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The consumption tax increase next April will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people's financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the impact of the hike, experts say.
Every parent is all too familiar with The Tantrum. The screaming, the flailing arms, the angry head butting — and the timing (normally in the most inconvenient public place possible).
International events undermine Japan's democracy. Shame on the International Olympic Committee for being a party to it.
Tucked away behind the main museums in Ueno, the Tokyo University Art Museum may not be on most people’s radar, but it is definitely one of the city’s top museums in terms of curatorial quality. Whenever I go there, I am always delighted by ...
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 ...
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
The acquittal of three ex-presidents of JR West in the 2005 Amagasaki train derailment that killed 107 people does not absolve the corporate culture thought to have led to the accident.
The twin crises involving Syria and Iran demonstrate the continuing utility of the United Nations as the Security Council remains the cockpit for addressing geopolitical upheavals.
America's "liberal" president and his Democratic allies aren't fighting the good fight. The most liberal politician in America these days is the right-winger Rand Paul.
The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan, thanks to a cheaper yen and waived visa requirements in some countries, could top a government goal of 10 million this year.
The government has not given a convincing reason why the U.S. Marine Corps will train with Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in Shiga and Kochi prefectures in October.
Pyongyang's recent cancellation of a planned reunion for North and South Korean families suggests that it is using hard and soft tactics to gain diplomatic advantage.
n a sign that China's leadership is trying to strengthen its control of speech to increase its ideological grip, the government has detained a Chinese professor who teaches in Chiba.
It is commendable of the Metropolitan Police Department to urge male officers to change their outdated perceptions of female colleagues and to wipe out prejudicial attitudes.
Last week's march in Shinjuku, a rebuke to recent anti-Korean rallies, reasserted Japan as a country whose values include tolerance and a general desire to eliminate discrimination.
Amid reports of track repairs left untended for up to a year, one wonders whether employees of JR Hokkaido have a clear sense of duty to protect the lives of passengers.
Although Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani did not meet U.S. President Barack Obama at the U.N. this week, each man signaled a desire for a rapprochement.
The victory of Germany's conservative coalition in Sunday's elections was a rousing affirmation of the popularity of a wily chancellor whom Germans have come to call "mummy.
A proposed bill aimed at protecting state secrets that the government deems vital to national security would strongly limit people's access to relevant information.
Contrary to what most of the loud media commentary would have us believe, financial "austerity" or fiscal responsibility appears popular. Angela Merkel's success is proof.
lthough Russian President Vladimir Putin has had some success strengthening Moscow's position in the Middle East, the "near abroad" area to Russia's west is not marching in step.
The private sector must be a critical partner if we are to sustainably lift people out of poverty. It is small- and medium-size enterprises that consistently drive job creation and economic growth.
A number of recent scandals suggest that there are weaknesses and flaws in Britain's national health care system.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's pragmatic and cautious defense of Germany's national interest in the age of globalization may yet instigate an aggressive new nationalism in Europe.
Cultural attitudes regarding rape must change if we are to create a safer future for the next generation of women and girls.
Hundreds of thousands of children with disabilities are subjected to horrific violations of their human rights on a daily basis in West Africa.
