Nova went bankrupt Oct. 26. The article "Is it all over for Nova?" in the Oct. 6 issue of the Weekly shows good foresight. The article said Nova declined to answer The Japan Times' inquiries, and I felt something fishy was going on. I can think of many reasons for the bankruptcy, but mismanagement is probably the main one. I hear that Nozomu Sahashi, Nova's former president, was a tyrant and tried to solve everything by himself. I would like schools to prioritize students, not profit. I learned I should be careful when choosing which conversation school to study at.

I have been subscribing to the Weekly for a year, and since I'm teaching English at universities and companies, this paper is a great resource for lesson preparation. However, I always want to know the word count for each article. Could we have the word count on every page?

Regarding the new "antiterrorism" immigration rules that are to come into affect later this month: Would 9/11 not have happened if all foreigners entering the United States had been fingerprinted? Is the list of 750,000 "terrorism suspects" compiled by the United States to be given credence? Does knowing someone who knows someone who may be a terrorist place one on the list?

I grew up in Japan when ¥1 notes were in circulation, and now my hair is white. Are my fingerprints and photo really going to stop the terrorists at the border? Never mind the probability that the terrorists aren't dummies.

I think that Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa's offer to resign was a brilliant political maneuver. Ozawa knew that his resignation would send the DPJ into a state of frenzy as there is no one in the party capable of replacing him. He knew that without him the party would lose the momentum it gained during the July 29 Upper House election victory and that it would not stand any chance of winning in the next Lower House election.

The DPJ had two options: (1) accept Ozawa's resignation and see him create a new political party, seducing voters away from the DPJ or (2) make concessions, keep him as president and have a chance in the election.

No matter what, Ozawa had very little to lose. He lets party executives beg him to stay, then agrees to return. Ozawa is now more powerful than ever within the DPJ. Watch him start a big cleanup in the party. I'd hate to be in the shoes of those who opposed him.

The debate on rice in this country never ceases to amaze me. With a population of ever-expanding cosmopolitans, the thought of living on a staple of rice to ensure that the Japanese rice industry survives is not only self-serving but also a plan that is doomed to the ashes of the 20th century.

It's time for the farmers who continue to hold onto the past to change their habits and give the consumers what they want, instead of cramming rice down everyone's throat. Time marches on and so should the rice farmers.

The Japan Times Weekly: November 17, 2007
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