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EDITORIALS
Jun 19, 2011

Fleeing natural disasters

Last year, 42 million people worldwide were forced to flee their homes because of natural disasters, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center reported two weeks ago. The worst year on record, 2010 saw problems worldwide, with 15 million forced to leave their homes in China and 11 million in Pakistan...
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2011

Don't count Ozawa out until he is

Over the decades he's been dubbed the "shadow shogun," "the destroyer" and "the backroom fixer" for his powerful influence in the political arena and penchant for shaking up governments with his "strong hand."
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 17, 2011

Meitoku players give famed kabuki piece the Kurosawa treatment

In 1985, director Akira Kurosawa released "Ran," a Japanese take on William Shakespear's masterpiece "King Lear." Kochi's Meitoku International Players are taking a similar approach to Namiki Gohei's 1840 kabuki piece "Kanjicho" by presenting it in an Italian setting and performed in English.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2011

New budget carrier Peach hopes to fly high, charge low

Despite the huge impact the ongoing nuclear crisis is having on the nation's travel and aviation industries, the head of Japan's newest budget carrier said it is sticking to plans it made before March 11, including extremely low fares and black ink three years after its takeoff.
Reader Mail
Jun 12, 2011

The opposite of a 'dead zone'

The Japan Times' coverage of the Tohoku-Pacific disasters has been excellent. Keep up the great work. I write with regard to the comment on the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster by Ukraine's ambassador to Japan (May 27 Bloomberg article "Fukushima No. 1 eyed as site for nuke graveyard") that...
Japan Times
LIFE
Jun 12, 2011

Heights of survival

When the March 11 tsunami hit the village of Yoshihama in Iwate Prefecture, the water overran a seawall, smashed through a coastal pine forest, poured over a large embankment and then surged up a long, low-lying valley. It was a scenario almost identical to that being played out at dozens of settlements...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 11, 2011

How I saved ¥40,000 doing it myself

The day I leave Japan, the country will be worse off for it. The Japanese will have lost a cartoon character in their comic strip of life. Once I am gone, who will they laugh at?
BUSINESS
Jun 11, 2011

Reactor makers look to green energy amid nuclear allergy

In the three months since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami damaged the Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant, the nation's three reactor makers have started to focus more on renewable energy sources, particularly solar, wind and geothermal power.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2011

Widen evacuation zone for children, pregnant women: Greenpeace chief

The government should consider evacuating children and pregnant women from a wider area around the Fukushima No. 1 power plant because radiation levels remain high even outside the 20-km no-go zone, Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International, said Thursday in Tokyo.
Reader Mail
Jun 9, 2011

Politicians are losing the people

News about whether Prime Minister Naoto Kan will retire or not has been reported every day. There is a big gap between the government and the people. What politicians are discussing goes against the will of the people. Politicians have to notice that people are moving away from government. People are...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 9, 2011

Sawamura learning from mistakes in debut season

Before a recent game against the Yomiuri Giants, a rival Central League player remarked that rookie Hirokazu Sawamura might become the Giants' best hurler once he really learns how to pitch.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 2011

Are we prepared for a multipolar economy?

At a time when the global economy is suffering from a crisis of confidence, structural imbalances, and subdued growth prospects, looking ahead 10 years to predict the course of development requires careful modeling and something beyond sagacity. What is needed is a multifaceted approach that combines...
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 7, 2011

Probe poised to take Tepco to task

Shortly after 7 a.m. on March 12, Prime Minister Naoto Kan confronted Masao Yoshida, director of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, at the compound in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture.
Reader Mail
Jun 5, 2011

Disappointing neglect of victims

I am very disappointed, but not surprised, by the publication of the May 29 front-page AP article "Memo emblematic of disaster plan flaws." In the article, Tokyo Electric Power Co. is castigated for not knowing that there were apparent advances in science showing the potential for large earthquakes and...
/ Sarah Furuya Coaching
Jun 2, 2011

A hard road to the leading edge

Paul Frey writes in his May 29 letter, "Japan's return to the leading edge," that Japan can be a leader in the "new" areas of wind, solar, geothermal, conservation and energy efficiency. That goal will certainly not be reached tomorrow, but I agree with Frey that Japan ought to take serious steps in...
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2011

Volunteers still in great need but tapering off

Sticking by a friend's side when times get rough is what proves one's worth as a volunteer worker — and Fukushima Prefecture will need such help for a long time in a variety of ways, says Yasuo Seki, an official at the Fukushima Prefecture Disaster Volunteer Center.
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Jun 1, 2011

Sony's horrible year is not over yet

This was supposed to be Sony's year. PlayStation 3 sales were on the uptick and, back in January, the Tokyo-based electronics giant introduced its upcoming game handheld, currently codenamed Next Generation Portable or NGP. Then disaster struck, not once but several times. For Sony, 2011 is really starting...
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
May 30, 2011

Bedfellows of those 'lax,' 'insular' Japanese

Are some of those who write for The New York Times utterly unaware of the rest of the world — including the United States?
COMMENTARY
May 30, 2011

High-fat diet for treating epilepsy is revived

The ketogenic diet, a high-fat, adequate-protein and low-carbohydrate diet, is regaining popularity in treating difficult-to-control cases of epilepsy, particularly in children. The classic ketogenic diet contains a 4 to 1 ratio by weight of fat to combined amounts of protein and carbohydrates.
Reader Mail
May 29, 2011

Japan's return to the leading edge

Regarding the May 25 front-page article "Tepco admits two more meltdowns": In recent times Japan has been viewed globally as being on the leading edge and as forward-thinking. The disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant has changed the image. The only way for Japan to regain that image is to phase...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 28, 2011

Here comes the rainy season boot camp

It's May and Kyushu has already officially entered the rainy season. The rest of Japan is not far behind. What, no spring? Well, we all know what happened to spring this year. It headed to the Middle East: The Arab Spring. Let someone else have some of it.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 27, 2011

ALT returnee: Fukushima stable

Bidding family and close friends farewell is never easy, but American Travis Hauan said his parents and girlfriend were "pretty cool" about it — even though he was heading thousands of kilometers away to Fukushima Prefecture amid the ongoing nuclear crisis.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2011

Japan: the silent IMF partner

Which of the following often used words is wrong — "Japan's the world's third biggest economic power"?
COMMENTARY
May 23, 2011

Health in hand with education

Better education, particularly among mothers, is widely associated with better health. Experiences in several countries have shown the power of education to increase the nutritional levels and the health status of the poor.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 23, 2011

Phoenix claim second straight title

The beast of the East proved once again it is the bj-league's best team.
Reader Mail
May 22, 2011

Unforgettable celluloid memories

The Observer book review of Philip French's "I Found It at the Movies" (which ran in The Japan Times on May 8 under the headline "Confessions of a movie maniac") reminded me that I used to watch five movies a week so that I could write reviews for The Film Buff, which was read by the famous San Francisco...
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 20, 2011

Osaka-Ryukyu battle highlights semifinals

Final Four weekend brings three teams to Tokyo that were expected to be here and one that joined the mix by a less conventional route.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear