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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 17, 2011

Tweets fuel drive to aid stricken north

Marriott Hotel, Ginza, Tokyo. On a chilly March morning less than a week after the earthquake and tsunami, a group of almost 60 people were brought together through Twitter. The purpose of this 7:50 a.m. hotel-front gathering was to collect donated goods to be taken up north to areas devastated by the...
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2011

Religious fundamentalism after the uprisings

Most analysts would agree that al-Qaida has not played a significant role in the revolutions sweeping the Arab world today, while remaining largely silent about the remarkable political transformation that is taking place.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 16, 2011

The new enervated Tepco

With the onset of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant crisis following the March 11 Tohoku-Pacific earthquake, radioactive substances continue to seep into the sea, air and soil. Residents within a designated proximity of the plant will likely have to live away from their homes a long time. The prospect...
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2011

When prevention is more effective than relief

When the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in March, Brian Tucker was in Padang, Indonesia. Tucker was working with a colleague to design a refuge that could save thousands of lives if — or rather, when — a tsunami like the one in 1797 that came out of the Indian Ocean, some 1,000 km southeast of...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 16, 2011

Rebuilding Japan gives many a new pride and purpose

Once, I dated a guy who preferred being in Japan to being abroad, who held that we were citizens of a glorious and beautiful nation and the desire for foreign experiences was one of the deplorable legacies of the Meiji Restoration (1868), which was when Japan officially opened her doors to the rest of...
JAPAN / WEEK 3
May 15, 2011

Author's fiction turns horribly real

The Pacific Ocean a few kilometers off the coast of a city in the Tokai region of central Honshu turns white. Hundreds of curious holidaymakers caught in a traffic jam on the seaside road get out of their cars and jump up onto the sea wall for a better view of the strange sight — only to realize that...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
May 15, 2011

Japan's mammalian riches

I came across my first bumblebees of the season as they were busily draining the nectar from a broad swath of Blue Corydalis. The delicate flower stems nodding in a light breeze looked delightful in the sunshine, while above them frothy willow catkins were yellow with pollen and here and there birches...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 12, 2011

A tale of two cities: Art Fair Kyoto challenges Tokyo

After the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and tsunami, the art scene in Tokyo was struck by cancellations, postponements and confusion as it attempted to make sense of the disaster and worked on ways to contribute to the reconstruction of the Tohoku region of Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2011

The Thai-Cambodian battle of the temples

The military skirmishes between Thailand and Cambodia that have claimed more than two dozen lives, caused scores of injuries, and displaced tens of thousands of people since February are primarily attributable to domestic politics in both countries. Rooted in ancient enmities and the legacy of the colonial...
EDITORIALS
May 10, 2011

Two of the top 100

Among the famous artists, magnates and leaders on Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people this year were two lesser-known names from Japan: Mayor Katsunobu Sakurai and Dr. Takeshi Kanno. That a young medical doctor and a small-city mayor could make the list of the most prominent people...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
May 10, 2011

Nuclear regulators leave Kan to fill in the blanks

Dear Prime Minister Naoto Kan, I applaud your call to suspend operations at the Hamaoka nuclear power station (in Shizuoka Prefecture). It's good news following on the heels of the public resignation of your senior nuclear safety advisor, Toshiso Kosako. In the wake of his tearful protest against raising...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
May 10, 2011

Japan's education system failing on all levels

The article "Students choose failure over uncertainty" by Chris Burgess (Zeit Gist, April 19) is truly reflective of the state of education, employment and Japanese society. I am glad to know that someone has finally voiced his or her concern over a very broken system.
EDITORIALS
May 10, 2011

Children's Day and Japan's future

Japan's Children's Day on May 5th had less to celebrate this year than ever before. The number of children in Japan dropped for the 30th straight year to a record low, according to a report from the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry on May 2. Children under 15 now make up only 13 percent of...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / STYLE WISE
May 10, 2011

The girls, the heart, the virility and the ingenuity of fashion

Let's hear it for the girls: Fashion, music and celebrities The Girls Award, a twice-yearly event not unlike the already massively popular Tokyo Girls Collection (TGC), proves that the trend of daylong fashion festivals is picking up speed.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 10, 2011

Osaka/Kobe: Where do you go for news of the Tohoku disaster?

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 10, 2011

After the deluge, universities face foreign exodus

Like thousands of foreigners, Tony Black recently made the agonizing decision to leave Japan, wife and baby child in tow. Unlike many, he has no concrete plans to return.
Reader Mail
May 8, 2011

Knowing what needs to be done

Regarding the May 3 Kyodo article "Ex-JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching Program) teacher dashed from U.K. to help": It was so uplifting to read this article — to see that someone cares that much for others and is willing to help out (following the March 11 disaster in the Tohoku-Pacific region).
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 8, 2011

New drama addresses the politics of surrogate pregnancy in Japan

Keiko Matsuzaka started out as a glamorous ingenue who sang and acted. Her career didn't differ greatly from those of other late Showa Era (1926-89) idols, except that she gave in to the unflattering changes her body underwent after entering middle age. Most other actresses who are still working in their...
EDITORIALS
May 7, 2011

Softening the housing shock

More than 124,000 people are still housed in some 2,000 temporary shelters in 18 prefectures in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Providing them with temporary housing is an urgent task for the central and local governments.
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2011

How ECB bailed out 'PIGS'

Why did Greece, Ireland and Portugal have to seek shelter under the European Union's rescue umbrella, and why is Spain a potential candidate?
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2011

The good fight against a less dramatic killer

The tsunami in Japan and the earthquake in Haiti are among the world's most notorious recent natural disasters. Their fierce devastation claimed thousands of lives, destroyed vital infrastructure and crippled economies. The communities affected could not be more different from one another, yet the similarities...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 3, 2011

Kamakura: Considering TEPCO's handling of the nuclear crisis, do you think the company should be taken over by the government?

Jean-Philippe PatryChiropractor, 38 (French)Yes, it should be taken over. The government should take over nuclear energy and invest in new energy. TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Co.) is after easy money; it's a capitalistic thing and it should be disbanded.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / MIXED MATCHES
May 3, 2011

Pair go together like pasta, dessert

"People around us tell us that we're like meoto-manzai (stand up comedians). We're always surrounded by laughter," says Atsuko Nonogaki Planeta, 43.
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
May 2, 2011

Hacking for a safer world

The mother of invention is alive and well at Tokyo Hackerspace.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2011

India protects Kazakhstan stake

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Kazakhstan last month is a reminder of the Central Asian stakes for Indian foreign policy.
Reader Mail
May 1, 2011

No time for the DIY approach

The April 17 letter from Daniel Potocki, "Give the foreign experts a chance," struck a chord. If I had the chance to write Prime Minister Naoto Kan and the Japanese government, it would be a rather emotional appeal.

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