade Commission has ordered Seven-Eleven Japan Co., the nation's biggest convenience-store chain operator, to stop preventing its franchise stores from selling food products at discount prices. The antimonopoly watchdog decided that the company took advantage of its dominant position vis-a-vis...
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2009

Key gripes converge in Tokyo poll

With the July 12 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election drawing near, opposition parties are beginning to attack the contentious policies endorsed by the bureaucracy and Gov. Shintaro Ishihara.
EDITORIALS
Jun 30, 2009

Taxing way to save pensions

The Diet has enacted the revised National Pension Law, under which more tax money will be used to cover part of the public pension's base tier. The coverage by tax money will be raised from the current 36.5 percent of the base tier to 50 percent. In view of the graying of the population and the low birth...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2009

Sample-product cafe targets young women

A cafe with a new concept will open Wednesday in Tokyo's Shibuya district, offering women product-marketing samples — and a place to hang out if they've missed the last train.
EDITORIALS
Jun 29, 2009

Sundown on the merger era

A panel of the internal affairs ministry has submitted a recommendation to Prime Minister Taro Aso that the mergers of municipalities carried out at the initiative of the government in the past decade end by March 31, 2010. The mergers were aimed at using financial resources efficiently and streamlining...
Japan Times
JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
Jun 29, 2009

Fun and fashionable rubber boots help shake off rainy season gloom

Rainy days can be a downer, especially for women who want to look fashionable but don't want to get wet in soggy and gloomy weather.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2009

More European hope, less American fear

PARIS — Since the arrival of President Barack Obama in the White House, there has been an undeniable rapprochement between Europe and the United States. But on the deeper and more fundamental level of emotions and values, is it possible that the gap between the two sides of the Atlantic has widened?...
Reader Mail
Jun 28, 2009

Warming up to third-grade math

For some time now we have been told that humanity is unleashing a global environmental crisis, and that if we don't act now we will do irreversible damage. These are serious claims. Governments around the world are spending huge amounts of money to correct a problem that may not be a problem.
Reader Mail
Jun 28, 2009

The frustrating hunt for goat meat

It was interesting to read the June 19 article on the promotion of goat meat consumption in Okinawa ("Okinawa trying to get goat back on the menu") and on the efforts to reinvigorate what is apparently a traditional industry there.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 28, 2009

Kandy, Sri Lanka: Highland jewel in an enchanted isle

The war is over, peace-building is under way, and Sri Lanka is one of the most enchanting islands you could ever imagine.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 28, 2009

Priorities and politics 'must change fast' to head off global calamity

The 19th-century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer declared: "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2009

Jackson enjoyed loyal following in Japan

Despite years of child molestation accusations and deep financial difficulties, Michael Jackson could always count on one nation for unquestioning fan loyalty and lucrative advertising deals — Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jun 28, 2009

Chiang Mai: Thailand's beguiling Rose of the North

It is a great time to visit Thailand. The political crisis has abated, the airport is open, everything is a bargain and tourists are few and far between. What more could a traveler ask for?
Japan Times
JAPAN / CONTROLS ON FOREIGNERS
Jun 27, 2009

Drawing a bead on illegal residents

With bills to revise the immigration law expected to clear the current Diet session, the Immigration Bureau aims to get a clearer picture of the facts surrounding foreigners who overstay their visas, a bureau official said.
EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2009

Japan Post faces the music

Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Tsutomu Sato has approved the retention of Mr. Yoshifumi Nishikawa as president of Japan Post Holding Co. And now, with Prime Minister Taro Aso's endorsement of Mr. Sato's decision, the political turmoil over whether Mr. Nishikawa should remain in his position...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jun 27, 2009

Standard of living meets house of correction

Recently I had coffee in the Ginza with a friend from abroad, a Japanese gentlemen making a rare pilgrimage back to the land of his upbringing.

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