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COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Mar 24, 2009

Justice Ministry turned me into Russian hottie

Dear Ministry of Justice,
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 24, 2009

Punishing foreigners, exonerating Japanese

Examine any justice system and patterns emerge. For example, consider how Japan's policing system treats non-Japanese. Zeit Gist has discussed numerous times (July 8, 2008; Feb. 20 and Nov. 13, 2007; May 24, 2005; Jan. 13, 2004; Oct. 7, 2003) how police target and racially profile foreigners under...
COMMENTARY
Mar 24, 2009

Barring the people needed

The Calderon affair — the expulsion of a Filipino couple who entered Japan illegally but whose Japanese-fluent daughter was born and raised in Japan — is seen as an indictment of Japan's confused immigration policies. And rightly.
Reader Mail
Mar 22, 2009

Mixed feelings regarding Ireland

Roger Pulvers' March 15 Counterpoint article, "Now that the Celtic tiger's turned tail, whither the Emerald Isle," leaves me, as one who is part English and part Irish, with mixed feelings of shame and satisfaction. I cannot but feel shame at the way the English for so long kept the Irish in misery until...
Reader Mail
Mar 22, 2009

Glaring exceptions to the 'law'

Regarding the March 17 article "Calderon girl gets year stay": It is no wonder that the issue of deporting (back to the Philippines) the parents of 13-year-old Noriko Calderon causes so much controversy. While the law seems clear, it is more than unreasonable. If Japan was not an aging society on the...
COMMENTARY
Mar 22, 2009

Legacy of a 'disappeared' family in Argentina

Politics can have a devastating effect on a country and its people, as I discovered during a recent trip to Argentina.
Reader Mail
Mar 22, 2009

Immigration controls in Britain

Regarding the March 17 article "I am not a Pakistani child bride (but the U.K. can't tell the difference)": While I understand the author's frustration, I welcome the opportunity to clarify U.K. immigration procedures. We actively encourage visitors from Japan to enjoy and experience life in the United...
Reader Mail
Mar 19, 2009

Thousands put up with the same

In response to the March 17 article "I am not a Pakistani child bride (but the U.K. can't tell the difference)," I will just say "Welcome to the real world." Since Japanese citizens don't need a visa for so many places, they can't imagine the problems faced by several thousands of people every day in...
Reader Mail
Mar 19, 2009

Legal or not, discrimination exists

In his March 12 letter, "Illegal under the Constitution," Lance Braman had much to say regarding the fact that racial discrimination was illegal under the Japanese Constitution, contrary to what Debito Arudou wrote in his March 3 article, "Of toadies, vultures and zombie debates."
Reader Mail
Mar 19, 2009

Don't allow the missile flyover

Regarding the March 14 front-page article "Pending launch raises tension level in Tokyo": Considering the performance of North Korea's first attempt at launching a Taepodong 2 missile — which failed and blew up less than a minute after launch — and considering the high population density of Japan,...
Reader Mail
Mar 19, 2009

Growing Japanese food exports

Regarding the March 14 article "High food hygiene costs choking export growth": It is ironic that Japanese beef exporters complain of import barriers imposed by various countries. It was not long ago that a total ban on beef imports was imposed on North American producers as a result of isolated cases...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Mar 19, 2009

Feral parakeets

Dear Alice, Please settle an argument. I play tennis on the public courts in Arisugawa Park in central Tokyo. On several occasions I have seen bright-green noisy birds flying free around the tall outdoor lights there. I'm convinced these gregarious dandies are wild parrots. My wife says I'm out of...
Reader Mail
Mar 19, 2009

Media should choose high road

Thank you for publishing Gwynne Dyer's solidly written March 15 article, "Planets like Earth appear to be out there." It provides timely, insightful, scientifically based, thought- provoking information that is a pleasure to read while one considers the wider implications.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 16, 2009

LDP is running on empty

Amid the dwindling approval rate of Prime Minister Taro Aso, triggered by a series of gaffes coming out of his own mouth and by disgraceful behavior of his right-hand man in the international arena, the conventional wisdom would call either for him to resign and hand over the reins of government to Ichiro...
Reader Mail
Mar 15, 2009

South Africa ready for World Cup

I was disappointed to read The Observer article "Little feel-good for Africa's World Cup," published Feb. 12 on The Japan Times' Focus page. The writer's pessimistic and nit-picking assessment of the preparations for, and expectations of, the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in my country, South Africa,...
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2009

Pending launch raises tension level in Tokyo

North Korea's imminent launch of what it claims is a rocket carrying a satellite raised the government's tension levels a notch Friday as Cabinet members warned the hermit state to steer clear of provocative actions.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 13, 2009

Climate change mitigation by low-income countries

MUMBAI, CITIZENS NEWS NETWORK — The economies and resultant emissions of low-income countries are growing at a rapid pace. China and India are already among the top five greenhouse-gas emitters. The rest of the world may strive to stabilize its emissions at 1990 levels, but if China and India continue...
Reader Mail
Mar 12, 2009

Bigger issues than kanji gaffes

Regarding the March 7 article "Aso's kanji conundrums spur self-reflection, textbook sales": It is true that Prime Minister Taro Aso sometimes misreads kanji. However, I wonder what opposition lawmaker Hajime Ishii's intention was last month when he held up a chart with a dozen difficult words and asked...
Reader Mail
Mar 12, 2009

'Market' needs to be controlled

In his March 2 article, "There's no deleveraging the illusions of politicians," Christopher Lingle argues that instead of trying to do something about the current economic turmoil, governments should get completely out of the way, and let the "market" decide wages. Lowering wages, he says, is the most...
Reader Mail
Mar 12, 2009

Beware assumptions about Japan

Regarding Thomas Dillon's March 7 column, "Statistically speaking ": The author makes numerous assumptions, but one big assumption stands out in particular: If statistics don't lie, it would appear that some Japanese people do not like living next to a foreigner or someone of a different race. Does that...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Mar 11, 2009

Nakasone predicts major changes in politics

Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, who still exerts much influence in Japanese politics at the age of 90, hailed Ichiro Ozawa in an interview toward the end of last year as "having gained dignity, insight and stature during the past year" as the man qualified to lead his Democratic Party of Japan...
COMMENTARY
Mar 11, 2009

Gauging Obama's Asia policy

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent trip to Asia underscored elements of continuity and change in the Obama administration's Asia policy. Generally speaking, her visits to Japan, South Korea and China represented continuity; her trip to Indonesia signaled change.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 10, 2009

Antiwar groups, Almond and Michi Aoyama

Nuts! Where's Almond? Julie was with friends on a bus passing through Roppongi and saw from the window that the famed Almond coffee shop on the crossing was no more.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 10, 2009

Mexico's fight against organized crime

The international media have recently placed increased attention on the actions carried out by Mexican President Felipe Calderon to combat organized crime and strengthen the rule of law in Mexico.
Reader Mail
Mar 8, 2009

No word against Sri Lanka rebels

Brahma Chellaney's March 4 article, "China fuels Sri Lankan war," misinforms the public and destroys the credibility of the Web sites that carry it. The author's comments are very biased in favor of the Tamil Tigers. Surprisingly, there is not a single word against the Tigers or their leader, Prabhakaran,...
Reader Mail
Mar 8, 2009

Middle way to drug policy reform

Regarding Hiroaki Sato's March 1 article, "What 'prohibition' has wrought": There is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization. Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce disease, death and crime among chronic users. Providing addicts with standardized doses...
Reader Mail
Mar 8, 2009

An attitude that spells disaster

Roger Pulvers' comment about America's failure to reflect on its interventionist blunders in his March 1 Counterpoint article ("Obama please note: Those who fail to master the past are guilty, too") gets right to the point. I have heard it many times myself from the mouth of Americans: They agree that...
Reader Mail
Mar 8, 2009

U.S. can't fix Japan's problems

Regarding the March 4 article "Aegis ships may target missile from North (Korea)": Is there a corridor over the Pacific Ocean into which a missile could fly without being a threat to Japan? Tracking systems could determine the direction of the missile. It would be stupid for a country that is the focus...
Reader Mail
Mar 8, 2009

An example for Japanese victims

Regarding the March 3 Zeit Gist article, "Rape victim fights for justice against U.S. military, Japan": "Jane" is very brave and has set a good example for Japanese women who were victims but were afraid to tell anyone. But due to the intrinsic cultural attitude in Japan that "men are big, women are...

Longform

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