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COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2009

Why does Germany's chancellor hesitate?

MUNICH — "Where is Angela?" is the question The Economist asked when Nicolas Sarkozy, Gordon Brown and Jose Manuel Barroso met to prepare a European economic stimulus plan without Chancellor Merkel being present. Indeed, Germany is currently the spoiler in the competition to provide billions to prevent...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2009

Small parties play up 'big' role in national politics

Political parties with fewer than 20 Diet seats face an identity crisis as the legislature moves closer to a two-party system following the huge gains made by the Democratic Party of Japan in the July 2007 Upper House election.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 3, 2009

Wishes for 2009: Less unfair criticism of referees, fewer fake injuries

LONDON — Apart from England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 the year could hardly have gone better for English football. In fact, the World Cup-winning year of 1966 excepted, 2008 is probably the most successful 12 months the sport has ever enjoyed.
Japan Times
CARTOONS / NOODLES
Jan 3, 2009

O-soji

Reader Mail
Jan 1, 2009

Public apathy in sumo death

The Japan Times forgot to include the judgment recently handed down in a sumo death as one of the most important news events of 2008. Three senior sumo wrestlers who admitted to beating a 17-year-old child to death after tormenting and torturing the victim for hours on end received only a suspended sentence...
Reader Mail
Jan 1, 2009

Time to get back to basics

Regarding the Dec. 27 front-page article "Record output fall raises alarms": My concern is for those who consider jumping in front of a train as a solution to financial or work-related problems because of the recession that is creating depression in Japanese society. What needs to change is the way the...
Reader Mail
Jan 1, 2009

Problem with Asian English

The second paragraph of the article on Indian and Chinese schools states: "Experts say that Japanese parents are eager to send their kids to such schools because they think that giving their kids opportunities to learn about Chinese and English at an early stage will be a big plus for their futures."...
Reader Mail
Jan 1, 2009

Partial solution to pollution

As the situation with regard to unemployment, energy and global warming deteriorates, our current leaders speak of putting in place a series of measures they hope will lead to eventual solutions. The keyword is "eventual."
Reader Mail
Jan 1, 2009

Another form of censorship

Regarding the Dec. 26 article "Summarized textbook screener minutes urged": "Summarized minutes" (as opposed to detailed minutes) are nothing more than another form of censorship and as far from transparency as police interrogations due to similar resistance and conniving.
Reader Mail
Jan 1, 2009

On the lookout for a slight

In his Dec. 25 letter, "Questionable slang about Asia," Adrian Goodhand seems to be one of those well-meaning chaps who have taken it upon themselves to be the Guardians of the Feelings of Our Foreign Friends (whether they want it or not!), regarding perceived "racism" in associating Oriental countries...
SOCCER / World cup
Jan 1, 2009

'Not everything goes right'

On Nov. 19 in Doha, in its final match of the year, the Japan national team turned in one of its best performances of 2008 to beat Qatar 3-0 and consolidate second place in World Cup final Asian qualifying Group 1.
EDITORIALS
Jan 1, 2009

Gingerly start to the new year

Japan greets the new year with political stagnation and dysfunction inherited from 2008. The stifling atmosphere nationwide is due not only to deepening economic difficulties caused by the global financial crisis that started in the United States but also to the failure of Prime Minister Taro Aso's administration...
Reader Mail
Jan 1, 2009

Why attend an Indian school?

Regarding the Dec. 28 article "More parents send kids to Indian, Chinese schools": This would perhaps be very encouraging news to the Indian community in Japan and to Indians in general. But I am only in partial agreement with the views of Little Angels International School founder Angelina Jeevarani....
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2009

Will Obama's promise of change include U.S.-Japan relations?

The Jan. 20 inauguration of the U.S. administration of Barack H. Obama is not only of historic consequence for the United States in terms of his being the first black president as well as first chief executive from the post-Vietnam War generation, but it also has aroused extremely strong interest worldwide....
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jan 1, 2009

Gamba overcomes Marinos, fatigue, schedule for one more tilt at glory

When Gamba Osaka takes to the field for the Emperor's Cup final on New Year's Day, fatigue could prove to be just as deadly an opponent as Kashiwa Reysol.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2009

Ozawa bids to win over young on Aso's 'otaku' turf

On the last day of 2008, Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa showed up at an event held in Tokyo's Akihabara district — home to Prime Minister Taro Aso's "otaku" geeks fan base — apparently to steal some of Aso's thunder.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2009

Aso set to lead LDP's last stand?

In 2007 it was Shinzo Abe. In 2008 it was Yasuo Fukuda and in 2009 it is Taro Aso.
Japan Times
JAPAN / THE MANY FACES OF CITIZENSHIP
Jan 1, 2009

Debate on multiple nationalities to heat up

First in a series
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2009

Growing challenges to Asian stability

NEW DELHI — U.S. President-elect Barack Obama takes office at a time when a fundamental and qualitative reordering of power is under way in the Asia-Pacific, with tectonic shifts challenging strategic stability. The impact of such shifts on U.S. foreign policy is bound to be accentuated by America's...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 1, 2009

J-pop prepares an assault on the West in '09

I wouldn't want to shout about it (since it might upset your New Year's hangover), but 2009 might just be the year that J-pop goes global. Several heavy hitters have set their sights on Western domination this year, and more than ever, their chances seem good.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2009

Is Aso only postponing the inevitable?

The political news that will have the most far-reaching repercussions into the new year is the plummeting approval rating of Prime Minister Taro Aso and his Cabinet, and his delay in dissolving the Lower House of the Diet for a general election.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 1, 2009

Hidenori Inoue takes a stab at Richard III

During his final year at Osaka University of Arts in 1980, Hidenori Inoue founded the Gekidan★Shinkansen theater company with several classmates. The 48-year-old native of Fukuoka in Kyushu hasn't looked back since.

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