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COMMENTARY
Dec 26, 2007

A man of principles in desperate times

LOS ANGELES — There are times when — from a moral standpoint — men and women simply should not remain silent. In such times, seemingly fine lines need to be turned into unequivocal hard lines. This is when the men and women of conscience stand out.
COMMENTARY
Dec 26, 2007

China puts muscle to policy

NEW DELHI — Rising economic and military power is emboldening Beijing to pursue a more muscular foreign policy. Having earlier preached the gospel of its "peaceful rise," China is now beginning to take the gloves off, confident of the muscle it has acquired.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2007

Lightning-fast arms named robot of the year

A mechanical arm that picks 120 items a minute from a conveyor belt won Japan's Robot of the Year award last week, defeating a dozen other flashier finalists, including a walking humanoid, a firefighter robot and a transparent torso for simulating surgery.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2007

Firm reneges on promised jobs for Nova teachers

whether they would be able to be re-employed or not," she said. "We had to believe the company as much as possible because we wanted to regain a sense of security as soon as possible." National Union of General Workers Tokyo Nambu, a Tokyo-based labor union whose ranks include many ex-Nova teachers,...
EDITORIALS
Dec 26, 2007

Bloc development in the works

The planning section of the National Land Development Council has penned a 10-year national land formation plan that the Cabinet will approve by the end of March after receiving it from the council. The plan is expected to gain public support. The central and local governments must work out ways to implement...
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2007

Time ripe for better ties: Iran envoy

A recent U.S. report that concluded with "high confidence" that Iran halted its nuclear arms program in 2003 offers a key opportunity to expand Japan-Iran ties, Iranian Ambassador to Japan Mohsen Talaei said.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Dec 26, 2007

Giant water bug

*Japanese name: Taikouchi *Scientific name: Laccotrephes japonensis *Description: Also known as water scorpions and "toe-biters," these are ferocious, tough insects with strong, sharp front legs for catching prey (and biting toes or fingers) and a beaked hypodermic-type mouth with which they stab...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Dec 26, 2007

Wrapping up the year with dollops of whale and tuna

With Christmas behind us and New Year's less than a week away, this month's column combines a bit of yearend desk clearing with some suggestions for belated stocking stuffers.
EDITORIALS
Dec 26, 2007

Step forward for hepatitis C victims

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has decided to have the Diet enact a law to pay "uniform" compensation to everyone infected with hepatitis C from tainted blood products. His decision represents an effort to "achieve a breakthrough" in stalled negotiations over a court-mediated settlement of damage suits...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Dec 26, 2007

The biggest Internet-related stories of 2007

As we wind down on 2007, it's a good time to look back and see how much the Internet landscape has changed in the last year.
Reader Mail
Dec 25, 2007

Teachers in Okayama harassed

A serious problem with the police is that they seem excellent at solving crime but less successful in preventing it. Caucasian English-language teachers in Okayama have been harassed anonymously by a stalker using e-mail, fax and ordinary mail, and the police seem unable to stop it. The stalker has...
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2007

U.S. lightens Japan's burden

The United States has agreed to Japan slightly reducing its burden-sharing costs for maintaining U.S. military facilities in the country over three years starting in April — after the current two-year accord expires in March. In the talks, Japan sought a substantial cut due to its massive national...

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan