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EDITORIALS
Aug 20, 2012

No longer the oldest women

A recent survey of life expectancy around the world found that Japanese women no longer have the longest life span. That honor has been taken over by Hong Kong, where women live on average 86.7 years, according to 2011 data from Japan's health and welfare ministry.
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2012

Latest DPJ defectors to join Nagoya force

Two more Diet members bolted Friday from the Democratic Party of Japan and announced they were joining Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura's local Genzei Nippon (Tax Reduction Japan) group with the aim of taking it national and vying for seats in the next Lower House election.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 17, 2012

The art of making monsters

Good news for monster fans: Not one, not two, but three separate tokusatsu exhibitions are stomping their way through downtown Tokyo as you read these words.
Reader Mail
Aug 16, 2012

Wasteful ways to quench thirst

With the unrelenting hot weather across Japan, we're reminded daily in TV news reports about the importance of keeping hydrated, which unfortunately too many of us do with little thought.
OLYMPICS
Aug 16, 2012

Team Japan makes triumphant return from London

After the 17-day extravaganza of the London Olympics, the Japanese delegation — which gave the country excitement and insomnia on a daily basis — made a triumphant return home on Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2012

Palestinian plight's Tohoku parallels

The civil war in Syria is not only affecting its civilians but also the Palestinian refugees living in exile there, and the situation is deteriorating, the head of a United Nations agency supporting the refugees said during a recent visit to Japan.
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Aug 15, 2012

Despite flaws, Rakuten is 1-0 against Amazon in Japan's e-book wars

Rakuten, Japan's largest online shopping mall — and a head-to-head rival of Amazon Japan that also hopes to expand its business globally — launched its first e-book reader, the Rakuten Kobo Touch, on July 19, getting the jump on the long anticipated Japanese release of Amazon's Kindle.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 14, 2012

Yokosuka rape victim takes fight for justice to U.S. courts

Australian Catherine Jane Fisher, who was raped by a U.S. Navy sailor in Yokosuka in 2002, has now taken her case for compensation all the way to the U.S. courts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 14, 2012

Utilities lose $46 billion as nuclear era nears end

The nuclear power industry has lost a record $46 billion since the earthquake and tsunami disasters led to three meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant last year, wiping out seven years of profit.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 13, 2012

FIBA's Baumann doubts basketball age limit will be imposed

Patrick Baumann, FIBA's secretary general, believes an age-limit proposal won't be approved for the 2016 Rio Summer Games men's basketball tournament. Still, there could be some changes made to the current tournament format, he acknowledged.
EDITORIALS
Aug 13, 2012

Keeping retirees employed

The Lower House on Aug. 2 passed a bill to make it obligatory in principle for enterprises to keep employing through the age of 65 all workers who want to continue to work after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60. The bill is aimed at securing employment for such workers until they start receiving...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 12, 2012

Osaka trial highlights Japan's deficient mental-illness facilities

On July 30, the Osaka District Court sentenced a 42-year-old man to 20 years in prison for killing his sister. That's the maximum term for the crime, but it's also four years more than what prosecutors demanded. The reasoning behind the decision of the court, which included lay judges, has provoked an...
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 12, 2012

Bahamas pulls off huge upset in 4x400 relay

Turkey had a surprising 1-2 finish in the women's 1,500 to steal some of the spotlight from two of Friday night's marquee events: the women's 5,000, featuring a star-studded cast of world-class runners, and the women's 4x100 relay at the Olympic Stadium.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years