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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 17, 2021

Paralysis and calm: Two sides of Japan's inertia

COVID-19 hasn't (so far) affected Japan as badly as other Western countries, but sometimes extreme situations can push people to get up and try to improve their lots in life.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Feb 29, 2016

'Landmark' ruling sent Japan's foreign residents back to welfare limbo

Widely misunderstood 2014 case reaffirmed the decades-old stopgap that means noncitizens can receive support but can't appeal if their application is rejected.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Jun 28, 2011

Does Japan need an education in dealing with difference?

The Community Page received a large number of emails in response to Gerry McLellan's May 24 Hotline to Nagatacho column "Japanese adults need an education in dealing with difference." The following is a selection of readers' views.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 23, 2015

Much jaw-jaw about war-war: the year 2015 in quotes

The past year has seen a number of tugs-of-war, as conservatives promoted past glories and preservation of the status quo while liberals lobbied for unprecedented levels of tolerance.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 29, 2012

Safe blood requires strict, and detailed, standards

In last week's column, several people living in Japan explained that whether they were able to donate blood was primarily determined by health or safety concerns rather than Japanese language ability, which we originally discussed in our April 3 column, "Less-than-fluent foreigners may have trouble giving...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Aug 25, 2009

One pocket knife, nine days' lockup

Following are a selection of readers' responses to the July 28 Hotline to Nagatacho column headlined "Pocket knife lands tourist, 74, in lockup."
BUSINESS / THE WRITERS' SPIN
Aug 30, 2001

Internet bank's accidental author is by no means an accidental Sony man

Staff writer Hiroki Totoki is a Sony Bank director and an accidental author.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 20, 2021

The ex-Pfizer scientist who became an anti-vaccination hero

In recent months, Michael Yeadon has emerged as an unlikely hero of the so-called anti-vaxxers, whose adherents question the safety of many vaccines, including for the coronavirus.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Dec 20, 2013

Cook, writer, TV host, actress and more: Briton toasts eventful half-century in Japan

Civil servant, cook, columnist and TV personality are among the hats Jill Sinclair Ito has worn during her 50 years in the country.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jul 27, 2013

At home on the Maasai Mara range

Asuka Takita has a passion for Africa and its wildlife that took root during her childhood in Singapore and flourished in the soils of Kenya during her third year of university.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Dec 27, 2011

Readers' views: Do foreigners deserve a fairer shake in Japan?

Some responses to the Nov. 6 Just Be Cause column by Debito Arudou headlined "For the sake of Japan's future, foreigners deserve a fair shake":
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Aug 2, 2011

The loneliness of the long-distance foreigner

A few months ago I had beers with several old Japan-hand guys (combined we have more than a century of Japan experiences), and one of them asked an interesting question:
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jan 15, 2011

After 20 years . . . and more

Japan is a revolving door when it comes to foreign residents. They come and they go. And when they go, most never come back.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL: KEYES' POINT
Apr 1, 2009

Being a sukebe na sensei is tougher than it looks

"Why don't you get a divorce? (早く離婚したら, Hayaku rikon shitara?)."
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Oct 18, 2002

Eriksson latest victim of kiss-and-tell fast sell

LONDON -- After two months it is about time this column came up with a world exclusive. Apologies for the delay but I hope it was worth waiting for.
CULTURE / Art
May 23, 2001

On the streets of Oguiss' town

When I first saw the oil paintings of Paris by the Japanese artist, Takanori Oguiss (1901-1986) I was strangely reminded of the neutron bomb, a weapon notorious for its ability to annihilate humans without damaging buildings.
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Apr 1, 2001

Only rock 'n' roll, but I loathe it

If you are gagging in disgust at the thought of Fuzzy Logic from now on contaminating your Sunday with lurid tales of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll . . . fear not.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Dec 4, 2022

Ryuichi Sakamoto keeps the music going with a 'profound' concert

The upcoming “Playing the Piano 2022” concert will showcase a musician still exploring new horizons while contemplating the finiteness of life.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 25, 2021

The trial of a yakuza boss ends with a death sentence … and a threat

An ominous warning from a crime boss as he is sentenced gets the Japanese tabloids in a real stir.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 26, 2020

In 2020, kids still say the drollest things

2020 was a year to forget, if only we can u2026
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 12, 2020

Karen Hill Anton: Crossing boundaries without a map and finding home abroad

In her memoir, the former Japan Times columnist delves into her unplanned travels across the globe and reveals a trove of insights about living life in far-flung places.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 28, 2020

Let's roll up our sleeves and get in the data

Once you know the vocabulary used in a Japanese survey, you'll be able to give your opinion on a range of issues.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 29, 2020

'The Only Gaijin in the Village' offers laugh-out-loud lessons from Japan's proud countryside

Iain Maloney's 'The Only Gaijin in the Village' is a thought-provoking, lively examination of one immigrant's quest to create a new home outside his country of birth.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Aug 7, 2019

Seven lessons from a Japanese morality textbook

The textbooks students in Japan use to learn wrong from right are filled with stories of invoices, citizen committees, petitions and other cool stuff kids like.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
May 5, 2018

In Japan, a high-profile former gangster struggles to go straight

Everyone loves a tale of redemption. Unfortunately, this isn't going to be one of them. In a previous column, I introduced a man who had gone from being a greedy, violent, self-centered boss of an organized crime syndicate to become a compassionate male nurse.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Mar 26, 2017

Overtime deal marks total capitulation by labor

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, long the champion of labor law deregulation, last year announced it was time to place a legally binding upper limit on overtime hours.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 4, 2012

Our mixed-race children deserve better than this, so why bother with Japan?

When it comes to parceling out rights, Japanese law makes a very clear distinction: What you get depends upon whether you are a Japanese citizen or not. Sort of.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Sep 6, 2011

'Sexlessness' wrecks marriages, threatens nation's future

In its cover story last month, The Economist newsmagazine looked at the issue of "Asia's lonely hearts: Why Asian women are rejecting marriage and what that means." It offered many reasons — including economics, education level, changes in family structures and gender roles, divorce difficulties, and...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 19, 2009

IC you: bugging the alien

When the Japanese government first issued alien registration cards (aka gaijin cards) in 1952, it had one basic aim in mind: to track "foreigners" (at that time, mostly Korean and Taiwanese stripped of Japanese colonial citizenship) who decided to stay in postwar Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 9, 2007

From trailer park to catwalk

"Sorry, I'm having pure chaos!"

Longform

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