Regarding defectors from North Korea (Dec. 13 and Dec. 20 issues), it's my first time to know about the problems they face. I was shocked at the current situation. We are born equally and have inborn rights to live. Shin Dong-hyuk wrote his history but the English edition has never been published. It's an obstacle to freedom of expression. We want to know more about what has happened in North Korea as he said. But Japan has not had bilateral relations with North Korea, so defectors' voices are an important clue to know about it. Anyway, we always need to fight for human rights with the pen, not the sword. I hope that the Weekly staff will keep track of this issue so that we readers can take more interest in it.

I've been subscribing to the Weekly for many years. I can buy a daily Japan Times paper but prefer this weekly version for a few reasons.

First of all, the size of the paper is perfect to put into my work bag and it is easy to fold without bothering anyone.

Besides, the news contents are very varied, from international and domestic news to your exclusive reports. Since I teach at school, it is also easy to pick up a topic for a discussion class, giving them the whole idea of an article.

Finally, with the meanings in Japanese of English vocabulary, I can learn a lot of phrases, saving time. For a reader who is eager to study more, it is surely a big help and very instructive.

Those charms of the Weekly keep me a big fan. Hope we can read better news in 2009 and your business becomes more prosperous.

I prefer reading news on paper to on the Internet. Please do not succumb to an Internet service for readers like me.

I found the article "It was a good year for one of the most endangered species" (Dec. 27-Jan. 3 issue) interesting. I'm curious why the number of amphibians is decreasing in general.

Editor's note: The use of pesticides and the loss of natural habitats are some of the reasons the number of amphibians has been decreasing.

I refer to your article in the Jan. 10 issue about the cash benefit program. There has been a lot of talk for a long time about this cash handout.

While the prospect of receiving ¥12,000 might be appealing to many individuals, considering the overall economic situation in this country and taking into account the intended purpose of supporting households, this program seems to me a rather ineffective measure. How could such a relatively small amount of money help to stimulate the economy? This money would probably just help to supplement the usual food budget while in the case of wealthy people it would be considered peanuts and might be spent for a meal at a fancy restaurant. So what?

Wouldn't it be much wiser to use all that money collectively for a big program like building facilities for the elderly (there are never enough anywhere), and creating more jobs (in the agricultural, environmental and welfare sectors, for instance) so that all those who have been fired could work again. Handing out a little money and raising taxes later looks to me like teasing people.

The Japan Times Weekly: Feb. 7, 2009
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