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Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 21, 2018

Japan's refugee-screening system sets high bar

Last year, Japan granted refugee status to just 20 out of a record-high 19,629 applicants. After the figure was released in February, global and domestic coverage was noticeably polarized.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 26, 2014

U.S. hospitals unprepared to handle Ebola waste

U.S. hospitals may be unprepared to safely dispose of the infectious waste generated by any Ebola virus disease patient to arrive unannounced in the country, potentially putting the wider community at risk, biosafety experts said.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 1, 2009

Local vote for foreign residents: time ripe?

Permanent foreign residents of Japan may finally face a realistic chance of being granted local-level suffrage under the administration led by the Democratic Party of Japan, which has signaled a willingness to pursue such rights.
JAPAN / OF SOUND MIND
Jun 22, 2001

Ikeda massacre puts judicial psychiatry in spotlight

The June 8 killing of eight children by a knife-wielding man at an Osaka elementary school has inevitably rekindled the old debate about whether — and how much — judicial authorities should be able to intervene when dealing with mental patients accused of committing serious crimes.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 21, 2022

U.S. judge asks Trump's lawyers if he declassified records in FBI search

Roughly 100 of the documents seized in the court-approved Aug. 8 search at Trump's home at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach had classified markings.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 18, 2021

Why Japan’s territorial disputes are so hard to resolve

Next week, Shimane Prefecture will celebrate the relatively young Takeshima Day, which will invariably invite protest from the South Korean government.
JAPAN / Society / the argument: Fukushima water crisis
Feb 25, 2020

It's time to release treated Fukushima water just like other coastal nuclear plants do

The Argument is a feature dedicated to promoting dialogue and deeper understanding of contentious issues by introducing various viewpoints.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2018

White House counsel McGahn 'fed up' with Trump, threatened to quit job last year

White House Counsel Donald McGahn threatened to quit last June because he was "fed up" after President Donald Trump insisted he take steps to remove the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, a person familiar with the matter said.
EDITORIALS
Dec 4, 2017

Continue talks on Imperial succession rules

Given the lack of male heirs in the Imperial family, the discussion of succession rules should continue.
EDITORIALS
Jan 22, 2017

Unaddressed succession issues

One-off legislation may be the easiest way to allow Emperor Akihito to abdicate, but it would leave the issue unresolved for future emperors.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 13, 2013

Abe faces tall order in extra Diet session

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will get 53 days to pass a host of critical economic and defense bills when the extraordinary Diet session opens this week.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2010

DPJ rule raises Hague treaty-signing hope

It has been over five years since Murray Wood's two children left their home in Canada with his Japanese ex-wife for a supposed visit with their ill grandfather in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 20, 2009

Breaking the silence on burakumin

For those who don't know — and you would be forgiven considering the lack of coverage the issue receives — a buraku is the term used to describe an area where some, but not all, of the residents have ancestral ties to the people placed at the bottom of feudal society in the Edo Period. These people...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 28, 2003

Dancing in the dark, but who's calling the tune?

Ever since the five Japanese who were kidnapped by North Korea in the late '70s returned to Japan a little less than a year ago, the media, the government, the abductees' families and supporters, and the abductees themselves have been performing an elaborate and awkward dance.
COMMENTARY
Jan 13, 2003

Dealing with multiple crises

The world faces a double threat posed by Iraqi and North Korean weapons of mass destruction and missiles, a peril no less serious than the terrorist scare following the 9/11 attacks. According to the Chinese zodiac, this is the year of the sheep, a nonviolent animal, but past years of the sheep have...
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jul 19, 2001

Campaign finance reform bill continues to dominate a divided U.S. Congress

This was "the week that was" for campaign finance reform. The stakes were high. The votes were close. You could cut the tension around the Capital with a knife. And when it was over, just like all the years in the recent past, there was no result. The only winner may well have been U.S. President George...
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2000

G8 poised to endorse Pyongyang efforts to come in from cold

The Group of Eight foreign ministers, who meet Wednesday for two days of talks in Miyazaki, are likely to give formal endorsement to North Korea's recent moves to improve its relations with the international community, highlighted by the unprecedented inter-Korean summit last month in Pyongyang.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 29, 2020

Article 9, ittaika and Japan's liaison officer corps

The Constitution's Article 9 has shaped the SDF in ways that are deeper than most observers, analysts and policymakers realize.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 15, 2019

Decluttering the Japan-South Korea debate

Accusations that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stands to gain politically by getting tough with South Korea miss the mark.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 21, 2017

Abdication panel hands in final report, confirming proposal for one-off law to let Emperor step down

The government abdication panel's final report recommends that Emperor Akihito be allowed to retire through a special temporary law, backing the Diet's consensus opinion.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 27, 2017

Abe rejects calls for wife to testify in Diet on Moritomo land scandal

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rejected more calls from the opposition Monday for his wife, Akie, to testify before the Diet over whether she offered a ¥1 million donation to Osaka-based private school operator Moritomo Gakuen, saying it was unnecessary.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 21, 2016

Myanmar's Suu Kyi reiterates stance on not using 'Rohingya' term: official

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi told the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights on Monday that the government will avoid using the term "Rohingya" to describe a persecuted Muslim minority in the country's northwest, an official said on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 11, 2015

Secrets law, one year later

The controversial state secret law that took effect last year has already had a chilling effect on the media: no one is even talking about it anymore.
A man stands atop a float holding a portable shrine at this year’s Sanja Festival in Tokyo.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 20, 2023

Why 2023 will be a deciding year for Japan’s iconic summer festivals

As the population gets older do we risk losing the summer festivals that make Japan unique?
JAPAN / Society
Aug 30, 2023

Media respond to report on sexual abuse at Johnny and Associates

The committee said Japan's mainstream media chose to ignore Kitagawa’s sexual abuse in order to maintain access to Johnny & Associates' talent pool.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 22, 2023

Things get warmer with Xi; Johnny’s get the cold shoulder

While Japan and China look to ease tensions, NHK makes things tense with a Johnny’s-less “Kohaku” announcement.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji