Search - community

 
 
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Apr 21, 2009

What U.S. schools can learn from Japan

Dear education ministry,
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 21, 2009

Japan's many roads to ruin

While there are many roads to democracy and prosperity, in Japan it is roads that may take the country in a different direction. In their latest book on construction in Japan, "Doro o do suru ka" ("What to do about the roads?"), lawyer Takayoshi Igarashi and journalist Akio Ogawa paint a bleak picture...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2009

Whispers of sanity in the frenzy of madness

LUCKNOW, India — It was refreshing to hear the views of Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, a Right Livelihood Award recipient, on the politics of terrorism. He rightly believes that terrorism is not born of any religion, but is the outcome of political situations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2009

Holbrooke lauds Mideast, Japan for Pakistan aid

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said Saturday that Middle Eastern nations, including Iran, played a key role in gathering aid for Pakistan at the Donors Conference in Tokyo the previous day.
EDITORIALS
Apr 18, 2009

A strong start for Mr. Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama campaigned on a platform of "change." Change was plainly visible throughout his first overseas trip as president. Perhaps the most compelling sign of change was not of his doing: Throughout the weeklong tour of Europe, Mr. Obama was greeted with an enthusiasm that posed a...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2009

'Nisesatsu'

Counterfeiting is one of those movie crimes that, by the laws of script writing, is doomed to fail, like the overelaborate heists that end with the thieves either dead or captured and their loot billowing up in clouds of green from an open briefcase.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2009

Nakasone, Yu maintain focus on staying engaged with North

Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone and South Korean counterpart Yu Myung Hwan agreed Thursday to take North Korea's latest threats in stride, saying members of the six-party denuclearization talks should continue to focus on defanging the hermit state.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2009

'Milk'

Director Gus Van Sant's recent forays into European-inflected art-minimalism have met with much critical acclaim, but there's something about those films that still bugs me. With movies like "Elephant," about the Columbine High massacre, or "Last Days," exploring the death of Nirvana singer/guitarist...
Reader Mail
Apr 16, 2009

Way to victory in Afghanistan

While I was reading Ted Rall's April 4 article "U.S. can't afford Afghan war," I had an epiphany of what was needed to be done for Afghanistan. The United States needs to provide the people of Afghanistan with something that the "insurgents" cannot provide: a way out of poverty (40 percent unemployment...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2009

The war on women rages on in Afghanistan

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — As the presidential election season arrived in Afghanistan, the incumbent Hamid Karzai sprang a nasty surprise on the country's Hazara Shiite women by signing on to a "rape law" that legitimizes non-consensual sex in wedlock. Designed to placate arch conservative Shiite clerics, the...
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2009

Debate starts on bill to free up MSDF

The Lower House began deliberating on an antipiracy bill Tuesday to create a permanent law that would let the Maritime Self-Defense Force protect ships of any nationality against pirates and remove certain limits on the MSDF's use of force.
EDITORIALS
Apr 14, 2009

Record-breaking stimulus

The government has compiled the largest-ever economic stimulus package in the form of a fiscal 2009 supplementary budget, involving actual spending of ¥15 trillion. This is much larger than the past biggest stimulus package of ¥7.6 trillion, which the Obuchi administration compiled as a third supplementary...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 14, 2009

Seeking permanence; ignoring Easter

Easter absence Brenda and family wonder why Easter has been ignored by Japanese commercial interests.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Apr 14, 2009

English lessons on the cheap

Dear education minister Ryu Shionoya,
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 14, 2009

'A battle for Japan's future'

Despite being Japan's most densely populated area, Warabi rarely causes a blip on the national media radar.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 12, 2009

Entertainment as a fun family soap

Last weekend, actor Shunta Nakamura was arrested for possession of hashish while sitting in a parked car in Suginami Ward, Tokyo. The suspect's father, veteran actor Masatoshi Nakamura, quickly obliged the showbiz media by performing one of those tearful apologies that everyone looks forward to under...
LIFE / Style & Design / JAPAN FASHION WEEK
Apr 12, 2009

Focus on: Reem Alasadi

London-based designer Reem Alasadi brought her collection to the Yoyogi National Stadium on March 27, where it was apparent how diverse influences shape the Reem look, especially British punk and recycled materials molded into voluminous and voluptuous Victorian-inspired dresses.
Japan Times
LIFE / JAPAN FASHION WEEK
Apr 12, 2009

Focus on: Reem Alasadi

London-based designer Reem Alasadi brought her collection to the Yoyogi National Stadium on March 27, where it was apparent how diverse influences shape the Reem look, especially British punk and recycled materials molded into voluminous and voluptuous Victorian-inspired dresses.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 11, 2009

International school built to serve

Early last year, Masayasu Kano, a seasoned schoolteacher, quit his local private high school to take on a new challenge. He had only a couple years left until retirement.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2009

Aso reveals new plan to create 2 million jobs

Prime Minister Taro Aso pledged Thursday that the government will try to create 1.4 million to 2 million new jobs in the next three years by spurring ¥40 trillion to ¥60 trillion in new demand.
Reader Mail
Apr 9, 2009

Few practical reasons for English

Najma Janjua's March 31 Community page letter, "Look overseas to address Japan's lag in English ability," raises important concerns and offers useful suggestions. However, I believe high levels of English-language proficiency in any country spring from a broader range of factors.
EDITORIALS
Apr 7, 2009

Municipalities for the people

A government panel on the local autonomy system is discussing what should be the ideal form of municipal government. Through their welfare and education services and community revitalization programs, etc., municipalities are the closest governments to citizens. The panel's discussion focuses on whether...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Apr 7, 2009

Why don't my parents count as members of the family?

Dear Ministry of Justice,
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2009

Tokyo's mood mixed over rocket launch

There was a mixture of anger and surprise on the streets of Tokyo on Monday over North Korea's rocket launch.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Apr 7, 2009

Punishing foreigners, exonerating Japanese?

Following are some readers' responses to Debito Arudou's March 24 Zeit Gist article, "Punishing foreigners, exonerating Japanese":

Longform

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