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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 4, 2015

Koga's parting shot may not hit its target

In February, Reporters Without Borders published its annual list of countries ranked in terms of press freedom. Japan came in at No. 61, down two places from the previous year and lower than Taiwan (51) and South Korea (60). The reason for the decline was the state secrets act, which came into force...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 4, 2015

Bouldering, a remedy to climbing the walls

I emerged from Mitake Station, on the Ome Line, just after 10 a.m. on a Sunday morning amid a throng of day-tripping hikers easily identifiable by their heavy boots, seam-busting backpacks and seemingly standard issue trekking poles.
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Apr 4, 2015

Women's participation in elections questioned; sake labels mandatory; Tokyo bathhouses call for one-day lockout; automatic ticket gates employed

100 YEARS AGO
WORLD / Politics
Apr 3, 2015

Indiana, Arkansas approve religious-freedom laws that some call discriminatory

Indiana and Arkansas revised on Thursday new religious freedom acts that had drawn criticism from rights groups and U.S. companies that assailed them as discriminatory against gays.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 3, 2015

Sweet tweet forges ties between sword-making town, ice cream maker

A humorous tweet earlier this year about an ice cream bar boosted new ties between the city of Seki in Gifu Prefecture, well known for its swords, and sweets maker Imuraya Group Co. that otherwise would not have been nurtured.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2015

Too few workers in Russia and too many poor people

Independent of the current economic crisis, Russia's labor market has entered a deep, prolonged decline in its economically active population.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 2, 2015

Imperial teaches restaurant etiquette; Champagne at ANA InterContinental; new Yona Yona Beer Kitchen in Kanda

Imperial teaches restaurant etiquette
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 1, 2015

Battle over Shibuya park heats up as Tokyo Olympics loom

Mayor vows to appeal after the district court sides with his opponents over the treatment of Miyashita Park's homeless and a deal to grant Nike naming rights.
WORLD / Society
Apr 1, 2015

Wal-Mart leads outcry after Arkansas comes out with 'anti-gay' bill

Arkansas lawmakers passed a Religious Freedom Restoration Act on Tuesday that critics said would allow businesses to deny service to gays and lesbians, drawing a swift demand from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for the governor to veto the bill.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 1, 2015

Jonathan's good luck streak ends; Nigeria ex-coup leader Buhari wins historic poll

Three decades after seizing power in a military coup, Muhammadu Buhari became the first Nigerian to oust a president through the ballot box, putting him in charge of Africa's biggest economy and one of its most turbulent democracies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EMBASSY AVENUE
Apr 1, 2015

80 years of ties between Japan and Central America

Celebrating the 80th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Japan and five Central American countries, a commemorative reception was held on March 25 in Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Mar 31, 2015

'A giant of history' leaves the stage

The late Lee Kuan Yew used to insist that he had to maintain a tight political grip on Singapore. Today, however, there are rising doubts about the durability of the system he has bequeathed to his son.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2015

Sustainable development goals

Evidence from the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 demonstrates that setting global U.N. goals does help individuals, organizations and governments worldwide to focus on what really matters for our future.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2015

Lee Kuan Yew and the myth of Asian capitalism

Singapaore's Lee Kuan Yew thought a competent meritocratic government should not only provide order but also guide economic development. The success of 'Asian capitalism' seems to prove him correct.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 31, 2015

'Tenimyu' 2.5-D shows net over 2 million tickets sold

There's kabuki, noh, butoh, bunraku, regular plays, glitzy musicals and Japan's unique all-female Takarazuka musical theater troupe — but another home-grown performance-art genre has for some time been carving a niche in this country's diverse entertainment world in the shape of so-called 2.5-D musicals....
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Mar 31, 2015

China plan aims to double number of doctors

China will almost double the number of general doctors by 2020, trim its public sector and improve technology as it seeks to fix a health care system plagued by snarling queues and poor rural services, its main administrative authority has said.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2015

Are we sure co-pilot was the killer?

News reports on accusations that Andreas Lubitz, the Germanwings co-pilot, purposely brought down Flight 9525 over the French Alps have rushed to convict him.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 31, 2015

Translation tech gets Olympic push

Japan may not be the best in the world when it comes to speaking English, but it remains a pioneer in developing cutting-edge translation technology.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 30, 2015

Submitting yourself to the 50 shades of arigatō gozaimasu

Do you remember the first day of Japanese class or the first day you resolved to finally learn the language on your own? What about the very first Japanese words you ever learned? There's a good chance arigatō gozaimasu (ありがとうございます) were those first words and/or you learned them...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2015

Forgotten Balkans look set to plague the 21st century

Twenty years after 1945, Germany was at peace with its neighbors and had normal diplomatic relations with the countries it once occupied. Nearly 20 years since the massacre at Srebenica, no final settlement is in sight for the Balkan region from Croatia to Greece.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Mar 28, 2015

Finding your sea legs on Tokyo Bay

It's wretched weather for putting out to sea: gusty winds, cloud banks brooding with rain and water spouts, temperatures a micro-notch above freezing and the waters of Tokyo Bay like wet elephant hide. Nonetheless, at the generous invitation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Bureau of Port and Harbor,...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 28, 2015

China benefits from Washington's bumbling diplomacy

The surge of nations agreeing to participate in China's new development bank — the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank — marks a stunning success for Beijing, which has overcome U.S. opposition and arm-twisting to lure key American allies.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 26, 2015

Number of reported child abductions down 'drastically' a year after Hague Convention

The Foreign Ministry says it has received 110 requests from parents seeking the return of a child or visitation access, nearly a year after the convention took effect in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 26, 2015

Toho Zinc to restore Australian mine output amid global deficit

Toho Zinc Co., Japan's third-biggest producer of the metal, will restore full capacity at its Rasp mine in Australia around the middle of this year after improving access to high-grade ore deposits.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 25, 2015

Jean-Marc Vallee's interlocking tales of heartbreak and lovesickness

It can be hard to find a movie with soul, but "Cafe de Flore" may have too much. This 2011 film by Quebecois filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee tells an ambitious multilayered story that explores love and the idea of soulmates across two eras and cities.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight