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August 26, 2025
 

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EDITORIALS
May 3, 2010
Rare indictments of train officials
Four court-appointed lawyers on April 23 indicted three former presidents of West Japan Railway Co. on charges of professional negligence in the April 25, 2005, commuter train accident on the Fukuchiyama Line in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, that killed 106 passengers plus the train driver and injured...
EDITORIALS
May 2, 2010
Hasty abolition of statute
The Diet on April 27 revised the Criminal Law and the Criminal Procedure Law to abolish the statute of limitations for crimes whose maximum penalty is capital punishment, such as murder and robbery murder, and to double the period of the statute to 30 years, 20 years or 10 years, respectively, for crimes...
EDITORIALS
May 2, 2010
For whom the tolls grow
The Hatoyama administration appears disjointed in its expressway toll policy. On April 9 it announced a new system that would abolish various discounts and instead set four different caps on per-day tolls, depending on vehicle size. On April 21, Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa...
EDITORIALS
May 1, 2010
China's summer showcase
Expo 2010 — a six-month event starting May 1 in Shanghai, the largest city in China — will showcase the recent economic development and internationalization of the world's most populous country, once a revolutionary nation that directly challenged the Western political and economic order. The event's...
EDITORIALS
May 1, 2010
Monju reactor set to restart
The test run of the prototype fast-breeder reactor (FBR) Monju in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, is now expected to start after Golden Week, after prefecture Gov. Issei Nishikawa on April 28 gave the go-ahead for test runs to be conducted. The 280,000 kW reactor — an important part of Japan's planned nuclear...
EDITORIALS
Apr 30, 2010
Russia extends its reach
Russia has considered states on its periphery as part of its sphere of influence. Frequently, however, those neighbors have had ideas of their own and their domestic politics have been defined by the struggle between pro- and anti-Russian factions.
EDITORIALS
Apr 29, 2010
A Greek lesson for Japan
The joint communique issued April 23 in Washington by the finance ministers and central bankers of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies stated that unemployment remains high in many countries, despite the global economy having "progressed better than previously anticipated." It also noted...
EDITORIALS
Apr 29, 2010
Second take on Mr. Ozawa
The Tokyo No. 5 Prosecution Inquest Committee, a panel of 11 citizens, decided unanimously Tuesday that Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa should be indicted for his fund management body's alleged false reporting of political funds from 2004 to 2007.
EDITORIALS
Apr 28, 2010
Greece's crisis, Europe's test
The Greek economy continues to slide. The promise of an aid package from the European Union a few weeks ago briefly stanched speculation against Athens, but relief proved fleeting. Acknowledging that the Greek economy was "a sinking ship," Prime Minister George Papandreou last week formally called for...
EDITORIALS
Apr 27, 2010
Democracy a myth in Iran
The government in Iran has announced that it has banned the country's two remaining official opposition parties. With this move, the prospect of political change through elections is over — Iran no longer has a legal opposition. This completes the consolidation of power in the hands of President Mahmoud...
EDITORIALS
Apr 27, 2010
More than a popularity contest
Former health, welfare and labor minister Yoichi Masuzoe on Friday launched a new party, Shinto Kaikaku (literally "new party for reform"). In opinions polls, the former Liberal Democratic Party member was most preferred option for prime minister from among a list of politicians. The six-member party...
EDITORIALS
Apr 26, 2010
The next generation of cars
Efforts to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the face of global warming are likely to greatly alter the face of car industry. Whether automakers can produce cars with low CO2 emissions, such as hybrid or electric cars, will be a key to their survival. This consideration is clearly behind the recent...
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
A pop-up advertisement for the newly opened Chiikawa Park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro neighborhood demonstrates how the country is chockful of cute characters — to the detriment of trends like Labubu.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
JICA to designate four Japanese cities as 'hometowns' for African nations
The Japanese flag (left) with the flag of the African Union
Man arrested in Kobe stabbing had been staying at hotel near victim’s home
Masashi Tanimoto arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a woman in Kobe, is sent to prosecutors on Sunday.
Japanese prefectures break with labor ministry on minimum wage
The ministry of labor has suggested a 6% minimum wage increase, but most prefectures reporting so far are opting to go slightly higher.
Japanese prefectures break with labor ministry on minimum wage
The ministry of labor has suggested a 6% minimum wage increase, but most prefectures reporting so far are opting to go slightly higher.
Philippines quietly deepening ‘unofficial’ defense ties with Taiwan
Filipino soldiers take part in a flag-raising ceremony on Mavulis Island during a visit by the Philippines' Armed Forces chief of staff, in Batanes, the Philippines, in June 2023. Batanes, a group of idyllic islands at the country’s northernmost tip, sits about 160 kilometers from Taiwan.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
Germany's first sakemaker offers a bold brew of ideas
Reigen, Germany's first sake brewery, makes a diverse, nontraditional range of sake that includes fruit-flavored sips and wine barrel-aged renditions.
Alicia Keys closed Summer Sonic, but J-pop owned it
Summer Sonic’s 2025 lineup demonstrated its strength, showcasing the latest in J-pop, including “new kawaii” act Fruits Zipper.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

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Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
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