Search - 2015

 
 
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2016

Can the Republican Party survive its civil war?

The clash of values and policies among Republicans goes beyond Donald Trump.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 11, 2016

Aichi Prefecture city rolls out new pay phones in disaster-prevention move

The city of Tahara in Aichi Prefecture is bringing back public pay phones in response to widespread mobile phone disruptions following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 10, 2016

Isao Tomita's journey from snowflakes to holograms

Composer Isao Tomita will turn 84 this year, but that won't stop him creating a synth soundtrack for a dancing hologram, to realize the dream of his ballet dancer (and rocket scientist) friend who passed away in 1999.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 9, 2016

Michael Leitch: 'If you want something, make a plan, work hard and go get it'

Japan's World Cup rugby captain tells us his secret to making the perfect tackle
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2016

Haneda, Itami airports top global punctuality list; JAL, ANA crack top five airlines

Two of Japan's airports were the world's most punctual in 2015, and two of its airlines were among the world's top five, OAG Aviation's annual report says.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jan 6, 2016

For Japan's English teachers, rays of hope amid the race to the bottom

The major economic engines of Japan Inc. — car manufacturers, appliance giants and the like — have often been caught price-fixing: colluding to keep an even market share, squeeze competitors out and maintain "harmony." Similarly, the commercial English-teaching business could be accused of wage-fixing:...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 5, 2016

The ghosts of North Korea

Will North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ever be able to act in his country's real interests, and not those of his fantasies?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 4, 2016

Foreign investors get it wrong on Japan stocks, ending 25-year run

For the first year since 1989, foreign investors sold Japanese stocks and missed a rally.
EDITORIALS
Jan 2, 2016

Education deserves more attention

The government's conservative agenda is exposed by the rise in defense spending while funding for education remains static.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Dec 31, 2015

Kawabuchi using strength to spark basketball revival

Japanese basketball marked an unprecedented dark year in 2015 as its national governing body was suspended by FIBA. It was a tough penalty handed down in November 2014.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 30, 2015

Fortuitous move to bullpen led Barnette to majors

The last game pitcher Tony Barnette ever started for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows came against the Chunichi Dragons on March 8, 2011, during spring training. Barnette had already had one life-altering moment that spring — he'd proposed to now-wife Hillary before leaving Arizona for Japan — and, though...
JAPAN / Media
Dec 29, 2015

Sales of Japanese print publications fall amid digital explosion

Sales of books and magazines in Japan this year posted a record decline, taking in ¥84 billion less in revenue compared with 2014 as more people turned to smartphones to get their information, according to figures released by a research institute on the publishing industry.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2015

China's planning addiction vs. a free market

As 2015 closes, China's leaders find themselves at a crossroads: They must decide whether to continue trying to control the economy or build a genuinely market-oriented system.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 26, 2015

'Ōsōji': ways to keep your home spick and span

Three experts discuss their philosophy on the New Year's chore that everybody loves — cleaning.
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2015

Budgeting ahead of an election

The Abe administration appears to be sacrificing budgetary discipline in favor of doling out pork ahead of the Upper House election.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 25, 2015

Islamic State sanctioned organ harvesting in document taken in U.S. raid

Islamic State has sanctioned the harvesting of human organs in a previously undisclosed ruling by the group's Islamic scholars, raising concerns that the violent extremist group may be trafficking in body parts.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2015

Japan drastically lowers its goal for female managers in government and private sector

The government abandons its aim of having women in 30 percent of management roles by 2020.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Dec 23, 2015

Toshiba faces turnaround that strikes at heart of its identity

Toshiba Corp. is embarking on a revamp that will leave the one-time technology pioneer a shadow of its former self. An accounting scandal has left the conglomerate in tatters, facing record losses, thousands of job cuts and potential spinoffs that may include the consumer electronics unit that made it...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2015

Shift from Australian to European barley providing relief for struggling wagyu beef farmers

The most expensive meat in the world is getting a little cheaper to produce.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2015

High tech and today's productivity paradox

Recent trends in productivity growth make it hard to be optimistic about the future, but when radical innovations are first rolled out, their immediate effect isn't always known.
Japan Times
JAPAN / INVEST IN ITALY 2015
Dec 15, 2015

Promoting Japanese direct investment in Italy

The Italian Trade Agency held a symposium in Tokyo on Nov. 18 to promote Japanese companies' direct investment in Italy, with businesses from Italy and Japan, as well as diplomats and politicians from Italy, discussing opportunities in the country.
Japan Times
JAPAN / INVEST IN ITALY 2015
Dec 15, 2015

Italy back on track, open for business

The message from Benedetto Della Vedova, the undersecretary of Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, is, "Italy is back."

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.