Vox Populi

Vox Populi

VOX POPULI: Urge to survive greater motive to stay in than any order March 31, 2020 In his book titled "Keizaigaku Tanjo" (Birth of economics), economist Tsuneo Iida (1932-2003) recalls being asked by someone, "What, in a nutshell, has your study of economics taught you?" After
VOX POPULI: Astronaut, sub commander tell how to survive in self-isolation March 30, 2020 “The Martian,” a science fiction novel written by Andy Weir, depicts the life of an astronaut stranded alone on Mars due to an accident. The protagonist lives in extreme conditions, with
VOX POPULI: Japanese WWI POW camp stood out for civility toward prisoners March 28, 2020 The city of Naruto in Tokushima Prefecture is famous for its "uzushio" tidal whirpools that form in the Naruto Strait in the Seto Inland Sea. But for tourists from Germany, another popular place to
VOX POPULI: Some words of wisdom to help pull us through the pandemic March 27, 2020 Earlier this week, Shiga Prefecture received a gift of 20,000 face masks from China's Hunan province. In the shipping box was a message quoting a passage from a classical Chinese poem, which went to
VOX POPULI: Young cancer victim left her mark in illustrated book March 26, 2020 I recently read a picture storybook titled "Soramame Kazoku no Pikunikku" (Fava bean family's picnic). It was written and illustrated by Shoka Morikami, a young girl in Fukuyama, Hiroshima
VOX POPULI: War survivor unbowed after losing Olympic torch relay stint March 25, 2020 The Olympic torch was meant to depart from Fukushima Prefecture on March 26 and be carried around the nation by torchbearers. But now that the decision has been made to postpone the Tokyo Olympics
VOX POPULI: COVID-19 final straw that seals fate of 2020 Tokyo Games March 24, 2020 About five years ago in Boston, I met a man who was instrumental in defeating the city's bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Boston was seen as a leading contender, but this man launched an aggressive
VOX POPULI: Unfavorable environment in Japan for female scientists persists March 23, 2020 The life of a Japanese woman named Katsuko Saruhashi (1920-2007), a renowned geochemist, offers an intriguing story. Saruhashi founded the Saruhashi Prize, an annual award to a Japanese woman who has
VOX POPULI: Finance Ministry home of fawning lapdogs trained to protect Abe March 21, 2020 A spitball, a piece of paper that has been chewed and shaped into a ball, is shot through a drinking straw for use as a missile. Figuratively speaking, words written on a piece of paper can sometimes
VOX POPULI: As the old ‘rakugo’ says, teetotal ‘hanami’ isn't all that bad March 20, 2020 In the classic "rakugo" number "Nagaya no Hanami," the landlord of a rundown "nagaya" tenement row house treats the tenant laborers to a "hanami" cherry blossom viewing party in the Ueno district of
VOX POPULI: Oe's work probes darkest thoughts about people with disabilities March 19, 2020 The March 16 court verdict in the Tsukui Yamayuri-en mass murder case made me reread novelist Kenzaburo Oe's works, many of which feature anguished protagonists whose children have disabilities. The
VOX POPULI: Desire to hold summer Games hits cold reality of coronavirus March 18, 2020 For the 1940 Tokyo Olympics, which never materialized because of World War II, Japan had a grand vision for the Olympic torch relay. According to the plan, the Olympic flame, lit in Olympia, was to
VOX POPULI: Preventive acts are the best ‘circuit breaker’ to stop virus March 17, 2020 Old tools and gadgets that were used in stock trading years ago are on display at the head office of Osaka Exchange Inc. On my latest visit, what caught my eye was a whistle of the kind used by
VOX POPULI: Black marketeers resell face masks as ‘staples’ to evade crackdown March 16, 2020 A Buddhist precept tells monks to stay away from alcohol, but it appears not all abstained in olden times. A secret name for sake was “hannya-to,” where “hannya” means “the wisdom to see
VOX POPULI: Rooting for day ‘moon’s teardrop’ stages its revival in Lake Biwako March 14, 2020 Centuries ago, the poet Kakinomoto no Hitomaro likened a pure white pearl resting at the bottom of a lake to his romantic partner. His poem, “Omi no umi/ shizuku shiratama shirazushite/
VOX POPULI: High school students can’t let scrapped events bring them down March 13, 2020 A national high school baseball championship was ultimately canceled after organizers long agonized over whether to postpone it or hold it without fans in the stands. I am talking not about the
VOX POPULI: Film spotlights plight of people with disabilities in 3/11 aftermath March 12, 2020 The Japanese film "Hoshi ni Katarite" (Starry Sky) portrays the harsh realities people with disabilities faced in the immediate wake of the Fukushima disaster nine years ago. A woman becomes unable
VOX POPULI: Woman fights to save school to honor grandchild who died in 3/11 March 11, 2020 Last December, The Asahi Shimbun's "Koe" (Voice, or Letters to the Editor) section printed a Fukushima woman's plea to let Fukushima prefectural Shinchi High School keep operating. The school survived
VOX POPULI: ‘Sato Day’ celebrates most common family name in Japan March 10, 2020 Fujiwara no Hidesato, a court bureaucrat and warrior of the mid-Heian Period (794-1185), was apparently a man of exceptional valor who slew a giant centipede by Lake Biwa, according to folklore. He
VOX POPULI: Fabled ‘duckbill’ Shinkansen hits end of the line without fanfare March 9, 2020 This spring, the new coronavirus is forcing all kinds of events to be canceled, including various ceremonies to celebrate important milestones in the lives of people in every field and social
VOX POPULI: COVID-19 forcing people to practice non-contact forms of greeting March 7, 2020
VOX POPULI: Isolation of telework makes me miss chatting with colleagues March 6, 2020
VOX POPULI: ‘SuperAgers’ in the spotlight in race to become U.S. president March 5, 2020
VOX POPULI: ‘Doraemon’ manga series at age 50 still proves prescient March 4, 2020
VOX POPULI: School closures rob students of precious March graduation day March 3, 2020
VOX POPULI: Flubbed speech in Diet often sounds more like a cover for lies March 2, 2020
VOX POPULI: Famed ‘icicle park’ falls victim to this winter’s warmer climate February 29, 2020
VOX POPULI: Coronavirus anxiety makes me feel my hands are never clean February 28, 2020
VOX POPULI: Coronavirus sparks season of discontent for sports fans February 27, 2020
VOX POPULI: Unjustified fear, mistrust of strangers harder to end than virus February 26, 2020

What's New

: Officials plead with young people to stop partying during pandemic
: Battle brews over who pays extra costs of postponed Tokyo Olympics
: Hundreds of stranded Americans leave Nepal amid lockdown

Ghosn: Japan’s biggest plea bargaining case

This special page portrays the dramatic arrest of Carlos Ghosn and the twists and turns that followed.
Light and Darkness brought by Carlos Ghosn

This special page reviews what the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman left during his 19 years in Japan.
From Ichiro

Baseball star Ichiro Suzuki had much to say on March 21, the day he hung up his spikes.
The Paradise Papers

This special page details how journalists uncovered shady transactions through Bermuda and other tax havens.
Transform through SDGs

Here are reports about efforts in Japan and abroad to achieve the U.N. sustainable development goals.

Videos

Asahi Shimbun on Twitter

Learning English

Asahi Weekly

In-house News and Messages

Link

The New York Times

What's New

Recommended

Videos

Learning English

Link