Search - 2013

 
 
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 24, 2014

Mitani sidelined by Abe as GPIF pension fund enters new era

When Takahiro Mitani's term as head of the world's largest retirement fund finishes in March, so too will the old era of Japanese pension management.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 23, 2014

In Jakarta, that sinking feeling is all too real

The Ciliwung River flows from a volcano south of the Indonesian capital, through the heart of one of the world's most densely populated cities and almost into Jakarta Bay. Almost, because for the final mile or so of its course, the river would have to flow uphill to reach the bay.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 22, 2014

Jeers, apologies and silence: Japan's 2014 in quotes

First of all, we're sorry. Everybody is sorry. This was the year that everyone apologized and everyone was sorry about something. The Asahi Shimbun was sorry so many times (even when maybe they shouldn't have been) that we're omitting them from the list. There's not enough space.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 22, 2014

Airport facial recognition system eyed but only for Japanese

As Japan braces for a surge in foreign visitors in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, pressure is mounting to expedite how visitors are processed at airports.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2014

Conservative Abe's secrecy law doesn't hold a candle to Seoul's press suppression

For people concerned with the weakening of press freedoms under the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, its criticism of Asahi Shimbun and the new state secrets law, there should still be a sense of relief that media suppression in Japan has not quite reached the levels now being seen in South Korea.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 18, 2014

Gadget maker wants everyday items to have online access

A sleek, ¥10,246 leather-clad padlock being marketed by Tokyo-based startup DentsuBlue might look like another extravagant toy for the wealthy — but this one can be used in many different ways and even link itself to the Internet.
WORLD
Dec 18, 2014

Historic phone call sealed Cuba deal spurred by pope Francis

President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro sealed their landmark deal Tuesday in an almost hour-long phone call, capping 18 months of secret diplomacy spurred on by a personal appeal from Pope Francis to end Cuba's isolation.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 16, 2014

Rock, J-pop and dance: Albums we liked in 2014

The year-end album charts in Japan have a tendency to prop up the same acts year after year: Exile, anything that ends in a "48," and almost every group from the Johnny & Associates stable of boy bands. Writers at The Japan Times, however, spent the year looking past the charts to find a few gems lurking...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 13, 2014

Generations square off in a battle for the ages

You'd think they owned the planet. They think they do — pushing into line at supermarkets, hogging seats on trains, generally behaving as though no one but themselves existed except to provide the services they need.
EDITORIALS
Dec 13, 2014

Outer space belongs to science

Unfortunately a recently disclosed draft of Japan's new basic plan for space projects gives top priority to use of outer space for national security purposes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 9, 2014

'Abenomics' in the spotlight

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe blames the opposition camp for criticizing 'Abenomics' without presenting lternatives. But finding a way to put today's economy on a virtuous circle is akin to trying to create something out of nothing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 8, 2014

Bangkok hotel is one crime scene in Sony hack

The incursion into Sony Pictures Entertainment's computer system reached its climax in, of all places, the elegant St. Regis Bangkok in the capital of Thailand.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Dec 8, 2014

U.S. raids to free hostages seen continuing

The death of two hostages during a rescue attempt in Yemen shows how little room there is for bad intelligence or bad luck when U.S. forces go into action on such high-risk missions.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 7, 2014

Original Batmobile built in 1963 sells for $137,000

Holy Bargain, Batman! The original Batmobile fetched $137,000 at auction on Saturday, a small fraction of the $4.2 million that a buyer paid last year for another version built for the television show that aired during the 1960s.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 7, 2014

Putin allies channeled billions to Ukraine oligarch with sweetheart deals

In Russia, powerful friends helped him make a fortune. In the United States, officials want him extradited and put behind bars. In Austria, where he is currently free on bail of $155 million, authorities have yet to decide what to do with him.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Dec 6, 2014

Obscenity arrest may be hiding dirty politics

What constitutes obscenity in Japan? The term, both legally and morally, has different meanings in Japanese, just as it does in English. In a strictly legal sense, the Japanese word for obscenity, waisetsu, refers to something that maliciously stimulates sexual desire in an inappropriate and immoral...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Dec 5, 2014

Swansea's Bony making presence felt after being passed over by big clubs

He cost Swansea City just £12 million from Vitesse Arnhem in 2013. That is more like an agent's cut than a transfer fee these days. Yet no player has scored more Premier League goals in 2014 than Wilfried Bony — 18.
Japan Times
PRESS / Services
Dec 5, 2014

116-Year Japan Times Digital Archives now available by subscription

Tokyo, December. 5, 2014 — The Japan Times, Ltd. is pleased to announce that the Japan Times Archives, which includes every issue of the newspaper published between 1897 and 2013, is now available by annual subscription.
Japan Times
PRESS / Services
Dec 5, 2014

『The Japan Times Archives』年間購読型サービスの提供開始

株式会社ジャパンタイムズ(本社:東京都港区、代表取締役:堤丈晴)は、1897年の創刊から2013年までの116年分の全紙面をデジタル化し、検索機能をつけた『The Japan Times Archives』オンライン版の年間購読型サービスの提供を開始しました。...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 4, 2014

China's railway giant flexes muscles abroad

It will take more than the abrupt cancellation of a high-speed train deal with Mexico to derail China Railway Construction Corp.'s ambition to become a global force in transport projects and take on the likes of Siemens, Alstom and Bombardier.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 3, 2014

Girls in the Psychic Club: Idols attempt ESP in odd sci-fi mockumentary

Nobuhiro Yamashita has never been one to do the obvious, which in his case would have meant churning out more charmingly offbeat teen comedies like his 2005 breakout "Linda Linda Linda." Instead Yamashita stretched himself with films like "Matsugane Ransha Jiken (The Matsugane Potshot Affair)" from 2006,...

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami