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COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 10, 2013

Aso's Nazi gaffe tarnishes Abe's agenda for constitutional revision

The other night at my local sushi bar conversation turned to Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso's comments about constitutional revision — specifically, his suggestion there is something to be learned from the way the Nazis revised the Weimar Constitution in 1933.
EDITORIALS
Aug 9, 2013

Mr. Abe's constitutional runaround

Shinzo Abe's choice for Cabinet Legislation Bureau chief gives away his intention to seek a constitutional justification for Japan's right to 'collective self-defense.'
Reader Mail
Aug 7, 2013

The 'blackface' political shtick

Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso's recent suggestion that Japan's politicians take a play from the National Socialist German Workers' Party and quietly try to slip constitutional revisions under the public radar have sparked a storm of international indignation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / OUR MAN IN TOKYO
Aug 5, 2013

Young Ethiopia envoy brings new ideas, energy

Ethiopian Ambassador Markos Tekle Rike, 34, says he has always felt a special connection between his country and Japan, although he did not have any personal interest in this country before he arrived here 2½ years ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2013

Abe-revived body looks to authorize collective defense

Prime Minister Abe closes in on a long-held goal as a panel prepares to propose that the government change its interpretation of the Constitution to permit collective self-defense.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 3, 2013

Bass still standard by which foreign players measured

Over the years I've been asked, "Who is the No. 1 foreigner to have played in Japanese baseball?"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 3, 2013

Revealing the landscaped gems of North America

North America is not a land mass one immediately associates with gardens. China, Japan, Britain and France, perhaps, lay claim to the mind's strongest landscape associations.
EDITORIALS
Aug 2, 2013

Defense plan would raise tensions

An interim outline of Japan's new defense policy points suspiciously toward deviations from the country's postwar defense-only posture that has won it friends.
EDITORIALS
Aug 2, 2013

Smarter diplomacy needed

Given the importance of rebuilding ties with China, perhaps Shinzo Abe should reconsider his emphasis on 'universal values' as part of his regional diplomacy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 1, 2013

Son reshaping Softbank seen in $20 billion loan

Softbank Corp.'s cost of refinancing debt from its purchase of Sprint Corp. will be less than half of what it paid seven years ago to acquire the Vodafone unit that launched its mobile phone operations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 30, 2013

7-Eleven wizard, 80, to take on U.S.

Over the past 39 years, Toshifumi Suzuki has expanded 7-Eleven to 50,000 outlets, more than any other retail chain. Now, at the age of 80, he says he has no interest in retiring. He's got too much work to do.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / MIXED MATCHES
Jul 29, 2013

Haiku brought together Polish-Japanese couple

They say that languages bring people closer together and bridge distances. So, too, does the Internet.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jul 29, 2013

There is more to my son than the fact he's a 'half'

For foreign residents, having a child in Japan can be a daunting prospect. Going to the hospital and trying to figure out what the doctor is saying in complex Japanese medical terms is just one of myriad trials.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 27, 2013

Multiple perspectives in novel on the Russo-Japanese War

I asked a Japanese friend how he would characterize Shiba Ryotaro's famous historical novel, "Clouds Above the Hill." I've known its immense popularity, but Shiba had started its newspaper serialization after I left Japan in 1968, and the size of the finished work — six volumes in book form — had...
Reader Mail
Jul 27, 2013

Letting the younger crowd vote

Regarding the July 22 front-page article "Ruling bloc takes control of Upper House": It is said that the votes this time came primarily from the younger crowd. It is also true that the victorious Liberal Democratic Party's inflationary policies benefit Japan's younger generation especially, paving the...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 27, 2013

Yasukuni Shrine: ground zero for unrepentant wartime remembrance

There is considerable speculation about whether Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intends to visit Yasukuni Shrine in mid-August. This is an especially sensitive time of the year as it coincides both with the annual Bon festival, when people honor their ancestors, and the anniversary of Japan's surrender in...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jul 26, 2013

Brit Scoutmaster jogs for health, charity

Running up a mountain probably wouldn't be most people's idea of a pleasant weekend leisure activity, but Brit Colin Yarker thrives on the physical and mental challenge of trail running.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUJI ROCK 2013
Jul 25, 2013

Storify: Fuji Rock Festival 2013

The Fuji Rock Festival's pre-show matsuri kicked off tonight. Over the next three days, we'll be curating the related tweets and images coming from social media.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 25, 2013

Ishizaki planning to continue playing career in Europe

Contrary to some speculative chatter in recent days that guard Takumi Ishizaki is on the verge of retirement, the word out of Germany is that the Fukui Prefecture native has his sights set on extending his overseas career.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 25, 2013

'Emperor'

Emperor," a rare Japan-U.S. joint production, aims squarely for that old-school "Casablanca" vibe, a tragic romance set against a backdrop of wartime intrigue, with mixed results. Based on the book "His Majesty's Salvation" by Shiro Okamoto, the topic is one guaranteed to raise eyebrows: Gen. Douglas...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / BALANCING INTERESTS
Jul 24, 2013

High-end grape grower has no TPP gripe, just sees green

Grapes grown on Takanobu Watanabe's farm in Tomi, Nagano Prefecture, are still chartreuse this time of the year, as the summer heat boosts the berries' sugar content before veraison, the onset of ripening.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2013

Poor slam anti-poverty law as hollow

For Yoshino Azuma, life changed forever when her husband, Yoshitaro, suddenly died of a brain hemorrhage two years ago.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years