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BUSINESS / Economy
May 13, 2014

El Nino-induced weather raises concern at BOJ

Bank of Japan officials are concerned that cooler-than-normal weather triggered by El Nino will curb spending this summer and weigh on an economic rebound after April's sales tax increase, according to people familiar with the matter.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 13, 2014

Activist seeks to tap power of youth for political change

The world's top economies and financial watchdogs have repeatedly warned Japan to take action against its snowballing debt, but it's the younger generations of Japanese who stand to be most affected by the repercussions as a shrinking and rapidly aging population bleeds social security dry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
May 12, 2014

Weak exports, not tax hike, could shake BOJ

The Bank of Japan is increasingly confident that the economy is weathering the recent tax increase and on its way out of deflation, but another threat to that optimistic scenario is lurking in the form of weak exports.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 12, 2014

After ASIJ admission that teacher abused kids, ex-students demand inquiry

Alumni from the American School in Japan are demanding an independent inquiry into whether school officials covered up knowledge of sexual abuse committed by teacher Jack Moyer.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 11, 2014

Eternal City celebrates legacy of first emperor

Rome, a city that thinks in millenniums, is going through a bout of "Augustus fever" to mark the 2,000th anniversary of the death of its first emperor, who left his mark on Rome and Western civilization like few others.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / SYMPOSIUM ON SOUTH KOREA
May 11, 2014

S. Korea's economy and the elderly

The South Korean economy has shown positive signs recently, but prospects may not be so bright due to the increasing costs of handling an aging society, five South Korean think tank researchers met at a recent symposium in Tokyo to discuss issues facing South Korea.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 11, 2014

On drinking, May and battling the blues

According to T.S. Eliot, April is the cruelest month. But in Japan May ushers in some pretty heavy blues, too. The dual combination of haru no megumi (春の恵み, spring blessings) and haru no utsu (春の鬱, spring depression) makes for a challenging 31 days.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 11, 2014

Returnees' experiences drive a will to give something back

The returnees profiled here highlight the potential that can be unlocked within individuals lucky enough to have the chance to live overseas and, crucially, receive the right support on their return to Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2014

Trouble with revoking citizenship extralegally

In the absence of global citizenship, it may be best for the U.K. government to retain the principle that citizenship is not to be revoked without a judicial hearing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
May 11, 2014

A dog named Shoronpo: The un-chihuahua

If you like the idea of a "pocket-size" dog — one that fits the size of a tiny apartment, a tight budget, or a dog that doesn't need lots of exercise — then the 5-year-old Shoronpo is the one for you. If you're saying, "Oh, anything but one of those skittish, yappy little Chihuahuas," then read on...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 10, 2014

Kiev to east Ukraine: Rebel vote for self-rule would be catastrophe

Ukrainian acting President Oleksandr Turchynov told eastern regions gripped by a pro-Russian uprising that they would be courting catastrophe if they voted "yes" in a separatist referendum on Sunday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
May 10, 2014

Rhododendrons, azaleas: blooming marvels of the plant world

Nothing tops turning a corner on a trail and encountering a sudden splash of pink, red or gold amongst the greenery.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 10, 2014

Convenience stores give our nation pride

Japan's prime minister is an unabashed patriot, as outspoken in his love for his country as in his desire to instill that love in his compatriots. Are his compatriots receptive? Opinion polls on attitudes toward pending revisions of long-standing interpretations of the pacifist Constitution, prologue...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 10, 2014

Brush up on pop idol feuds before the exam

Last month, Meiji University's law department announced it would offer a social-psychology course on the boy band Arashi. The syllabus includes lectures about the group's individual members; its work in TV dramas and advertising; and the "culture of Johnny's Jimusho," Arashi's powerful production company....
JAPAN / Politics
May 9, 2014

Wiser Abe Cabinet logs record 500 days in office

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet on Friday marked the 500th day since its inception in December 2012, extending its record as the longest-serving lineup in the postwar era.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 9, 2014

Housing bank matches empty properties, renters

Since the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, merged with six towns and villages 10 years ago, the population has grown by 3.4 percent to more than 421,000 people.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 9, 2014

Pellegrini most deserving of Manager of Year award

The Manager of the Year award, we have been told, is between Brendan Rodgers and Tony Pulis.
LIFE / Digital
May 9, 2014

The Twitter paradox: the pros and cons of being free

Life is so unfair. Consider the humble newt — which, in case you're wondering, is an aquatic amphibian of the family Salamandridae. He has had such a bad press over the years. When PG Wodehouse, for example, was looking for a way of signaling that Bertie Wooster's chum Gussie Fink-Nottle was a feeble...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 9, 2014

Asia's myriad film genres celebrated at Udine festival

Why go to a film festival that specializes in the sort of popular Asian genres — from Hong Kong actioners to South Korean comedies — that the other "better" sort of festivals have traditionally sniffed at?
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2014

Beware of economists who hide assumptions

There's nothing wrong with making crazy economic assumptions to help get your mind around something. The deception comes in claiming that your conclusions have real-world relevance when the assumptions are nuts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
May 9, 2014

Manga becomes a major draw at Toronto Comic Arts Festival

The 11th annual Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) kicks off May 10. As its title suggests, it's less a fan-focused pop convention than a platform for comics and graphic novels as art, and for the artists who create them. It has also emerged as a great friend to manga over the past few years.
Japan Times
WORLD / EU SPECIAL 2014
May 9, 2014

European Union's Quality Logos

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO): PDO indicates a food or drink originates in a specific region or country, is particularly linked to the place of origin through inherent natural or human factors and is produced, processed and prepared in the defined geographical area.
JAPAN
May 8, 2014

LGBT bullying rife in schools: survey

About 70 percent of sexual minorities have experienced bullying in school and 30 percent have thought about committing suicide, according to a survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 8, 2014

'Momose, Kocchi wo Muite (My Pretend Girlfriend)'

First love, or hatsukoi, is a big topic in Japanese teen films, as well as almost everywhere else in popular culture. It's attractive because of its innocence and purity, as well as the almost inevitable fleetingness of the relationship — if indeed, it is one; someone is often far more besotted than...
JAPAN
May 8, 2014

Most shared Japan Times stories from April

In case you missed them, here are the most shared stories from The Japan Times for April 2014.
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2014

The changing face of society

It is important that Japan reform its employment systems and social security programs so that it can better cope with the shrinking labor supply and the needs of the 65-and-over crowd, now more than one-quarter of the population.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 7, 2014

SoftBank tops archrival Docomo for first time on record profit

Amid growing smartphone sales and a raft of acquisitions, SoftBank Corp. has announced that its group operating profit hit a record ¥1.08 trillion, and its net profit an all-time high of ¥527 billion in fiscal 2013, surpassing rival NTT Docomo Inc. for the first time.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo