Search - 2015

 
 
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Feb 20, 2017

Divorcee marriages hit historic high

About 1 in 4 marriages in the nation involved a divorced person in 2015, the highest ratio since 1952, the earliest year for which data is available.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Nov 22, 2014

Konami's winning take on 'the beautiful game'

Soccer, more than any other sport, is the world's game. Played by millions, it is unquestionably the most popular sport on the planet.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 9, 2017

Monsanto's decisions behind the weed-killer crisis that caused millions acres of crop damage

In early 2016, agri-business giant Monsanto faced a decision that would prove pivotal in what since has become a sprawling herbicide crisis, with millions of acres of crops damaged.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 13, 2016

When Rene Redzepi brought Noma to Japan

In April 2014, chef Rene Redzepi was riding the crest of a wave. Noma, his iconic Copenhagen restaurant, had just been voted back to No. 1 on the World 50 Best list, cementing its place as one of the top global dining destinations. And then, at the awards ceremony, he dropped a bombshell announcement....
An Iranian woman walks past an anti-U.S. mural on a street in Tehran on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 27, 2025

U.S. and Iran say progress made in 'positive' nuclear talks

Iran currently enriches uranium to 60%, far above the 3.67% limit imposed by the 2015 deal but still below the 90% threshold required for weapons-grade material.
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in which Trump announced nuclear talks with Iran, in Washington on April 7.
WORLD
May 3, 2025

How Trump blindsided Netanyahu with his Iran nuclear gamble

In just three weeks, the U.S. and Iran have held three rounds of talks aimed at preventing Tehran from building a nuclear weapon in return for sanctions relief.
A woman walks next to an anti-U.S. mural near the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran on May 11.
WORLD
May 19, 2025

Iran says it will keep enriching uranium, even with a deal

Iran currently enriches uranium to 60%, far above the 3.67% limit set in the 2015 deal but below the 90% needed for a nuclear warhead.
Australian players celebrate after a goal by Haley Raso (second from left) against Canada, during their Group B match at the Women's World Cup in Melbourne on July 31.
SOCCER
Aug 5, 2023

Women's World Cup on pace to smash attendance records

So far, more than 1.2 million fans have passed through the turnstiles, and organizers now expect that figure to rise to 1.9 million.
An unveiled woman stands on top of a vehicle on Oct. 26, 2022, as thousands make their way toward Aichi cemetery in Saqez, Mahsa Amini's hometown in the western Iranian province of Kurdistan, to mark 40 days since her death.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 14, 2023

Year after protests, Iran even more toxic for U.S.

Amini died on September 16, 2022, after her arrest in Tehran for an alleged breach of the strict dress code imposed on women by the clerical leadership.
Chinese tourists buy gold bars and gold accessories at LukFook, a jewelry store, in Hong Kong.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 28, 2023

Gold bars and Tokyo apartments: How money is flowing out of China

The outbound shift of money in part indicates unease inside China about the sputtering recovery after the pandemic as well as deeper problems.
A wind farm near near Golmud, Qinghai province, China
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 29, 2023

The promise of China’s sustainable-development path

As of this month, China has (since 2017) approved 572 “ecological civilization construction demonstration zones.”
Eddie Jones is set to become the head coach of the Brave Blossoms six weeks after the Australian quit the Wallabies following their dismal showing at the World Cup.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 13, 2023

Eddie Jones named as Japan head coach, ending weeks of speculation

Jones will officially commence his duties from Jan. 1, the Japan Rugby Football Union said on its website.
Japan head coach Eddie Jones before a game against Scotland at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Jones will be returning to the post, the Japan Rugby Football Union announced Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 14, 2023

Wounded Eddie Jones has plenty to prove on Japan return

The 63-year-old is revered in Japan for masterminding their "Miracle of Brighton" win over South Africa at the 2015 World Cup.
Firefighters tackle a fire in a field in San Buenaventura in the Bolivian Amazon in November.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 15, 2023

Despite COP28 deal on fossil fuels, 1.5 C goal likely out of reach

The "UAE Consensus" does not commit the world to phasing out oil and gas, nor to near-term timelines for transitioning away from fossil fuels.
People cool off on a beach in Rio de Janeiro in November amid a heat wave.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 13, 2024

El Nino could make 2024 hotter than record-setting 2023

The U.S. NOAA predicted there is a 1 in 3 chance that 2024 will be warmer than 2023 — and a 99% certainty that 2024 will rank among the five warmest years ever.
Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones dives for a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in a 2024 NFC wild card game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 14.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 19, 2024

The rise of the NFL’s 2-point conversion

The NFL playoffs have already delivered high-stakes moments around a simple decision: After a touchdown, should your team kick for 1 point, or go for 2?
When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Apr 29, 2024

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

Among official records in Japan, the "koseki" is key to discovering where you came from. However, it's not without controversy.
Lee Hsien Loong steps down as Singapore's prime minister on Wednesday, passing the baton to his deputy Lawrence Wong, the second non-member of the Lee family to lead the wealthy Asian nation.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 15, 2024

Lee Hsien Loong, the scion PM who modernized Singapore and stifled dissent

He has left his own imprint on the wealthy city-state after steering it through a global financial crisis and pandemic while diversifying its economy.
Ko Maung Saungkha, center, a poet who is a rebel commander in Myanmar, on the first day of training for new recruits in Karen State, on May 7.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 17, 2024

In the war against the junta in Myanmar, a poet commands a rebel army

Myanmar is a country entranced by poetry, with poets treated like celebrities and verse that has long been political used to galvanize the masses.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said Iran is capable of producing fissile material for use in a nuclear weapon within "one or two weeks."
WORLD / Politics
Jul 20, 2024

Iran capable of producing fissile material in 'one or two weeks,' Blinken says

News of Iran's capabilities follows the recent election of President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has said his goal is to "get Iran out of its isolation."
The ability of Xi Jinping's government to control China's  industrial overcapacity crisis is limited, and stimulating domestic demand is difficult amid geopolitical tensions.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2024

Xi’s supply-side panacea has lost its magic

China’s excess capacity problem will have to fester until even its industry leaders call it quits. That may be some years away.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign stop at Northwestern High School in Detroit on Sept. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 9, 2024

Harris’ combative debate style will get its biggest test against Trump

Much of Kamala Harris' debate performance will depend on whether she can successfully adapt to an opponent best known for his unpredictability.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi (left) meets the deputy chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, upon his arrival at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Europe pushes for resolution against Iran at IAEA, diplomats say

Such resolutions risk further diplomatic tension with Iran.
Rivers and canals meander through many of the townships in Ningbo, with some homes built close to the water.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2024

Can China shield the biggest uninsured economy from floods?

Only about 10% of Chinese families have a home insurance policy, compared to nearly 90% in the U.S.
New Orleans' French Quarter following an early-morning attack on Jan. 1
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 2, 2025

‘No terrorist to me’: Relatives and friends saw few signs before attack

The violence appeared to explode out of nowhere to those who had known Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar as a quiet and caring person. But there were also signs of growing instability.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday in Washington.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 16, 2025

Trump calls the U.S.-Japan alliance ‘one-sided.’ Tokyo says otherwise.

Some observers believe the U.S. president’s worldview is stuck in the 1980s, a time when trade deficits with Japan captured the attention of U.S. policymakers.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (left) arrives in Muscat, Oman, on Sunday for nuclear talks with the U.S.
WORLD / Politics
May 12, 2025

Iran says nuclear talks 'difficult but useful' while U.S. is 'encouraged'

This was the fourth round of talks that began nearly a month ago, with both sides having reported progress in the previous three rounds.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2025

Iran faces U.S. without Plan B as nuclear red lines collide

Iran may turn to China and Russia as a "Plan B," but with Beijing's trade war with Washington, and Moscow distracted with its war in Ukraine, the backup plan seems shaky.
Members of the Iranian delegation leave the Omani Embassy, where the fifth round of U.S.-Iran talks took place, in Rome on Friday.
WORLD
May 26, 2025

Iran rejects push to suspend uranium enrichment to reach U.S. deal

The issue of enrichment has come into focus in recent weeks, with Iran staunchly defending its right to enrich uranium as part of what it says is a civilian nuclear program.

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic