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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2012

Nation logs its first trade deficit since 1980

Japan suffered its first trade deficit in over three decades in 2011, a year that saw natural disasters and a nuclear crisis, a historic rise in the yen and a sharp drop-off in global demand stemming from the European financial crisis.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2012

Does austerity promote economic growth?

In his classic "Fable of the Bees: or, Private Vices," Publick Benefits (1724), Bernard Mandeville, the Dutch-born British philosopher and satirist, described — in verse — a prosperous society (of bees) that suddenly chose to make a virtue of austerity, dropping all excess expenditure and extravagant...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Jan 8, 2012

Nakajima's predicament illustrates why posting system needs changes

Hiroyuki Nakajima is one of the top shortstops in Japanese baseball, possibly even the best at the moment. A versatile infielder with a good bat and a slick mix of power and speed, Nakajima would seem to have the tools necessary to carve out a niche for himself in the major leagues.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jan 3, 2012

The rise and fall of property taxes

There are many incentives for buying a home. One of them is to simply get out of paying rent — but that isn't to say that once you own your residence there aren't costs that have to be paid on a regular basis.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2012

New year could prove daunting for Noda

In the four months since winning the Democratic Party of Japan presidential election, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has survived by taking a cautious approach to governing, managing to compile the 2012 budget and several bills to finance restoration of the disaster-hit Tohoku region.
COMMENTARY
Dec 31, 2011

Year of revolution and crisis

Every year brings changes, but some years really are turning points: 1492, 1789, 1914, and 1989, for example. Does 2011 belong in the august company of such Really Important Years? Probably not, but it definitely qualifies for membership in the second tier of Quite Important Years.
BUSINESS
Dec 31, 2011

Firm pools three giants' prowess in small panels

The rapidly growing smartphone and tablet computer market is changing the face of the Tokyo commute: Many now can be seen flicking their fingers across touch-screen panels while riding public transportation.
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2011

Economy sees first signs of nasty drop

Kiyohito Okuda is a businessman and an optimist, and so he has found at least one redeeming angle to Japan's slow-motion economic decline: Never has the pain felt too acute to bear.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Dec 21, 2011

2011: The year when Japan went global over social networking

Over the past year, major U.S. social-media services have made some serious inroads into Japan. Here are some recent developments.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Dec 16, 2011

Losing streak by Five Arrows nearing epic proportions

Considering their recent history, it's no surprise the Takamatsu Five Arrows are piecing together a season that resembles a comedy of errors. But the fact that the team has made zero roster upgrades or additions in recent weeks may come as a shock to even the biggest of cynics.
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2011

No guarantee Japan yields will stay low, Ishida says

Europe's sovereign-debt crisis is a reminder that Japan can't expect to continue funding its public debt with "low" borrowing costs, Bank of Japan Policy Board member Koji Ishida said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 7, 2011

Putin afflicted by Brezhnev syndrome

The winner of Sunday's legislative election in Russia was a foregone conclusion: United Russia, organized by Vladimir Putin. Likewise, there is no doubt that Putin himself will win the presidential election due in March 2012. But the public enthusiasm that ratified Putin's rule for a decade has vanished,...
COMMENTARY / World / 50 years of ASEAN
Dec 5, 2011

China: soft or crash landing?

Economists who believe that China can come to the rescue of an increasingly troubled global economy are now in a decided minority, with questions increasingly being asked whether China can save itself: Will China's economy achieve a soft landing, a hard landing or even suffer a crash landing?
Japan Times
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Dec 3, 2011

Chelsea's season in jeopardy

Roman Abramovich is unlikely to have been particularly bothered by Chelsea's exit from the Carling Cup at the hands of Liverpool. The competition remains fourth on the list of Stamford Bridge priorities, but elimination next week from the Champions League, the Russian's Holy Grail, could see the twitchiest...
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Dec 1, 2011

Japan's top 10 buzzwords of 2011

The phrases and buzzwords that were on everyone's lips in 2011.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2011

High yen, EU debt crisis crimp exports

Japan's exports fell for the first time in three months, indicating that the yen's appreciation and the financial turmoil in Europe are slowing the recovery from the disasters in March.
Reader Mail
Nov 20, 2011

Local media dis Fukuoka march

In Fukuoka on Sunday, Nov. 13, at least 10,000 people assembled and marched through the city protesting against the use of nuclear power stations and alleged corruption at Kyushu Electric Power Co. The march was orderly and peaceful and included not only Japanese citizens but also local foreigners and...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 9, 2011

Olympus admits hiding losses since 1990s

Olympus Corp. President Shuichi Takayama said Tuesday the company concealed huge losses on securities investments since the 1990s and used recent acquisitions of Gyrus Group PLC and three Japanese companies to cover the off-the-book losses.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 6, 2011

In abuse cases, family takes priority over the child

November is Child Abuse Prevention Month, an annual government campaign to promote programs that protect children from violence. Most people will say that they know child abuse when they see it, but what characterizes almost all the recent child abuse incidents in the news is lack of intervention on...
EDITORIALS
Oct 23, 2011

Releasing psychiatric patients

A recent report by Bloomberg news that the government is planning to reduce the number of patients in psychiatric hospitals signals an important shift in Japan's view of mental health. According to the report, which was not well circulated in the Japanese press, the health ministry set a 10-year timetable...
BUSINESS
Oct 22, 2011

Honda enlists Thai soldiers as floods approach

Outside a Honda Motor Co. factory on Bangkok's outskirts, Thai soldiers guide gravel bags lowered from a crane into a canal as guards stationed on the plant's plastic-lined walls monitor rising floodwaters.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Oct 21, 2011

Kabaya starts strong as B-Corsairs evolve

With four games in the books, the expansion Yokohama B-Corsairs now have several relevant things that can be discussed in team meetings. A few trends have started to emerge, too, including the solid play of guards Masayuki Kabaya and Kenji Yamada.
BUSINESS
Oct 19, 2011

Olympus investors drop ¥250 billion

Olympus Corp. shareholders, including Nippon Life Insurance Co., lost more than ¥250 billion in value of their holdings in the first two trading sessions after the board fired President Michael C. Woodford.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2011

Engine redo stalls HondaJet release until 2013

Honda Motor Co. suffered a new setback to its HondaJet small aircraft as engine damage forced a redesign that will delay the first delivery until mid-2013, almost a year later than the previous schedule.
BUSINESS
Oct 8, 2011

Son mourns as he announces iPhone pricing

Softbank Corp. President Masayoshi Son mourned Friday over the death of a key business partner, Apple founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, on the same day that his company started receiving reservations for the new iPhone 4S.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person