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EDITORIALS
Oct 7, 2014

A resurgent U.S. economy

The U.S. economy is posting the strongest growth since the end of 2011, outpacing the forecasts and confounding experts who saw a country that had lost its vitality.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Oct 7, 2014

Michael Phelps suspended from USA Swimming-sanctioned events for six months

American swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, was suspended for six months by USA Swimming on Monday following his recent arrest on a drunken driving charge.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Oct 7, 2014

U.S. Supreme Court dodges gay marriage, effectively allowing same-sex weddings in five more states

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to decide once and for all whether states can ban gay marriage, a surprising move that will allow gay men and women to get married in five additional states, with more likely to follow quickly.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 6, 2014

In Hong Kong, police take a page from protests in Cairo, Kiev

Police around the world, who once routinely handled demonstrations such as Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests with batons and tear gas, face new dilemmas in an age when dissident crowds are armed with smartphones, Facebook and Twitter.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 5, 2014

Hit to Hong Kong's economy spurs opposition to Occupy Central protests

A week into Hong Kong demonstrations notable for their order and endurance, protesters came under an attack highlighting the fault lines of a city torn between commercial interests and a desire for greater democracy.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2014

America's 'love of war' is overstated by polls

Support for airstrikes against the Islamic State does not prove that Americans are war-happy. It may simply reflect that drone wars or airstrikes only touch a small segment of the U.S. population, and become just another issue people think about only when pollsters call.
EDITORIALS
Oct 2, 2014

Weaker case for the law schools

Reform of the nation's system for training legal professionals — introduced a decade ago to draw people from more diverse backgrounds into the legal professional community — is under scrutiny as the ratio of applicants passing the national bar exam falls to a record low.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 1, 2014

Under the Skin: Elegant but queasy piece of cinematic poetry

Jonathan Glazer makes ambitious, scary movies, but he's not prolific — his last outing was "Birth" (2004), a film starring Nicole Kidman that gave new meaning to the word "creepy." Now he has made "Under the Skin," an elegant but queasy piece of cinematic poetry which recalls "2001: A Space Odyssey."...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 2014

An imperfect Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a strikingly imperfect society in almost every respect: politics, economy, security and human rights. Nor does the two-headed potential monster of a government now being created in Kabul make it an entirely lost cause.
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Sep 29, 2014

Condemnation attributed to 'utter nonsense'

Were 'comfort women' sex slaves for Japanese soldiers in World War II? If you recognize that prostitution is largely a form of physical bondage, they were. But forcibly rounding up women for the work would be a different matter. Recently the testimony of a man who claimed to have helped with the roundups was judged to be false, after causing Japan consternation for three decades.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2014

The next nasty economic surprise for the U.S.

Without an expanding economy as a shock absorber, will racial, ethnic, religious, generational and ideological conflicts worsen in the U.S.?
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2014

SoftBank rumored to be in talks to buy DreamWorks

SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son plans to make Hollywood's DreamWorks Animation studio part of his communications and media empire, a source reveals.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Sep 28, 2014

Eikaiwa, deal with sexual harassment of teachers before it's too late

If English schools in Japan do not take firm steps to protect teachers, it may only be a matter of time before another Lindsay Hawker is murdered — this time on their watch.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 27, 2014

Read up on books about books about Japan

Revving up the metabolism of culture with the pulse of new artistic voices, a good literary journal doesn't usually have much to do with profit — it's all about circulation. Japanese literary journals enjoy a healthy transmission here, thanks to the financial backing of big publishing firms. How do...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 24, 2014

Fatal Frame: Mari Asato's uncanny, ghostly dopplegangers

Japanese horror movies have various ways of making you squirm, shiver or watch the screen through your fingers. But sooner or later most scares of the spook-house variety become annoying. How many more times do I want to see a ghostly hand surging from a tub of bloody water to grab an unsuspecting wrist?...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2014

Tsukuba University climbs to 13th in global new university rankings

The University of Tsukuba has been rated the 13th best new university worldwide, in a ranking that compares the merits of such institutions set up within the past 50 years.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2014

Disaffected have their say, but will Westminster listen?

The dilemma for Britain's political leaders is how to build on the public engagement generated by Scotland's referendum without rushing into ill-conceived reforms that create more problems than they solve.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 22, 2014

North Korea dashes hopes of Japanese parents over abductees' fate

Three times a day, 88-year-old Kayoko Arimoto makes a ritual offering of food to the daughter she hasn't seen for 31 years. On her birthday, it's rice with red beans followed by cake.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2014

Russians love their kids, but that won't stop a war

The idea that a common understanding is always within reach of all humans is seductive. That's why it has been so difficult for an army of Western experts to predict Russian President Vladimir Putin's behavior. In reality, Putin has no objections to being perceived as an aggressor.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 17, 2014

Amid Japan spying report, China mum on whereabouts of its ambassador to Iceland

China's Foreign Ministry refused to say on Wednesday where its ambassador to Iceland was or who was even representing Beijing in the country, following reports he had been arrested by state security for passing secrets to Japan.
EDITORIALS
Sep 12, 2014

Raise wages, not party donations

The Japan Business Federation's decision to resume urging roughly 1,300 member companies to make political donations is aimed at rebuilding the influence of the nation's largest business lobby on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Critics of that tack say raising wages and boosting investments would work better in that regard.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan