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JAPAN / Politics
Mar 27, 2017

Government enacts record-high budget, damping opposition efforts to keep spotlight on school land scandal

The Upper House approved a u00a597.45 trillion budget that highlighted an increase in defense spending — a record u00a55.13 trillion — reflecting a beefed-up effort to counter China and North Korea.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Mar 24, 2017

London attack a reminder of fears for post-Brexit security cooperation

Hours before Wednesday's attack in London, the head of the European Union police agency Europol warned that a large group of radicalized individuals posed a constant threat to Britain and Europe.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 21, 2017

Did America's top diplomat inadvertently offer China a 'new great power relationship'?

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's use of phrases and language commonly employed by China's Communist Party during his first trip to the country as top diplomat has left some regional experts wondering if he may have inadvertently endorsed Beijing's push for a new "great power relationship."
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 20, 2017

What next for Japan's peacekeepers after withdrawal from South Sudan?

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe abruptly announced that Japan will end its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan in May and withdraw the Ground Self-Defense Force's engineering troops there. The troops have been deployed to the northeast African country for the last five years as part of...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 11, 2017

Cherry blossom season is the perfect time to visit Japan

If Japan is on your bucket list, there's at least a strong chance that you're thinking of going during cherry blossom season.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 11, 2017

The first missteps for Japan's first lady

On Feb. 27, Democratic Party lawmaker Kiyomi Tsujimoto submitted questions to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party about the activities of Akie Abe, the wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in regard to her relationship with Moritomo Gakuen, a controversial corporate body that wants to build an elementary...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2017

A U.S.-China currency deal can avert trade war

A new Plaza Accord can benefit both the U.S. and China, and deliver Trump his first foreign policy victory.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2017

Abe says latest North Korean missile launch represents 'new level of threat'

North Korea demonstrated its growing military capabilities with the launch of four ballistic missiles Monday, three of which fell into the Sea of Japan, in what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe characterized as "a new level of threat."
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2017

A rising power without allies

The more power China has accumulated, the greater has been its difficulty in gaining genuine allies — underscoring that leadership demands more than brute might.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 4, 2017

Japan's magazines get misty-eyed over Showa Era brothels

Commencing with the death of Emperor Taisho on Christmas Day, 1926, the Showa Era ran for 62 years and two weeks, ending with the death of Emperor Hirohito (posthumously referred to as Emperor Showa) at the age of 87 on Jan. 7, 1989.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 3, 2017

Japan's ex-top cop spearheads campaign to boost immigration

When it comes to public safety and terrorism in Japan, nobody probably knows the situation better than Takaji Kunimatsu.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 3, 2017

In a break from LDP, Kono calls for Japan to open doors to blue-collar foreign workers

Veteran Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Taro Kono is calling for a drastic policy shift that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is loath to accept: open up Japan to blue-collar foreign workers.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 27, 2017

Japan's Senkaku challenge

No group of islands poses a bigger challenge for Japan's security than the Senkakus.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 22, 2017

'Man Down': War injuries go beyond the battlefield

'Man Down" is an indictment of war, and its message is one that focuses on its terrible lingering consequences — specifically, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With many ending up homeless, suffering mental difficulties or becoming suicidal, PTSD is a real issue. According...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 20, 2017

Investing big but wisely in Japanese study aids can reap dividends

An expensive dictionary, a big TV — and a wedding ring: just three of the big purchases that could give your Japanese a lift.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 8, 2017

Task force report highlights 'precarious' Sino-U.S. ties, urges visit to Japan, China to help repair relations

To better signal that the U.S. has not backed away from its role as an Asia-Pacific nation amid China's rise, President Donald Trump and his senior advisers should visit U.S. ally Japan as soon as possible, according to a new report by an expert task force detailing China policy recommendations for the...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 4, 2017

Japan enters the post-truth age with distorted MXTV report on Okinawa protests

The term "fake news" has outlasted its usefulness. Originally coined to describe purposely false or exaggerated stories on the internet, the term now covers anything in the media that is deemed a lie. The internet is a scrum of competing opinions, and fake news that appears online can be contained to...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Feb 1, 2017

U.S. military must not jeopardize Okinawan forest's bid for World Heritage status

We write to express our concern regarding the U.S. military's continued use of the Northern Training Area in northern Okinawa's Yanbaru forest, in light of the fact that the forest has been nominated for UNESCO World Natural Heritage status.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / GAUGING TRUMP
Jan 25, 2017

Books on Trump prove tough sell in Japan — so far

Dozens of books bearing U.S. President Donald Trump’s face on their covers have been piling up at bookstores across the nation since his stunning victory in November.
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jan 21, 2017

Japanese folklore meets anime in Kyoto

The colors were jarring. Beneath the vermillion torii gates of Kyoto's Shimogamo Shrine and surrounded by the olive broadleaves of Tadasu Forest was a pool of furry, bright yellow ponchos, decorated with the brown facial features, rounded ears and bulbous oblong tails of the tanuki, or Japanese raccoon...
EDITORIALS
Jan 21, 2017

Relief for Minamata victims

The government has done a poor job of identifying and providing relief to victims of Minamata disease.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami