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Reader Mail
Mar 31, 2013

Parental effectiveness irrelevant

Regarding the March 28 Washington Post article published in The Japan Times under the headline "Effects of same-sex parenting debated": When logically evaluating an argument, it is good practice to first eliminate irrelevant assertions.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 30, 2013

The car of the future that runs on air

There was a sense, when I arrived in Paris a couple of weeks ago, that France was if not quite in meltdown then certainly enduring a profound existential crisis.
EDITORIALS
Mar 30, 2013

Lessons of the Cyprus crisis

The collapse of Cyprus' banking system may have been averted thanks to an international rescue, but causes of the crisis have not been eradicated.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 29, 2013

Court says railway can make patrons pay through the nose

Railway patrons can now sue over fares, for what it's worth.
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 29, 2013

Revamped Kabukiza theater aims to charm a new audience

The Kabukiza is back — with big ambitions and aspirations to make the nation's classical theatrical entertainment more attractive to a 21st-century audience.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 27, 2013

Abe so far soothing U.S. fears, says ex-envoy

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has so far convinced the United States that he can exercise strong leadership to reshape Japan after a decade of political turmoil, but he should also be careful not to damage relations with South Korea, now strained by diplomatic tensions, a former U.S. ambassador to Japan...
BUSINESS
Mar 26, 2013

Cyprus bailout's long-term impact uncertain

European leaders Monday hailed a last-minute bailout for Cyprus as an important step in defending their unified currency, but some officials and analysts questioned whether the deal raised new problems that could still threaten the survival of the euro.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / JAPAN-CHINA RELATIONS SYMPOSIUM
Mar 26, 2013

Private sector urged to do more to help rebuild Japan-China relations

The private sector has a key role in the efforts to rebuild mutual trust between Japan and China as political disputes begin to affect economic relations, experts from the two countries said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2013

Abe wants TOEFL to be key exam

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is not satisfied with revising monetary policy — he also appears bent on reviving another failing field: the public's ability to speak English.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 25, 2013

Yoisho! A word to move mountains (and smaller things)

The man from next door says it. My mother-in-law says it. The guy in the grocery store says it. The nurse on TV says it. Seems like everyone says Yoisho! (よいしょ!) It's one of those expressions that appear to be a common part of everyday Japanese life but are not usually taught in Japanese language...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Mar 24, 2013

Shimane reaches 30 victories for first time in franchise history

Shimane Susanoo Magic coach Zeljko Pavlicevic's club reached the 30-win plateau for the first time in franchise history on Saturday, beating the visiting Toyama Grouses 90-78.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 23, 2013

'Baby picture' of universe backs, upsets theories

Cosmologists have released the most detailed "baby picture" yet of the early universe, a portrait that helps answer some of the deepest scientific questions while providing enough surprises to keep researchers busy for years.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / EVERYMAN EATS
Mar 22, 2013

Running with the ramen hunters

Ramen is to Japanese food as school-girl uniforms are to porn — the animating fetish that sustains an entire industry. Helping to scratch the noodle itch is an army of bloggers whose dispatches are consumed with voyeuristic glee. The numbers are against them — with a ramen shop on nearly every street...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 21, 2013

Japan needs to rebrand for SXSW

The purpose of the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, is for musicians to woo new fans and industry insiders. The five-day festival, though, hasn't been about bands for a while — it's about brands.
Reader Mail
Mar 21, 2013

Yesterday's battle over abortion

According to the March 19 editorial "New fetal test guideline," the test in question (which can detect Down's syndrome) should be restricted because widespread use of the test could result in increased abortions. This ethical battle was settled long ago.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 19, 2013

Ginza stage set for Kabukiza's fifth coming

The venerable Kabukiza Theater in Tokyo's Ginza district reopens April 2 after three years of renovations and the addition of a 29-floor attached office tower.
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Mar 17, 2013

Yokohama conflagration, National Mobilization Bill debated, mines removed, five-day working week achieved

100 YEARS AGOSaturday, March 8, 1913
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Mar 17, 2013

Ski sortie takes a shrewd turn for the cuter

It was cold and snowing and my mind was far away: I was already imagining returning to the warmth and color of the indoors after this, my latest winter sortie outdoors. It was only the rhythm of my skiing that was keeping me on track and bound for home.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2013

Leaders we can trust again

Leaders with a compelling vision whom we can trust again could turn back the tide of public cynicism in democratic governance. But where are they
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Mar 14, 2013

Karachi touts fresh camel milk as 'world's next superfood'

During the evening rush hour in central Karachi, Nadeem Mutloob can barely keep up with demand at his curbside milk bar, a popular stop for workers on their way home. Customers line up for cool bottles of what Mutloob and some medical researchers tout as an unbeatable health supplement: camel milk, or,...
Reader Mail
Mar 14, 2013

The scoop on cherry blossoms

Just a short note of appreciation for The Japan Times columns of Kaori Shoji and Thomas Dillon (When East Marries West). The insight, humor and wit from both are an absolute balance on the daily news from North Korea, Iran, Middle East, Africa, etc.
Reader Mail
Mar 14, 2013

Giving compassion a chance

Certainly there's evidence of a bullying mentality in most of the world's major religions — so much cruelty in this world, all in the name of this god or that one.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Mar 13, 2013

Aomori Wat's set to name Munakata first coach

Former Toyota Motors Alvark coach Koju Munakata will be named the first bench boss in Aomori Wat's history, The Japan Times has learned.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 12, 2013

TPP a risky venture for Japan

If Japan joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership its food self-sufficiency rate would be in danger of plunging from the current incredibly low 39 percent to about 13 percent.
Reader Mail
Mar 10, 2013

'World policeman' won't help

On Jan. 26, 2008, Hugh Cortazzi wrote an article for The Japan Times titled "Democracy is not a panacea," but now that the United States has seen the first term of a Democratic president rather than a Republican one (the lack of distinction between the two parties' foreign policies notwithstanding),...
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2013

Abe plan for sovereignty day fete irks Okinawans

The prime minister's declaration of a ceremony to commemorate the 1952 end of the Allied Occupation and restoration of Japan's sovereignty strikes a sore nerve in Okinawa.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 8, 2013

Veteran coach Nash has Toyama poised for playoff run

Stable leadership is as important to a team's success as hard-working players.
Reader Mail
Mar 7, 2013

Suspicious cancer-risk authority

I am disappointed that The Japan Times gave such a big headline to the March 2 front-page AP article "Fukushima cancer risk marginal: WTO." People who don't know the relationship between the World Health Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency might innocently be taken in.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan