Search - people

 
 
EDITORIALS
Jan 9, 2017

Promoting local autonomy

This is the 70th year since the concept of local autonomy was introduced in Japan under the Constitution. Both the national and local governments should be reminded that local autonomy is an important and essential heritage of the postwar political and legal transformation. Serious efforts need to be...
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jan 9, 2017

Play down the hype with a so-so phrase

Un ... māmā-kana. (Hmm. It was ... so-so.)
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2017

Obama's unforced errors on foreign policy

When U.S. President Barack Obama moves two miles from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to 2446 Belmont Road in Washington's Kalorama neighborhood, he will live half a mile from 2340 S Street, where Woodrow Wilson spent his three post-presidential years. Wilson's embittering foreign policy failure was the Senate's...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2017

Don't fear robots; they won't render us jobless

"Rogue One," the latest in the Star Wars franchise, has had mixed reviews but features one undisputed star: K-2SO, a gangly robot with the best lines. Movies of the distant future always tap into current anxieties, and the latest alarm is that the robots are coming. Droids may not conquer the world,...
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 8, 2017

Myanmar faces danger from IS militants, Malaysian police say

Myanmar faces a growing danger of attacks by foreign supporters of the Islamic State group recruited from Southeast Asian networks in support of persecuted Muslim Rohingyas, Malaysia's top counterterrorism official has said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Jan 8, 2017

Next-generation mirror analyzes faces and prints out customized makeup sheets

Panasonic Corp. is developing a "magic" mirror for 2020 that will use nanotechnology for high-definition TVs to offer advice on how to become more beautiful.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 7, 2017

Threshold level for lead exposure may be cut

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering lowering its threshold for elevated childhood blood lead levels by 30 percent, a shift that could help health practitioners identify more children afflicted by the heavy metal.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 7, 2017

Japan tries to break away from workaholism

Putting in long hours might convince your boss that you're a diligent employee, but after a point it becomes self-defeating.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 6, 2017

Koike unveils plans for cheaper, easier access to public records

Backing her pledges to improve transparency, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike announced plans Friday to improve access to public documents.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / EARLY START
Jan 6, 2017

Have breakfast in Tokyo where time has frozen, but the coffee's hot

Visiting one of Japan traditional coffee shops, known as kissaten, is a unique way to start to the day.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2017

All that glitters is gold as military risks rise in Asia

Trump's tweet and taunt foreign policy puts the U.S. on a collision course with China and North Korea.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 6, 2017

Pakistani province launches app for women to report harassment

A smartphone application enabling women to report incidents of harassment to police in Pakistan's Punjab province went live this week as authorities step up efforts to promote women's safety in one of the worst provinces for crimes against them.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 6, 2017

Facing suit, National Park Service sites freed up for Trump inauguration protests

Protesters will get public sites for demonstrations during Republican Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, a major federal land agency said on Thursday, after being threatened with a lawsuit from civil rights lawyers who accused it of quashing dissent.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 6, 2017

Berlin truck attacker used at least 14 names; Tunisian associate seen posing as Libyan

The Tunisian man who killed 12 people last month by plowing a truck into a Berlin Christmas market had lived under at least 14 different names in Germany, a regional police chief said on Thursday, raising more questions about security lapses.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 5, 2017

South Korean court has little precedent and wide latitude in Park impeachment trial

The South Korean court that will rule on the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye has only one precedent and little in the law books to go by, and several legal experts said it will have wide discretion in deciding if she is fit to remain in office.
EDITORIALS
Jan 5, 2017

A new reality in Syria

A new era is dawning in the Middle East as U.S. influence wanes and Russia's role increases.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2017

How Donald Trump can make Asia great again

U.S President-elect Donald Trump's desire to shake up the status quo could prod Asia's economies to lift their game.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2017

Agency seeks to deter nonemergency 119 calls

Some callers just want a ride. Others are lonely and simply want to chat. The problem? They've called 119.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 5, 2017

Germany collars Tunisian who used aliases, once probed as terrorist, over links to Berlin truck attacker

German police have detained a 26-year-old Tunisian man over links with the perpetrator of an Islamist truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people, a federal prosecutors' spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 5, 2017

China says carrier testing weapons and engaged in 'scientific research' in South China Sea

A group of Chinese warships led by its sole aircraft carrier is testing weapons and equipment in exercises this week in the South China Sea that are going to plan, China's foreign ministry said Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 4, 2017

'Our Meal for Tomorrow': Changing roles in romantic drama

Gender-bending comedy certainly exists in Japanese films, though it may not be mainstream. In Yosuke Fujita's "Fuku-chan of FukuFuku Flats" ("Fukufukuso no Fukuchan," 2014), popular female TV comedian Miyuki Oshima starred as a male house painter who becomes allergic to the opposite sex after being jilted...
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.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2017

Impotent Democrats won't be America's savior

Americans who oppose Trump shouldn't waste time waiting for the Democratic Party to take action against him.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2017

Bidding good riddance to an unpleasant year

The year 2016 resembles a china shop after a visit from an especially maladroit bull.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 4, 2017

Indonesian military says cooperation with Australian military suspended

Indonesia suspended cooperation with the Australian military in December for "technical reasons," a spokesman for the Indonesian defence forces said on Wednesday, after offensive material was seen at an Australian training base.
JAPAN / GEARING UP FOR THE GAMES,GEARING UP FOR THE GAMES
Jan 4, 2017

Japan's rising sports stars look to raise the bar at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Setting new records, Japan's Olympians managed to haul in a very respectable 38 medals at the 2012 London Games and 41 last year in Rio de Janeiro. Their efforts are certainly something for the nation's up-and-coming young athletes to duplicate or even surpass, as there are many potential stars out there who could become household names by the time Tokyo hosts the Olympics about 3u00bd years from now.

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