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BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 10, 2014

Docomo rejiggers pricing schemes to counter free phone apps

NTT Docomo unveils a new subscription plan including unlimited domestic calling and data sharing for smartphone users to reposition itself in the crowded mobile market.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 10, 2014

Flamboyant descent into the heart of darkness

He's been on the road promoting his film for about a year now, but that doesn't mean Joshua Oppenheimer is any less passionate about his Oscar-nominated documentary, "The Act of Killing." Ask the Texas-born, Denmark-residing director a question about his work and it may be a good 10 minutes before he...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 9, 2014

Energy plan fails to set targets for renewables

The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's final version of a draft energy report reinforces the role of nuclear power in the country's future, but falls short of setting specific goals for renewable energy use.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Apr 9, 2014

Foreign workers fear exploitation as Olympic projects gather steam

My first Labor Pains column of the new fiscal year will look at the government's recent proposal for bringing in foreign workers.
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 9, 2014

'In the Heights' sizzles across distant cultures

I had a few reservations about the first Japanese production of "In the Heights," the Broadway sensation nominated for 13 Tony awards in 2008.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 8, 2014

China calls on U.S. to restrain ally Japan as tension simmers

China called on the United States on Tuesday to restrain ally Japan and chided another U.S. ally, the Philippines, at the end of talks between American and Chinese defense chiefs that showed the strain of regional territorial disputes on Sino-U.S. ties.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 8, 2014

How to unlock Africa's economic potential

The former chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management believes that Nigeria could become one of the top 15 economies in the world by 2050.
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2014

February current account rebounds for first surplus in five months

The nation's current account rebounded into surplus in February from a record deficit the previous month as income from overseas investments outweighed deficits in trade and services.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 8, 2014

U.S. labels some eastern Ukraine protesters as 'paid provocateurs'

The U.S. on Monday accused Russia of instigating the storming of government offices in eastern Ukraine, unrest that echoed the events preceding Russia's annexation of Crimea.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2014

Your Party chief Watanabe to quit amid scandal

Your Party leader Yoshimi Watanabe says he will step down as president of the minor opposition party due to the loan scandal swirling about him.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2014

Voters do not deserve blame for low turnout

There was a time in America when political activitists used to say that a candidate whose main strategy was to talk about how rotten the other side was wasn't worth a vote. Can the today's voters who share that sentiment be blamed for not voting on Nov. 4?
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Apr 6, 2014

Human rights champ Doi battles social injustice in Japan

Many Japanese view human rights violations as the problems of people in a distant world, but Kanae Doi is battling to change that perception.
BASKETBALL
Apr 6, 2014

Akita coach Nakamura won't return to team for 2014-15 season: reports

Kazuo Nakamura's coaching tenure with the Akita Northern Happinets will conclude at the end of this season, according to published reports.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Apr 6, 2014

Skymark unveils controversial uniform

Skymark Airlines Inc.'s miniskirt uniform for cabin attendants has drawn fire from a group of cabin attendants who claim it will disturb operations and possibly induce sexual harassment.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 6, 2014

Flight MH370: Aussie PM hopeful, cautious on potential breakthrough

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Sunday searchers were "hopeful but by no means certain" that a pulse signal reportedly detected by a Chinese ship in the Indian Ocean was related to a Malaysia Airlines jetliner missing for four weeks.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 5, 2014

Taking a walk down felony lane

As part of the commemoration of the 140th anniversary of the Metropolitan Police Department, monthly magazine Bungei Shunju polled some 50,000 active-duty policemen on the 100 most significant crimes, incidents and disasters since 1874. The magazine received approximately 45,000 responses, and published...
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2014

Host clubs: a hotbed of human trafficking

The Japanese host. You can see them on the streets of Tokyo's Kabukicho: the dapper thin men with colored, blown-dry hair, fake suntans, snazzy suits and charming smiles, chatting up passing females and trying to get them to come and have drinks. They've been the subject of documentaries, television...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 5, 2014

'Obamacare' enrollment figures lift Democrats ahead of polls

Reuters — A rare burst of good news on President Barack Obama's health care program has given Democrats their first glimmer of hope in months on an issue that has helped drag the party down ahead of November's U.S. congressional elections.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 5, 2014

North Korea envoy tells world 'wait and see' on new nuclear test

North Korea said Friday that the world will have to "wait and see" when asked for details of "a new form" of nuclear test it threatened to carry out after the United Nations Security Council condemned Pyongyang's recent ballistic missile launch.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 4, 2014

Copenhagen Zoo opts to tell truth about life behind bars

Copenhagen Zoo, which sparked global protests over its killings of a young male giraffe and four lions, will continue to be open about its culling to show the truth about how animals are kept in captivity.
COMMENTARY
Apr 4, 2014

Wary West caught off guard by Putin's wild ways

At this point, the West has no idea what Russia is willing to do to restore its influence, but Russia knows exactly what the West will — and, more important, will not — do. This has created a dangerous asymmetry.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2014

The New Yorker is bad for cartooning

Writer-cartoonist says The New Yorker magazine prints a lot of awful cartoons, yet uses its reputation in order to elevate terrible work as the profession's platinum standard.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2014

Nuclear refugees split over return to Tamura

Nuclear refugees from part of Tamura, Fukushima Prefecture, hold their first homecomings in three years amid worries about radiation and job prospects.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 3, 2014

Seven & I shatters operating profit record as convenience stores thrive

Seven & I Holdings Co. said Thursday it logged a record consolidated operating profit of ¥339.6 billion for the business year through February, thanks mainly to the strong performance of its convenience stores, which gave the group a 14.9 percent boost.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo