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Reader Mail
Jan 31, 2008

Beyond the political profit principle

As a son of a local lawmaker, I was very interested in the Jan. 25 article "Dynasty politics: Birthright, not dynamism." Behind the seshuugiin (hereditary lawmakers), Japan's centuries of feudalism, especially the Edo Period, appear to have led to thinking in terms of shi-nou-kou-shou (warriors,...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jan 29, 2008

Fukuda girds to stick it out till after Hokkaido summit

Akihiro Ota, head of Komeito, was all smiles when he came out of a two-hour, one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, not necessarily because of the good wine that was served but rather because the prime minister reportedly assured him that there would be no general elections anytime soon....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 29, 2008

Law schools come under friendly fire

With its first crop of graduates just entering the legal profession, Japan's new law school system is in trouble. The schools, most of which opened their doors in 2004, are already struggling with the mismatch between the number of law students, which is unregulated, and the number of people who are...
Reader Mail
Jan 27, 2008

'Cram school' sounds pejorative

Regarding the Jan. 25 article "Cram school in public junior high gets metro nod": The term "cram school" is ethnocentric, possibly even "racist." Private instruction to supplement the public or state school curriculum or to prepare students for entrance examinations has long been a part of the education...
Reader Mail
Jan 27, 2008

A society at ease with itself

David Howell's Jan. 22 article on multiculturalism, "An idea whose time has gone," is a very mixed bag of half-truth and exaggeration. The fact is that immigration into Britain and other wealthy nations was simply a way of guaranteeing a supply of cheap labor.
LIFE
Jan 27, 2008

Citizens routinely denied legal rights

The contrasts between constitutional provisions for crime suspects in Japan and their actual treatment are stark, say critics of the system.
Japan Times
JAPAN / MIXED MATCHES
Jan 26, 2008

Pair mutually strive to broaden their horizon, perspective

Alexander Bright and Akiko Yamada first met at Cambridge University in 1999, when Bright was a graduate student majoring in materials science and Yamada, then a high school teacher, was taking a year off to study education in England.
Reader Mail
Jan 24, 2008

Raising the bar for foreigners

Regarding the Jan. 16 article "Long-term residents may face language test": The government seems to be intent on keeping new foreigners out of this country and making life increasingly harder for those already living here. Only weeks after the law subjecting us to fingerprinting on each re-entry took...
Reader Mail
Jan 24, 2008

Help those who can help Japan

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura's statement that the Japanese government may require long-term residents "to have a certain level of Japanese proficiency" has been getting significant attention, particularly from mass media outside of Japan. I would like to congratulate Japan Times writer Kaho Shimizu...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jan 23, 2008

Cars and fuel set to get more political

In 2007, climate change finally became a reality in the wider public's consciousness.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2008

Build that nest egg with government help

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — People are fascinated by wealth. They enjoy watching the wealthy, savoring the thought of their fine homes, luxurious vacations, fancy cars, and gourmet dining. But if you infer from this that people spend a lot of time planning the lifetime accumulation of their own wealth, you...
Reader Mail
Jan 22, 2008

Can't afford the pope

In response to Kevin Rafferty's Dec. 24 article "Christmas Letter to Pope Benedict XVI," I would like to say the following:
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 20, 2008

People keep their eyes on the TV screen — well, at least one eye

When home-appliance manufacturer Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. announced earlier this month that it was renaming itself Panasonic Corp., the company said it was doing so in order to unify its various brand names, which, in addition to Panasonic, included Matsushita and National. This strategy would...
Reader Mail
Jan 20, 2008

Protests have become farcical

Regarding the Jan. 17 article "Sea Shepherd 'hostages' pawns, pirates?": Is there a bigger farce than the annual "whaling protests" by groups like Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherd society? Last week we had a couple of men engage in what some called an act of piracy, while Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson...
Reader Mail
Jan 20, 2008

Committed teachers shunted aside

Kanako Takahara's Jan. 5 article, "Assistant language teachers in trying times" -- on the problems faced by ALTs in Japan -- was excellent, though it only mentioned a few of the issues we face.
Reader Mail
Jan 20, 2008

Fitting into a society called 'home'

As Kathleen Morikawa pointed out in her Jan. 8 Zeit Gist article "Following in our fingerprints," the opinions of foreigners tend to be separated into two groups: those who are here long term vs. those who are here temporarily.
Reader Mail
Jan 17, 2008

Accusations by soccer midfielder

Regarding the Jan. 13 article "Nakamura knocks racism in Italian soccer": I smiled at midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura's accusations of racism against Italian Football. I suggest that he come back to Japan, where foreigners are fingerprinted not only when they get a residence permit issuance but every time...
Reader Mail
Jan 17, 2008

Health care closer to U.S. system

Regarding the Jan. 12 article "U.S.-China ties worry Ishihara": Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara is right to worry about Japan following the American model of capitalism. Look at what has been done to the medical system here. Near universal health-care coverage of 90 percent was reduced to 70 percent. This...
Reader Mail
Jan 17, 2008

Business as usual with junta

Regarding the Jan. 13 article "Japan to give ¥6 billion in aid to four Mekong River nations": The official campaign against North Korea over the abduction issue continues, but it seems the Japanese government has completely forgotten about the murder of Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai at the hands...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jan 16, 2008

Japan toughens up on Internet regulation

In a country with one of the world's most vibrant Internet cultures, rumblings of change in the way that online information is managed, controlled and regulated is causing concern for many.
Reader Mail
Jan 15, 2008

Reviews of films set in Japan

In the Jan. 4 article "Once again, here comes the West to the Orient," writer Kaori Shoji labels the film "Silk" Orientalist, but fails to provide any convincing evidence for this pejorative. Her one relevant criticism is that a village lord speaking English in pre-Meiji Japan would have been "an impossible...
Reader Mail
Jan 15, 2008

Out of time, out of place

Regarding the Jan. 9 article "Clear apology to sex slaves demanded": U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (California Democrat), who was in Tokyo on Jan. 8, once again belabored his favorite subject. Japan has periodically expressed regret over this issue. Their remorse is more than sufficient.
Reader Mail
Jan 15, 2008

Foot-dragging on smoking ban

Regarding the Jan. 8 article "Half of taxis now nonsmoking as 95 percent of Tokyo cabs join ban": If the effort really is "to prevent health damage from secondhand smoke," when will Japan join the rest of the civilized world and make all restaurants and bars 100 percent nonsmoking? How about protecting...
EDITORIALS
Jan 14, 2008

Refueling law enacted with regrets

By using a special provision in the Constitution, the ruling parties have voted into law a bill that enables the resumption of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean for antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan. The mission is expected to resume in mid-February....
Reader Mail
Jan 13, 2008

Motivations for leaving Serbia

Allow me to respond to professor Peter Prifti's Jan. 8 letter, "Albanians act out desperation," which was a response to my Jan. 3 article, "The case against Kosovo independence."
Reader Mail
Jan 13, 2008

To drink and drive is proof enough

Regarding the Jan. 9 article "Drunk driver gets 7½ years for killing kids": A sentence this short is a parody of justice and an insult to the Ogami family and every victim of those who have driven under the influence of alcohol.
Reader Mail
Jan 13, 2008

Stakes in fingerprint registration

Kathleen Morikawa's Jan. 8 Zeit Gist article, "Following in our fingerprints," is one of the best summaries of the movement against fingerprinting in alien registration from 1955 to 2000. Contrary to her claim, though, the government never gave in.
Reader Mail
Jan 13, 2008

Get used to lower domestic sales

The Jan. 8 article " '07 vehicle sales lowest in 35 years" indicates that Japan is finally waking up to reality. Domestic sales in Japan will decline in nearly every sector. Fewer people mean lower sales. There is no cure but immigration, and that will never happen on the scale needed to produce results...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2008

Lower House rams through antiterrorism bill

For the first time in half a century, the Lower House on Friday overrode the Upper, ramming a bill through the Diet to resume the Maritime Self-Defense Force refueling duty in the Indian Ocean.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2008

MSDF bill step closer to ruling bloc's ultimate OK

An opposition-controlled Upper House panel Thursday rejected a special antiterrorism bill to enable the Maritime Self-Defense Force to resume its refueling operations in the Indian Ocean, in a last-minute bid to block its expected passage Friday in the ruling bloc-dominated Lower House.
Why I chose Japanese citizenship over permanent residency
Jon Heese (second left) takes part in a 2024 New Year's nihonshu barrel opening ceremony.
For Uniqlo’s founder, conquering America is personal
A Uniqlo store in New York. In recent years, Uniqlo’s affordable, well-made basic clothes have struck a chord, especially with younger American shoppers, fueling a rapid business expansion.
Japan's fractured politics could ensnarl Takaichi's economic plans
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, attends a news conference after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo on Oct. 4.
Sho-time as dazzling Ohtani powers Dodgers into World Series with historic performance
Shohei Ohtani hits a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth inning of Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
LDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai to form coalition government, report says
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai have agreed to form a coalition, paving the way for the country's first female prime minister, Kyodo reports.
What does Jimbocho think of its unexpected ‘cool’ status?
Tokyo's Jimbocho neighborhood is a haven for book lovers, its rows of secondhand bookstores spilling over with printed materials.
What you need to see at this year's Tokyo film festival
Chloe Zhao’s "Hamnet"
New film explores how Japan and the U.S. found common ground through baseball
Masanori Murakami became the first MLB player from Japan when he made his debut with the Giants on Sept 1, 1964.
As they wrestle for power, Japan’s political parties must remember their base
Rengo's head Tomoko Yoshino speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Oct. 8.
Sumo is about to hit London and the West with a force previously unseen
Preparations advance on Monday for the Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building
By Patrick St. Michel

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