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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 24, 2007

NGO startups confront major hurdles in Japan

As regular readers of this newspaper will know, reports on the human rights situation in North Korea tend to read more like a litany of inhuman wrongs.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Dec 27, 2006

Our family festivities run foul of hard facts

Christmas has become a modest affair in our family. Our son gets a few presents and the adults get a day of peace and quiet.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Nov 18, 2006

McClaren already facing discontent among England faithful

LONDON -- Steve McClaren flashed his orthodontist friendly smile and said he was happy with England's display in the 1-1 draw against Holland in Amsterdam.
EDITORIALS
Nov 11, 2006

Closing a respectful distance

Communications Minister Yoshihide Suga's order on Friday that the international shortwave radio service of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.) devote more of its broadcast coverage to the past abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents could open the door to government interference in news reporting....
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2006

Racism plagues Western media coverage

GAZA -- Racism is "the belief that one 'racial group' is inferior to another and the practices of the dominant group to maintain the inferior position of the dominated group. Often defined as a combination of power, prejudice and discrimination."
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 28, 2006

Japan needs better PR, less whale meat

LONDON -- Every year on my annual visit to Tokyo I spend at least one evening drinking sake in a small bar in Shibuya. And every year after I have finished eating one of the dishes the mama-san has put in front of me, while I am talking, there will be a big cheer and a lot of laughter. Yet again I have...
COMMENTARY
May 8, 2006

Never give an inch to China

Tokyo's propensity for getting into territorial and maritime boundary disputes with its neighbors seems large. And if the disputes with China escalate any further, they could make the recent confrontation with South Korea over the Takeshima islets (Dokdo in Korean) look tame.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2006

Guantanamo a festering sore for Bush administration

NEW YORK -- The United Nations recommendation that the United States should release all detainees being held at Guantanamo or bring them to trial and shut the facility down is one of the strongest criticisms yet of the U.S. torture policy. While the Bush administration rejected the U.N. recommendation,...
COMMENTARY
Nov 24, 2005

Myanmar ranks high on Bush's radar

HONG KONG -- One significant though insufficiently noticed aspect of U.S. President George W. Bush's weeklong visit to Asia was his consistent effort to focus attention on Myanmar, and to pressure Asian allies, notably Japan, to be more forthright in their criticisms of the military junta's shortcomings....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Nov 5, 2005

Beverly Nakamura

"Although Japan gives the impression of being a rich country, there is still need out there. Everything cannot be covered. The International Ladies Benevolent Society tries to fill the cracks that get overlooked. ILBS still means a great deal to a lot of people and institutions. I am proud to be part...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2005

New Delhi gives U.S. the nod over Iran

MADRAS, India -- India needs natural gas from Iran and nuclear technology from America. New Delhi chose to give priority to the latter, and went along with the European resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency asking Tehran to comply with its nuclear obligations. Iran has been asked to sort...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Sep 24, 2005

Geraldine Twilley

LONDON -- In the 25 years that she has lived in Japan, Geraldine Twilley has balanced her serious work with free-time fun. When she was a young woman on her own, going for the first time to Tokyo, she showed the enterprise and spiritedness that are still her characteristics. Currently she is in London...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2005

Human rights key to China's development

NEW YORK -- During a recent visit to Beijing, U.N. rights envoy Louise Arbour called attention to the serious human-rights situation in China and the need for improvements according to international human-rights standards. An important step in that regard would be for China to ratify the International...
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2005

Forum mulls ways to make racial discrimination illegal here

Citing racial slurs by politicians and biased news reports playing up an increase in crimes committed by foreigners, participants in a Tokyo symposium called Thursday for a legal framework that would eradicate racial discrimination in Japan.
EDITORIALS
May 2, 2005

Losing the war on terror?

The U.S. government has just released its annual report on terrorism, and it makes for grim reading. Equally troubling is the report's omissions: This year it does not give the specific number of terrorist attacks last year. Yet serious terrorist incidents are increasing, a finding that is even more...
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2005

Keeping to the PKO principles

With the signing of a peace agreement in Sudan, ravaged by more than 20 years of civil war, the government is weighing plans to have the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations (PKO). Japan has received an informal request for cooperation from U.N. Secretary General Kofi...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2005

Howard Baker will be missed

The image of ambassadors has changed greatly over the years. Until the mid-20th century, ambassadors were said to be "dwellers among the clouds" -- a Japanese phrase for the nobility. This metaphor showed what ordinary people thought of nobles. To the commoners busy with their daily work, the privileged...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 29, 2005

Margaret Powell

Headquartered in Reading, England, GAP Activity Projects is a nonprofit organization that arranges gap year activities for young people. In the U.K., the gap year is offered between high school and university. GAP was originated in 1972 by a teacher who knew that some students were eager for overseas...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Nov 25, 2004

Now may be the time to finesse U.S. 'bully'

Beneath the buzz of news last week, it was easy to overlook one important story -- as much of the media did. On Thursday, the Russian Federation submitted to the United Nations its ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, beginning a 90-day countdown to the protocol's entry into force. As a result, on Feb....
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2004

Lack of action here gives human-trafficking low profile: ILO

Public awareness of human-trafficking is low in Japan because of slow government action and a lack of legislation that directly addresses the problem, according a draft report by the International Labor Organization obtained Wednesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 30, 2004

Michael Holmes

It's a long way from being a cub reporter on a local newspaper to becoming anchorman for CNN International, but it didn't take Michael Holmes long to cover the distance. Being good at his work was essential for his progress. Undoubtedly his cheerfulness and buoyancy helped him to forge ahead, along with...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 24, 2004

Credit some viewers for trying to think

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- As one of the millions of television viewers glued to his screen trying to keep pace with the overwhelming flow of international news, I often find myself pondering the pluses and minuses of present-day advances in computers, electronics and information technology. The other day...
COMMENTARY
Jul 12, 2004

Summits of East Asian unity

East Asia is moving toward regional integration, albeit at a slow pace. In a series of meetings held in Indonesia from late June to early July, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed on a package of measures to expedite economic, financial, political and security integration. This signals...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jun 8, 2004

Hidden plight of detainees

'What did I do to the Japanese people," asks Merdem Yousif. "I came to Japan because I thought the people would be warm-hearted. It was my big mistake. I should have gone to another country."
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2004

'One China' principle is all but dead

HONOLULU -- No matter how the dispute over Taiwan's presidential election is resolved, it has become ever more clear that the "One China" principle is unraveling.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2004

'Fink-on-a-foreigner' Web site hit as xenophobic, faces review

The Justice Ministry will review a controversial Immigration Bureau Web site where people can anonymously report suspicious foreigners who might be illegal aliens.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2004

Rokkasho in dark, or wary, about ITER

OSAKA -- Just weeks before a decision is made on whether Japan or France gets to host the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project, Japanese officials are conducting a last-ditch international campaign to secure support.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Oct 29, 2003

250 reasons to be happy, then some

I'm happy! The reason I'm happy is I love art, and this month a total of four -- yes four -- new contemporary art spaces opened in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2003

New tests challenging TOEIC stronghold

Scoring 500 points on the TOEIC English proficiency test is a prerequisite for promotion to section chief or a higher managerial position at construction machinery maker Komatsu Ltd.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami