Search - article

 
 
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 11, 2011

From Russia with leverage

Spiraling oil prices and the serious accidents at a major Japanese nuclear power station caused by the March 11 quake and tsunami are helping strengthen the position of Russia in the international community.
Reader Mail
Apr 10, 2011

Don't give lawmakers more cover

Regarding the April 6 Kyodo article "Komeito wary of grand coalition": Is forming a so-called "grand coalition" with opposition parties a way to further develop democracy in Japan? Clearly it would be the opposite.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2011

Market investors loath to weigh real challenges to U.S. economy

HONG KONG — Sometimes I find it hard to understand "Mr. Market" — if I may presume to call and poke fun at the combined wisdom of investors in stock and other markets. Immediately after announcement of a modest rise in U.S. employment numbers, the Dow Jones Industrial average rose, triggering a general...
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Apr 8, 2011

An early warning system in every pocket

Is your cell phone ready for the next quake? And do you want gentle prod or an air siren ringtone?
Reader Mail
Apr 7, 2011

Suggestion of subservience to U.S.

I am mystified why on earth the April 2 article "Kan names quake (Great Eastern Japan Earthquake) at pep talk" is followed by a Kyodo short to the effect that the senior U.S. State Department in charge of East Asia has voiced high praise for the way Japan is coping. It's as if some external examiner...
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2011

Long-term power loss not foreseen in nuclear guidelines

Design guidelines for nuclear plants do not require that utilities take steps against long-term power loss, according to rules published in 1990 and obtained by The Japan Times. The apparent lapse was based on the assumption that in case of an emergency, electricity would be quickly restored or backup...
Reader Mail
Apr 7, 2011

Praying for Fukushima's heroes

Regarding Rob Gilhooly's April 3 article, "Crews driven by sense of mission": The noble "Fukushima 50" and others who risk sacrificing themselves for the well-being of others as they quietly do what they can to contain the ruined reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant are true heroes.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Apr 5, 2011

'Charisma Men' and temps: readers' views

Some readers' responses to last month's Just Be Cause column by Debito Arudou, headlined " Charisma Men, unite against the identity enforcers" (March 1):
Reader Mail
Apr 3, 2011

Nuclear benefits outweigh risks

Philip White's argument against nuclear power in his March 30 article ("A silver lining to the Fukushima disaster?") is weak. It's typical of the attacks used by opponents of atomic energy in that it includes no hard data, relying on vague fears of unseen or unknowable impacts as it tries to steer us...
Reader Mail
Apr 3, 2011

English teachers entering the fray

This month all fifth- and sixth-graders start experiencing English education. Takahiro Fukada's Feb. 26 article, "Are schools ready for English?," truthfully depicts the dire situation at hand. The education ministry is fully responsible for the mess and insufficient preparation of teachers. Nothing...
Reader Mail
Apr 3, 2011

Kids should know what's going on

Regarding Jun Hongo's March 25 Q&A article, "Should kids be shielded from coverage of disaster?": In my opinion, and as a result of personal experience with tragedy, children should play a big part in knowing what's happening with issues. In my neighborhood, I see elementary school-age kids playing around...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2011

Yen for a new global currency

HONG KONG — A growing feeling that the dollar has had its day is still being spoiled by the lack of a ready alternative and by inertia and lack of global political vision or leadership. China's unwillingness to assume international responsibilities is another important factor.
Reader Mail
Apr 3, 2011

Condition for an assistance treaty

Robert D. Eldridge's idea in his March 30 article, "" sounds great, but there should be a condition: Neither country should deploy its military in the other's territory on a permanent basis.
Reader Mail
Mar 31, 2011

Systematic detection of radiation

Regarding Tai Kawabata's March 25 article, " Reveal fallout data": Radiation detectors need to be set up in concentric circles around the Fukushima nuclear plant and results posted periodically on the Web. Air monitoring sensors like those at the University of California at Berkeley — go to www.nuc.berkeley.edu/UCBAirSampling...
Reader Mail
Mar 31, 2011

Prod toward more transparency

Regarding Gregory Clark's March 24 article, "Nuclear meltdowns and Japanese culture": It is always a pleasure to read Clark's considered analysis, steeped as it usually is in high-level personal experience with some wing of the Japanese bureaucracy or industry from the past 30 years.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2011

Quake relief effort highlights a vital U.S. military function

SENDAI — In September 2009, I resigned my tenured faculty position at a Japanese national university to begin working for the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa. While at Osaka University, I had the opportunity to teach many talented Japanese and international students over the years both at the undergraduate...
Reader Mail
Mar 31, 2011

Switch to renewable won't suffice

Regarding Brahma Chellaney's March 23 article, "Nuclear power no solution": The ongoing events in Japan have led many, including Chellaney, to question the role of nuclear technology in energy production, and calls are already being made for countries to abandon their nuclear programs altogether. Global...
Reader Mail
Mar 27, 2011

Keep track of levels toward Sendai

Regarding the March 24 article "Radiation rises in Tokyo water": If radiation levels are about normal for Tokyo, there should also be information on what that means for people farther north, near Fukushima and Sendai. mike shea
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Mar 27, 2011

Spare us shoganai as we face an ominous spring

For two weeks now, ever since death and destruction swept northeastern Japan, all of us here have been trying to get our heads around this catastrophe.
COMMENTARY
Mar 25, 2011

India's Supreme Court allows euthanasia

CHENNAI, India — India's Supreme Court ruled March 14 that an Indian citizen has the right to die with dignity. There are understandable riders to this landmark judgment that said thousands of people leading a vegetative life could have their artificial support systems withdrawn and thus end their...
Reader Mail
Mar 24, 2011

'Happy' Japan has got to be better

Regarding Takamitsu Sawa's March 21 article, "Building a happy society means junking GDP myth": It is interesting to find that, according to Sawa, "affluence and happiness don't mean the same." I, too, hope that Japan will become a "happy" country where those who want to work can get jobs without being...
COMMENTARY
Mar 24, 2011

Nuclear meltdowns and Japanese culture

Japanese engineers have a much deserved reputation for efficiency. How else could they have created a car industry that could defeat the U.S industry on its home ground? But the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant suggests a partial rethink is needed. When it comes to nuclear affairs, maybe...
COMMUNITY
Mar 22, 2011

Judge not, lest you be judged

At this point, a week and a half after the earthquake and tsunami, and with the government and thousands of volunteers rapidly restoring power and water and municipal services to the affected area, Japan — and the world — is anxiously awaiting the resolution of the nuclear crisis in Fukushima.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2011

Egyptians share a demand with Californians

SINGAPORE — While Egypt has had too little democracy and is moving toward more, California has had too much democracy and is moving toward less. The common mean point they should arrive at is democracy that delivers good government — not mushy "governance."
Reader Mail
Mar 20, 2011

Give a governor his just deserts

Regarding the March 16 article "Ishihara sorry for quake gaffe": Recently the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has harangued, harassed and goaded anyone in the ruling party (Democratic Party of Japan) who has made the slightest and most unintentional of errors — so much so that a vital DPJ leader like...
Reader Mail
Mar 20, 2011

U.S. Navy could boost power grid

Regarding Jun Hongo's March 16 article, "One certainty in the crisis: Power will be at a premium": One way Japan might increase the production of electricity is to work a deal with the U.S. government. The U.S. Navy has a ready supply of mobile nuclear power plants that can provide enough electricity...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 20, 2011

Local broadcasters remain calm during the quake crisis

More than a week after the massive earthquake and tsunami of March 11, Japan's commercial broadcasters are still weighing the crisis as it develops. The weekend following the catastrophe, all planned programming was canned for round-the-clock coverage of the tragedy, and whatever you want to say about...
Reader Mail
Mar 20, 2011

Rare throwback to 19th century

Regarding the March 16 article "Ishihara sorry for quake gaffe": Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's remark suggesting that the earthquake-tsunami in northeast Japan was "divine punishment" against the Japanese for egoism shocked me.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 18, 2011

Warung Bintang: A taste trip to the Bali backstreets

With all the thousands of Japanese who visit Bali each year, enjoying its beguiling climate and culture, it's a mystery why the island's cuisine does not have more adherents here. Indonesian restaurants are so few and far between in Tokyo that any addition to their number is worthy of note. When it's...
Reader Mail
Mar 17, 2011

U.S. official walked into ambush

Regarding the March 11 front-page article "U.S. sacks Maher, apologizes for remarks ": Some facts are clearly being left out of the news reports on this topic. What Kevin Maher, director of Japan Affairs for the U.S. State Department, didn't know when he met with American University students in Washington...

Longform

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