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COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 13, 2015

Delivering on the promise of 'Abenomics'

If politicians themselves participate in the taxpayer identification system, bureaucrats forgo some of the power that excessive regulation affords them and businesses give up some of their special tax benefits, the Abe government may yet fulfill its promise and build a thriving economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 13, 2015

Japan sees fewest corporate bankruptcies since bubble era, but smaller firms feeling the pinch

Corporate bankruptcies fell in 2014 to the lowest level since the final year of the asset bubble, as a government request for banks to alter loan conditions for smaller firms helped companies stay afloat.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 13, 2015

S. Korea nuclear hack ups aging reactor risks

The hacking of South Korea's nuclear operator means the country's second-oldest reactor may be shut permanently due to safety concerns, said several nuclear watchdog commissioners, raising the risk that other aging reactors may also be closed.
WORLD
Jan 12, 2015

Cuba has reportedly freed all 53 prisoners as agreed in U.S. deal

Cuba has released all 53 prisoners it had promised to free, senior U.S. officials said, a major step toward detente with Washington.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2015

Local initiatives key in revitalization

This will be an important year for local governments across Japan as the Abe administration pushes the revitalization of the nation's regional economies. Given the dire demographic situation, it's not clear when local government leaders will get another chance to realize this goal.
EDITORIALS
Jan 11, 2015

Ending worker exploitation

As part of its effort to stamp out abusive practices against workers, Japan's labor ministry plans to set up a system under which public employment security offices may decline to accept notices of job availability from so-called black companies.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
Jan 10, 2015

Kenyan greats call for law to punish dopers

Is it time to make doping in athletics a criminal offense?
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 10, 2015

Between a rock and an art place in Kurashiki's merchant quarters

Timing, as they say, is everything. With a bad habit of turning up to places and appointments too early, I often find myself wandering through train stations and pocket parks, and past the shuttered doorways of shops.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 9, 2015

A shadow falls on the golden arches

In Japanese culture, making an apology is considered a significant social skill, but no matter how well-chosen the words are or how low the bow is, it might not be enough to survive the tough world of business.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 9, 2015

Sony Pictures CEO says hack won't set studio back

Over the past seven weeks, the chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment has dealt with the fallout from a cyberattack he likens to having your house robbed and burned to the ground.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 9, 2015

U.S. jobless claims dip; 2014 layoffs lowest in 17 years

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week and job cuts declined sharply in December, suggesting the labor market is tightening.
EDITORIALS
Jan 8, 2015

Danger from weapons exports

The Abe administration appears bent on establishing a system to increase arms exports, which could result in accelerating a turnaround in the national policy of avoiding pouring fuel on military conflicts abroad.
EDITORIALS
Jan 7, 2015

More tax help for the well-heeled

The tax reforms for fiscal 2015 appear aimed at making the parties that have benefited the most from 'Abenomics' more profitable and richer.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2015

New nugget woes strain McDonald's already tarnished image

As McDonald's Japan struggles to repair its image, tarnished from last year's expired meat scandal, two new incidents related to its Chicken McNuggets surfaced in restaurants in Japan in the last week, a company spokeswoman admitted Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2015

The Sony hacking scandal and the blame game

The biggest problem with blaming North Korea for the recent hack of Sony Pictures is that Kim Jong Un's dictatorship gained nothing from the hack.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2015

Give Kim the Castro treatment

The Obama administration should not reward North Korea's brutal Kim dynasty for its bad behavior. But as in Cuba, openness is more likely to erode the foundations of the North Korean regime than isolation.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2015

Five top economic stories to watch in 2015

Economics columnist Robert J. Samuelson describes five issues to watch in 2015: oil prices, European debt, U.S. interest rates, wages vs. prices, and China's economy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE HIGH GROUNDS
Jan 6, 2015

Nozy Coffee knows blends are old news

Sometimes a bit of youthful brashness goes a long way. Masataka Nojo was still just a university student when he started his coffee empire in 2009, from a humble coffee stand in Kanagawa Prefecture's Shonan region.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2015

Japan's traders call 2015 pivotal year as oil, yen aid growth

Japan's biggest trading houses are calling 2015 a pivotal year for the world's third-largest economy as cheap oil, easy money and a weaker yen promise to boost growth.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 6, 2015

Wainscott founder Gilbert's son charged in father's slaying

The son of Wainscott Capital Management founder Thomas Gilbert Sr. was charged with murder after allegedly having staged the shooting death of his father to look like suicide, New York Police Department officials said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 5, 2015

'Abenomics' property boost shrinks back to Tokyo

An economic rebound and loose money policy under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe briefly halted a long slide in Japan's commercial property market, but the benefits of "Abenomics" appear increasingly limited to Tokyo, leaving a moribund hinterland.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 5, 2015

Boehner faces speaker challenge by at least two Republican rivals

John Boehner faces a long-shot challenge to his leadership from at least two U.S. House Republicans who say the speaker is too aligned with business-as-usual in Washington.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2015

China needs to embrace 'creative destruction'

As 2015 starts, China's leaders should learn from the experience of Japan in 2014. The travails of 'Abenomics' should be a warning to Chinese President Xi JInping.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 4, 2015

In Africa, a record year for slayings of rhinos

South Africa lost a record number of rhinos in 2014 as big animals across Africa were relentlessly poached to meet rising demand for horn and ivory in newly affluent Asian countries or to provide meat to fighters in the bush.

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