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Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 3, 2019

30 years after the Tiananmen massacre, can Japan do more to keep its memory alive?

The West and Japan have sought to balance human rights concerns with reaping the rewards of economic relations with China.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2019

Leader of Germany's SPD quits in blow to Merkel's loveless coalition

Andrea Nahles said on Sunday she would resign as the leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD), raising new doubts about the durability of Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition with the centre-left party.
EDITORIALS
Jun 2, 2019

Step up the fight against power harassment

Employers need to realize the gravity of the power harassment problem and make steady efforts to eliminate it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2019

A glimpse of starlight and hope for science

A century ago, English astronomers used a solar eclipse to confirm Einstein's theory of relativity — a revolutionary idea from a German.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 1, 2019

Extinction Rebellion considers using drones to shut London's Heathrow Airport

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion have drawn up plans to use drones to shut London's Heathrow Airport this summer in a campaign to stop the construction of a third runway at Europe's busiest airport, the group said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 31, 2019

Moves are afoot to push media to switch Japanese name order in English, but will it work?

Some laugh it off as a First World problem. But others say the topic touches upon issues of identity, sovereignty and press freedom.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 31, 2019

Only time and patience can resolve Brexit

Some great issues in human affairs can never be neatly and swiftly tied up and solved. Brexit is one of them.
Reader Mail
May 31, 2019

Keep preschool kids away from busy streets

Regarding the Big in Japan column titled "Fatal traffic mishaps put drivers in the media spotlight" (May 26), I am losing count of the number of traffic accidents in recent years where the vehicle involved has ridden up onto the sidewalk, injuring and even killing pedestrians.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 31, 2019

Ex-Trump adviser Roger Stone faces hurdles in quest to get indictment dismissed

President Donald Trump's longtime political adviser, Roger Stone, faced an uphill battle in court on Thursday, as a federal judge poked holes in nearly every argument his lawyers made for why she should dismiss an indictment stemming from Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the...
Japan Times
WORLD
May 30, 2019

Contrasting visions of Denmark's welfare state turn issue into hot election topic

The Nordic welfare model, long the envy of many across the world seeking an egalitarian utopia, is creaking.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2019

There might be a method to Trump's madness

A defector from the authoritarian regime sees a U.S. president carefully keeping his options open.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2019

Japan begins immigration experiment

As the population ages and shrinks, the country is making it easier for foreigners to work and become citizens.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 26, 2019

China's censors crank up ahead of 30th anniversary of 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre

It's the most sensitive day of the year for China's internet, the anniversary of the bloody June 4 crackdown on pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square, and with under two weeks to go, China's robot censors are working overtime.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2019

The atomic beauty of the new kilogram

Last week the kilogram got a new definition — one that rests on a quantity of light. The old kilogram was defined by a platinum cylinder kept in a vault in Paris, and at first glance, that system might seem more intuitive, but it was crude and prone to error. The new definition harnesses the elegance...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 24, 2019

Canada's Trudeau exonerates Cree chief wrongly imprisoned in 1885

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has been criticized by some indigenous communities, on Thursday apologized and posthumously exonerated a Cree chief unjustly imprisoned for treason more than 130 years ago.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2019

Trump's foreign policy has finally run out of road

Iran, Venezuela and North Korea all show the problem with making threats you can't back up.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2019

Australian Labor Party snatched defeat from the jaws of victory

The ALP needs to introspect on how it managed to put itself on the wrong side of people's everyday aspirations.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 21, 2019

French court tells doctors to resume life support for paralyzed patient

A French appeals court on Monday ordered doctors to resume giving food and water to a French quadriplegic, lawyers said, some 12 hours after medics switched off the man's life support against his parents' will.
JAPAN / Politics
May 20, 2019

From cardboard factory to the kantei? Yoshihide Suga gets PR makeover as rumors of PM bid soar

Unsmiling, tight-lipped and at times appearing heavy-handed, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was never exactly the type of politician the public would take a shine to — let alone swoon over.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 20, 2019

Alain Delon, set for Cannes honor, says that at least as an actor, he is 'irreproachable'

France's Alain Delon, set on Sunday to receive an honorary prize at Cannes that has sparked scrutiny of his views on women and same-sex couples, said in a newspaper interview that as an actor at least, he was beyond reproach.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
May 19, 2019

In referendum, Swiss voters approve tighter gun control

Swiss voters agreed Sunday to adopt tighter gun controls in line with changes to European Union rules, heading off a clash with Brussels, projections for Swiss broadcaster SRF showed.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 18, 2019

Surging suicide rate among American girls raises questions about social media

A spike in the suicide rate among young American girls is prompting leading researchers to ask questions about the role of social media in adolescent mental health.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2019

The end of the International Criminal Court?

By remaining in the ICC, states parties will sanctify the weaponization of international justice mechanisms to be used by the powerful against the weak but never against any of their own.
Reader Mail
May 17, 2019

Reasonable rules for attire needed

The Media Mix column "Keeping up appearances in the workplace" in the April 28 issue was a real eye-opener. It says office workers at Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. are allowed to wear casual clothes such as jeans and sneakers. The article also says that the company's advertising will incorporate its...
Reader Mail
May 17, 2019

Do more to ease tourist congestion

According to the news, the number of tourists is increasing in Japan to the point that it's actually causing a problem — "over-tourism." I can agree that there are a lot of tourists at sightseeing spots.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 17, 2019

Australian 'larrikin' ex-Prime Minister Bob Hawke dies at 89

Bob Hawke, a transformative and charismatic left-wing lawmaker with a "larrikin' streak who served as Australian prime minister from 1983 to 1991, died on Thursday aged 89, his family said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 16, 2019

Rebels hope to kill off May's Brexit deal in 'last-chance' vote

Brexit-supporting rebels in British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party said on Wednesday they would vote down her European Union divorce deal when she brings it back to Parliament next month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / SDG8.7 Dialogue Special
May 15, 2019

Well-being an important factor in business

Vibrant discussions focusing on an array of themes related to well-being took place at the Well-Being 3.0 Conference on April 12 in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2019

Nissan projects weakest profit in a decade as Carlos Ghosn woes linger

Nissan Motor Co., trying to rebuild its tarnished reputation over failed corporate governance following the criminal investigation of two former executives, cut its operating profit outlook by a sharp 28 percent for fiscal 2019 to its lowest in a decade.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan