A boy pulls away from his mother on the sidewalk in Tokyo, Nov. 7, 2007. (Toru Hanai/Reuters)
Savoie's choice: abduct or fight?
An American father wants his children back. Japan says no.
TOKYO, Japan — Under normal circumstances it would be impossible to summon any sympathy for a man who snatches two young children as they walk to school with their mother.
But what if the “abductor” is the children’s father, and the mother, his former wife, herself the subject of an arrest warrant?
When Christopher Savoie, an American, went to these...
Recent on Japan:
In Taiwan, pro baseball is all mobbed up
Jonathan Adams - China and its neighbors - November 1, 2009 10:27 ET
For some professional players, losing is an offer they can't refuse.
On Location: Tokyo — Blue light special
Aya Shoji - Japan - October 25, 2009 11:28 ET
Politics meets porn in Japan
David Nakamura - Japan - October 16, 2009 15:33 ET
Sex-industry reporters? Topless lawmakers? A new day has, indeed, arrived in Tokyo's Diet.
Full Frame: Of military uniforms and imperial rule
Robert Gilhooly - Full Frame - October 15, 2009 15:01 ET
A photo essay on the rise of nationalism in Japan and the yearly pilgrimage to a controversial shrine.
Full Frame: Walking through fire, literally
Robert Gilhooly - Full Frame - October 15, 2009 14:46 ET
Priests flagellate themselves with boiling water and walk across hot embers in a Shinto purification ritual.
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A World of Trouble: Is the nightmare over?
Thomas Mucha - Commerce - October 14, 2009 13:35 ET
With signs of economic recovery finally emerging, here's where things stand in 20 countries around the world.
The rising sun also sets
Michael Moran - Worldview - October 6, 2009 17:11 ET
How do the election results change US-Japan relations?
2016 Olympics: Three funerals and a party
Thomas Mucha - Commerce - October 4, 2009 09:13 ET
Rio rocks. Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo mope.
The 2016 Olympics: The betting odds
Mark Starr - Sports - October 4, 2009 09:12 ET
President Obama is headed to Copenhagen. Will it matter?
"It's Dante's Inferno for dolphins"
Justin McCurry - Japan - September 25, 2009 06:22 ET
Welcome to Taiji, Japan, home of the annual bottlenose dolphin slaughter.
Death row, Japanese-style: "Cruel, inhuman and degrading"
Justin McCurry - Japan - September 24, 2009 09:37 ET
Does Japan drive criminals insane? And execute them anyway? Amnesty International thinks so.
Cash for kids in Japan
David Nakamura - Japan - September 16, 2009 05:38 ET
A new government addresses a low birth rate problem with cold, hard cash.
Japan's cubicle sluggers
David Nakamura - Japan - September 8, 2009 05:47 ET
It's corporate. It's baseball. And it's in trouble.
Japan's opposition wins a historic victory
Gavin Blair - Japan - August 31, 2009 12:00 ET
Democratic Party of Japan crushes Taro Aso's Liberal Democratic Party
Does Japan still need the US?
Justin McCurry - Japan - August 16, 2009 21:21 ET
Expect big changes in the world's "most important bilateral relationship." Will it matter?
Taiwan says goodbye to World Games 2009
Jonathan Adams - China and its neighbors - July 27, 2009 09:19 ET
VIDEO: How did your favorite korfballer do?
The long shadow of Japan's POW past
Justin McCurry - Japan - July 25, 2009 09:31 ET
The issue that won't go away has also embroiled the country's prime minister Taro Aso.
Fears of a nuclear Burma
Patrick Winn - Thailand - July 22, 2009 12:15 ET
The evidence, the conspirators and one "very concerned" Hillary Clinton
Boiling water and hot embers
Robert Gilhooly - Worldview - July 10, 2009 17:52 ET
Global Blogs:
Sleeping past your train stop
What Japan Thinks - Japan - November 7, 2009 10:57 ET
People sleeping on the train, or feigning sleep so they don’t need to give up their seat, is a staple feature of the Japanese rail system, and something that I do most mornings too. The worry about sleeping past your stop was the subject tackled by this recent survey from...
Night View Cars
Alan, Author, "Shibuya246" blog - Japan - November 6, 2009 23:26 ET
I took a test photo with my camera to see what could be achieved before heading down to the highway and catching some better scenery. Now that it the air is colder at night, the street lights seem to shine brighter and images are clear. This is one of the photos I took....
A brief history of nuclear destruction- the Marshall Islands
Michael John Grist - Japan - November 5, 2009 22:28 ET
The impact is immediate and massive. In a second the fireball of flame, earth and smoke spreads almost four and half miles wide, engulfing everything within its path, visible over 250 miles away. After one minute the atomic mushroom cloud reaches 47,000 feet high and 7 miles...
Lost in time
Hiking and Climbing in Japan - Japan - November 6, 2009 14:31 ET
Go on, ask me about the snake. About the pit viper that almost bit the Other Englishman while we climbed the knife edge to Hoshi-Ana-dake. How we stole into the off-limits climbing route in the...
Riverboats & Candy-colored bridge
More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan - Japan - November 5, 2009 03:29 ET
A couple of traditional wooden riverboats tied up with our infamous blue, pink, and green bridge behind. I recently learned the significance of the colors of the bridge. The blue represents the sky, the pink represents cherry blossoms, and the green represents the mountains....
Reflections: Masterfully and Powerfully Made
The Soul of Japan - Japan - November 4, 2009 21:15 ET
Sitting in silence on a very quiet weekday afternoon, not even one sound from a neighbor. There’s a distance hum of a washing machine, the smell of outside air still lingering from her purse...
A scenario for Japan’s public finances
Edward Hugh, Author, "Japan Economy Watch" - Japan - November 7, 2009 04:02 ET
A few days back there were rumblings of dissatisfaction from the market about Ministry of Finance projected issuance:Japan’s Bonds Drop a 4th Day After 20-Year Auction Demand Cools –...
Battle to end Statute of Limitations in Japan
Black Tokyo - Japan - November 4, 2009 12:58 ET
Photo courtesy of Mainichi Daily News Misako Shiraishi sister of murder victim Chizuko Shiraishi has joined forces with the “Sora no Kai” organization to campaign to abolish the statute of limitations in Japan. Chizuko Shiraishi was the accountant and alleged lover...
Akihabara Rice: Licolita And The Maids
Kurashi - News from Japan - Japan - November 4, 2009 10:36 ET
My friend Sanada-san has done it again. He keeps coming up with great ideas for the unique Licolita-style activism of Akihabara, Tokyo.Remember when they went to a shrine and blessed a bicycle (because it is so eco) and way back, they did the uchimizu actions to show that you...
Waking up to a new alliance
Observing Japan - Japan - November 4, 2009 00:48 ET
The day of Barack Obama's first visit to Japan is approaching rapidly and the focus of the allies remains on the future of Futenma and the US-Japan agreement on the realignment of US forces in Japan.The Hatoyama government is still weighing its options — and Prime Minister...
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