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Reader Mail
Sep 23, 2012

Osprey will reduce the impact

The Sept. 14 editorial "Osprey adds to the burden" argues that the introduction of the new medium-lift U.S. Marine Corps aircraft to replace the aging CH-46 helicopter "will further increase the host burden" on the residents of Okinawa." If anything, the introduction of the MV-22, which has been in service...
Japan Times
LIFE
Sep 23, 2012

Antidancing law out of step with Japan's youth culture

Many in Japan's large and lively dance community centered on hip-hop, house and other styles are becoming increasingly upset at what appears to be a police crackdown on an essential part of their lives.
EDITORIALS
Sep 23, 2012

The endorsement that wasn't

The Noda Cabinet on Wednesday failed to endorse its new energy strategy announced five days before, which said that Japan will mobilize all available policy resources to achieve "zero operation" of nuclear power plants in the 2030s.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Sep 22, 2012

Filipino filmmaker-writer captures the stories of Asians on the fringe

Rey Ventura's prose startles with the subtle force of cinematic images: From the "rustling leaves" that signal the return of the rebel forces to the Aeta hill tribes in the Philippines to the "standing men" or day laborers populating the alleyways of the Kotobukicho district of Yokohama. As both filmmaker...
OLYMPICS
Sep 21, 2012

Taiwanese IOC member assures Tokyo over vote

Relations between Japan, China and Taiwan have spiraled out of control over the past week, but a longtime Taiwanese International Olympic Committee member is not using that as a pretext for his vote for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
EDITORIALS
Sep 21, 2012

LDP leadership fight

The campaigns of the five candidates competing in the Liberal Democratic Party election are in full swing. At least two themes are very apparent in the race. One is that faction leaders and party elders appear to be regaining power in the nation's No. 1 opposition party, which lost the reigns of power...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 20, 2012

Extremities festival brings together experimental artists from Australia and Japan

Support from government bodies and nonprofit organizations helps develop and promote artists and musicians internationally. Japan sees various events such as Nordic Music Night, Finland Fest and British Anthems thanks to financial assistance from the embassies of the countries involved. Australian support...
Reader Mail
Sep 20, 2012

Let Israel identify its own lines

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently called on the international community to lay down some "red lines" regarding Iran's nuclear program.
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2012

Japanese companies become protest targets in China

As anti-Japan protests in China rage with no end in sight, Japanese businesses there are seeing their operations disrupted, while government officials seek to limit the damage to economic ties.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Sep 18, 2012

Work-rules verdict jars with laws aimed at leveling playing field for employees

We live our lives bound by rules. As a student, my teachers scolded me to comply with school regulations, which were Draconian by modern standards: "Skirt hems must reach down to within 5 cm above the knees," "Boys must shave their heads" and other meaninglessly strict school regulations were the rule...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 18, 2012

Shilling for our side over the Senkakus

Akihiro Suzuki does not think war will come, but if it does, he believes Japan will prevail.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Sep 18, 2012

Osaka: Where will Mayor Toru Hashimoto and his ‘One Osaka’ vision be in 2022?

Narumi Watanabe
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 18, 2012

It's past midnight but child-abduction treaty promise is not yet a pumpkin

Despite much promise and a flurry of activity, it didn't happen: Japan failed to ratify the Hague Convention on international child abduction and pass the extensive piece of accompanying domestic legislation the government felt was necessary in order for it to do so. Both items on the Diet agenda were...
Reader Mail
Sep 16, 2012

Vaccinations against pneumonia

Regarding the Sept. 9 editorial "Upper hand on pneumonia": To protect people from community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), strategic use of pneumococcal vaccination is essential. The central and local governments need to enlighten the public on who is at increased risk of CAP and when they should be vaccinated....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 16, 2012

Getting food on tables is increasingly difficult

The cover of Nikkei Business of Aug. 27 carried a photograph of a sirloin steak atop a sizzling platter. The meat was artfully trimmed to form the shape of the Japanese archipelago.
LIFE / WEEK 3
Sep 16, 2012

Lover of detail strives to keep a kimono-dyeing art alive

As an expert dyer of Edo-komon-style kimonos whose repeated, especially intricate patterns are often so tiny as to be almost microscopic, Emika Iwashita is a mistress of subtlety and the tiniest detail.
EDITORIALS
Sep 16, 2012

Educating educators

A recent survey found that more than half of Japan's graduate schools in education are short of students for the 2012 academic year. More than 40 percent of schools had failed to meet their quotas for the past five years.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 14, 2012

Animal headdresses and other alternative artworks to go on display

More than 100 artists will get together in Yokohama this weekend to turn the city into an art lover's paradise.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 14, 2012

Recipes and more from the farmer's kitchen

COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2012

Avoiding a sectarian split in the Middle East

As the Assad regime hurtles toward deserved collapse in Syria, I often think back to a warning I received from a friend 18 months ago. I was serving then as the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad and was focused on Iraqi problems. But my confidant, an Iraqi Kurd with a strong commitment to a unified, multisectarian...
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / ANALYSIS
Sep 12, 2012

Island disputes could cost Tokyo 2020 Olympics

With the vote to determine the host of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games less than one year away, Tokyo's chances of landing the global extravaganza could slip away in the wake of Japan's ongoing involvement in island disputes with South Korea, China, Russia and Taiwan.
EDITORIALS
Sep 12, 2012

Turkey's troubles

Like Japan, Turkey sees itself as a bridge between two worlds — in this case, between Europe and the Middle East. Not only does geography enable Turkish leadership, but its successful combination of Islam and democracy is seen as model for the Middle East as well.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / NOTEBOOK
Sep 12, 2012

Japanese language research fellowship; buy lip balm for charity

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Sep 11, 2012

Louis Vuitton still going dotty

Fans of French luxury brand Louis Vuitton are still seeing spots before their eyes.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Sep 11, 2012

Stop the annual Taiji dolphin massacre, make your children proud

To the mayor and people of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture,
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 11, 2012

18 months on, 'stayjin' in Tokyo, Iwaki tell a tale of two cities

While the media both in Japan and overseas reported on a perceived exodus of foreigners in the immediate aftermath of the March 11, 2011, disasters in Tohoku, the reality is that very few actually left for good.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Sep 11, 2012

Fukushima city: Are you happy with the post-3/11 reconstruction efforts in Tohoku so far?

Mieko Sasaki Housewife, 72 From the start nothing was managed properly. I'm upset that nothing has been resolved, even though I am 50-60 km away from (radiation) hot spots. I'm worried for the next generation but I want to say thank you to people from around the world for looking out for us in our hour...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 4, 2012

With Berlitz beaten but not bowed, union fights on

Before instructors became embroiled in a fierce legal battle with Berlitz Japan, there was a time when the English language school chain's robust image made it a top choice among foreign job-seekers.
Reader Mail
Sep 2, 2012

Best venue for settling dispute

The Japan-China territorial row over the Senkaku (called Diaoyu in China) Islands looks like a brawl of a nationalistic group from one country against a nationalistic group from another country. But the number of people who have taken to the streets in Chinese cities shows that there are far more nationalistic...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji