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COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2014

The gap in GDP wellbeing

The link between economic growth and human wellbeing seems obvious. As measured by gross domestic product, economic growth is widely viewed as the ultimate development objective. But it is time to rethink this approach.
EDITORIALS
May 16, 2014

Abe takes aim at Article 9

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will try to change a long-standing constitutional interpretation so that Japan can exercise the right to 'collective self-defense.' His move would gut the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution without going through the amendment procedure.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Apr 27, 2014

Japan whaling future in doubt

The future of whaling in Japan was thrown into doubt after the International Court of Justice ruled March 31 that the nation's annual hunt in the A ntarctic was not really for scientific purposes, as Tokyo had claimed, and ordered it halted.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2014

Deadly gunbattle in eastern Ukraine shakes fragile Geneva accord

At least three people were killed in a gunfight in the early hours of Sunday near a Ukrainian city controlled by pro-Russian separatists, shaking an already fragile international accord that was designed to avert a wider conflict.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2014

Raise corporate profile of women, confab urges

A two-day international conference aiming to empower women kicked off Friday in Tokyo with a call for companies and the government to foster more female executives — an area of gender equality where Japan greatly lags behind the global norm.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Apr 12, 2014

Pope asks forgiveness for 'evil' of child abuse by priests

Pope Francis on Friday made his first public plea for forgiveness for the "evil" committed by priests who molested children, using some of his strongest words yet on the Roman Catholic Church's crisis over sexual abuse.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 9, 2014

Energy plan fails to set targets for renewables

The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's final version of a draft energy report reinforces the role of nuclear power in the country's future, but falls short of setting specific goals for renewable energy use.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 4, 2014

U.S. denies it created Twitter-like service in Cuba to foment unrest

The U.S. government created a service similar to Twitter in Cuba in a "discreet" operation intended to promote democracy on the communist-ruled island, officials said Thursday, but denied that the $1.2 million effort was aimed at fomenting unrest.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 30, 2014

Osaka embraces English Reformation

While Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's controversial political antics have increasingly drawn criticism, little attention has been paid to how his leadership has prompted the most progressive reforms of English-language education in the nation.
EDITORIALS
Mar 15, 2014

Disaster supplies on shaky ground

In the three years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, a survey finds that a large percentage of municipalities across the country still have not taken steps to ensure enough food or fuel to operate for more than a day if another serious earthquake strikes.
WORLD / FOCUS
Mar 6, 2014

DDoS cyberattacks grow bigger, smarter, more damaging

Crashing websites and overwhelming data centers, a new generation of cyberattacks is costing millions and straining the structure of the Internet.
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2014

Detroit bankruptcy prods other cities to target pensions

Local officials in at least 10 states are trying to cut pensions of municipal workers, or eliminate defined-benefit plans, pointing to Detroit as a symbol of the peril of growing retirement costs.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2014

Think of Somalia when making business policy

Few Japanese are likely to follow in the footsteps of two Americans who have pioneered businesses in Somalia, but government policymakers should think of Somalia when they consider what it takes to move up the global ranks for ease in doing business.
COMMENTARY / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jan 21, 2014

Is the Obama administration prioritizing ties with China?

The different tones of the U.S. and Japanese reactions to China's recent establishment of an air defense identificatin zone raises the question of whether the Obama administration is prioritizing ties with Beijing.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jan 19, 2014

Kirobo chats with astronaut in space

The first humanoid robot with speech capability to be in space made small talk with astronaut Koichi Wakata and said it had no problem with zero-gravity on the International Space Station.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2014

Smaller is getting bigger in the satellite business

As emerging space pioneers in China and India race to the moon and Mars, private-sector startups are quietly launching satellites the size of microwave ovens that aim to satisfy much more terrestrial desires.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 13, 2014

Once veiled, French affairs feed tabloids

On Friday morning, I woke up as my usual French self. Then, from under the duvet, I reached for my smartphone and learned from Twitter that the French edition of Closer magazine had published pictures purportedly revealing an affair between President Francois Hollande and actress Julie Gayet. There had...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2014

China's anti-Kim campaign

The next target of China's autocrats, already waging an undeclared war over territory against multiple neighboring countries, is likely to be fellow communist state North Korea, now an estranged ally.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2014

Chinese gaming mecca attempts to shed its gaudy image

Walk into a casino in China's gambling mecca of Macau, and the first thing that strikes you is the silence. There's no blaring music, no sharp cries of victory; all you hear is the rustle of clothing, a hushed conversation, the occasional thump on a table — subtle signs of fortunes being made and lost....
EDITORIALS
Dec 30, 2013

Too young for motherhood

Motherhood in childhood has become a huge global problem. Every year in developing countries, 7.3 million girls — or 20,000 per day — below the age of 18 give birth in developing countries. Two million of these mothers are below the age of 15.
BUSINESS
Dec 24, 2013

GPIF adds Wellington Management

Government Pension Investment Fund, which oversees the world's largest pool of retirement savings, added Wellington Management Co. to help with active management of foreign-equity investments.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 22, 2013

Kyoto aims to be Muslim-friendly city

Kyoto, a city known worldwide as a major center for Buddhism and as the home of some of the country's most famous Shinto shrines, is stepping up efforts to better welcome one particular group of foreign visitors: Muslims.
EDITORIALS
Dec 6, 2013

Government without oversight

Even if the state secrets bill becomes a law, it will be important for people to continue grass-roots movements to oppose it and to prevent from being used to curb their right to know and to express their thought and opinions.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 1, 2013

No change in China air zone airline policy

Defense Minister Itsunori Onou00addeu00adra indicates that Tokyo won't change its stance on urging Japanese airlines not to submit their flight plans as requested by China for its new air defense identification zone over the East China Sea.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2013

No Chinese jets scrambled: Japan

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera denies China's claim it scrambled fighter jets in response to Self-Defense Forces aircraft entering its new air defense zone.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 19, 2013

Let's help the Philippines, just not like we helped Haiti

The international community must embrace the technology available to strengthen disaster preparedness, resilience and aid.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’