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COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2009

Abuse of religious fervor paves way to doom

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The terrorist assault in Mumbai targeted not only India's economy and sense of security, but also the India-Pakistan detente that has taken shape since 2004.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Jan 13, 2009

Digital 'big switch' is big con

Visit any electronics shop and you cannot escape reminders that in July 2011, Japan will end analog TV broadcasts and switch over to digital. After that time, existing analog TV sets will require adapters, but over the next 2 1/2 years most people are expected to discard their set for a digital model....
COMMENTARY
Jan 13, 2009

A good time to improve the United Nations

NEW YORK — In recent years the United Nations has become a target of criticism, particularly in the United States, even as the failure of the U.S. to pay its dues to the organization has considerably hindered its work and reduced its effectiveness. The election of a new American president provides...
COMMENTARY
Jan 12, 2009

Darkest hour is just before green

The impact of the current global financial crisis, which originated with U.S. subprime loans and was exacerbated by the collapse of Lehman Brothers last September, has gone far beyond the financial markets, as entire economies are now suffering from sharp declines in demand due to tighter reins on credit,...
EDITORIALS
Jan 11, 2009

Europe gets the shivers

Europe has been in the grip of a new cold war. This struggle has not been fought with militaries, but rather with energy exports. Yes, Russia and Ukraine are having their annual tussle over natural gas exports, and Europe has felt the effects. It is tempting to see the fight as a geopolitical faceoff...
Reader Mail
Jan 11, 2009

Malapropos promotion of English

Regarding Amy Chavez's Jan. 3 column, "The English language is going to the dogs": I live in London and if anyone says to me "Everyone speaks English," my answer is "Listen and look around you." If people in London do not speak English, then the whole question of a global language is completely open....
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2009

Aso meets press but stays mum on plans for stimulus pay

Prime Minister Taro Aso refused once again on Saturday to divulge his timing for dissolving the Lower House and calling a snap election, stating that the economy is his top priority.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2009

NPO told to stop feeding homeless

The nonprofit organization Sanyukai, which aids the homeless in Tokyo's Sanya district, has been ordered by the metropolitan government to stop handing out its weekly free meals along the Sumida River because local residents are complaining, the volunteer group's chief said Friday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 9, 2009

Tokyo's miso soup: quality, variety and style

Traditionally in Japan, miso shiru soup represented the taste of home cooking. Each family would have its own recipes, prepared using local or homemade miso but served up with favorite combinations of ingredients. Vegetables, seafood, mushrooms, tofu, seaweed and even small quantities of meat all find...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2009

U.S. pushes new entry system one last time

Prior to next week's launch of a new online immigration system, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo made its final attempt Thursday to call on Japanese to preregister before they head off for a trip to the States.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 9, 2009

Northern Lights' beauty on exhibition

A stronomers and UNESCO have made 2009 the International Year of Astronomy, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's pioneering research, which included the first-ever use of an astronomical telescope.
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2009

Toyota cut output and now takes aim at pay

Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it is negotiating with its workers in Japan to slash salaries as it stops production to adjust to slumping global demand.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 9, 2009

In the space

Synesthesia is a condition in which stimulation of one sense triggers sensation in another. While very few people have it, most of us are able to understand it at the level of analogy. Musicians, for example, use "chromatic" scales (derived from the Greek word for color), while visual artists routinely...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 9, 2009

Pianist Kawai seeks out the real Chopin

"I had the sense I was on a mission when I decided to do this project," recounts Poland-based Japanese pianist Yuko Kawai, who has been introducing authentic versions of the works of Chopin (1810-49) — as restored in musical scores published as the National Edition — through her Chopinissimo recital...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 9, 2009

Noh way: Local tradition gets English twist

A bilingual noh play, "Manhattan Okina," which was first presented in Tokyo in January 2006, will play at Le Deco in Shibuya, Tokyo, on Jan. 12.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 9, 2009

Noh way: Local tradition gets English twist

A bilingual noh play, "Manhattan Okina," which was first presented in Tokyo in January 2006, will play at Le Deco in Shibuya, Tokyo, on Jan. 12.
Reader Mail
Jan 8, 2009

Double standards in labels

Regarding Brian Clacey's Jan. 1 letter, "On the lookout for a slight": Clacey asks why "Jap" is considered racist while "Brit" is not. This is just one aspect of insidious double standards. Clacey might think "Brit" is innocuous, but how about "Eurotrash," which figures in American movies and publications?...
Reader Mail
Jan 8, 2009

Vague language plagues debate

I am a nonsmoker. I am not a shrill or intolerant anti-tobacco crusader, but it needs re-stating that the increasingly shrill and intolerant anti-tobacco position that the nonsmoking lobby feels itself pushed into is largely fueled by a stubborn apathy to the genuine tobacco issue plus the obtuse double...
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2009

Osaka school mobile ban resonates

OSAKA — Each morning, Hisako Kuroda sends her sons, Kenichi, 11, and Jun, 8, off to elementary school in Osaka. The kids depart with their textbooks and homework. But one item they are not carrying is a cell phone.

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