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Reader Mail
Aug 30, 2012

The fight against climate change

A quote often attributed to Gandhi reads "Be the change you want to see in the world." This sentiment seems lost on Stephen Hesse, who, in his Aug. 26 article titled "If we ruin the air, what will our children breathe?", writes about his trans-Pacific sojourn with a group of Japanese university students...
Reader Mail
Aug 30, 2012

Another chance for Abe to lead

Regarding the Aug. 25 front-page article "On sex slaves, Hashimoto on same page as Abe": It is very hard to believe that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seriously thinks of himself as a viable contender for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency who should be given another chance to lead the country....
Reader Mail
Aug 30, 2012

Harbinger of the future is here

Thank you for Stephen Hesse's insightful Aug. 26 article, "If we ruin the air, what will our children breathe?" Here in Missouri the drought of 2012 continues to oppress both farmer and rancher across the state. Rural water wells are going dry! Major cities are asking residents to refrain from watering...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Aug 29, 2012

Japan's tomato boom not yet bust

Japan's tomato boom still has some juice.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Aug 27, 2012

Today's J-blip: Seiyu social TV commercial

Seiyu lets the Internet call the shots for its next TV commercial.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2012

Middle East buildup refutes critics of Obama

Here are some facts that should be considered by those who criticize the Barack Obama administration for "leading from behind" in the troubled Middle East.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Aug 27, 2012

Noda's hapless diplomacy

Strange though it may seem, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who heads the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, is seeking support and advice from former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori of the No. 1 opposition Liberal Democratic Party in his bid to restructure Japanese diplomacy in general as well as improve...
Reader Mail
Aug 26, 2012

'Grandmothers' still victimized

Regarding the Aug. 23 article "No evidence sex slaves were taken by military: Hashimoto": I always read The Japan Times in the afternoon, and although I should be used to it, I am always flabbergasted by what politicians dare to say.
Reader Mail
Aug 26, 2012

Infeasible retirement proposal

Regarding the Aug. 22 article "What if no-benefit 'retirement' age is set at 40?": Mandatory retirement at 40 would hit around the age when many people have families with small children. Japan already has a huge problem with low birthrates. I imagine that the prospect of losing one's job just when family...
Reader Mail
Aug 26, 2012

Let Hashimoto show his evidence

Regarding the Aug. 23 front-page article "No evidence sex slaves were taken by military: Hashimoto": Although there is overwhelming evidence that Japan forcibly used "comfort women" during its brutal occupation of Korea, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has revealed his abhorrent character by suggesting that...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 26, 2012

Should the public trust Japan's leaders when the 'big one' hits Tokyo?

No two calamities are alike, yet the needs of victims vary only in scale, not in kind.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Aug 25, 2012

Forced out 20 years ago, moms return as cops

Donning badges for the first time in more than 20 years has given a new sense of duty to three female officers in the Shiga Prefectural Police who were effectively forced out when they had kids.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Aug 24, 2012

Poorer people passing up cancer screenings

The lower your income, the less likely you'll take advantage of your local cancer screening program.
Reader Mail
Aug 23, 2012

Who's letting the tail wag the dog?

According to the Aug. 17 Kyodo article "Osprey crash in April due to pilot error: U.S.": Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is reported to have urged Tokyo to deal with the issues of U.S. Osprey aircraft deployment and Futenma air base relocation from the wider security perspective...
Reader Mail
Aug 23, 2012

Ray of hope from Noda's words

I read through the Aug. 16 front-page article "Two Cabinet Ministers visit Yasukuni," expecting to be dismayed and angered in equal measure. There was one ray of hope and, all the more surprisingly, it came from Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda himself.
Reader Mail
Aug 23, 2012

India needs U.S., Israel as allies

The analyses in Louise O'Brien's Aug. 19 letter, "India should not look to NATO," and in Ramesh Thakur's Aug. 15 article, "India and Pakistan: Come and dream with me," are wrong. As an ethnic Indian, Thakur especially should know the history of India since the seventh century, when Muslims first invaded...
COMMENTARY
Aug 23, 2012

Australia's call for thoughts on Iraq

On Aug. 16 a group of Australians, led by former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and former Chief of the Defense Force Gen. Peter Gration, launched a call for an inquiry into how and why Australia joined the Iraq war in 2003. The goal is not to rake over old coals, but to improve how war and peace decisions...
COMMENTARY
Aug 22, 2012

Remembering Japan's 'deserters'

The Obon festival celebrated on Aug. 15 in many parts of Japan marks the alleged release of ghosts from past mythical sufferings. The Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's 1945 defeat also gives Japan's dwindling band of progressive TV program producers freedom to confront the ghosts of Japan's militaristic...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Aug 21, 2012

Tepco liable for contract workers' safety in Fukushima

'Usually I spend New Year's Eve eating New Year's soba and go with my whole family to listen to the watch-night bell. But this year, I will spend Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 working. I will see the first sunrise of the year looking out over the sea driving along the highway toward the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Aug 21, 2012

Meet Loco: blogger, author — and racist?

A glance of distrust on the sidewalk. A seemingly harmless question. An empty seat on an otherwise packed train.
COMMENTARY
Aug 20, 2012

Measuring a society's value

Guan Zhong, an ancient Chinese savant, once stated that people learn to behave with good manners only when they have sufficient clothing and food.
Reader Mail
Aug 19, 2012

Mutations have many causes

Regarding the Aug. 12 Jiji Press article "Radioactive fallout from Fukushima nuclear meltdowns (in 2011) caused abnormalities in Japan's butterflies": And they could only find nuclear sins in innocent butterflies?
Reader Mail
Aug 19, 2012

India should not look to NATO

Ramesh Thakur's Aug. 15 article, "India and Pakistan: Come and dream with me," is great. But I think one of the big problems (with Thakur's economic dream for South Asia) is that Israel would like to use India to help it fight future wars against Muslims.
Reader Mail
Aug 19, 2012

Why shame Truman's grandson?

Masami Ito's Aug. 11 article, "Moment of truth for kin of A-bomb decision" was most interesting for the questions not asked:
Reader Mail
Aug 19, 2012

Noda tempts economic disaster

Regarding the Aug. 11 front-page article "Upper House passes bill to hike sales levy": As someone who lives in Japan, I think raising the consumption tax at this time is an ill-conceived idea and one that could very well be the impetus for economic disaster.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Aug 18, 2012

Chubu sees solid future in sunlight

The Chubu region, which boasts more hours of sunlight than average in Japan, is increasingly being targeted for new solar plants by companies wanting to tap into the new feed-in tariff system that guarantees an attractive price for electricity produced from renewable energy.
Reader Mail
Aug 16, 2012

Standing up for Japan's farmers

The Aug. 9 Bloomberg article "JA farm co-op behemoth puts self first, free trade last" was right on the mark about special interests' preventing Japan's comparatively inefficient agricultural system from evolving. However, some issues deserve greater emphasis.
Reader Mail
Aug 16, 2012

Why give geothermal short shrift?

Regarding the Aug. 13 article "The power reform charade" (reprinted from Sentaku magazine): The debate about supplying electricity for Japan's future and present needs focuses on the current "accepted" forms of generation — oil, gas, nuclear and coal — but not on renewables such as wind, waves and...
Reader Mail
Aug 16, 2012

Tepco must reveal everything

Regarding the Aug. 10 front-page Jiji Press article "Seawater option for meltdown galled execs": Over the ages, we humans have made small mistakes, big mistakes and very big mistakes. It is human to err. To learn from the mistakes and take effective steps not to repeat them is what set humans apart from...
COMMENTARY
Aug 15, 2012

Economics of austerity don't add up

Do Europe's budget-cutting austerity-minded planners understand simple math? They say they have to embrace austerity policies to reduce excessive national debt. But those policies inevitably cut tax revenues more than they cut spending. National debt increases rather than decreases. Worse, recovery from...

Longform

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