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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 16, 2014

Unlocking growth potential is top task for Abenomics 2.0

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's election win strengthened his hand to move beyond the fiscal and monetary stimulus that brought an end to deflation in his first two years. The tougher task for "Abenomics 2.0" will be to boost Japan's growth potential.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 16, 2014

Police storm Sydney cafe to end hostage siege; gunman, two others dead

Heavily armed Australian police stormed a Sydney cafe on Tuesday and freed a number of hostages being held there at gunpoint, in a dramatic end to a 16-hour siege in which three people were killed and four wounded.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 15, 2014

Ozawa keeps hope for regime change alive

Diet heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa, leader of Seikatsu no To (People's Life Party), admitted Monday that the opposition camp failed to give voters an alternative to the ruling bloc in the Lower House election but stressed that change is still possible if they join hands.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 15, 2014

Kaieda quits as DPJ chief after humiliating ejection from Diet

Humiliated by the loss of his seat in the Lower House election, Banri Kaieda resigns as president of the Democratic Party of Japan.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 15, 2014

Buzzwords of 2014: from killer drugs to robotic refusals

Once again, the massive reference book 「現代用語の基礎知識」("Gendai Yōgo no Kiso Chishiki," "The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words") is on sale. This annual publication that tracks additions to, and changes in, the Japanese language and various world developments over the previous year...
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 15, 2014

Tankan' shows manufacturers' confidence is waning

Confidence among large manufacturers declined in the fourth quarter as the recession offset a boost from the weaker yen, the Bank of Japan's "tankan" survey showed Monday, underlining the economic challenges for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after his electoral victory.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 15, 2014

How China spies on Hong Kong's democrats

James To was growing uneasy. When the veteran Hong Kong Democratic Party lawmaker looked in his rearview mirror, two silver Mercedes Benz saloons kept appearing behind his gray Volvo sedan.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 15, 2014

California city spotlights tough path to police reform

In 2000, police in the city of Oakland, California became a symbol of the worst of American law enforcement after a band of rogue officers known as "The Riders" were accused of beating suspects, planting evidence and falsifying reports.
WORLD
Dec 15, 2014

Syrian army recaptures territory north of Aleppo in fierce fighting

Syria's army seized an area north of Aleppo on Sunday and killed insurgents as fierce battles raged over the strategic territory, a group monitoring the war and state media reported.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 15, 2014

Undecided voters swing Abe's way again

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a gambler, and he won again Sunday night.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 14, 2014

Proportional representation gamble stems Ishin no To losses

A last-minute appeal by Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) for proportional representation votes appears to have prevented larger-than-predicted losses in Sunday's Lower House election.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 14, 2014

At America's court of last resort, a handful of lawyers now dominates the docket

The marble facade of the U.S. Supreme Court building proclaims a high ideal: "Equal Justice Under Law."
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 13, 2014

Abe's secrets law undermines Japan's democracy

On Dec. 10, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's new special secrets law took effect despite overwhelming public opposition.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 13, 2014

From a hostess club to a mountain village: Five notable Japanese photo books of 2014

While selecting some of the best photography books released in 2014, I was struck by the range of specific places that Japanese photographers captured — from a pleasure district to a mountain village and an old rooftop. Photo books with such a geographic focus might be a good way to store up energies...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 13, 2014

Donna Burke: 'Being a late bloomer is way better than peaking and burning out early in life'

Australian singer on paper party hats, accents and lengthy karaoke songs
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2014

Ahead of near-certain election win, Abe pivots away from painful reforms

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is signaling that retooling Japan's economy with painful structural reforms must take a back seat to reviving growth, even though he is poised to win a big "referendum" on his economic policies in an election Sunday that might set a new record for low turnout.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Dec 12, 2014

Fashion goes festive for the holiday season

Erimaki Sox collars the market
EDITORIALS
Dec 12, 2014

Take the time to vote

Voter turnout Sunday for the Lower House election is forecast to be as low as it was in the 2012 race. Young people especially need to realize that, by avoiding the polls, they are losing their voice on issues that will certainly affect their future.
COMMENTARY
Dec 11, 2014

The devil lies in the details of Sino-Russian relations

Despite the much publicized energy transactions, a deep gulf remains between China and Russia. The moment of truth in their relations will come once the U.S. has pulled its troops out of Afghanistan and the rest of Central Asia.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 11, 2014

Taking flight with Arata Isozaki

I once almost got to interview the architect Arata Isozaki, but it was canceled due to his ill health at the time. No doubt a consideration in the cancelation was the fact that interviews with him can go to extreme lengths, as Isozaki has much to tell, having collaborated with almost every big name in...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2014

Takata patent history shows decades spent seeking safer air bags

Air bag patents show researchers probed ways to make the devices more durable and the explosive propellant inside them more stable for decades before the Takata Corp. products designed to save lives started killing people.

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