Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Tech Oct 1, 2013
Ratings soar for 'Breaking Bad' finale
The much-anticipated final episode of “Breaking Bad” drew the cult TV show’s largest ever audience — 10.3 million viewers — but there were also more than 500,000 illegal downloads, figures showed Monday. The series, centered around once humble chemistry teacher turned drug lord Walter ...
Entertainment Sep 23, 2013
World watches U.S. TV — but not always legally
Fun TV fact: “Desperate Housewives” is a cult hit in North Korea. Slightly less surprisingly, shows like “Breaking Bad” and “House” are watched everywhere, from Latin America to China to France. But as America’s TV stars and bosses gathered in Los Angeles this weekend ...
Digital Sep 21, 2013
Music, film industries sound alarm on piracy and point fingers at Google
by Anne Flaherty
The music and movie industries are sounding the alarm again on online piracy, saying illegal downloads are on the rise and search engines such as Google aren’t doing enough to stop them. Entertainment executives say they have no intention of trying to revive failed ...
National Jul 9, 2013
MSDF to up participation off Somalia
The administration said Tuesday another year will be added to the Maritime Self-Defense Force mission to protect vessels from piracy off Somalia, and for the first time the MSDF will be allowed to operate jointly with multinational forces. Under the new framework, approved by ...
Science & Health Jun 24, 2013
Film copyright protections stymie world treaty on books for the blind
Hundreds of negotiators from around the world have descended on Morocco over the past week to finalize a treaty aimed at ensuring that millions of blind and vision-impaired people can get books in accessible formats such as audio, Braille and large print. But the ...
Tech Mar 23, 2013
'Clipping' service stole from AP, violating U.S. copyright law, judge rules
A U.S. federal judge has ruled that the online news “clipping” service Meltwater violates copyright law by using excerpts from articles by The Associated Press, it was announced Thursday. The AP sued Meltwater, claiming the service infringed on its copyright by delivering its articles ...