Consumption tax raise misdirected

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirms that the government will raise the sales tax from 5 to 8 percent beginning in April. But will the tax hike lead to an economic downturn

Pirates roar past Reds

Pirates roar past Reds

Francisco Liriano showed up at PNC Park on Tuesday afternoon in a suit with his suitcase packed for a trip St. Louis. The message reverberated through the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse. After 21 years away from the playoffs, it was time for the best story ...

August 2013
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Aug 31, 2013

Shimane parts ways with big man Singleton

by Ed Odeven

The Shimane Susanoo Magic on Friday announced recently signed center Rashaad Singleton will not play for the bj-league team this season, citing family issues as the reason. The team news release contradicts what this newspaper uncovered during interviews with several league sources this past ...

Aug 31, 2013

Some food price hikes coming Monday

Price hikes will start with shipments Monday for food and seasonings such as jam and dressing. The price increases stem from increased import costs due to rising prices of raw materials and the yen’s weakness. They follow price hikes for mayonnaise and bread in ...

Aug 31, 2013

State-run Chinese news agency plans new bureau in Japan

China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency plans to establish a bureau in Fukuoka as soon as this year, its president said. Li Congjun revealed the plan Friday in a meeting with a visiting delegation of news representatives from Kyushu and Okinawa headed by Takao Kawasaki, ...

Aug 31, 2013

Japan's Defense Ministry eyes new equipment procurement agency

The Defense Ministry has approved a draft plan for organizational reform that would include creating an agency to oversee procurement and management of equipment and facilities for the Self-Defense Forces. For more efficient and swift troop management, the reform plan adopted Friday also envisages ...

After early blunder, Settsu settles down, stifles Eagles

Aug 31, 2013

After early blunder, Settsu settles down, stifles Eagles

Tadashi Settsu overcame a dicey first inning to last seven frames and pick up the victory as the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks defeated the Pacific League-leading Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 9-2 on Saturday afternoon. Settsu (14-5) surrendered a home run to light-hitting Takero Okajima on ...

Reds gain ground in J.League title race

Aug 31, 2013

Reds gain ground in J.League title race

by Andrew Mckirdy

Urawa Reds made up ground in the J.League title race with a 1-0 win over Albirex Niigata as front-runners Yokohama F. Marinos and Sanfrecce Hiroshima both lost on Saturday night. Urawa went into the match at Saitama Stadium trailing first-place Marinos by four points ...

It's a kid's world at Festa 2013

Aug 31, 2013

It's a kid's world at Festa 2013

by Masaaki Kameda

Children enjoyed intercultural experiences ranging from Thai vegetable carving to learning Sri Lanka’s Sinhala alphabet Saturday in Tokyo. Children’s International Festa 2013, held at Yebisu Garden Place in Shibuya Ward, provided kids with opportunities to learn about different cultures around the world through hands-on ...

Strong words signal U.S. strike on Syria coming

Aug 31, 2013

Strong words signal U.S. strike on Syria coming

President Barack Obama said the United States was weighing “limited, narrow” action against Syria as U.N. inspectors left the country Saturday and opened a window into a possible strike. Obama emphasized he had made no “final decision” on unleashing airstrikes against the regime of ...

Naoto Kan speaks out

| Aug 31, 2013

Naoto Kan speaks out

by Edan Corkill

Naoto Kan took his first steps in the world of politics around 40 years ago as a pugnacious citizen-activist, admonishing those with power as only those without it can. Though he likes to say he’s the same man now, of course there’s an irony ...

Media must take a stand against trolls

| Aug 31, 2013

Media must take a stand against trolls

by Philip Brasor

We live in an age of contention, when any comment can spark righteous indignation. Nominally conservative or progressive viewpoints become meaningless when every response is reactionary. This situation supposedly arose along with the Internet, which provides an unmediated outlet for every voice. Traditional media ...

| Aug 31, 2013

Married or single, Japan is a desolate country

by Michael Hoffman

“The past century is a history of sexual distortion,” social psychologist Hiroyoshi Ishikawa told Time Magazine in 1983. “A small portion of young people in Japan are sexually very, very active,” he added, “while the vast majority are sexually repressed.” What would he say ...

To J.D. Salinger, new book would likely seem a hit below the belt

Aug 31, 2013

To J.D. Salinger, new book would likely seem a hit below the belt

by Jen Chaney

J.D. Salinger would hate this. He would hate that there’s a soon-to-be-released book called “Salinger” that’s positively thick with previously unreleased photos, interviews and correspondence designed to fling open the windows on, arguably, the most famous American recluse in history. He would hate that ...

Treats galore in summertime Sapporo

Aug 31, 2013

Treats galore in summertime Sapporo

by Mandy Bartok

I barely recognize Sapporo’s Odori Park clothed in its summer coat of flowers. The last time I journeyed north to Hokkaido, this dozen-block strip of land running straight as a die through the middle of its capital city was sporting massive artistic creations fashioned ...

Fascinating glimpse into world of hacking

Aug 31, 2013

Fascinating glimpse into world of hacking

by Carole Cadwalladr

It is perhaps a little hard to remember now, but in 2010, there seemed to be a new global superpower. A superpower that acted in unorthodox ways, which was unaccountable and yet of the people, and that was above all nameless, faceless and, as ...

Masterful ode to Liverpool's Shankly

Aug 31, 2013

Masterful ode to Liverpool's Shankly

by Frank Cottrell Boyce

‘Red Or Dead” is a masterpiece. David Peace already has a considerable reputation but this massive, painstaking account of the career of Bill Shankly towers above his previous work. It’s usual when praising a sports novel for critics to claim that “it’s not really ...