search

 
 
Reader Mail
Feb 26, 2009

Japanese culture more influential

Regarding Anthony Olsen's letter, "An exercise in self-reflection," which appeared in the Feb. 24 Have Your Say column: Trust me, Japan IS probably the safest, or second-safest after Singapore, country in the world. I spent more then six years in Japan and just over three months in Sydney. In Japan,...
COMMENTARY
Feb 26, 2009

Barack Obama's Taliban itch

How gun-toting Islamists are expanding their hold on western Pakistan has been laid bare by Islamabad's U.S.-condoned peace agreement effectively ceding the once-pristine Swat Valley to the Taliban to set up a mini-state barely 160 km from the Pakistani capital. The deal came even as Pakistani President...
EDITORIALS
Feb 26, 2009

Kudos to Japan's Oscar winners

"Okuribito" ("Departures"), a film directed by Mr. Yojiro Takita, has won the Oscar for best foreign-language film, and "Tsumiki no Ie (The House of Small Cubes)," directed by Mr. Kunio Kato, has won the Oscar for best animated short film at the 81st Annual Academy Awards ceremony, marking the first...
Reader Mail
Feb 26, 2009

Poor motivation to learn English

In his Feb. 15 letter, "Suggestion for teaching English," David Wood seems completely to misunderstand the thrust of my Feb. 5 article, "What's wrong with the way English is taught in Japan."
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 26, 2009

Expos showcase future of renewable energy

One of the few bright spots in the dark days of the global economic downturn is the field of renewable energy.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2009

Deadline nears for Filipino family

Opponents of the deportation order against an undocumented Filipino family in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, are mounting a last-ditch effort to win a reversal.
BUSINESS
Feb 26, 2009

Automakers report plummeting output

The top automakers reported Wednesday a sharp plunge in production for January, the latest evidence of how severely the mainstay auto industry is being hit by the global slowdown.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2009

DPJ seeking alliance of equals with U.S.

The Democratic Party of Japan, which has a good chance of winning power in this year's election, will seek an alliance with the United States that is less subordinate than that of the last 50 years, a senior DPJ lawmaker said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Feb 26, 2009

Jazz Taxi driver Toshiyuki Anzai

Toshiyuki Anzai, 67, is a cabbie in central Tokyo whose love of jazz drove him to start a unique Jazz Taxi service. His 90-minute cruises pair cityscapes with the most fitting music. Anzai plays songs that match not only the view but his passengers' moods — though he is partial to jazz, he sometimes...
Reader Mail
Feb 26, 2009

No one to blame but the parents

As far as reported in the Japanese and English media, the Calderon family has been staying in this country illegally for over 10 years. From a human point of view, it is of course more than regrettable that they will now be deported with their daughter unable to speak Wikang Filipino. However, instead...
Reader Mail
Feb 26, 2009

Abolish English entrance exams

Gregory Clark is wrong about the possible solutions to Japan's English problem. Japanese university students are usually motivated only for the first three months of study. After that, overwhelmed by the large number of courses covering a hodgepodge of different materials, influenced by the emphasis...
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2009

No paternity pranks yet, cops say

Despite fears to the contrary, not one foreign intruder has been caught faking paternity in order to acquire citizenship here since the Nationality Law was revised and enacted in January, the Justice Ministry and National Police Agency told lawmakers Wednesday.
COMMENTARY
Feb 26, 2009

Clinton gets off to a good start in China

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to China — the most important leg of her trip to Asia, which included Japan, Indonesia and South Korea — went off well, in part because she had indicated publicly ahead of time that differences over human rights would not be allowed to inhibit progress...
MORE SPORTS
Feb 26, 2009

Colts formally release Harrison

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Indianapolis Colts released Marvin Harrison on Tuesday, ending the star receiver's 13 years with the team.
BUSINESS
Feb 26, 2009

WTO chief pushes Japan on Doha

As a major beneficiary, Japan must play an active role in jump-starting the stalled Doha Round talks, the chief of the World Trade Organization said Wednesday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Feb 26, 2009

UBS cancels wrong ¥3 trillion order

UBS AG's local unit placed an erroneous ¥3 trillion Capcom Co. convertible-bond order Wednesday that was subsequently canceled, the Tokyo Stock Exchange said.
BUSINESS
Feb 26, 2009

January trade deficit worst on record

Exports plunged 45.7 percent in January from a year earlier, resulting in a record trade deficit as the recession in the United States and Europe smothered demand for cars and electronics.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo