Search - people

 
 
Reader Mail
May 20, 2007

Personhood is an achievement

I was excited by the May 5 article "Activists push for chimp to be declared a 'person,' " largely because of the fascinating philosophical issues it raises and the currents in modern culture that it exposes. Personally, I disagree with the notion of animals -- even high-order animals like chimpanzees,...
Reader Mail
May 20, 2007

The toughest job in town

I just read an article in The Japan Times about the nation's record-low birthrate. I am one of the angry people who have four children in this country -- I am German and my husband is Japanese. If anybody would like to know why there are so few children, I would like to show them how hard it is to have...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 19, 2007

Farm concession said key to U.S. FTA

Opening up Japan's politically sensitive agriculture market is the key to establishing a free-trade agreement between Japan and the United States, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's vice president for Asia.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 19, 2007

Collective defense: What it means for Japan

Under the initiative of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a new government panel held its first meeting Friday to discuss whether Japan can legally exercise the right to participate in "collective self-defense.''
JAPAN
May 19, 2007

Lower House passes education bills

The House of Representatives on Friday passed three education bills that will give the central government more control over teachers and schools, something experts say will cause the education system to deteriorate.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
May 19, 2007

Tetsuzo Inumaru

When the first Imperial Hotel opened in Tokyo in 1890, it was a wooden, three-storied, Western-styled building.
JAPAN
May 18, 2007

Panel mulls lowering voting age to 18

A government panel that is expected to lower the voting age to 18 held their first meeting Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 18, 2007

'Pacchigi! Love & Peace'

In 2004, Kazuyuki Izutsu made "Pacchigi! (Pacchigi! We Shall Overcome Someday)," a serio-comic Romeo and Juliet romance set in 1960s Kyoto. Starring Shun Shioya as a naive high school boy and Erika Sawajiri as the cute-but-tough zainichi (ethnic Korean living in Japan) girl whom he falls for, the film...
EDITORIALS
May 18, 2007

Nurturing forests and workers

The fiscal 2006 annual report on the nation's forestry shows that self-sufficiency in the wood supply has stopped falling due to conditions abroad that make wood imports to Japan difficult. The government can use this opportunity to revitalize Japan's forestry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 18, 2007

Not an every day script

Enter a male student bedsit in Britain in the late 1990s and you'd likely be confronted by a copy of the Alex Garland novel "The Beach," posters of the movie "Trainspotting" on the wall and a bunch of albums from independent dance-music record labels like Skint, Wall of Sound and Ninja Tunes spread around...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 17, 2007

Nepalese family standing a lonely vigil

On one Monday morning in April, two Nepalese girls sat in a small room divided by a clear acrylic wall and talked to their father, Govinda Mainali, on the other side.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 17, 2007

Poor police work in '92 death let Obara off hook, victim's family claims

First of two parts
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 17, 2007

Creating atmospheres

An array of recent exhibitions in Kyoto and Osaka offers an engaging cross section of contemporary art practice in western Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 17, 2007

"Naohiro Ukawa: A Series of Interpreted Catharsis #2"

Nanzuka Gallery Closes in 4 days
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 17, 2007

Changes of note

She has quietly become one of the decade's best-selling artists, has a third No.1 album in the charts — and debuts as an actor in the film opening this week's Cannes Film Festival
EDITORIALS
May 17, 2007

Politicians must come clean

The Tokyo High Court has given a suspended 10-month prison term to former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka for hiding a 100 million yen donation from the Japan Dental Association to the Liberal Democratic Party's then top faction headed by the late Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. The crux of...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 16, 2007

Emperor craves long walks; Empress invisibility

What would the Emperor do if he could shed his weighty crown for a day and roam freely among the common people?
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
May 16, 2007

Gadgets fall prey to multitasking, and a mouse keeps an eye on your computer

P eople these days are more like ly to remember to take their keitai in the morning than their keys. After all, the later only protects your life's property and valuables, whereas your mobile phone makes life worth living. Or at least it seems to be for those who spend more time with their portable communicators...
JAPAN
May 15, 2007

Diet clears path to referendum on Constitution

law will in reality destroy the Constitution," Fukushima told reporters in the Diet following the bill's passage. Fukushima also expressed anger over the short deliberation period in the Upper House — barely one month since the bill passed the Lower House on April 13.
EDITORIALS
May 15, 2007

Mr. Blair sets his departure date

After months of anticipation, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced that he will leave office June 27. Mr. Blair, who had kept his country on tenterhooks since revealing in 2004 that he would not complete his third term, leaves a mixed legacy. He transformed the Labour Party, which had been...

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