Mainichi Daily News - All Stories http://mdn.mainichi.jp/ All the stories published by the Mainichi Daily News, the number one source of news on Japan in English. en The copyright of the materials belongs to the Mainichi Newspapers Co. unless stated otherwise. 2012-02-10T12:21:36+09:00 The Mainichi Newspapers The Mainichi Newspapers Mainichi Daily News http://mdn.mainichi.jp/ http://mdn.mainichi.jp/image/header/LogoMDN.gif Editorial: Japan lacks strategy in review of realignment road map http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/x8ht4LG_WJk/20120209p2a00m0na006000c.html Tokyo and Washington announced a joint statement on Feb. 8 reviewing the roadmap toward realignment of U.S. 2012-02-10T10:46:53+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120209p2a00m0na006000c.html?inb=rs Insecurity, disillusionment pervade Japan's 30-something generation http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/BOyI8DN3V8M/20120208p2a00m0na003000c.html Along with another reporter, I recently interviewed many people in their 30s for a series on the employment situation of that generation. 2012-02-08T17:40:53+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120208p2a00m0na003000c.html?inb=rs Ways of looking at snow http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/MEcdyiNb8K4/20120207p2a00m0na005000c.html As director of the Institute for Comparative Cultural Studies at Josai International University, I often ask myself the question: What is it to compare cultures? The answer always brings me to a basic contradiction: cultures differ, but people are the same. 2012-02-07T17:32:22+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120207p2a00m0na005000c.html?inb=rs Relocation of Futenma base must not be neglected in review of US force realignment http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/THqNiRCzhaM/20120207p2a00m0na001000c.html The issue of relocating U.S. 2012-02-07T17:36:30+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120207p2a00m0na001000c.html?inb=rs The courage to see beyond prejudice http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/nRIRaVtilmM/20120205p2a00m0na001000c.html The people we meet in life sometimes inspire us and, through their example, change us forever. 2012-02-05T17:46:02+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120205p2a00m0na001000c.html?inb=rs Kaleidoscope of the Heart: Saying yes to grief is a step to recovery http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/zqT7P4tisu0/20120205p2a00m0na002000c.html Separation from family, being diagnosed with a serious disease, a sudden natural calamity -- life is full of bitter experiences. 2012-02-05T23:35:00+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120205p2a00m0na002000c.html?inb=rs Competition, stability, affordability must be watchwords in gov't electricity system reform http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/UFC2wdAZdls/20120204p2a00m0na004000c.html The electric power supply system should be reformed in a way that will help spur competition on the market and reduce electricity charges while ensuring a stable power supply. 2012-02-04T18:06:01+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120204p2a00m0na004000c.html?inb=rs Warming up to the best ways to beat the winter cold http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/XiEClXXMqlQ/20120204p2a00m0na003000c.html As I waited at the bus stop on a Tokyo street, I nervously looked around for any smokers. 2012-02-04T14:57:45+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120204p2a00m0na003000c.html?inb=rs Attempts to threaten dollar's dominance could irk U.S. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/xgV-2VHnFV4/20120203p2a00m0na003000c.html Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda visited China at the end of last year to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao. 2012-02-03T17:29:36+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120203p2a00m0na003000c.html?inb=rs Editorial: Gov't intervention in Okinawa election unacceptable http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/19eo0JFBWHg/20120202p2a00m0na001000c.html The chief of the Defense Ministry's Okinawa Defense Bureau was recently found to have held a "lecture" for bureau employees about the upcoming Feb. 2012-02-02T19:43:54+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120202p2a00m0na001000c.html?inb=rs Editorial: Nuclear regulatory reform must weed out entrenched interests http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/W49CA0cr030/20120201p2a00m0na004000c.html Bills relating to a shift in the nation's nuclear power policy were approved by the Cabinet on Jan. 31. 2012-02-01T18:04:40+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120201p2a00m0na004000c.html?inb=rs 'Shadow meals' employed to keep families safe from radiation http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/FdF2wRzxBqk/20120131p2a00m0na003000c.html The practice of kagezen -- literally "shadow meal" -- entails setting out meals at home for a family member who is absent, in hopes that they will be safe while traveling. 2012-01-31T19:30:57+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/yoroku/archive/news/2012/01/20120131p2a00m0na003000c.html?inb=rs Kaleidoscope of the Heart: Don't overestimate your own strength http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/ubqha9a8Ga8/20120129p2a00m0na001000c.html As a psychiatrist with still so much to learn, I often try to read essays written by fellow senior psychiatrists for the general public. 2012-01-29T14:21:11+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120129p2a00m0na001000c.html?inb=rs Decontamination schedule sheds no light on when evacuees can return http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/qFlf8WmILOU/20120127p2a00m0na004000c.html The Ministry of the Environment on Jan. 2012-01-27T17:57:11+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120127p2a00m0na004000c.html?inb=rs Dust to dust: A different approach to funerals http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/_uHKD2qT2Ys/20120126p2a00m0na010000c.html "A spacious X square meters," "Faces south, gets plenty of sunlight!" -- these phrases on a cemetery ad at the station made me stop and think. 2012-01-26T17:47:47+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120126p2a00m0na010000c.html?inb=rs Opening the treasure chest of women in the workforce http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/T43o9arf0cA/20120125p2a00m0na019000c.html Here is a difficult quiz. Even if you are shown the correct answer, you'll still wonder why? There are three boxes -- A, B and C. 2012-01-25T18:11:58+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120125p2a00m0na019000c.html?inb=rs Editorial: Child welfare must be first priority in Hague ratification plan http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/36m2Lp-JuBA/20120124p2a00m0na002000c.html After years of dispute and discussion both internal and international, a legislative commission under the minister of justice has finalized an outline for legal measures Japan will take domestically for the ratification of the Hague Convention governing cross-border child custody disputes. 2012-01-24T18:11:06+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120124p2a00m0na002000c.html?inb=rs Written records of life http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/simDgTr-Lu0/20120122p2a00m0na002000c.html The Japanese are known for their sense of quiet reserve and shyness, so when I learned that blogging is a national pastime and that Japanese tweets have garnered 14 percent of Twitter traffic worldwide (second only to English with 50 percent), I couldn't help but wonder why. 2012-01-23T10:13:39+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120122p2a00m0na002000c.html?inb=rs Kaleidoscope of the Heart: How we're seen by others http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/ZtcDPVsjZkU/20120122p2a00m0na003000c.html The trial has begun for a woman accused of killing three men she was dating after pretending the deaths were suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning. 2012-01-22T17:27:30+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120122p2a00m0na003000c.html?inb=rs Obligated over obento http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/cchLuE50BEs/20120121p2a00m0na002000c.html Have you ever had a love / hate relationship? Maybe with someone you adore and also resent at the same time? Actually, though, this type of relationship comes in all forms. 2012-01-21T16:09:19+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120121p2a00m0na002000c.html?inb=rs Editorial: Fall college enrollment must be addressed by society as whole http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/GUo3Q0zLsrw/20120121p2a00m0na003000c.html The University of Tokyo has begun taking steps to shift enrollment from spring to fall. 2012-01-21T17:44:01+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120121p2a00m0na003000c.html?inb=rs Editorial: Gov't nuclear power plant tests mired in doubt http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/f0qkx1tsPUs/20120120p2a00m0na003000c.html How will the lessons learned from the disaster at the Fukushima No. 2012-01-20T19:08:18+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120120p2a00m0na003000c.html?inb=rs Nuke safety agency under fire for hasty approval of reactor reactivation http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/jCxb3u7NwfA/20120119p2a00m0na006000c.html The green light that the nuclear power regulator has given to the reactivation of two reactors before the government issues a final report on the ongoing Fukushima crisis has sparked criticism from citizens' organizations as well as experts. 2012-01-19T17:27:07+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120119p2a00m0na006000c.html?inb=rs Editorial: Gov't urged to clarify where radioactive gravel has been used http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/OcjNUuKlNKI/20120118p2a00m0na002000c.html The national and Fukushima prefectural governments are required to clarify where and how much radioactive gravel shipped from a rock quarry near the tsunami-hit nuclear power station has been used and how far it was contaminated. 2012-01-18T17:50:58+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120118p2a00m0na002000c.html?inb=rs Gov't concludes nuclear reactors can be used for up to 60 years based on U.S. standards http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/1fDUUsKaOsQ/20120118p2a00m0na001000c.html The government has concluded that nuclear reactors can be used for up to 60 years based on U.S. 2012-01-18T16:53:17+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120118p2a00m0na001000c.html?inb=rs Editorial: Supreme Court's national anthem decision a call for restraint http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/N5PSrK3T0kc/20120117p2a00m0na004000c.html Is it truly valid to punish teachers who don't stand for the singing of "Kimigayo" -- Japan's national anthem -- at school ceremonies, as many Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education teachers have been? The Supreme Court presented its opinion on the matter for the first time on Jan. 2012-02-09T17:59:52+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120117p2a00m0na004000c.html?inb=rs Deputy PM Okada should fight against rapidly aging population, not political foes http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/YlgC4nOZsJQ/20120116p2a00m0na002000c.html Why did Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda appoint former ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary-General Katsuya Okada as deputy prime minister when he reshuffled his Cabinet last week? Noda says: "Okada is a politician who draws a clear conclusion without wavering or escaping." Noda proudly told a news conference on Jan. 2012-01-16T16:41:43+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/column/archive/news/2012/01/20120116p2a00m0na002000c.html?inb=rs Kaleidoscope of the Heart: Beginning the year with a laugh http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/KROUnQQyAns/20120115p2a00m0na003000c.html I spent the turning of the New Year at my parents' home in Otaru, Hokkaido. 2012-01-15T15:09:27+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120115p2a00m0na003000c.html?inb=rs A-bomb survivors' dark experiences must not be repeated for Fukushima crisis victims http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/AJKiEnBaGjs/20120114p2a00m0na001000c.html Last year was a turning point for Terumi Tanaka, secretary-general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Suffers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), who turns 80 this year. 2012-01-15T09:36:39+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120114p2a00m0na001000c.html?inb=rs Top bureaucrat's arrest for insider trading despite small profit creates stir http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mdn/all/~3/vwGXt76-n1w/20120113p2a00m0na005000c.html Prosecutors have arrested a top bureaucrat on suspicion of insider trading even though he gained a relatively small amount of profit from the transactions. 2012-01-13T23:17:34+09:00 http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120113p2a00m0na005000c.html?inb=rs