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Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 10, 2015

Thousands rally in Nippon Budokan Hall for constitutional change

Thousands of people packed Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo on Tuesday in support of revising the pacifist Constitution while pledging to collect 10 million signatures favoring their cause.
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2015

After controversial security laws comment, Doshisha president loses re-election bid

Koji Murata, the president of Doshisha University in Kyoto Prefecture who drew flak in July for supporting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's security legislation, has lost his bid for re-election.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 7, 2015

South Korea's new state textbook 'corrects' history

South Korea recently announced plans for a revisionist textbook that will whitewash that country's history and has the academic community outraged over political meddling. At least the move gives South Korean President Park Geun-hye something in common with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 4, 2015

Surveys suggest 5-Star Movement could win next Italian election

Electoral reforms passed in Italy this year could bring the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement to power, if the picture painted by a survey published on Tuesday holds until the next election, currently due in 2018.
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.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 3, 2015

Beijing found to be covertly operating global public radio network

In August, foreign ministers from 10 nations blasted China for building artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea. As media around the world covered the diplomatic clash, a radio station that serves the most powerful city in America had a distinctive take on the news.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Nov 1, 2015

Tackle embedded racism before it chokes Japan

Japan has a dire problem it must address immediately: its embedded racism.
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
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 31, 2015

Tsukiji countdown: clock ticking on famed fish market

With a year to go until the wholesale fish market in Tokyo's Chuo Ward closes its doors for good, operators in the market prepare to say their last goodbyes to the landmark attraction.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 31, 2015

'Japan Lobby' takes the gloves off in PR battle

The Sankei Shimbun advocates a more aggressive diplomatic stance on history issues and this dovetails with the mission of Japan Conference, a reactionary organization that includes numerous lawmakers. From their perspective, Japan has been too reticent and polite on the world stage and the gloves need...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 31, 2015

Powerful donor backs Rubio over Bush for U.S. president

One of the wealthiest and most influential Republican donors is throwing his support behind the presidential campaign of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, the New York Times reported on Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 28, 2015

Imagining a Japan that thinks beyond blood and binary distinctions

Could the Brave Blossoms serve as a model for a multicultural Japan of the future?
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 28, 2015

Family confirms first Russian military fatality in Syria, disputes 'suicide'

The body of the first Russian serviceman confirmed dead in four weeks of air strikes in Syria was delivered on Tuesday to his parents, who said they were not convinced by the military's account that their 19-year-old son had hanged himself.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Oct 27, 2015

U.S. police chief association calls for background checks for all gun purchases

Police chiefs from across the United States have called for universal background checks for firearms purchases, citing opinion polls in which most Americans consistently support such restrictions.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Oct 26, 2015

Let's discuss Japan at the Rugby World Cup

Rugby fever has swept the field in Japan after the national team achieved a best-ever three wins at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 26, 2015

Russia unfairly demonized

Efforts by Russia and the West to forge a meaningful and productive relationship have been thrown away by the meaningless demonization of Moscow over the Ukraine civil war and the annexation of Crimea.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 26, 2015

No joke: Guatemalan comedian Morales wins presidency in landslide

Jimmy Morales, a former TV comedian who has never held office, swept to power in Guatemala's presidential election on Sunday after milking public anger over a corruption scandal that deepened distrust of the country's political establishment.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Oct 25, 2015

In Japan, adultery can cost you your job as well as your marriage

Companies must be able to prove that specific damage has been done to their business if they want to fire cheating workers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 24, 2015

Abe raises eyebrows when he's off script

On Oct. 1, the Sankei Shimbun reported that during a regularly scheduled press conference, NHK President Katsuto Momii addressed statements made by "former NHK employees" who told media outlets that the public broadcaster had "received phone calls from the prime minister's office" regarding passage of...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 24, 2015

Media vultures circle over battered SEALDs

That's it? It's over?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 24, 2015

Student participation in politics involves risk

Providing voter education to high school students is important, but it can't be a situation where the government is the speaker and teachers its mouthpieces.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 22, 2015

Abe-Park summit would be 'a springboard' toward improved bilateral ties, expert says

The planned summit next month between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye is 'a springboard' toward restoring normal bilateral ties but will not be enough to resolve deep-rooted issues between the nations, an expert has said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 21, 2015

As U.S. eyes South China Sea patrols, will Japan play a role?

Some experts say Japan, with its newly empowered military, could play a larger role in Washington's activities near China's man-made islands is the South China Sea.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2015

Russian eagle takes steroids, reads Hegel, seeks recognition

The goal of Vladimir Putin's aggressive foreign policy may be a new contract with the West in which Russia is recognized as a leading power and treated as an equal.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 20, 2015

Asia-U.S. poll shows China's clout, not America's, expected to grow

A survey released Tuesday showed many people in Japan, the United States, China and South Korea expect China's influence in Asia to increase over the next 10 years. However, opinion is divided over whether Beijing will behave responsibly on the international stage.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 20, 2015

Democrat Webb weighing possible independent bid for White House

Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb is considering an independent bid for the White House, and will hold a news conference about his candidacy on Tuesday, his campaign said on Monday.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years