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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 30, 2021

As China menaces Taiwan, the island's friends aid its secretive submarine project

Taipei has stealthily sourced technology, components and talent from at least seven nations to help it build a fleet with the potential to exact a heavy toll on any Chinese attack.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 14, 2021

Were the Olympics sustainable? Reports of waste suggest it's not easy being green

Stories of uneaten bento boxes and the plight of air conditioners used in the athlete residences suggest that the Olympics are having trouble meeting their sustainability goals.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 18, 2020

Pandemic negates Japan’s bid to reduce plastic waste

Plastic is one of the cheapest, most effective materials for preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
May 15, 2020

As China pushes back on coronavirus, Europe wakes to 'Wolf Warrior' diplomacy

As Beijing seeks to control the damage to its global reputation, the government is pushing hard to control the story from Berlin to Bratislava
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 29, 2020

Who really controls the airspace over central Japan?

A good portion of the airspace over central Japan has been reserved for the exclusive use of the U.S. military since the end of World War II, a fact that isn't widely known in Japan. Over the past several weeks, however, it has become a sudden reality to thousands of Tokyoites and residents of Kawasaki...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 22, 2019

Abe's push to amend Japan's Constitution faces uncertain future after Upper House vote

Undaunted by the failure to capture a two-thirds supermajority in the upper chamber, Abe pushes on with his goal to rewrite the charter, with an eye on Article 9.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Apr 29, 2019

Defining the Heisei Era: Just how peaceful were the past 30 years?

Asked what characteristics best summed up the Heisei Era (1989-2019), 79 percent of Japanese people thought it would be best remembered as being “peaceful and without war.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2018

Birds of a feather do fall out sometimes

Seasoned diplomats are much subtler and more prudent than badgers of the same stripe.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2018

Panel balks at proposing the killing of Japan's political fairness clause

The proposal had drawn criticism for potentially opening up the nation's airwaves to a deluge of politically charged programs and internet-driven 'fake news.'
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 29, 2018

Let's discuss Tetsuya Komuro's retirement

Music producer Tetsuya Komuro says he will retire from the industry following a recent magazine report about his alleged extramarital affair with a nurse.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 16, 2017

Why do some old men age disgracefully?

It's a universal belief that life is unfair, though there are many ways in which people manifest this belief. Some withdraw from the world, while others engage with it in an attempt to correct imbalances. Sometimes this engagement takes the form of anger.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 22, 2017

Abe's gamble pays off as ruling bloc bags two-thirds majority in Lower House

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition is certain of a resounding victory in the Lower House election that will give it a two-thirds majority.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 3, 2017

Abe, Mattis reaffirm ties on defense

Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis reaffirms Washington's commitment to the U.S.-Japan military alliance amid Japanese concern over the rhetoric of U.S. President Donald Trump.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 4, 2017

The silencing of an anti-U.S. base protester in Okinawa

The extended detention of Hiroji Yamashiro is a shocking display of raw government power.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jul 20, 2016

Readers' letters: Rote learning, vocab and Eiken's aims

Some readers' responses to last month's article by Hans Karlsson, 'Is the Eiken doing Japan's English learners more harm than good?'
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2016

LDP-led ruling bloc, allies clear two-thirds majority hurdle in Upper House poll

The Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling coalition scored a sweeping victory in the Upper House election Sunday that gave the Diet's pro-revision forces the two-thirds majority needed to initiate Japan's first constitutional referendum, final results showed Monday morning.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 2, 2016

What are Shinzo Abe's real three arrows?

In his campaign for the upcoming Upper House elections, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pussyfooting around his plans to revise the Constitution. He is keeping his cards close to his chest because polls have shown that voters oppose constitutional change. Instead, Abe is calling on voters to keep the faith...
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 7, 2016

If formed, a Tokyo assembly committee could pry Masuzoe from governorship

Public calls for Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe to step down grow despite his apology a day earlier and a pledge to refund some of the ¥4.4 million he misspent.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 30, 2016

Japan's meek media kowtows to the government

Last week I compared the Catholic Church in Boston and Japan's "nuclear village" of atomic-power advocates — two powerful institutions that stifled embarrassing revelations for some time. The Oscar-winning film "Spotlight" depicts the comeuppance of the church hierarchy after investigative reporters...
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Feb 29, 2016

'Landmark' ruling sent Japan's foreign residents back to welfare limbo

Widely misunderstood 2014 case reaffirmed the decades-old stopgap that means noncitizens can receive support but can't appeal if their application is rejected.
EDITORIALS
Nov 15, 2015

Protecting broadcasters' freedom

Freedom of the press is a pillar of democracy. The administration and the LDP should refrain from trying to control the media.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Oct 5, 2015

Let's discuss 'idols' and marriage

Last week the media obsessed over the story about the 17-year-old girl who was sued by a talent agency for violating the terms of her contract, which stipulated that she could not be involved in any romantic relationships.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jun 28, 2015

Has striking in Japan become extinct?

"Strike." Dear reader, what do you think when you hear this word? What impression do you get? Do you see the blood, sweat and tears? Do you see an angry, vicious mob disturbing our civil society? I bet a majority of Japanese people under the age of 40 have neither a positive nor negative impression of...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 5, 2015

Magazine IDs student suspect in Nagoya slaying, breaking legal taboo

A news magazine defies a ban on identifying minors in criminal cases by running a four-page expose on a student accused of killing an elderly woman in Nagoya.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jan 21, 2015

Forty years after Zainichi labor case victory, is Japan turning back the clock?

Efforts against nationality-based discrimination in Japan have made zero progress in the four decades since a landmark court case against Hitachi.

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