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EDITORIALS
Apr 19, 2016

Electoral setback for Park Geun-hye

South Korean President Park Geun-hye's job just got a lot tougher following the loss of her party's parliamentary majority.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 17, 2016

Pope returns with 12 refugees after visit to Greek camp

Pope Francis took three families of Syrian refugees back to Rome on Saturday after visiting the frontline of Europe's migrant crisis at a camp in Greece where migrants wept at his feet, kissed his hand and begged for help.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 16, 2016

Anime biz sings the praises of shows

The first time I attended AnimeJapan, the industry's annual spring showcase in Odaiba, Tokyo, it was called the Tokyo International Anime Fair. Members of the public couldn't enter during the first two days, amateur cosplay (costume play) was prohibited, and while there were some presentations, most...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2016

Closing the tax loopholes

The British government needs to take more effective measures to deal with anonymous shell companies and to control tax havens.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 11, 2016

Press freedoms under attack

Freedom of speech and of the press, a key democratic right, is increasingly under threat around the world.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 9, 2016

Appreciating unforgettable career of broadcaster Scully

One sidelight for those living in Japan this season is we will get to see more Los Angeles Dodgers games on TV. NHK and J-Sports will no doubt be televising live the Dodgers games when Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda is the L.A. starter. When the team is at home, and we choose the sub-channel audio for...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 26, 2016

Tepco executives get a taste of citizens' wrath

Three Tokyo Electric Power Co. executives are now facing criminal prosecution for negligence in failing to anticipate a monster tsunami that cut off electricity and inundated back-up emergency generators, causing a cessation of cooling in the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant reactors that precipitated three...
EDITORIALS
Mar 25, 2016

Keep politics out of tax hike decision

The decision on whether to raise the consumption tax next year should not be driven by partisan political interests.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2016

Japanese man who reportedly tried to join Islamic State group arrives back home

A 23-year-old Japanese man who was reportedly trying to join the Islamic State militant group has returned to Japan after being deported by Turkish authorities who captured him close to the Syrian border.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 23, 2016

Sincerely, Little Nigeria: A reporter signs off

After five years of covering Japan's African community, a writer reflects on progress since 3/11 and speculates about the future.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 23, 2016

U.S. airports, airlines on high alert after deadly Belgium bombings

Airports in major U.S. cities were on high alert on Tuesday, with police out in force after at least 30 people were killed in bombings on Brussels airport and a rush-hour subway train, though officials said there was no specific threat to the United States.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 11, 2016

Winemakers plant seeds of tourism in Japan's disaster zone

Making wine is difficult anywhere in Japan, but try doing it in a part of the country that has been rocked by an earthquake and tsunami, and spurned because of a nuclear disaster.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 11, 2016

Iran executions hit 20-year high in 2015, U.N. investigator says

Iran executed nearly 1,000 prisoners last year, the highest number in two decades, and hundreds of journalists, activists and opposition figures languish in custody, a United Nations investigator said Thursday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 9, 2016

Amid South China Sea spat, long-range U.S. bombers could be rotated through Australia: report

In a move that is likely to anger Beijing, Washington is reportedly holding high-level talks with Canberra on the rotational deployment of long-range bombers to Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. has reported.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2016

How South Korea is failing half of its population

Park Geun-hye's failure to act on this $13 billion problem hurts growth in Asia's fourth biggest economy.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2016

Trump, Clinton meet 'Beijing put'

The People's Bank of China didn't take to Twitter to troll Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. It used an old-school reserve ratio cut to spite those critical of Beijing's currency policies.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 26, 2016

South China Sea defenses 'really needed' in face of U.S. militarization: Beijing

China "really needs" its defenses in the South China Sea in the face of a militarization process being pushed by the United States, and can deploy whatever equipment it wants on its own soil, China's Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 24, 2016

Islamic State puts squeeze on Aleppo ahead of truce; Russian airstrikes intensify

Islamic State fighters were reported to have tightened their grip on a Syrian government supply route to Aleppo on Tuesday as the army battled to retake the road as part of its campaign to seize the city.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 23, 2016

Solution to the inequality puzzle proving elusive

As difficult a puzzle as income inequality may seem today, failing to solve it could lead to far more severe challenges.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 23, 2016

Forced labor allegations and abuses continue to dog Japan's foreign trainee program

Tang Xili came to Japan in 2013, hoping to earn enough in three years to build a new home for her daughter. Instead, she ended up in a labor union shelter after leaving an employer she says owes her about ¥3.5 million in unpaid wages.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 20, 2016

Vietnam protests China missile deployment, Australia, New Zealand urge restraint

Vietnam protested to China on Friday at a "serious violation" of its sovereignty over Beijing's apparent deployment of an advanced missile system on a disputed South China Sea island, while Australia and New Zealand urged Chinese restraint.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 17, 2016

Indonesia draws up tougher anti-terrorism laws after Jakarta attack

Indonesia has drawn up plans for tougher anti-terrorism laws following last month's militant attack on the capital, including detention without trial for up to three months compared with a week now, government sources said Tuesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 13, 2016

Zika virus may hide in organs protected from the immune system

The Zika virus may be particularly adept at entrenching itself in parts of the body that are shielded from the immune system, making it harder to fight off and possibly lengthening the time frame in which it can be transmitted, top U.S. experts said on Friday.
EDITORIALS
Feb 12, 2016

Beijing's misplaced anger

If Beijing wants to promote peace and security in Asia, it should help counter the sources of instability, instead of denying governments the means to defend themselves.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 12, 2016

'Par for course' so no reason to doubt North Korea army chief executed: U.S.

The United States said on Thursday it had no reason to doubt reports that North Korea executed its army chief of staff, describing it as typical of Pyongyang's brutal political climate.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 11, 2016

Heal thyself: U.N.'s WHO at crossroads; experts call for fresh focus, structure

When executive board members of the World Health Organization sat down for their annual meeting in Geneva in January, many powerful figures spoke forcefully of the need to reform the leading global authority on health and disease.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2016

The return of fear-based governance in China

With China's international influence growing by the day, the revival of totalitarian scare tactics there has far-reaching — and deeply unsettling — implications for Asia and the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2016

Documents indicate chemical leaks at U.S. base have polluted Okinawa water supply

U.S. documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that lax safety standards at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa may be to blame for the recent contamination of local drinking water sources.

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