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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 7, 2015

TPP deal as important as new aircraft carrier: Pentagon chief

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter waded into economic policy Monday, urging Congress to grant the president negotiating authority for a proposed Asia-Pacific trade deal.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2015

On the right path, China must cut coal reliance

China's recent progress in reducing emissions shows that, with the right combination of government policies, corporate initiatives, and public pressure, even the largest and most polluted countries can clean up their act.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2015

Tokyo amends noise-pollution rules in bid to draw more nurseries

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government amended its rules on noise pollution on Wednesday in an effort to make it easier for nurseries to open in the capital, where the number of children yet to find a day care facility is the largest among all prefectures.
EDITORIALS
Apr 1, 2015

Corporate leadership rejuvenation

Hopefully the move to buck the seniority system and appoint younger presidents will help breathe fresh air into the staid corporate culture of major Japanese firms.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 28, 2015

China's Xi preaches peace in keynote address

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday that turmoil at home or abroad were not in the country's interests as its bitter past has shown, pledging that Beijing will never stray from its proclaimed path of peaceful development.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 25, 2015

Otsuka Kagu familial feud nears climax

A battle between the founder of Otsuka Kagu Ltd. and its current president, who also happen to be father and daughter, is expected to turn into a proxy fight at the company's annual shareholders' meeting scheduled for Friday, with the result deciding the fate of the struggling furniture giant.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Mar 22, 2015

University teachers in Japan work under the shadow of a falling ax

For most teachers, their job is more than an economic exchange of time for money — it is a vocation. Concern for students' educational development is genuine, as is a deep belief in the value and importance of education, and a regard for the institution's reputation and welfare.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2015

Security blanket: Should Japan beef up its anti-terrorism measures?

On Nov. 27, 2005, an unidentified terrorist group attacked the Mihama nuclear power plant on the Japan Sea in Fukui Prefecture, damaging the facility and creating fears of a radiation leak.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2015

Public investment can bring sustainable growth

The best way to avoid the risk of an extended period of weak economic growth is to fuel productivity growth by improving human capital and innovation through properly targeted public investment.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Mar 6, 2015

Cheap rural homes come at a price

Though the hollowing-out of population in regional areas in Japan has become a major issue for the central government, it's been a problem for regional governments for more than three decades. Twenty years ago there was a popular promotional method called "I-turn," devised as a supplement to the "U-turn"...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 28, 2015

Immorality of ceding the high ground to coal

As the idea that greenhouse-gas emissions be reduced to zero by 2050 gains wider acceptance, the coal industry stands apart in its determination to fight for profits at the expense of the environment.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 27, 2015

Two more Cabinet ministers ensnared in money scandals

The Abe administration's money scandals snowball as two more Cabinet ministers admit their chapters accepted donations in 2013 from a company that was set to receive state subsides.
EDITORIALS
Feb 18, 2015

Blight of research misconduct

Strong pressure on scientists to make notable achievements — and thereby secure research funds — is fueling research misconduct.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2015

Indian voters allow for an upstart

Perhaps a sense of the increasing lopsidedness of political power in India explains why so many voters around the country are so keenly interested in the results of last weekend's elections in the city-state of New Delhi, involving the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 8, 2015

Australian wind farms face $13 billion wipeout from political impasse

Australia faces an exodus of 17 billion Australian dollars ($13.3 billion) in investment from its wind-farm industry because of a political deadlock, threatening to deal the country a major economic blow and kill hopes of meeting a self-imposed clean energy target.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 7, 2015

A changing Japan needs to rethink how to safeguard children

On Christmas Day last year, a 17-year-old boy was sent to prison by the Saitama District Court for the murder of his maternal grandparents. Prosecutors demanded an indefinite sentence, but the court gave him 15 years after taking the boy's "environment" into consideration.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Feb 4, 2015

Fans want NFL return

It was a Monday night, not a Super Sunday, but an estimated 100 people had assembled for a viewing party for Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on massive screens at a public viewing event in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2015

Mystery deaths afflicting tuna at Tokyo aquarium

The Tokyo Sea Life Park, renowned for its breeding program, had 165 bluefin tuna, kawakawa and striped bonito on display. On Monday it had just 11.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 8, 2015

Testosterone surprisingly stymies some prostate cancer

The hormone testosterone, which fuels the growth of prostate cancer, unexpectedly stymies the disease in certain cases, according to researchers who found it made tumors more vulnerable to treatment in some patients.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 3, 2015

Behind the wheel: Honda thinks outside the box

When it comes to business, no one wants to settle for second best. Companies, almost by definition, are always trying to ensure that they are in front of their rivals in terms of market share, sales and brand recognition.
EDITORIALS
Dec 30, 2014

End of the STAP dream

At the very least, the education ministry, Riken research institute officials and others must determine what went wrong with the dream of STAP cell research and push for drastic change in Japan's research environment.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 30, 2014

Gmail blocked in China

Google Inc's Gmail was blocked in China after months of disruptions to the world's biggest email service, with an anti-censorship advocate suggesting the Great Firewall was to blame.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 28, 2014

The year in education: After all the talk, can Japan walk the walk in 2015?

With ideas coming in thick and fast in 2014 and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe having effective carte blanche after his landslide election victory, it's now or never for key education reforms.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2014

North Korea's nukes are much scarier than its hacks

While the world's attention focuses on North Korea's cyberwar with Sony Pictures, the Hermit Kingdom is rapidly increasing its stockpile of nuclear weapons material, with real little pushback from the U.S.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 24, 2014

Mitani sidelined by Abe as GPIF pension fund enters new era

When Takahiro Mitani's term as head of the world's largest retirement fund finishes in March, so too will the old era of Japanese pension management.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 23, 2014

In Jakarta, that sinking feeling is all too real

The Ciliwung River flows from a volcano south of the Indonesian capital, through the heart of one of the world's most densely populated cities and almost into Jakarta Bay. Almost, because for the final mile or so of its course, the river would have to flow uphill to reach the bay.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 19, 2014

Rare 'raicho' ptarmigans lose habitat following Ontake eruption, could disappear

The eruption of Mount Ontake in September killed dozens of hikers, but also probably decimated the population of a rare bird — the rock ptarmigan, a much-loved symbol of Japan's alpine region.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami