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Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Mar 22, 2014

Energy debate challenges facade of wa

Torn between his nationalistic instinct to resurrect what he seems to regard as Japan's great bygone days of empire-building and the mundane demands of caring for the pressing needs of his nation, a remarkably caring soul might almost feel sorry for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his first months in...
EDITORIALS
Mar 22, 2014

Kyoto University's bold hiring move

The recent news that Kyoto University will publicly seek candidates for its next president from abroad, as well as from Japan, may come as a shock to some in academia.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Mar 21, 2014

Have once-welcoming Urawa Reds matches changed that much?

Some responses to Debito Arudou's March 13 Just Be Cause column, 'J. League and media must show red card to racism.'
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2014

Ike of Honda to take JAMA helm

Honda Motor Co. Chairman Fumihiko Ike will take over as chief of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association in May, the industry lobby group said Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2014

Japan Foundation plans fresh cultural surge in Southeast Asia

The Japan Foundation will boost cultural ties with Southeast Asian countries, including increased support for Japanese-language lessons and enhancing art and cultural exchanges, its president said Thursday.
COMMENTARY
Mar 20, 2014

Recent stimulus setting up debt crisis for China

The idea that China acted in economically rational ways that merit U.S. study and replication, as suggested by two Chinese economists, is just too much. Asia's biggest economy is merely delaying a debt crisis that will be much bigger and more spectacular than it had to be.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 19, 2014

Is the world ready for another Bush?

By all appearances, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is a man on a mission.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 19, 2014

War crimes evidence in Syria solid enough for indictment: U.N.

U.N. investigators said Tuesday they had expanded their list of suspected war criminals from both sides in Syria's civil war and the evidence was solid enough to prepare any indictment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 18, 2014

Vietnamese leader welcomes fresh aid from Japan

Visiting Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang, meeting Tuesday with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, welcomed new official development assistance from Japan totaling ¥120 billion in yen loans.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 18, 2014

Analysts split on fiscal crisis timeline

Economists are split over how long the government has to rein in the world's biggest debt burden, a Bloomberg News survey shows, adding to a debate on whether the government should keep ratcheting up the sales tax.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 18, 2014

Ukrainians dig massive trench along border in Russian-speaking east

Ukraine's easterly Donetsk region, dominated by Russian-speakers and buffeted by rallies by pro-Russian activists, has built a defensive trench complete with concrete barriers along its long border with Russia, its governor said Monday.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Mar 18, 2014

Jackson certain to win in New York like everywhere else

Kobe Bryant for five championships played for Phil Jackson. In his seven seasons playing for coaches other than Jackson he got none.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2014

China rocked by fallen tiger, shaken dragon

It wasn't clear whether Chinese President Xi Jingping would actually prosecute Zhou Yongkang — thus breaking the Communist Party's unwritten rule of immunity for retired members of the Politburo Standing Committee — until the Chinese media revealed shocking details of corruption involving Zhou's family and former subordinates.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2014

Yokota couple: Meeting a 'miracle'

The parents of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977, say their dramatic meeting in Mongolia last week with her 26-year-old daughter was 'like a miracle' and they were also very happy to see her 10-month-old baby, both for the first time.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 17, 2014

U.S. military report suggests cover-up over toxic pollution in Okinawa

Perhaps the most serious concern raised in the internal U.S. military report is the fear that PCB contamination at Kadena — if made public — would prompt demands for widespread tests on other U.S. bases.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 17, 2014

Nikon to fix camera flaws cited by China

Nikon Corp. said it will fix digital cameras at no charge after claims on Chinese state-run television that product defects caused "black spots" on photographs.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 2014

Asia's tourism campaigns could benefit from a little cleaning up

As Asia welcomes more and more visitors, its leaders and policymakers must take steps toward a more sustainable tourism industry and supporting infrastructure. That includes cleaning up the beaches.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 16, 2014

Ukraine, Russia agree short truce as Crimea referendum gets under way

The Ukrainian and Russian Defence ministries have agreed on a truce in Crimea until March 21, Ukraine's acting defence minister said Sunday.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2014

U.S. senator's criticism of bitcoin is misguided for playing down investors' love of the game

It isn't clear why bitcoin deflation matters to the U.S. economy. Goods and services aren't priced in bitcoins. The buyer who 'spends' bitcoins at a restaurant or store is just exchanging them for dollars, which do the buying.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 15, 2014

Lost Malaysia passenger jet was diverted deliberately, premier says

Investigators believe someone aboard a missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 turned the jetliner around and flew for nearly seven hours after it vanished.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 15, 2014

Bilingual skills useful tool for baseball players

The ever-increasing internationalism and players from many nations joining professional baseball ranks in whatever countries where the game is played has inspired sports news articles regarding the way teammates communicate.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Mar 15, 2014

Trade deals trump sex slave issue for Osakans

When Osaka Mayor and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) co-leader Toru Hashimoto uttered his infamous remarks last May that Japan's wartime sex slave system was necessary at the time, he was roundly — and rightly — condemned at home and abroad.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Mar 15, 2014

Historical ifs and weathers or not

To suggest that history is shaped by chance weather events and climatic variation doesn't lend it quite the same gravitas as if it were wrought by great leaders. It certainly isn't as inspirational. But such processes can be just as important — and the weather can sometimes foil even the best-laid...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Mar 14, 2014

Dahl still drawing on the joys and absurdities of expat life

For over 20 years, Roger Dahl has been making Japan Times readers laugh — and think — with his Opinion Page political cartoons and “Zero Gravity” comic strip, which pokes gentle fun at the foreign experience in this country.

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