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EDITORIALS
Mar 4, 2007

Hardship born of an anachronism

An outmoded provision in the Civil Code is causing many remarried women and their children hardship concerning the children's family registry. Article 772 of the Civil Code, which took effect in 1898, stipulates that a baby born to a woman within 300 days of her divorce must be regarded as having been...
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2007

Japan to press Pyongyang for abduction probe

, we will not even pay 1 yen. We deliver this as our message," Aso said in a speech in Fukuoka Prefecture. He added that Japan is ready to maintain economic sanctions on Pyongyang, including the ban on port calls by the North Korean ferry Mangyongbong-92. The bilateral meeting in Hanoi is one of the...
CULTURE / Books
Mar 4, 2007

Unearthing proverbs, essential to life but hard to swallow

ZEN OF VEGETABLE ROOTS, calligraphy by Siu-Leung Lee, paintings by Fu Yi Yao, translated by Siu-Leung Lee. Yuzankaku, 2006, 254 pp., 2,800 yen (paper) The original "Zen of Vegetable Roots" integrates the philosophy of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism in a collection of more than 750 Chinese proverbs...
Reader Mail
Mar 4, 2007

Sexualization of schoolgirls

While in Japan with my Japanese wife visiting relatives, I was somewhat shocked at many of the books/magazines available. Now I'm not a naive soul and support, even commend, the Japanese approach to sex. However, magazines featuring girls under the age of 13 in swimsuits and underwear is unhealthy both...
Reader Mail
Mar 4, 2007

Myth of national homogeneity

Education minister Bunmei Ibuki's recent comment that Japan is an "extremely homogenous" country shows again how clueless so many of our officials in government, particularly in the Liberal Democratic Party administration, are with regard to the origins of this country.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Mar 4, 2007

Nanae Aoyama: Office worker takes exalted literary status in her stride

Nanae Aoyama only turned 24 in January, but already she has won literary prizes for each of the two books she has published.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 4, 2007

What is becoming of my grandfather's wisdom?

These days it's tough to be a journalist. This may sound like a whinge, but whinges may sometimes reflect a real situation. Oh, it's fine if you agree with the line of thought acceptable to governments, religious organizations or interest groups. But if you dare hold up a mirror to them, you may run...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 4, 2007

Shooting arrows to the end of the universe

Zen Bow, Zen Arrow: The Life and Teachings of Awa Kenzo, the Archery Master from "Zen in the Art of Archery", by John Stevens. Boston/London: Shambahala, 2007, 104 pp. with photographs, $12.95 (paper). Archery, or kyudo, "the Way of the bow," has a venerable Asian history. Confucius recommended it as...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 4, 2007

Europe sleeping through a cocaine siege

NEW YORK -- European leaders need to get serious about Europe's cocaine problem. The "white lady" is seducing a steadily growing number of Europeans, and remaining in a state of denial will only worsen the consequences.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 4, 2007

Opposition hasn't got a clue in battle against LDP

Last year was a bad one for the Democratic Party of Japan. Its troubles started when DPJ lawmaker Hisayasu Nagata implied that the son of Tsutomu Ta-kebe, a big shot in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was involved in a money-for-favors deal. Once it was revealed that Nagata's evidence was false,...
Reader Mail
Mar 4, 2007

Working until the last minute

I'm in the ninth month of pregnancy and still working in an office. It was very difficult to find an ob/gyn hospital open till 8 or 9 p.m.; most are open only till 3 to 5 p.m. Even female nurses don't understand working women's feelings in a male-dominated working world. Some nurses at the hospital where...
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 3, 2007

Sef tips Grampus young guns

Sef Vergoossen is certain his gaggle of talented young Nagoya Grampus Eight players will have a major impact on the J. League title race -- but not for another season or two.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 3, 2007

Playoff push starts this weekend

OSAKA -- It's no secret that the Osaka Evessa are one of the hardest working teams in the bj-league. Or maybe they are No. 1 on that list.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 3, 2007

German Osieck embraces Reds challenge

First rule of showbiz: always leave 'em wanting more.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight