These days, I read articles about the economic crisis to know its effect all over the world and your reports help me so much.

The news about cheap jeans (May 2 issue) made me wonder about factory labor. How much money can they earn by sewing ¥990 jeans? Do many Japanese consumers not care about it?

These question prevent me from buying one of those jeans.

I was surprised by the article "Young graduates in EU find few jobs, face uncertain future" (May 9 issue). I now understand that many graduates in the European Union are confronted with the risk of being thrown into a European "lost generation." I sincerely hope that they find their congenial jobs soon.

I would like to see human dignity put above business. A company, which has a major role in the development of our society, should try not to discard its young workers even when times are hard. The ups and downs in an economy should be taken as a matter of course.

I started reading the Weekly last year to improve my English skills, although it was likely to be tough for me because I have given up reading English-language newspapers again and again.

However, I am sticking to the Weekly. It is because I realized the Weekly gives me not only news but also discoveries that I can hardly find in Japanese newspapers or news programs.

The most shocking discovery for me was "Prejudice claims die hard in Japan" (Jan. 31 issue). The buraku issue still casts a shadow and is seen as a social taboo, but we cannot turn away from it. This article made me think deeply about the issue, which I had stayed away from for a long time. The article meant a lot to me.

Now I look in the Weekly for something I don't know or have missed to expand my view. It is fun and gives me pleasure.

Thank you. I hope to receive more discoveries.

I enjoy reading the Weekly because I can see many items that major newspapers in Japan do not disclose, such as a politician's blurted words and the Japanese Imperial family's "skeletons" (April 18 issue).

I have been reading the Weekly for five years. It includes various topics and news from all over the world, which attracts me very much. Daily issues are too much for me to read every day, so the Weekly is the perfect size to carry in a bag and to read anywhere.

I'm especially a fan of the science section. I'm not very knowledgeable about science, but the articles are an easy way for me to understand an interesting side of science. I hope you will continue providing readers much more interesting articles in the future.

The Japan Times Weekly: June 6, 2009
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