Just after reading "Alcoholism remains a taboo issue" (April 25 issue), I heard about SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi's public indecency. I was very shocked at the news because I was an avid fan of the popular boy band. As the article said, the pressure for business or social reasons will sometimes seduce people into drinking too much. In his case, he would also have suffered from a lot of stress, though he denied that flatly.

If a person who was not a celebrity behaved like Kusanagi did, he would be punished more severely at home or the workplace. As a worst-case scenario, he would be fired. It is said that Kusanagi will work again by appearing in a TV drama in July. Before that, he should reflect on what he did and consider his social status more seriously.

Generally speaking, the punishments on drinking are lax in Japan, except for drunken driving. TV advertisements for alcohol have no restrictions. Moreover, some popular celebrities are on TV promoting alcoholic beverage companies. As a result, many minors are attracted to drinking. Also, it is easy to get such beverages.

It's time to reconsider the troubles of drinking.

The prolonged recession has a bad effect on the decrease in the birthrate. As the child-birth article (April 25 issue) mentioned, improving child-care services is important and taking a new look at the tax system is also necessary.

When the temp- and contract-work systems were set up, the government's aim was to allow many more people to have more opportunity to join the workforce as everyone can't work full time. However, employers seem to have taken advantage of this system to reduce labor costs and make more profit, ignoring the true purpose of the system.

Having this system function properly allows more people to meet their needs, resulting in mothers deciding to work by choosing convenient hours. If people feel secure in their lives as well as in their jobs, they will begin to think about marriage and childbirth. As a result, the birthrate will increase and the talent pool will become sufficient.

The decrease in population is an urgent problem, but we can't solve it without dealing with the recession.

I enjoy reading the Weekly, particularly so when I read articles that are not covered by usual Japanese newspapers. One such example is the article introducing Jon Favreau, Obama's speechwriter (March 21 issue). He was mentioned in some Japanese newspapers, too, but the Weekly's article was far more interesting. It gave me a better insight into him, which I could hardly have gained otherwise.

Together with the recent BBC coverage of the Japanese Communist Party and the JCP chairman's April 28 letter to U.S. President Barack Obama calling on international talks aimed at banning nuclear weapons across the world, the article in the May 2 issue of the Weekly hit the jackpot — how little is written about the JCP in the commercial newspapers. The Japan Times' policy "Without Fear or Favor" has caused the right thing to be done: You have described the JCP as it is, for which I thank you very much.

The Japan Times Weekly: May 16, 2009
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