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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Nov 15, 2011

Tokyo ordinance a potential contract-killer

A prediction: if Japan ever becomes a police state, it will come about not by national law but municipal ordinances. And the war on organized crime could be the engine that drives the process.
Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2011

Occupy Tokyo a welcome sight

Regarding Michael Hoffman's Nov. 7 Bilingual page article, "Occupy Tokyo lacks focus but still demands change": I am a 21-year-old African American who has watched and participated in the Occupy Wall Street movement of Oakland, California. I am happy to hear that the movement supporting the future of...
Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2011

Give tourists better rail option

Regarding the Nov. 6 Kyodo article "Foreign tourism in Yamanashi plummets": If Japan is really serious about attracting more tourists, Japan Railway needs to get rid of the rule that forbids rail pass holders from traveling on Nozomi lines of the Shinkansen (bullet train). This rule might have been fair...
Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2011

3-D films not worth the price

"Sony to stop handing out 3-D glasses" (Sept. 29 AP article) may be a prescient move. For my own part, I'm not fond of 3-D movies because the effect isn't all that thrilling. The screen is slightly dimmer, and the ticket price is 50 percent more.
Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2011

Olympus case is hardly unique

The Nov. 9 front-page article "Olympus admits hiding losses since 1990s" comes as no surprise. Many companies that were hit hard by reckless risky behavior during the bubble years, be it in securities or properties, had hell to pay in subsequent years.
Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2011

Look at who received a medal

I usually enjoy Tom Plate's relativistic ruminations and ramblings, but I have to question his judgment concerning Lee Kuan Yew and the Lincoln Medal in his Nov. 7 article, "Asian leader receives coveted American award." Ironically this letter, and perhaps even some of Plate's columns, would probably...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 13, 2011

Creating a future for Japan's aging society

Japan is an elderly country. Twenty-three percent of its population is 65 or over. By 2050, nearly 40 percent will be. Nothing like these demographics has ever been seen before, here or anywhere. This is well-known and much discussed, usually in terms of the grim implications for an enfeebled economy...
Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2011

European outlook toward Africa

As for Gwynne Dyer's Nov. 7 article, "The population disaster looms mostly for Africa," no worries. Africa has always managed to control its population either by way of man-made disasters or natural calamities. Of course, the "white masters" of Europe have also lent a helping hand once in a while with...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 12, 2011

Retiree's blog about old car catalogs finds fans

A blog written by a 76-year-old retiree in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, is finding an audience among car buffs.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 12, 2011

Modern Greece built on myth

Greece is the cradle of democracy, but as the world has seen recently, a financial crisis is no time to put important questions to the people. Prime Minister George Papandreou's proposed referendum on the country's loan deal with the European Union, called off quickly after intense international opposition,...
Reader Mail
Nov 10, 2011

Choose your tyranny in Libya

Regarding Brahma Chellaney's Nov. 8 article, "America's troubling support for oil-rich Islamist regimes": The double-standard of sanctioning a theocracy in Libya, of course, arises because of Western support for representative democracy, which is itself a imposition of the majority's values on the minority....
Reader Mail
Nov 10, 2011

Why are refugees complaining?

I enjoyed the Nov. 3 article "Karen refugees snub farm, try luck in Tokyo," but am a bit surprised. I know that many Japanese work Saturdays and nearly 10 hours a day. A two-hour commute on a train to go to work and another two hours to return home is not uncommon. I know people who have done this for...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2011

Russia's Eurasian integration

With Russia's 2012 presidential elections effectively over since Vladimir Putin's decision to reclaim his old Kremlin office, it is time to turn from personalities to policies. Putin plans to stay in the Kremlin for two more presidential terms, another 12 years, as he is enabled to do by the recently-amended...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Nov 8, 2011

Put the best interests of children above pride and prejudice

I have written about my story previously to The Japan Times, but this most recent article from Richard Cory ("Left-behind dads take desperate measures," Zeit Gist, Oct. 4) spurs me to write again.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2011

Crime in America: execution of the mentally ill

Christopher Johnson's execution by the State of Alabama creates serious doubts about the justice of a measure that is widely criticized by human rights advocates throughout the world. According to the group Equal Justice Initiative, the Alabama Supreme Court planned the execution without even engaging...
Reader Mail
Nov 6, 2011

Original sin of Futenma

When U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta came to Japan recently, the first thing he did was to urge Tokyo to move ahead with the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from overcrowded Ginowan City to Henoko in the northern part of Okinawa Island, as had been expected.
Reader Mail
Nov 6, 2011

Deportee's death in detention

I was truly shocked after reading the Nov. 1 Community page article "Justice stalled in brutal (March 2010) death of deportee (Abubakar Awadu Suraj of Ghana)." Thank you for putting this story on The Japan Times Web site. Please keep us informed of the outcome of the court case and truth of what really...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 5, 2011

Micro-hydro power set to light up cherry tree

The city of Motosu in Gifu Prefecture is planning to light up its famous Usuzumi Zakura cherry tree, said to be more than 1,500 years old, during the "hanami" season using electricity from a small hydroelectric generator.
Reader Mail
Nov 3, 2011

Health warning over TPP

Regarding the Oct. 30 article, "Noda to declare Japan will join TPP at APEC," while the Japanese government is planning to join the talks for the TPP negotiations, an increasing number of medical professionals express concern about whether people would be affected by medical insurance liberalization,...
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2011

Timing may be everything in TPP

As emerging Asian economies facilitate growth in the region and increasingly stand out as important players in global trade, the United States appears intent on getting its own share of the pie in the form of taking a leadership role in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade framework.
Reader Mail
Nov 3, 2011

Culture shift to make cycling safer

Regarding the Oct. 26 article "Reckless cyclists face crackdown," I don't see that stricter enforcement of existing bicycle safety laws, or levying fines, or even banning bicycles from sidewalks altogether necessarily effectively address the problem of accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 3, 2011

Must-see indie groups coming out of Aichi

Nagoya is the biggest city in Aichi Prefecture and has a population of well over 2 million, so there is no way an article like this can hope to capture the full depth of its musical talent. However, here are a few bands that are well worth checking out.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 1, 2011

Matchmakers in wings as singles rise

How can you meet the spouse of your dreams? To find that special someone to spend the rest of your life with, to have children and grow old together? Who can fit the bill?
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Nov 1, 2011

Ganbatte and gaman stifle debate, hinder recovery

Nuclear debate discouraged Re: "Japan needs less ganbatte, more genuine action" by Debito Arudou (Just Be Cause, Oct. 4):
Reader Mail
Oct 30, 2011

Risks attached to station closure

In response to the Oct. 28 article "Keeping Futenma in Okinawa 'impossible,' governor warns," the controversy over the air station reminds me of the Vieques Naval Gunnery range and Roosevelt Roads Navy base in Puerto Rico.
Reader Mail
Oct 30, 2011

Choices in front of Asia

Regarding the article "Ill omens for Asian economies" (Oct. 24), equality in standards of living and opportunities for advancement are goals that should be common, but the GDP formula of indiscriminate growth must be consigned to history.
Reader Mail
Oct 30, 2011

Two wheels better for all

Perhaps your next article on cyclists could cover the economic value and eco-friendliness of riding.
Reader Mail
Oct 30, 2011

Kita's writings touched the heart

Following your Oct. 27 article, "Novelist, essayist Morio Kita dies at 84," my heartfelt condolences go to his family.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 28, 2011

'Fair Game'

The Japan release of "Fair Game" comes nearly 12 months after the U.S. opening and a week after the death of Libyan despot Muammar Gaddafi. For a story all about U.S. involvement in Iraq and that other infamous depot, Saddam Hussein, the timing could be right on the money. Still, a sense of discomfort...

Longform

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