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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 2, 2018

Imagine a Palestinian movement led by Gandhi

Renouncing violence would go a long way toward reviving negotiations with Israel.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Dec 31, 2017

Japan's Supreme Court hands down a road map for parental child abductions

The top court's latest ruling suggests judges will find ways to avoid messy Hague Convention returns that Japan lacks the means to enforce anyway.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 30, 2017

Debate grows over the plight of foreign staff at convenience stores in Japan

Launched in 1993, Japan's Technical Internship Training Program for foreign nationals hasn't had the best reputation. The program was created to help visitors from developing nations live and work in Japan for as long as three years under the protective umbrella of Japan's labor laws.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 26, 2017

Earthquake forecasts are bogus

The government should acknowledge that science is unable to reliably prediect when earthquakes will strike or how big they will be when they do, and stop making alarming forecasts.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 26, 2017

Why SMEs should fear megabank restructure

The massive restructuring being planned at major Japanese banks may result not just in job cuts for the highly-paid bank employees but a much broader, serious consequences for the economy.
WORLD
Dec 26, 2017

The top overseas news stories of 2017

The Japan Times newsroom selected these international news stories as the most important of 2017.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 26, 2017

China signals slower growth is acceptable to curb debt, poverty and smog

China can achieve a goal of doubling the size of its economy by 2020 even if annual expansion slows to 6.3 percent, according to a senior Communist Party official, signaling a greater willingness to tackle debt and pollution at the expense of growth.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 25, 2017

Stop pleading for Xi to visit Japan

Abe should focus on long-term objectives in Sino-Japanese ties, not short-term gains.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 25, 2017

GHQ photographer's color shots offer rare insights on postwar Japan

The National Diet Library in Tokyo caught attention this autumn when it published color photos taken immediately after the end of World War II by a staffer at the General Headquarters (GHQ).
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Dec 25, 2017

Crack found in bullet train could have caused derailment: JR West

JR West vice president apologized for what he called 'an extremely serious incident.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Dec 24, 2017

Fukushima farmers looking for authoritative ways to shed nuclear stigma

In light of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, the Fukushima Prefectural Government is hoping to find a new, faster and easier way to certify the safety of homegrown rice to ease the burden on local farmers.
Reader Mail
Dec 21, 2017

Mixed emotions on Ginza celebration

It is a matter of joy that the Ginza Line should celebrate its 90th anniversary ("Heart of Gold" in the Dec. 17 edition). The Ginza Line is one of the iconic institutes that represents Japan's technological innovation and economic prosperity, and I'm sure many old Tokyoites were soaked with nostalgia...
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 20, 2017

Ruling Liberal Democratic Party eyes Jan. 22 for the convening of the next ordinary Diet session

The government and the ruling bloc are considering convening the next ordinary session of the Diet on Jan. 22, an executive with the Liberal Democratic Party said Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 19, 2017

Shinzo Abe calls for Japan's 'rebirth' in 2020 along with constitutional revision

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday reiterated calls for rebooting long-stalled parliamentary debate on the revision of Japan's post-war Constitution, saying he wants to see a "significant rebirth" of the nation in 2020.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 18, 2017

Researchers prevent kidney stones on long-term space missions with medication to manage bone loss

Research conducted by Atsushi Okada from the nephro-urology department at Nagoya City University Graduate School and others has revealed that the risk of kidney stone disease increases for astronauts who remain in space for a long period of time because diminishing bone mass triggers a rise in calcium...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Dec 18, 2017

Kanji meaning north picked to symbolize 2017

Where was the 'Kanji of the Year' announced?
JAPAN / History
Dec 16, 2017

Heart of gold: The Ginza Line celebrates its 90th birthday

Born of disasters, war and massive infrastructure projects, 21st-century Tokyo has plenty of ghosts buried underground. If you ride the subway these days, you can catch a fleeting glimpse of two of them but, if you blink, you'll miss them. The Ginza Line is marking 90 years since its opening with the...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 16, 2017

Showa's not giving up without a fight

The government has decided that the 31st year of Heisei will end with the abdication of Emperor Akihito 120 days into 2019, on April 30. Then on May 1, Crown Prince Naruhito will become emperor and a new nengō (name of the period of reign) will be announced.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2017

Nurture as important as nature for success

The world would be a better, richer, more equal place with less emphasis on natural talent and more on humans' potential to improve.
EDITORIALS
Dec 14, 2017

Top court rules on NHK fees

NHK should realize that it's desirable to win the support of TV owners when asking them to sign subscription contracts.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 14, 2017

Japan Times advisory board weighs in on the paper's past and future

The Japan Times Media Advisory Board met at the newspaper's office Oct. 24 to review the redesign implemented on April 1 and news coverage over the past year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 14, 2017

Edano's David goes after Abe's 'arrogant' Goliath in Diet

The leader of the small Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which exceeded expectations in October's snap poll, now hopes that by offering clear policy alternatives he can oust Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition in the next election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / OKINAWA BEAT
Dec 13, 2017

Ishigaki package tour has couples scaling cliffs and diving into the sea before tying the knot

A unique package tour on Okinawa's Ishigaki Island for soon-to-be-married couples is creating a buzz.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 13, 2017

Whether you're Japanese or not, results are what count in music

There are many factors to keep in mind when trying to break into the Japanese music industry as a non-Japanese person. One that might be easy to overlook but ultimately rings true: You're going to have to work hard.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Dec 11, 2017

Dogo Onsen undergoes annual clean sweeping

The annual 'susuharai' took place at Dogo Onsen Honkan in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 11, 2017

Women in Nagoya form group to promote and communicate in sign language

Women with children in Nagoya have new opportunities to converse using sign language, after the creation of a new social group.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 9, 2017

Without an official father, kids can be stateless

On Nov. 29, the Kobe District Court dismissed a suit against the state filed by a woman in her 60s who claimed that the law that allows only men to deny paternity of a child is unconstitutional, since it discriminates against women. She said the law meant she was unable to register her daughter as the...
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 9, 2017

Saudi Arabia pushes Palestinians to consider nascent U.S. peace plan

Saudi Arabia pulled no punches when it condemned President Donald Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. But Palestinian officials say Riyadh has also been working for weeks behind the scenes to press them to support a nascent U.S. peace plan.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 8, 2017

Abe's free day care pledge may be an appealing solution for the wrong problem

Just before the recent Lower House election in October, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to make public day care services and kindergartens free for children between the ages of 3 and 5 and free for children below the age of 3 if they were from lower income households.

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