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JAPAN / Politics
Jul 23, 2013

U.S. worried election-emboldened, nationalist Abe may roil Asia waters

Sunday's overwhelming victory by the Liberal Democratic Party has created a dilemma for the United States, which wants closer economic and military ties with Tokyo even as it fears that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Cabinet now have free reign to pursue a hard-line diplomatic stance that will damage...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2013

Obama's toughest campaign yet: selling health care reform

Deep inside the White House, in a bare room that the chief of staff uses for meetings, David Simas is still thinking about turnout.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2013

An invitation to combat today's killer diseases

Noncommunicable diseases like cancer and diabetes lead to 63 percent of annual deaths worldwide. The good news is that they are largely preventable.
WORLD
Jul 23, 2013

Hundreds of al-Qaida-linked extremists freed in bloody Iraq jailbreak

Hundreds of extremists are feared to be on the run in Iraq after al-Qaida's affiliate in the country launched a major assault on the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, offering a fresh boost to the group's resurgent fortunes in Iraq and in Syria.
BUSINESS / BALANCING INTERESTS
Jul 22, 2013

Farmers stealing TPP spotlight from other key issues

While a great deal of political and media attention is focusing on what the Trans-Pacific Partnership might mean for Japan's agricultural sector, less is being devoted to how it could impact investor-state disputes and copyright laws, two controversial areas that present a growing challenge to forging...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 22, 2013

Standing up for a longer life span

Michael Jensen, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnessota, is talking on the phone, but his voice is drowned out by what sounds like a vacuum cleaner. "I'm sorry," he says. "I'm on a treadmill."
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 22, 2013

Hashimoto in limbo after trouncing

The future of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) co-leader Toru Hashimoto remained unclear Sunday evening following the party's poor performance in the Upper House election.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 21, 2013

Summer brings out the creepy crawlies

Now that the tsuyu (梅雨, rainy season) has ended and the dreaded heat has descended upon the city, most of us have taken refuge indoors, camped out in front of the eakon (エアコン, air-conditioning) in a desperate attempt to wick away some of summer's sticky mushiatsusa (蒸し暑さ, humidity)....
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 21, 2013

'Motor City Madman' rocks political world

On the final morning of the 2013 National Rifle Association annual convention in May, the day was bright, the mood was festive and Ted Nugent was neither dead nor in jail.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 21, 2013

Martin rallies across U.S. urge 'justice'

In most places it was too hot for hooded sweat shirts. So they came with T-shirts.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 21, 2013

The wives of celebrity athletes; a summer bicycle tour through Hokkaido; CM of the week: JR East

As the saying goes, behind every great man is a woman, and this week's installment of the variety show "Bakuho! The Friday" ("Explosive Information! The Friday"; TBS, Fri., 7 p.m.) looks at wives of prominent professional athletes.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jul 20, 2013

Yokohama to name Katsuhisa coach

A familiar face will be on the sideline for the Yokohama B-Corsairs next season. Multiple league insiders have told The Japan Times that Michael Katsuhisa will be named the second coach in team history.
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Jul 20, 2013

Tokyo homeless, Olympics cancelled, medals given for kindness, Mandela's birthday feted

Summer is generally a good season for employment-seekers of the laboring classes. This summer, however, there are twice as many unemployed men as usual. The Free Lodging House of Honjo, Tokyo, for instance, generally takes in about 20 lodgers nightly during the hot months, but this season some 45 are finding shelter there every night.
Reader Mail
Jul 20, 2013

Myanmar isn't out of the woods

Regarding the July 17 front-page AFP-JIJI article "Myanmar leader vows to free all political prisoners": It's ironic that history's biggest perpetrators of human rights violations — the erstwhile colonial powers — have today become the biggest advocates of human rights. This becomes all the more...
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 20, 2013

Nation set for rare political continuity

After cycling through seven prime ministers in seven years, the Upper House election is about to see the nation break free from its most vexing political pattern: instability.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 18, 2013

Vampire Weekend to go 'Modern' at Fuji Rock

Over the course of three albums, Vampire Weekend has cultivated a unique sound from a wide spectrum of influences, including experimental rock musician Keigo Oyamada (aka Cornelius). Vampire Weekend lead singer and songwriter Ezra Koenig has a fond memory of the musician, often described as Japan's counterpart...
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2013

Next Coast Guard chief to come up from ranks

Yuji Sato, the Japan Coast Guard's vice commandant of operations, will soon be promoted to commandant, becoming the first officer from within the Coast Guard to hold the top post, a government source said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2013

Can Snowden cite rights and still applaud Putin?

It's easy to admire Edward Snowden for what he has revealed about U.S. and U.K. spying, and still feel deeply uncomfortable about his praise for Russia, of all places.
Reader Mail
Jul 17, 2013

Battling the language in Japan

I would like to comment on the July 14 editorial "More people studying Japanese." Around the world more people are studying the Japanese language for various reasons, which is good news for us Japanese. And I fully support proposals to encourage Japanese-language teachers and Japanese students to study...
Reader Mail
Jul 17, 2013

Deserving of a medal of honor

Regarding the July 9 AFP-JIJI article "Man who battled Japan nuke disaster passes away": I am profoundly saddened by the news of the death this month of Masao Yoshida, 58.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers