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Japan Times
JAPAN / ALSO OUT THERE
Jan 30, 2008

Finessing the pen-twirl becomes a fine science

Unlike Tamagotchi or the Nintendo DS, the latest Japanese gadget does not bleep, comes without voice recognition system and will not connect to the Internet.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2008

McDonald's told to pay overtime to manager

The Tokyo District Court ordered McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) Ltd. Monday to pay ¥7.55 million in overtime allowance and "additional pay" to a manager at one of its outlets.
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 29, 2008

Sexist take on mother's role

Regarding Barry Ward's Jan. 24 letter, "Empathy, common sense lacking": Blaming women for the chikan (groping) problem on trains is like blaming the victim of rape for wearing a short shirt. Placing the burden of society's ills on the shoulders of mothers is not only sexist, but ignorant as well. Children...
EDITORIALS
Jan 27, 2008

The 'keitai' generation

Nearly 100 percent of high school students, 50 percent of junior high, and a third of those in grammar school now own cell phones. Even the word "cell phone" already sounds out of date, replaced even among foreign residents by "keitai," the shortened form of the Japanese word for portable phone.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 27, 2008

In memory of one for whom Japan was a muse

A month ago I lost a very close friend. This would not be the proper place to write about it, except for the fact that despite her not being Japanese, her profound understanding of Japan and her love for the country were the lifeblood of her artistic career.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Jan 26, 2008

Stray cats captivated by couple's efforts to help

For anyone who has wandered the streets of Japan, the sight of a woman carrying her designer-clad lapdog will be a familiar one.
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2008

Hokkaido farmers plan up to 24% in dairy price hikes

The association of Hokkaido dairy farmers, known as Hokuren, has agreed with Japan's biggest milk manufacturers on price increases of as much as 24 percent for the next fiscal year as the cost of feed rises.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 22, 2008

Weak yen will trump prints row for tourists

Online letters of protest were filled out. A group of nearly 70 civic organizations from around the world delivered a formal letter of disapproval to Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama. Protesters gathered outside the Justice Ministry and thrust an inflated 3-meter-high yellow hand with an extended forefinger...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jan 22, 2008

What are your thoughts on the whaling issue?

COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2008

Insurrections push Philippines to the brink

MANILA —The current president of the Philippines, Gloria Arroyo, whose election in 2004 was deeply flawed, but probably not fraudulent, is currently beset by a sea of troubles that threaten to overwhelm her regime.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Jan 21, 2008

Sovereign wealth funds warping market, pose insider-trading hazard

The international profile of sovereign wealth funds is expanding, and the Group of Seven's finance ministers and central bankers are expected to discuss the depth of the funds' risk control, management and accountability when they gather Feb. 9 in Tokyo.
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.
EDITORIALS
Jan 18, 2008

Reality check in the Middle East

American President George W. Bush has just completed his first extended Mideast trip of his presidency. The visit was remarkable on two counts. First, there is the fact that Mr. Bush has not been to the region before despite its centrality to U.S. foreign policy in general and his administration's policies...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2008

Interacting with locals called key role in eco-tourism

Eco-tourism can play a significant role in energizing communities, according to panelists at a recent symposium held in Tokyo by the National Ecotourism Center, which was created in August.
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2008

Work-life balance starts at home: Rengo chief

As part of efforts to stem the nation's depopulation, a guide to promoting a better work and family life balance among workers was recently adopted by a special government panel.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2008

China-Japan-U.S. relations: the big chance for East Asia

JAKARTA — I believe regional and global economic integration and increasing openness, mobility and democratization are shaping East Asian developments the most — not nationalisms or Sino-Japanese tensions, or the uncertainties of China's rise, or growing conventional armaments, however important....
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 8, 2008

Following in our fingerprints

It was a quarter of a century ago on an autumn day in 1982 that I decided to engage in a small act of civil disobedience by refusing to give my fingerprint. Little did I realize I was stepping into a decades-long controversy that would be both an education and a circus.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2008

Reviving Georgia's Western dream

PRAGUE — Georgia's recent instability has dealt a blow to its international reputation as a new democracy, and poses a challenge to the European Union as well.
COMMENTARY
Jan 7, 2008

Gut reaction to immigration

LONDON — The indigenous population of Western Europe is aging and declining. Some countries such as Italy have net reproduction rates similar to that of Japan. Others such as Sweden have rates nearer equilibrium. Some countries such as Britain expect a significant increase in their population, thanks...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / WALKING THE WARDS
Jan 4, 2008

Where ambitions have long soared

First of two parts
COMMENTARY
Jan 3, 2008

The military is the problem

NEW DELHI — After having fretted over a rising prodemocracy tide, Pakistan's ruling military can expect to be the main gainer from former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's killing at the very public park where the 1951 assassination of the country's first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, helped smother...

Longform

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