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Reader Mail
Jul 18, 2007

Farcical vision of Olympics

Regarding the July 7 Associated Press article "Youth Olympics set for 2010 debut": I can't imagine a greater travesty than an Olympics "meant to drag kids from computer screens and onto the playing fields." What a crying shame that the minds of men would hold this farcical vision of an Olympics -- some...
EDITORIALS
Jul 18, 2007

Pulling the plug on Yongbyon

North Korea has shut down its plutonium-producing reactor at Yongbyon and other facilities and accepted inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Although this is a welcome development, little optimism is warranted. The shutdown means only that North Korea has stopped producing any more...
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2007

Ban on online campaigns further besieged

of the Democratic Party of Japan takes part in an event to promote Internet election campaigning in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on June 15. HIROKO NAKATA PHOTO
COMMENTARY
Jul 18, 2007

The terrorists in our midst

LONDON — The terrorists who committed the atrocities in London on July 7, 2005, seemed to have been of limited education and from relatively poor backgrounds. The four terrorists who were convicted recently of plotting mass murder on the London transport system on July 21, 2005, were refugees from...
Reader Mail
Jul 18, 2007

Welcome back 'Iwoto'

I share Philip J. Cunningham's concern in his July 2 article, "Goodbye Iwojima, Hello Iwoto," that stirrings of language police are a harbinger of oppressive nationalism. But there is more behind the move to call Hollywood's "Iwo Jima" Japan's "Iwoto" than meets the eye or ear.
Reader Mail
Jul 18, 2007

Flair can't pass for substance

One of the few perks I enjoy living so far from Hollywood, and everything else associated with "La-La Land," is that I no longer have to endure the sycophantic ramblings of movie critics and the opinions of self-righteous actors. Or so I thought.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2007

Comics defying taboos, ditching slapstick for political satire

listens to ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Yasuhide Nakayama during a taping of Ota's weekly "news" show at NTV in Tokyo in May. AP PHOTO
Reader Mail
Jul 18, 2007

U.S. also shortchanges students

Regarding the July 4 article " 'Some' civilian Okinawa deaths won't halt textbook rewrite": Textbook censorship of historical events is not limited to Japan. The long tradition of local control of schools in the United States has meant that 50 different versions of supposedly historical facts are possible....
EDITORIALS
Jul 18, 2007

Flagging quake resistance

The fierce earthquake that struck Niigata and Nagano prefectures Monday reminded both the government and the public of the need to make Japan more resilient toward earthquakes. The magnitude-6.8 quake was focused about 60 km southwest of the city of Niigata and some 17 km below the bottom of the Sea...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jul 18, 2007

Putting 'rarity' into context

Stepping outside this morning, I heard a skylark singing above the open field adjacent to where I live. It's a rare event for me, but perhaps you hear skylarks all the time. Then again, perhaps you have never heard that silvery cascade of notes pouring endlessly from high in the sky.
SOCCER
Jul 18, 2007

Reds pull out draw with mighty United

SAITAMA — Urawa Reds spoiled Manchester United's party by claiming a battling 2-2 draw at Saitama Stadium 2002 on Tuesday night.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jul 18, 2007

Mirror, mirror, in the phone and portable photo storage

Videophones might be the future of communication, but there is more than a whiff of narcissism about them. After all, whose self-image is such that they believe the person at the other end actually wants to gaze at their visage? Thanko is appealing to the powers of the ego with its Mirror WebCamera....
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jul 18, 2007

'Kane' gone? Try saving with these money boxes

Money — it makes the world go round, and it even talks. Or at least, these money boxes do.
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2007

DoCoMo to sell Japanese BlackBerry

Aiming to challenge the dominance of cell phones, Research In Motion Ltd. of Canada will launch a Japanese version of the BlackBerry 8707h through NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s sales network next Monday, targeting corporate users, the companies said Tuesday.
SOCCER
Jul 17, 2007

Morales vows to continue fight

LA PAZ (AP) President Evo Morales said on Sunday that Bolivia has "won the battle, but not the war" following the announcement that the country's Andean capital had been exempted from a ban that prohibited soccer matches above 3,000 meters (9,840 feet). The waiver granted by FIFA and subsequently approved...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 17, 2007

Hinomaru, 'Kimigayo' express conflicts both past and future

To some they are symbols of national pride, to others icons of a militaristic past. "Kimigayo," the national anthem, and the Hinomaru, the national flag, have been perpetual sources of controversy because of their contentious historical backgrounds. Following are some basic questions and answers about...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji