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EDITORIALS
Jun 28, 2014

Hong Kong's democratic 'farce'

The prospect of a clash between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland has become more real in recent weeks as Hong Kong residents participate in a poll on how to select their top leader. Although it is not legally binding, the ballot has angered Beijing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2014

Salarymen get a bit more to spend

Japanese wives are raising their husbands' allowances, but only enough to offset the April 1 tax hike as wages continue to languish.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 27, 2014

Manga seek digital ground as print magazines languish

It wasn't too long ago that you couldn't ride a train or bus without seeing many of your fellow passengers engrossed in manga magazines.
Events / KANSAI: WHO & WHAT
Jun 27, 2014

Foreigners invited to Yukata Day in Nishinomiya

The Nishinomiya City International Association in Hyogo Prefecture will hold a Yukata Day from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on July 5 in which foreigners can learn how to wear the summer kimono and enjoy a tea ceremony afterward.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 27, 2014

Electric fishes' secrets found in DNA 'toolbox'

Here is some truly shocking news: Scientists have discovered the secrets behind electric fish, using genetic studies that revealed how these exotic creatures developed an organ that can unleash a wicked jolt.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 27, 2014

'Reinterpreting' Article 9 endangers Japan's rule of law

The most serious problem with the recommendations of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's advisory panel on reinterpreting Article 9 of the Consititution is that they reflect a result-oriented analysis driven by national security imperatives rather than constitutional law principles.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2014

Man who killed three, including kids, hanged

A 68-year-old death row inmate is hanged for killing three people seven years ago, including children, despite growing unease about capital punishment.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2014

Nursery staffer fractures boy's skull

A young boy was left with a fractured skull after being physically thrown out of a nursery classroom on June 13, a Kyoto city official said Thursday.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jun 26, 2014

UFC returning to Saitama on Sept. 20

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is bringing its brand of mixed-martial arts back to Japan with not only one of the most highly anticipated heavyweight bouts in recent memory, but also what may be among the most important UFC debuts by a Japanese fighter in some time.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2014

Jet maker enlists bullet train experts

The maker of Japan's first jet airliner is counting on bullet train specialists to prevent further delays in completing the plane.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 26, 2014

Kurds to pump more oil from new fields

Iraq's self-ruling Kurds outlined plans on Wednesday to swiftly ramp up oil exports now that their forces have taken control of Iraq's main northern oil fields, a move that could tear up the settlement holding Iraq together since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 26, 2014

Facing death at the Earth's highest reaches

Peter Hillary was born in 1954, one year after his father, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Nepalese sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first men in history to stand on the summit of Mount Everest.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 26, 2014

The science of keeping the kids entertained

Summer vacation is just around the corner, and for those of you worried about keeping the little ones entertained, the planetarium at Hamagin Space Science Center has a number of kid-friendly events that should not only be fun, but also teach them about the universe.
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jun 26, 2014

Everyone's having a laugh in Kinokuniya

Rakugo, a traditional form of comic storytelling in Japan, deals with anecdotes about human nature. Described as a "performance of imagination," it is usually done on an empty stage with the artist kneeling on a large cushion and acting out the roles of all characters in the tales, expressing their actions...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2014

Expanding roles for working women

The situation on gender issues may not be exactly the same in Germany and Japan, but the two countries have similar agendas; men and women must change their mentality to increase the number of female leaders, eight experts on gender issues from the two countries concluded.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 25, 2014

Insects inspire butoh master Maro

"I think if you looked at Earth from space, you'd see that the ones who really hold the reins here are not humans, but insects," Akaji Maro, a master of the expressionist Japanese dance genre butoh, declared in a recent interview for The Japan Times.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 25, 2014

Outsider's 'Jacob' is a sensory feast

It's hard to choose the most powerful visual moment in the New National Theater's production of "19-Year-Old Jacob." My vote would be for the opening scene when, after the audience has been in total darkness for more than a minute, a single sharp triangle of white light suddenly shines down to reveal...
EDITORIALS
Jun 25, 2014

Stop undermining Kono statement

A government panel has reported that some parts of the 1993 statement by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono concerning the "comfort women" at Japan's wartime frontline brothels were the product of diplomatic negotiations between Tokyo and Seoul. Still, the panel's findings do not change the basic...
Reader Mail
Jun 25, 2014

Backhanded apology accepted

Regarding the June 24 article "Lawmaker apologizes for sexist jibe": It was appropriate that Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly member Akihiro Suzuki offered an apology to Your Party assembly member Ayaka Shiomura, the woman he and others heckled a few days earlier when she attempted to discuss the special...
Reader Mail
Jun 25, 2014

Assembly bears responsibility

If a fellow passenger in a car knows the driver is drunk, he or she is liable to the same severe penalties as the drunken oaf.
Reader Mail
Jun 25, 2014

Heap ridicule on other speakers

Is this what the country needs? Cowardly politicians, bullies in the ranks, loudmouthed sexists without a brain?
Reader Mail
Jun 25, 2014

Scare tactics from the EU tribe

Jim Makin's June 12 letter, "EU pullout would lower wages," shows a hazy knowledge of just about everything. To enumerate where he is in error:
Reader Mail
Jun 25, 2014

Duty-free reform off the mark

Regarding the June 18 Kyodo article "Duty-free reform to boost tourism": I feel that this initiative will have little effect on tourist numbers. To Western visitors, Japan is very "foreign"; prospective tourists are nervous at the prospect of a visit. This duty-free initiative is wide of the mark.
Reader Mail
Jun 25, 2014

A plea for more public seating

"Duty-free reform to boost tourism" and the June 18 article "Narita Express train headed to Mount Fuji" are more ideas to boost foreign tourism in Japan, to encourage people to visit and shop here, and to make the country more inviting.
Reader Mail
Jun 25, 2014

Tired of supporting 'nonsense'

Regarding the June 19 Jiji article "Nation's whaling program up against the wall": I wonder about the paragraph that begins with "While the country is eager to resume commercial whaling ..." What do the writers mean by "the country"?
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 24, 2014

Abe and Aquino pledge stronger security ties

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III pledged Tuesday to deepen security cooperation, at a time when their countries are facing growing military assertiveness from China.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2014

Ghosn to top executive pay scale again

Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn earned more than ¥1 billion last year, putting him on track to become the best-paid Japan executive for the fourth time in five years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jun 24, 2014

Without a canon, Japanese pop won't blast off

Exploring the world of Japanese music can be a baffling experience for those who don't speak the language.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2014

China can learn from U.S. how to cut smog

Smog in China's cities is often presented as if it were the same problem as greenhouse emissions and climate change. In fact, China could significantly reduce its air pollution by enforcing the same emission control techniques that have been used in the U.S. and Europe for the last 30 years.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person