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JAPAN
Mar 17, 2007

A CEO in prison? About time, some say

would be found guilty, but I was thinking maybe he would be handed a prison sentence of less than a year, so I was relieved," Ichiro Shimizu, who lost about 5 million yen on Livedoor shares, told a news conference. "In my opinion, the ruling is acceptable. The court made a sound judgment . . . and I...
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2007

Gov. Sonomanma: What sex slaves?

Miyazaki Gov. Hideo Higashikokubaru, a comedian-turned-rookie-politician, waded into a political minefield Wednesday, claiming it was hard to confirm as historical fact that the wartime Japanese military coerced women across Asia into frontline brothels.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 13, 2007

Japan is obliged to accept refugees, so why so few?

In 1981, Japan signed the U.N. 1951 Conventions Relating to the Status of Refugees and in 1982, it inked the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees and enacted the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law. Signatories are obliged to give refugees due recognition and protect their basic...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 13, 2007

Bigger is not always better for Japan's English teachers

While exact figures are unavailable, but it is fair to assume that a large number of foreigners who work in Japan will spend at least some of their time teaching in a language school.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Mar 13, 2007

COSMIC WONDER, Shibusei and Monocle magazine

Cosmic reconceptualization
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Mar 11, 2007

What happens when blog bullies get hot under the collar

In April last year, Jiji Press technology reporter Tsuruaki Yukawa felt as if he had enemies all around him.
COMMENTARY
Mar 9, 2007

Retreat from responsibility

LOS ANGELES -- Perhaps in an ideal world, people all across Asia would simply ignore the sad Japanese leader who slides embarrassingly and inelegantly into seemingly pointless denial over the "comfort women" issue of World War II. Perhaps in another world, the sight would prompt genuine concern about...
BASKETBALL
Mar 7, 2007

Hoop dreams: Nakayama aims to inspire compatriots

Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part series on Asumi Nakayama and the Utah Valley State women's basketball team, which wrapped up its 2006-07 season on Saturday. Part II tomorrow explores the relationship assistant coach Chris Boettcher, who has lived and coached in Japan, has developed with...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Mar 7, 2007

Wizards-Warriors finish strange as it gets

NEW YORK -- Sunday's one-point Wizards' win over the Warriors was one of the most bizarre finishes in NBA history.
EDITORIALS
Mar 7, 2007

Thailand's troubles continue

It was expected that any instability that followed last September's coup in Thailand would be short-lived. Supporters even hoped that the military-led government would lessen uncertainty, end corruption and soothe the tensions that fuel a Muslim insurgency in the country's southern provinces. Those hopes...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 4, 2007

What is becoming of my grandfather's wisdom?

These days it's tough to be a journalist. This may sound like a whinge, but whinges may sometimes reflect a real situation. Oh, it's fine if you agree with the line of thought acceptable to governments, religious organizations or interest groups. But if you dare hold up a mirror to them, you may run...
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 3, 2007

Playoff push starts this weekend

OSAKA -- It's no secret that the Osaka Evessa are one of the hardest working teams in the bj-league. Or maybe they are No. 1 on that list.
EDITORIALS
Mar 2, 2007

Less than music to the ear

The Supreme Court, in a 4-1 decision, has ruled that it is constitutional for a principal to order a music teacher to play the piano accompaniment to the "Kimigayo" national anthem during a public school ceremony. The top court took the position that the principal's order does not constitute a denial...
EDITORIALS
Feb 28, 2007

Media must strive for accuracy

The blow-back continues from an incident involving the broadcast of falsified information on a variety show aired by Kansai Telecasting Corp. (known popularly as Kansai TV). The communications ministry plans to include a measure targeting the broadcast media in a bill to revise the Radio Law. Under the...
Reader Mail
Feb 28, 2007

Pejorative reference to PR people

The Feb. 15 article headlined "Abe PR flack U.S.-bound for media spin control" is insulting to those of us in the public relations business, because both "flack" and "spin" are pejoratives that do not accurately convey the essence of what PR professionals actually do.
Japan Times
LIFE
Feb 25, 2007

Insider lashes 'lip service to human rights'

Written laws are like spiders' webs; they will catch, it is true, the weak and poor, but would be torn in pieces by the rich and powerful.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 25, 2007

Will strategic retreat soon signal Australia's tardy advancement?

Apolitical wrangle, with Prime Minister John Howard as the prime wrangler, has begun in the rodeo ring of Australian politics -- and it certainly looks as if someone is going to take a spill.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 22, 2007

Beirut dramatist seeks new strategy

Lebanese dramatist Rabih Mroue returns to Tokyo International Arts Festival this year with the world premiere of his new play, "How Nancy Wished that Everything was an April Fool's Joke," three years after making his TIF debut. It is a work that reflects the fluid situation of Lebanese society after...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Feb 20, 2007

What's your opinion on the comment made by the health minister?

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 20, 2007

Upping the fear factor

The government and media would have you believe that Japan has lost its mantle as a safe country. Apparently we live amidst a spree of heinous crimes. Accurate? Not very, according to a new academic study. But before we get to that, let's take stock of one alleged cause of this "crime wave," this decade's...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 18, 2007

Whose Japan deserves youth's patriotism now?

'I for one, cannot believe that love of one's country must consist in blindness to its social faults, in deafness to its social discords, in inarticulation of its social wrongs. Neither can I believe that the mere accident of birth in a certain country or the mere scrap of a citizen's paper constitutes...
EDITORIALS
Feb 17, 2007

Qualified GDP growth

The government has announced that Japan's economy continued to grow for the eighth consecutive quarter in the October-December period. Gross domestic product in the quarter registered 1.2 percent growth in real terms from the previous quarter, translating to an annualized 4.8 percent. This growth rate...
Reader Mail
Feb 14, 2007

English can be just as vague

Roger Pulvers' Jan. 30 article, "Euphemisms may mask ruder instincts -- or not," was as interesting as his articles usually are. However, I feel that two aspects could have been emphasized a little stronger to bring more balance to the piece:
EDITORIALS
Feb 14, 2007

Dignity for disabled people

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 13. The convention, which covers rights to education, health, work, cultural activities, etc., is the first human-rights treaty of the 21st century....

Longform

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