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Reader Mail
Apr 30, 2009

Vote-buying is the problem

Regarding the April 22 article "A violent warning for Thailand's urban elites": I would like the author to do more research on the opinion of the rich and the poor, the urbanites and the rural residents. The problem is not that the elites are looking down on the poor but that the poor and politically...
Reader Mail
Apr 30, 2009

Aso widening rich-poor gap

I fully agree with the points Noriko Hama made in her April 20 article "Aso's gift-tax cut for rich puts wealth gap issue on back burner." Instead of providing real help to those who need it, the Aso government is giving money to its buddies — those who already have more than enough. Japan will deteriorate...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 28, 2009

Berlitz blitz against union bogs down

After the second court hearing on April 20 in Berlitz Japan's lawsuit against unionized teachers, the legal fight seems bogged down in a form of trench warfare.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 27, 2009

Investigation into DJP aide raises many questions

Were the public prosecutors politically motivated when they arrested and indicted a top aide to the leader of the No. 1 opposition party for seemingly minor charges? Why were the actions taken at a time when Ichiro Ozawa, the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, is said to have a fair chance of leading...
Reader Mail
Apr 26, 2009

Petty, insidious regulations

Regarding the article "DPJ Slams Strict Bills on Foreign Residents:" Japan is already the most over-regulated country in the world, and most of its regulations are never even enforced. Many of them do not target real trouble spots at all, just soft targets that are convenient for bureaucrats to make...
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2009

Lower House passes bill widening MSDF antipiracy role

The Lower House passed an antipiracy bill Thursday to create a permanent law enabling the Maritime Self-Defense Force to protect ships of any nationality against pirates, amid strong protests from opposition parties.
Reader Mail
Apr 23, 2009

Why make immigration tougher?

"Another factor drawing flak pertains to cases in which foreigners with a spouse visa move away from their spouses, and thus fail to maintain 'a normal married life.' " I found this quote from the April 17 article "DPJ slams strict bills on foreign residents" to be particularly ironic. I would say most...
Reader Mail
Apr 23, 2009

Leniency will make matters worse

Regarding the April 14 article "Calderon couple exit Japan": As far as I know it is a standard practice among countries worldwide to deport illegal immigrants who have been apprehended. In the Calderon case, the daughter was granted special permission to stay in Japan, however. I wonder what legal criteria...
COMMENTARY
Apr 23, 2009

No place for doctors who torture

Physicians and other medical personnel were involved in the abusive interrogation of terrorists suspects held overseas by the CIA, according to a secret report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The report was obtained by journalist Mark Danner, who has written extensively about...
COMMENTARY
Apr 22, 2009

Nuclear disarmament: too much, too soon?

There is no country on Earth more committed to global nuclear disarmament than Japan. Ever since experiencing firsthand the horrors of nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese government and people have been steadfast in calling for the total elimination of nuclear weapons from the planet....
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 20, 2009

Looking for a new leader

David Cameron, the leader of the British opposition Conservative Party, is the envy of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which is in desperate need to find someone to replace or succeed Taro Aso, whose popularity remains low despite a political scandal involving the Democratic Party of Japan —...
Reader Mail
Apr 19, 2009

Nintendo makes learning exciting

Regarding the April 10 article "Nintendo aims to turn DS device into learning tool, guide": As a recent visitor to Japan as well as a history teacher in the state of New York, it never ceases to amaze me the extent to which Japan and the industries within Japan are consistently at the forefront of technology...
Reader Mail
Apr 19, 2009

American termites are tough

Regarding the April 12 article "American termites infesting Japan, exterminators warn": If they are the kind of termite found in California, you can't get rid of them by just spraying. In bad cases, in addition to drilling into the underground nest and drilling into the wood frame work to pump in poison,...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 19, 2009

North Korea's rocket test and the road ahead

WASHINGTON — North Korea's motives for its April 5 rocket launch are open to speculation: a demonstration of its ability to reach out and touch the United States; test-marketing to Iranians who are reported to have observed the launch; a "remember me" welcome to the new Obama administration; or some...
Reader Mail
Apr 16, 2009

Way to victory in Afghanistan

While I was reading Ted Rall's April 4 article "U.S. can't afford Afghan war," I had an epiphany of what was needed to be done for Afghanistan. The United States needs to provide the people of Afghanistan with something that the "insurgents" cannot provide: a way out of poverty (40 percent unemployment...
Reader Mail
Apr 16, 2009

Human nature remains constant

Regarding the April 3 article "Lost & Found: Cache of mislaid Edo Period photos resurface in Berlin": It is interesting to see how the personal politics of 1861 are no different than today. People hired for political reasons, a jealous artist undermining new technology and historical documents closed...
COMMENTARY
Apr 14, 2009

Pakistan: building peace by building schools

You can try to force peace through military might — and you are bound to fail — or you can build peace through education. That seems to be the main lesson behind Greg Mortenson's life and work. Thanks to his efforts, 78 schools have been built in Pakistan and thousands of children have been educated,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 14, 2009

So, you wanna be a Johnny?

What do the most popular male celebrity in Japan and a star of Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima" have in common?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 14, 2009

'A battle for Japan's future'

Despite being Japan's most densely populated area, Warabi rarely causes a blip on the national media radar.
Reader Mail
Apr 12, 2009

Wrong way to treat people

Regarding the April 2 article "Axed Brazilians, Peruvians to be paid to leave Japan," I find it amazing that the Japanese government is doing this . . . it sounds like voluntary deportation to me. In the United Kingdom we have around 65 million people. Unemployment is running at around 2 million, which...
Reader Mail
Apr 12, 2009

Revised speed limits a good idea

Regarding the April 3 article, "Speed limits face first revision since '89": The move to modernize speed limits is a good idea. On the highways, warnings should be more regularly issued at 110 kph and citations at 120 kph. Conversely, the limit on most of the Shuto should be restored from 60 kph to 80...
Reader Mail
Apr 12, 2009

Bowlegs revisited

In 2008, I traveled south in Japan to Matsuyama and its surroundings. Bowleggedness was so prevalent among women down there that we took photos of many of them, intrigued by why it should be so. We discussed it almost daily and started to notice more the occasional young lady with straight legs. By...
Reader Mail
Apr 12, 2009

How to raise bilingual children

Regarding the April 2 article "Peers will set pace of language": The "problem" of raising bilingual children seems to be related to the death of common sense. The simple and obvious solution is to designate different days for each language: Mondays for Japanese, Tuesdays for English, Wednesdays for...
Reader Mail
Apr 12, 2009

The younger, the better

Regarding the March 31 article "Look overseas to address Japan's lag in English ability": As a foreign English teacher, with a Japanese wife and daughter who wish to stay in Japan, I despair for the child's future when I see how casual Japanese students are about learning English. This country was once...
Reader Mail
Apr 12, 2009

Less work, more people

If the author of the article "Women, know your place" is being extremely sarcastic, then fine, but if she is being serious, she must be kidding. Japan faces a huge dilemma, with its aging and declining population and its low birthrate. If Japan does not act now, then the country as we know it will cease...
Reader Mail
Apr 12, 2009

A better place for women

Kris Kosaka's March 31 Zeit Gist article, "Women, know your place," which outlined the situation of women in Japan, was very enlightening and should be a wakeup call to women — and men — that Japan doesn't have the luxury of keeping its key players on the sidelines. In this global economy, every...
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2009

An admirable Japanese export

Regarding the March 25 article "Japanese give Paris tidiness lesson": It is nice to learn that the Japanese are trying to spread their culture of cleanliness to other places. Every time I returned to my country after spending a year in Japan, I used to get a shock when I saw the difference. Some people...
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2009

Point well made with sarcasm

I want to congratulate Kris Kosaka for the very well written March 31 Zeit Gist article, "Women, know your place." As someone who is very fond of satire, I enjoyed the sharp bite and felt compelled to check for a puddle under my paper due to the dripping sarcasm.
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2009

Playing the fool in hard times

On April 1, I combed The Japan Times hoping to find an April Fools' Day story to match the one two years ago about "Hachiko." I think I found it in the April 2 article "Axed Brazilians, Peruvians to be paid to leave Japan."

Longform

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