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Reader Mail
Dec 11, 2008

Students could use civics courses

I agree with the Dec. 5 article "Politicians failing to engage youth," but one main issue is ignored. As with most articles published about Japan's lack of political participation, this one neglects to address the school's role in citizens' political involvement. As an assistant language teacher (ALT),...
Reader Mail
Dec 11, 2008

Flawed model of climate change

Gwynne Dyer's Dec. 7 article, "Four harsh truths about climatic change," is a great piece of fluffery. The article claims "scientists are scared." Which scientists? Where? All I see is the blathering of resident hacks who have taken a flawed model and extrapolated made-up "facts" to suit a political...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 11, 2008

Keanu Reeves boldly goes for box-office biggie

Keanu Reeves is a creature from outer space. More precisely, he is playing Klaatu, a superior being from beyond the stars who takes the form of a human male visiting a planet that, despite millions of years of evolution, remains too fond of violence for its own good.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2008

Time to end Senkaku dispute: Wu

Japan and Taiwan should work to settle their territorial dispute in a peaceful manner and strengthen bilateral cooperation for the development of the East China Sea, the chairman of Taiwan's ruling Nationalist Party said Wednesday in Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 11, 2008

Bad timing hurts auctioneers' plans

One of the positive developments that Jonathan Stone, head of development in Asia for Christie's, saw in the otherwise disappointing contemporary-art auctions held this month in Hong Kong was that they "showed that Hong Kong has become the center of contemporary art in Asia."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 11, 2008

Was that the sound of the China art bubble bursting?

As quickly as it appeared, the Chinese contemporary art boom ended last week in Hong Kong.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2008

Greenpeace softens protest tactics

Environmentalists in the icy seas, risking life and limb to save whales from the harpoons of Japanese hunters — it makes for good headlines in the West and has even spawned a TV series, "Whale Wars."
Reader Mail
Dec 11, 2008

Don't call it a surprise attack

Regarding the Dec. 8 editorial "Remember Pearl Harbor": I agree with the details of the editorial, but allow me to warn that even the Japanese subterfuge of breaking off negotiations at the time should not obscure the fact that the public and U.S. military in Hawaii were at least aware of the imminent...
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2008

Large firms turning to state as lender of last resort

The government may become the lender of last resort for large companies struggling to obtain financing as the economy worsens and the corporate bond market remains weak.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2008

1,000 jobs to go at Nikko Cordial

Citigroup Inc., the U.S. bank that is eliminating 52,000 jobs worldwide, will shed about 1,000 workers at its retail brokerage unit in Japan, two company officials said Wednesday.
Reader Mail
Dec 11, 2008

Hardly a punishable offense

A recent article about the worry that economic turmoil is bringing to retirees caught my eye. I am closer to 70 than 60, and my solution to the retirement blues is not to retire, which is possible as long as I am allowed to work. Work, if enjoyable, may be adrenaline for the mind, so being forced not...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2008

Making quality the key to Web searches

NEW YORK — In the not-so-distant future, students will be able to graduate from high school without ever touching a book. Twenty years ago, they could graduate from high school without ever using a computer. In only a few decades, computer technology and the Internet have transformed the core principles...
BASKETBALL
Dec 10, 2008

Ishibashi named Grouses' new coach

Former Japan national team center Takatoshi Ishibashi has been named the new head coach of the Toyama Grouses, the bj-league team announced on Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 10, 2008

Precipitous drop in popularity

A Cabinet is said to have entered "dangerous waters" if its public approval rating sinks below 30 percent. Only 2 1/2 months after Mr. Taro Aso came into power, the approval rating for his Cabinet has fallen to 25.5 percent, a drop of 15.4 percentage points from November, according to a Kyodo News poll....
COMMENTARY
Dec 10, 2008

Don't allow terrorists to win

The horrific attacks in Mumbai have raised a number of serious questions for the Indian authorities. Why was there no forewarning? Were those responsible for gathering and interpreting intelligence negligent or did they lack adequate resources? Why was the counterterrorist response apparently so slow...
EDITORIALS
Dec 10, 2008

Health net for children

A September survey by the health and welfare ministry has found that about 32,900 children throughout the country were not covered by health insurance because their parents had failed to pay premiums to the National Health Insurance system (Kokumin Kenko Hoken). Irregularly employed workers, unemployed...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2008

Managing the international economic crisis

"After the Storm?" was the main title of the editorial of Economic Outlook 83 published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris last May. Developments since then have been such that it would have been a disaster for OECD forecasters if the question mark had not been...

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