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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 12, 2017

Trump associates frustrated and concerned by latest crisis, after Donald Jr. tweets emails

Fresh off one foreign trip and preparing for another, Donald Trump was enjoying a period of relative calm — until the White House was rocked by a fresh controversy over contacts between the president's campaign and Russia.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 11, 2017

Hosting the Olympics won't raise Japan's economic game

As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's team details plans to revive growth and increase competitiveness, four numbers keep coming up: 2020.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 2017

Is a Trump-Putin reconciliation in the air?

If U.S. President Donald Trump claims to be a leader, he should set as a priority normalizing relations between Moscow and Washington.
Japan Times
LIFE / OBITUARY
Jul 9, 2017

Jean Pearce, Japan Times columnist and author, 1921-2017

Jean Pearce, my mother, who for decades helped Japan's foreign community feel more at home in their adopted country through her columns in The Japan Times, passed away peacefully on June 14 at the age of 96 in Washington, D.C.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jul 9, 2017

Thank you, Jean Pearce, for helping us get things done in Japan

If the U.S. had Ann Landers and Dear Abby, and Britain had Marge Proops, then Japan had Jean Pearce — someone who transcended the title of 'columnist' and became a media icon for generations of readers.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2017

Japan's used goods sell big in Southeast Asia

Japanese companies are turning the nation's secondhand goods into cash in Southeast Asia.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2017

Ban heavy fuel oil in the Arctic

A strong link exists between maritime shipping and the disappearance of polar ice.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jul 5, 2017

Spoken English tests among entrance exam reforms Japan's students will face in 2020

Upcoming changes to Japanese university admissions have students, parents and teachers raising their hands to ask questions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2017

Asia's colossus threatens a tiny state

By waging stealth wars to accomplish political and military objectives, China is turning into a principle source of strategic instability in Asia.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 4, 2017

Success of Koike's Tomin First echoes Ishin no Kai movement

A popular, media-savvy figure originally from the Kansai region wins the governorship by running as a reformer, then forming a political party to take on the Liberal Democratic Party in the local assembly election. Upon winning a plurality of votes, the party teams up with Komeito to form a majority,...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 3, 2017

Why Koike matters to Abenomics

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should take the hint delivered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, roll up his sleeves and reclaim the mantle of economic progress.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jul 2, 2017

China dismissal of U.K. treaty on Hong Kong renews doubts about its word

China's dismissive critique of the U.K. treaty governing the return of Hong Kong raised new doubts about its commitment to the city's autonomy and other international agreements.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 1, 2017

Keep your eyes and ears open, and hands inside your pockets

It's a fake world. Alternatively: All the world's a stage.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2017

Vacationing in North Korea: only for the brave or crazy?

The U.S. would be wrong to ban Americans from visiting North Korea in response to the tragic case of Otto Warmbier.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jun 29, 2017

In a tale of two Akiras, let's see more Ai

For fans of the ikemen (handsome dude), Wowow's new mini-series "Akira and Akira" is like manna from heaven. Kicking off July 9, it stars actors Osamu Mukai and Takumi Saito, and the hype at this point may as well be soundtracked by The Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2017

Diverse views create ideas for change

The 22nd International Conference for Women in Business (ICWB) will be held in Tokyo in July against an ever more challenging, yet dynamic and vibrant backdrop.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2017

Despite weak spots in steel, nuclear experts say EDF's Flamanville reactor safe to start: sources

Utility EDF's Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor in northwest France has been cleared by a group of experts for start-up despite weak spots in its steel, confirming the findings of the ASN nuclear regulator, a source close to the situation told Reuters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 27, 2017

The ongoing collapse of parliamentary politics

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's actions and behavior are more suited to a patrimonial state than a democracy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 27, 2017

What Japan Inc. should learn from Takata

Now, as Tokyo sorts out the biggest failure in postwar Japanese manufacturing, it's all too possible its political and corporate cultures will learn little from 'Takatagate.'
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2017

America's Russian-roulette presidency

There's no relief in sight for Donald Trump as investigators probe whether his compaign colluded with Russian efforts to tip the U.S. presidential election in his favor.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2017

Saudi Arabian heir is a dangerous man

Prince Mohammed bin Salman could be too inexperienced and too hotheaded for the fraught situation in the Middle East.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 25, 2017

Director Sunao Katabuchi shares his corner of this world

Last summer saw the release of what would become the highest grossing Japanese animation film to date, Makoto Shinkai's "Your Name.," which was also the country's top box-office draw of 2016. The surprise hit's main characters are a pair of body-swapping teenagers. A survey conducted by the Fields Research...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 24, 2017

Sticky bonds of the media and government

Last month, the United Nations Human Rights Council released a report critical of the Japanese government. The author, David Kaye, expressed concern over the way the media is pressured by the authorities to support their policies. The government objected to the report, saying it has never tried to sway...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jun 24, 2017

Nobuko Kiyomiya: Judging a bookbinder in France by her covers

Kiyomiya is keeping alive a way of thinking about books that may be finding itself under threat in our world of Kindles.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 24, 2017

The politics of religious hatemongering in India

The irresistible urge to mix politics and religion usually comes at the expense of secularism, tolerance and vulnerable minorities. We saw this recently in Asia with extremist Islamic groups spewing anti-Chinese hate speech to defeat the incumbent governor of Jakarta, the ebbing tide of secularism in...
CULTURE / Books
Jun 24, 2017

'Discover Sumo: Stories from Yobidashi Hideo': A jack-of-all-trades sheds light on the sport

The rituals, theatrical constructs and sartorial styles connected to this ancient martial art may seem visually arresting to the uninitiated, but as "Discover Sumo" tells us, there is much more to Japan's national sport than meets the eye.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2017

North Korea's real strategy

The idea that North Korea will abandon its weapons programs in exchange for the promise of security and regime survival has been tested has failed whenever it has been tested.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2017

The U.S.-Russia game of chicken will end in tears

The stakes are rising to perilous levels in the international rivalry between Moscow and Washington.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 21, 2017

Deafening silence from U.S. government as Okinawa defoliants quietly destroy children's futures

Lt. Col. Kris E. Roberts, who found dozens of barrels of hazardous waste buried at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in 1981, reflects on the consequences of that discovery.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 21, 2017

Which members of the Abe Cabinet deserve to be fired?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has multiple reasons to pick this moment for a Cabinet reshuffle.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji