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Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 3, 2016

EU, U.S. call Greenpeace 'flatly wrong' on points group reveals in secret trade deal papers

A sweeping free trade deal being negotiated between the European Union and the United States would lower food safety and environmental standards, Greenpeace said on Monday, citing confidential documents from the talks.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2016

Stop thinking 'reformers vs. conservatives' in Iran

The rest of the world may be confused, but for Tehran's business community and cafe-loving urbanites, it's pretty clear who won Iran's recent parliamentary election: They did.
WORLD / Society
Jan 29, 2016

Dutch seen weighing plan to ferry refugees back to Turkey from Greece to ease flow

Senior Dutch government officials are discussing a plan to ferry refugees arriving in Greece back to Turkey to stem the flow of migrants seeking refuge in Europe, Labour Party leader Diederik Samsom said on Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 28, 2016

The lethargic opposition

To avoid another blowout defeat at the hands of the LDP-Komeito alliance, the opposition parties must increase their cooperation and present voters with an alternative vision.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jan 24, 2016

Eating crow on the issue of the clever critters we consume

The controversies surrounding the eating of various animals in our modern world are numerous: the hunting of bluefin tuna to near-extinction; eating shark fin soup (in which only the fin is used and the rest of the shark is often discarded); the consumption of dogs in various Asian countries; the use...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2016

How using Facebook makes people dumber

Facebook reinforces people's tendency to seek out information that confirms their beliefs, and to ignore contrary information.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2016

Make 2016 a better year for migrants

Dealing with the refugee crisis will be a profound test of the civic health of democratic societies worldwide.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 18, 2015

Russia open to Assad's ouster after Syria transition, envoys say

Russia has made clear to Western nations that it has no objection to Syrian President Bashar Assad stepping down as part of a peace process, in a softening of its publicly stated staunch backing of Assad ahead of talks in New York, diplomats said.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2015

A toothless treaty can't stop climate change

The only good that has come out of the Paris deal is that most of the world's nations acknowledge climate change and the need to do something about it.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 14, 2015

Trump calls Cruz 'maniac' in Senate as tea party Texan takes Iowa poll lead

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump had a new target on Sunday, calling fellow White House contender Ted Cruz a "a little bit of a maniac" as the U.S. senator surpassed him in an Iowa presidential poll.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 23, 2015

Islamic State main foe and Russia must realize Assad must go, Obama says

U.S. President Barack Obama said Russia must make a strategic decision about Syria and the next several weeks will show whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will give up backing the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad to join in a broad campaign against Islamic State.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2015

Leaders of China and Taiwan set a precedent

The Singapore summit set a precedent for leaders in China and Taiwan to meet as equals as far as protocol is concerned, regardless of which party is in power in Taiwan.
EDITORIALS
Nov 6, 2015

COP21 will require serious effort

It's going to take a great deal of effort to make the COP21 climate change meeting a success, and Japan, the U.S. and China and will have to lead the way.
Reader Mail
Nov 6, 2015

The refugee crisis: What about Japan?

Regarding the article "UNICEF chief urges Japan to open its doors to more refugees" in the Oct. 19 edition, if the Japanese are truly "very good global citizens," as UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake says, surely my fellow countrymen would agree with Lake's appeal? After all, the refugee crisis...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 6, 2015

China-Taiwan summit was two years in the making as leaders eye legacies

Saturday's historic summit in Singapore between the presidents of China and Taiwan may have surprised many, but the sides first broached the subject about two years ago, and the leaders had their legacies very much in mind.
WORLD
Nov 4, 2015

Unlike Iran, Russia may be open to Assad's exit

Russia does not see keeping Bashar Assad in power as a matter of principle, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on Tuesday in comments that suggested a divergence of opinion with Iran, the Syrian president's other main international backer.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 2, 2015

A pocketful of Japanese immersion is just a few key taps away

Changing your phone into Japanese will drastically increase your exposure to the written language.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 1, 2015

What a Russian 'win' in Syria would look like

While Putin's Syria campaign is risky, if events break the right way for him he could surprise the West with a geopolitical victory.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2015

U.S. driving Mideast allies to Putin

The Obama administration's Middle East approach is forcing America's friends in the region to hedge their bets and move closer to Russia.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 12, 2015

Crunch time for ex-debate rivals Biden, Ryan to make decisions that could shape future U.S. politics

Former rivals Vice President Joe Biden and Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan are facing looming decisions that will help shape the future of American politics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 3, 2015

Stop the presses, Yahoo News is on a roll

The Yomiuri Shimbun boasts that it is the most-read newspaper in the world owing to a "certified" daily circulation that tops 9.2 million. The Wall Street Journal, a truly international newspaper, reports daily circulation of about 1.5 million.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 12, 2015

California legislature approves bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide

The California legislature on Friday approved a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients despite opposition from religious and disability rights groups, sending it to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown for his approval or veto.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Aug 22, 2015

Kaoru Mende's bright ideas on darkness

'Whenever I see the alcove of a tastefully built Japanese room, I marvel at our comprehension of the secrets of shadows, our sensitive use of shadow and light," wrote the prominent modern novelist Junichiro Tanizaki in his 1933 essay on Japanese aesthetics, "In Praise of Shadows."
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 24, 2015

Conservatism with a heart? It's called socialism

Sensing their imminent demise, some U.S. Republicans want the party to embrace social and economic values more in line with the views of younger, more ethnically diverse voters.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 22, 2015

Views from Tokyo and Osaka: Is Tokyo really the most livable city in the world?

Lifestyle magazine Monocle recently named Tokyo as the world's most livable city, but do residents and visitors in the capital and Japan's second city agree?
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 2015

Why Russia's swing toward China is a mirage

Russia and China have made little progress in the bilateral economic and financial projects that they've announced with considerable fanfare.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2015

Hard questions for candidate Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton's reticence is drowning out her message, which is that she is the cure for the many ailments that afflict America during a second Democratic presidential term.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2015

Greece's Tsipras isn't on the side of democracy

The question for Greeks today is whether they think the leftist policies of Syriza will give them a better future with default, capital controls and the drachma.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2015

China to extend economic diplomacy to EU infrastructure fund

China will pledge a multibillion-dollar investment in Europe's new infrastructure fund at a summit on June 29 in Brussels, according to a draft communique seen by Reuters — Beijing's latest round of checkbook diplomacy to win greater influence.
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2015

It's time to worry about the Chinese economy

China's economic predicament resembles America's. It needs a formula for sustainable growth that's not dependent on repeated bursts of artificial stimulus.

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