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COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 18, 2014

Why better economic policy may not save ailing Japan

Japan's economic problems, particularly its long demographic shift, may not be very amendable to better policy.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2014

Little bang for the G-20 buck

The G-20 is not a meeting for learning or dialogue but for posturing and selfies.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 18, 2014

China domestic security chief visits Iran to push anti-terrorism tie-ups

China's domestic security chief has visited Iran to push for greater cooperation in the fight against terrorism, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, as Beijing seeks allies in its efforts to maintain stability in its far-west Xinjiang region.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 17, 2014

Australia, China sign landmark free trade deal

China and Australia on Monday signed a declaration of intent on a landmark free trade deal more than a decade in the making, opening up markets worth billions to Australia and loosening restrictions on Chinese investment.
EDITORIALS
Nov 17, 2014

Okinawan verdict on base plan

The results of the Okinawa gubernatorial election on Sunday is the clearest rejection to date by local voters of the national government's plan to relocate Air Station Futenma.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 16, 2014

Okinawa elects anti-U.S. base governor, in rebuke to Abe

In an election closely followed by Tokyo and Washington, former Naha Mayor Takeshi Onaga wins Okinawa Prefecture's gubernatorial contest.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 16, 2014

Takata case shows Abe faces an uphill battle

if Abe is going to get traction with policies to make corporate Japan more vibrant and productive, executives have to drop the ignore-deny-obfuscate mindset of old.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2014

More insulation can help China clean up its act

During the 2000s, nearly half of the world's new buildings were erected in China, yet only five percent of them met China's energy efficiency standards.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 15, 2014

Tokyo continues to pull people in, which pulls the rest of Japan down

Earlier this month, the government pledged for the zillionth time to "revive" Japan's "regions." Local governments are in danger of vanishing in coming decades due to depopulation, and former Liberal Democratic Party No. 2 Shigeru Ishiba was put in charge of the regional revitalization ministry, which,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 15, 2014

Eels face the slippery slope to extinction

Last week I was crossing the River Thames on the way to work in London, and I happened to see a cormorant emerge from the water with a thrashing eel in its mouth. The bird juggled the fish, skillfully managing to position it so it could swallow the wriggling animal headfirst.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 15, 2014

MLB, Under Armour announce tie-up

It remains to be seen if MLB leaves Japan with a victory on the field, but the league feels like it's hit a home run on the business side of things.
EDITORIALS
Nov 15, 2014

Getting a grip on karoshi

A new law aimed at preventing death from overwork is just the first step toward protecting employees' well-being.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 15, 2014

Eastern Europe's 25 years of transition

Four key ingredients contributed to Central and Eastern Europe's successful transitions after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2014

America's money politics

The success of big money was even greater than widely expected in America's mid-term election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 14, 2014

Honminoshi traditional paper-making flows from long dedication, and UNESCO takes notice

UNESCO recently announced that Honminoshi, a traditional Japanese paper-making craft, is being considered for the organization's list of intangible cultural heritage.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2014

India-U.S. deal revives WTO and hope of world trade reform

India and the United States settled a dispute on Thursday that had paralyzed the World Trade Organization and risked derailing a $1 trillion package of reforms of global customs procedures.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2014

North Korean schools in Japan soldiering on despite tough times

Like many students in Japan, Kim Yang Sun cycles to school each morning. Unlike most, she then changes into a traditional Korean outfit and studies under portraits of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
EDITORIALS
Nov 12, 2014

Improving dementia care

The government must make greater efforts to to enable people with dementia to live as normally as possible for as long as possible.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 12, 2014

Takata chairman stays out of sight as air bag crisis imperils dynasty

Takata Corp. Chairman Shigehisa Takada's failure to come forward and address an air bag crisis ensnaring the world's biggest automakers risks shaking investor confidence in the 81-year-old company's prospects.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2014

Kuroda ally warns Abe against delaying consumption tax increase

An adviser to the Bank of Japan and longtime colleague of Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda is warning that a delay by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to raise the consumption tax would have profound implications for monetary policy.
WORLD
Nov 12, 2014

Turbulent path for Syrian Kurd fighters' 'first foreign female recruit'

A Canadian-born immigrant to Israel has become the first foreign woman to join Kurds battling Islamic State in Syria, a Kurdish source said on Tuesday, as details surfaced of the volunteer's turbulent past.

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