Search - world

 
 
WORLD / Politics
Jan 20, 2015

U.K. Parliament marks 800 years since signing of Magna Carta with exhibit

The British Parliament is marking 800 years since the signing of Magna Carta, the document that asserted the principle that the country's ruler is subject to the law, with an exhibition highlighting the expansion of rights down the centuries.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2015

Magic moments of noncompetitive surfing

Many of the highlights of surfing have more to do with experiencing the splendor and power of the waves than with the competitive ability to ride them.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2015

Charlie and the anti-Muslim media factory

If European Muslims are expected to identify with their citizenships and other secular identities, then their fellow Europeans should not categorize them by their religious identity.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2015

A perceived insult against religion is countered with words, not arms

There is a place for passionate debate on the moral question of how to balance freedom of speech with respect for religion. But the weapons of this debate should be the keyboard — not the Kalashnikov.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2015

Frozen chickens threaten Venezuela's regime

While Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blames 'saboteurs' for hoarding goods and scalping prices in an alleged plot to 'destabilize' the national economy, Venezuelans are steaming over an economy in deadfall, inflation heading to three digits and supermarkets stripped of frozen chickens.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2015

New Sri Lankan president has delicate balancing act

Sri Lankans have sprung a surprise with their commitment to democracy. They have thrown out a strongman president who had brought an end to a three-decade-long civil war and restored high economic growth.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 19, 2015

Bullying finds fertile ground in social media

Smartphones have become an essential tool for people of all ages, but they also pose serious challenges for parents and teachers trying to protect children from online abuse.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2015

Mystery deaths afflicting tuna at Tokyo aquarium

The Tokyo Sea Life Park, renowned for its breeding program, had 165 bluefin tuna, kawakawa and striped bonito on display. On Monday it had just 11.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 19, 2015

What's worth getting excited about in 2015?

A general sentiment of self-restraint, bukkadaka (物価高, the high cost of living) and enyasu (円安, the weak yen) culminated in an Oshōgatsuyasumi (お正月休み, New Year's holiday) where more people stayed put and fewer traveled to exotic overseas destinations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 19, 2015

Subaru puts China production plans on hold as car demand wanes

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the only Japanese automaker without Chinese government approval to start a joint venture, has put efforts on hold to build cars in the country, where demand growth is slowing.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 19, 2015

U.S. started penetrating North Korea's computer network in 2010: report

The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) began tapping into North Korean computer networks in 2010, an effort that ultimately helped provide evidence to persuade the Obama administration that Pyongyang was behind the November cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, the New York Times reported Sunday....
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 19, 2015

Mali government declares country Ebola-free

Mali's health minister declared the West African nation free of Ebola on Sunday following a 42-day period without a new case of the deadly virus.
WORLD
Jan 19, 2015

Ex-spy chief says outdated U.K. anti-terrorism laws are not fit for purpose

Britain's ability to prevent terrorist attacks is hampered by outdated laws that are "no longer fit for purpose," a former MI5 chief said in an interview published on Sunday, as the government considers new powers to monitor the Internet.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 18, 2015

Indonesia executes six for drugs; envoys exit

Brazil and the Netherlands recalled their ambassadors in Indonesia after the Southeast Asian nation ignored their pleas for clemency and executed six prisoners for drug offenses on Sunday — the first executions under President Joko Widodo.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2015

Even with a change of regime in Colombo, China's sway will continue to grow in Sri Lanka

Indian policymakers are mistaken if they think the change of presidents in Colombo will dampen ties between China and Sri Lanka.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 18, 2015

Putin's focus on military buildup deepens Russia's budget problems

President Vladimir Putin's insistence on huge defense spending makes it hard to see how a government plan to make deep budget cuts will see Russia through a deepening economic crisis.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 18, 2015

EU security agencies face uphill battle in quest for broader access to communications

From allowing spies greater access to communications and extending phone taps to collating databases of air passengers, European governments are looking to expand the powers of their security agencies after this month's Paris attacks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 17, 2015

Tottori's golden sandbox and fog-shrouded mountains

The region north of the Chugoku mountains in western Honshu is known as San'in — "the shadow of the mountain." In Tottori Prefecture, these craggy mountains give way to stretches of fertile farmland that butt up against the icy Sea of Japan. The erratic weather and severe terrain here conspire to create...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 17, 2015

Snark levels were on full blast for 'Kohaku'

The 2014 edition of NHK's venerated song contest, "Kohaku Uta Gassen," broadcast on Dec. 31, was remarkable for several reasons, though the performance that generated the most remarks was the one by the equally venerated pop-rock group Southern All Stars, their first on the show in 31 years.
COMMENTARY / World / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 17, 2015

Sri Lanka votes against fear and kleptocracy

The stunning ouster of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Jan. 8 was good news for that island nation of 20 million, and further evidence of a universal yearning for good governance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 17, 2015

Lingering outside the way station for the dead

It's a hardy soul who braves Osorezan (Mount Osore), a volcano in Aomori Prefecture known as the Japanese way station for the dead. For most, the name conjures up images of the supernatural and the unknown, but for Marie Mutsuki Mockett, it is a place of healing and beauty.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Jan 17, 2015

Abe leaves big shoes to fill at catcher's spot in lineup

A few seasons ago, in 2012, the Yomiuri Giants won the Japan Series just a few days after the San Francisco Giants clinched the World Series title. While the two teams already shared a nickname and color scheme, it was the first time they'd reached the pinnacle of their respective leagues in the same...
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jan 17, 2015

Reflections on the Kobe quake two decades on

This year, thousands of Japanese around the country celebrated Coming-of-Age Day. In Kobe, however, the occasion was especially poignant, as those who will turn 20 this year were just days old or, most likely, born after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of Jan. 17, 1995. The first generation of adults...
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 17, 2015

2014 was hottest year ever recorded, U.S. scientists say

Last year was Earth's hottest on record, two U.S. government agencies said Friday — new evidence that people are disrupting the climate by burning fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo