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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Sep 10, 2014

Five reasons why agricultural reform will be a tough slog

Today's column, in list form, tackles a subject that defies a more conventional presentation: Japanese agricultural regulation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Sep 7, 2014

Drone enthusiasts see bright future but legal hurdles await

Last December, Amazon.com Inc. created a buzz by releasing a video of a drone delivering a package to a customer's home. If Amazon launches its Prime Air service as planned in 2015, we could soon see unmanned aircraft whizzing through the skies to deliver purchases in as little as half an hour.
JAPAN / Media
Sep 4, 2014

In reversal, Asahi runs but censors critical ads

The Asahi Shimbun censors advertisements for the weekly magazines Shukan Bunshun and Shukan Shincho that were critical of the major newspaper.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Sep 3, 2014

Giving up your seat on a train is a public affair

A recent article in the media in Japan about the attitudes and behavior of able-bodied passengers toward reserved seating on trains reminded me of one of the few negative experiences I have endured as a disabled foreigner in Japan, and it pertains to the tricky art of acquiring use of the "priority seats."...
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Aug 31, 2014

Abe faces roadblock this fall

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears to be approaching a roadblock this fall in the form of defeat in the Okinawa gubernatorial election, possible chaos over the relocation of Futenma air station and mounting sentiment throughout Japan against U.S. military bases.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 30, 2014

Asahi rivals pile on over sex slaves retraction

It has been almost a month since the Asahi Shimbun printed a long, two-part retraction of its reporting in the 1980s and '90s on the "forced mobilization" of so-called comfort women during World War II based on the published confessions of a man named Seiji Yoshida.
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 30, 2014

Richard Katz on the failures of 'Voodoo Abenomics'

Richard Katz, editor-in-chief at The Oriental Economist, is the author of "Voodoo Abenomics: Japan's Failed Comeback Plan," an article published in the July/August issue of Foreign Affairs magazine. Katz went into more detail about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" policy in a recent email interview...
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Aug 22, 2014

NATO's new challenge: 'ambiguous warfare'

Since Russia's annexation of Crimea in March, NATO has been publicly refocusing on its old Cold War foe, Moscow. The threats it now believes it faces, however, are distinctly different from those of the latter half of the 20th century.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 20, 2014

Debate on foreigner voting rights reignites ahead of 2020 Olympics

The debate over voting rights for non-Japanese residents is flaring up again, amid a drive to attract more foreign workers ahead of the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 18, 2014

Challenges can't compare to the rewards of cross-cultural adoption in Japan

Five years ago, my Japanese husband and I adopted a 3-year-old boy who had been placed in an orphanage when he was a month old. His birth mother, too young to care for him, had likely decided that giving him up was his only chance for a better life. After we first took him home, he would barely acknowledge...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2014

Make no mistake about Thailand's problem

The Thai military has not played the role of 'democratic defender' following its recent coup. Instead, its intervention shows its desperate move to maintain power ahead of the imminent royal succession.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2014

Welcoming refugees to fill labor shortages

Why doesn't Japan, Canada and other governments admit more refugees for resettlement with a view toward addressing the governments' labor shortages?
EDITORIALS
Aug 14, 2014

Don't hide the harsh reality of war

As the number of survivors of the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings falls below 200,000, it is becoming increasingly difficult for younger generations to understand the horror of war experienced by Japan's victims, whose average age is 79.
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2014

An A-bomb survivor takes on Abe

At a ceremony mark the 69th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, a 75-year-old woman survivor berates the Abe administration's decision to allow Japan to take part in conflict overseas under the auspices of collective self-defense.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 9, 2014

Yazidis aided by U.S. have long history of persecution in Iraq

The Iraqi mountain community that U.S. President Barack Obama is racing to defend numbers in the tens or hundreds of thousands, with roots in the 12th century and a history of persecution.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Aug 6, 2014

Think you've got rights as a foreigner in Japan? Well, it's complicated

If you imagine paying taxes in Japan entitles you to welfare, you may want to take a seat.
Reader Mail
Aug 6, 2014

Paying for the habit of a minority

Regarding the Aug. 1 article "Japan's smoking rate falls below 20% for first time, manufacturer says": It's time to add my two-pence worth. I'm taking this headline statement with a rather large pinch of salt, for the following reasons:
Reader Mail
Aug 6, 2014

Women breaking the status quo

A salute to the women featured in the July 31 Kyodo article "Female officials challenge status quo" and the July 31 Bloomberg article "Late hours thwart Abe's working moms."
Reader Mail
Jul 30, 2014

Contact keeping elders healthy

Regarding the closing quote from the article above, "Older people are squeezing money from the young and future generations under the current system": No elder-bashing, please!
Reader Mail
Jul 30, 2014

The name for a horrible practice

Cesar Chelala's July 29 article, "Safe alternative rites to female circumcision," was well written and interesting. I would like to comment on the headline, though.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 24, 2014

Ryukyu brings in Kent to try and fill Newton's shoes

The Ryukyu Golden Kings will begin defense of their title with a new veteran in the frontcourt in the post-Jeff Newton era.
EDITORIALS
Jul 24, 2014

Collective self-defense smokescreen

It is deplorable that Prime Minister Shinzo continues to avoid discussing the inherent dangers to Japan with regard to his Cabinet's recent reinterpretation of 'collective self-defense.'
Reader Mail
Jul 23, 2014

Pressures to bear with cold beer

Regarding the June 27 article "Drink responsibly when you're out with friends this summer": In 2007 my hometown's temperature reached 40.9 degrees Celsius. It was the hottest place in Japan. At my age, a well-chilled beer is absolutely indispensable for overcoming such sweltering weather. I think a lot...
Reader Mail
Jul 23, 2014

Confusing race with nationality

Regarding the July 14 front-page article "Rola altering DNA of pop culture": Japanese pop culture talents like "Rola," "Becky" and Jun Hasegawa are Japanese citizens despite being ethnically "half." The Nationality Law does not recognize half citizens. A person is either a citizen or not.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jul 23, 2014

A democratically elected rep is every worker's legal right

The lack of a freely and fairly elected workers' rep could cost employees dearly in the long run.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 22, 2014

U.S. Vice President Biden says Putin has no soul: magazine

Vladimir Putin has no soul, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden concluded after meeting with the Russian leader at the Kremlin in 2011, according to an article in the New Yorker published online on Monday.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan