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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2012

'Motherly leader' in final poll push

South Korea has the chance Wednesday to elect a woman to its top office, an unprecedented step in a nation long dominated by boardrooms of men and ranked only slightly ahead of most Islamic countries when it comes to gender equality.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2012

Obama calls Abe, eyes summit in U.S. next month

When President Barack Obama phoned Shinzo Abe, the prime minister-in-waiting, on Tuesday, they agreed to arrange a summit in the U.S. as early as January, according to an official who took part in the 10-minute chat.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 19, 2012

Firms move some eggs out of China basket

Anti-Japan riots in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere in China in September triggered by Japan's nationalization of the disputed Senkaku Islands brought vandalism and violence to Japanese restaurants, stores and car dealers and a boycott of Japanese products.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2012

Does Abe win signal a Volcker moment?

Shinzo Abe was chief Cabinet secretary in 2006 when he backed the Bank of Japan's interest rate hike, a move that the prime minister-in-waiting, who is growing increasingly intolerant of the nation's chronic deflation, now says was a mistake.
LIFE / Travel / TRAVEL INSIDER
Dec 19, 2012

Win a futsal tournament, receive Liverpool tickets; new Korean Air benefits program

Liverpool FC tickets Virgin Atlantic Airways has announced that it will again cohost the third All England Cup Futsal Tournament in Japan in March with the international banking group Standard Chartered Bank.
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Dec 18, 2012

Tokyo: What does Christmas mean to you?

George Ianus
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2012

IMF economists see perils in China's investment binge

China's investment binge has been the envy of many other countries, not least India where inadequate roads mean that 40 percent of crops are spoiled on the way to market, and Japan, where 30-year-old tunnels are passing their sell-by dates and maintenance is not keeping up with demand.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 18, 2012

Stop thinking — the test is about to start

JAPAN / ELECTION 2012
Dec 18, 2012

DPJ blows chance to establish two-party rule

It took 54 years for the nation's politics to produce a viable opposition party, and 39 months for it to self-destruct after winning power, splintering prospects for an enduring policy-driven two-party system.
BUSINESS
Dec 18, 2012

Tokyo Electric shares soar on reactor restart hopes

Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s shares surged on speculation the Liberal Democratic Party's election victory will pave the way for it to restart reactors at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture, the world's biggest atomic power facility.
BUSINESS / ELECTION 2012
Dec 18, 2012

Yen skids to 20-month low against dollar after LDP victory

The yen fell to its weakest level versus the dollar since April 2011 after Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party swept back to power in Sunday's election, giving him a chance to act on pledges of expanded fiscal and monetary stimulus.
JAPAN / ELECTION 2012
Dec 18, 2012

Economy, split of antinuclear vote, aided LDP

The economy prevailed over nuclear power in the minds of voters in Sunday's general election, dealing a setback to antinuclear parties, including the newly established Nippon Mirai no To (Tomorrow Party of Japan) and the Social Democratic Party.
BUSINESS / ELECTION 2012
Dec 18, 2012

Torrent of support for LDP clears pipes for fiscal spigot

The magnitude of the Liberal Democratic Party's win in Sunday's general election smooths the path for fiscal stimulus in early 2013 as incoming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to end the economy's contraction.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2012

Sino-Indian border deadlock raises tensions; ambiguity of past accords hinders settlement

Indian national security adviser Shivshankar Menon went to Beijing the week before last to have his last formal meeting with his Chinese counterpart, State Councilor Dai Bingguo, who will be retiring in March next year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2012

Japanese investments in Mexico steady

Japanese investments in Mexico remains steady, mainly in the auto and auto parts sectors, reflecting the growing vehicle production in the country and popularity of Japanese brand cars, said a researcher from the Japan External Trade Organization.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Dec 16, 2012

Survivor pens 'too painful' 3/11 tale

'March 11, 2011 — We will never forget the day. The disaster ...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 16, 2012

Mount Fuji's lacustrine Gang of Five

Among Japan's many physical features, none comes even close to matching the manner in which its loftiest peak has carved out the fondest niche in the national psyche. The Mount Fuji name and image are evident practically everywhere in Japan today — as they have been one way or another over the centuries....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / WEEK 3
Dec 16, 2012

Pyongyang offers a rare 'real' photo opportunity

Most images of North Korea appearing in the media express just a few aspects of that country — namely, repression, militarism, poverty, backwardness, gloom.
Reader Mail
Dec 16, 2012

American protection not needed

Regarding Joseph Jaworski's Dec. 9 letter, "Responsibility for self-protection": First, the idea that Japan's political discourse is on the far left is ludicrous. Japan's major parties are all right of center, including the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, which is likely to regain power in Sunday's...
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Dec 16, 2012

Coal mine explosion, Nanking falls, economy grows 14 percent, whalers depart despite protests

A part of the Mount Yubari coal mine in Hokkaido exploded at 10 a.m. Monday, possibly trapping up to 238 workers.
JAPAN / ELECTION 2012
Dec 15, 2012

Idled reactors' fate holds center stage in nuclear hub Fukui

On a snowy afternoon just a few days before the general election, local politicians and many residents of Fukui Prefecture were in a state of shock and wondering what the future holds, after a team of nuclear experts declared it is highly likely that a fault under the Tsuruga nuclear plant's reactor...
EDITORIALS
Dec 15, 2012

Choices in South Korea

As the campaign for next Wednesday's South Korean presidential election enters its final stage, the feud between Ms. Park Geun Hye of the ruling New Frontier Party and Mr. Moon Jae In of the opposition Democratic Unity Party is heating up.
COMMENTARY
Dec 15, 2012

A turning point in East Asia

Political transitions in East Asia promise to mark a defining moment in the region's jittery geopolitics. After the ascension in China of Xi Jinping, regarded by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) as its own man, Japan seems set to swing to the right in its impending election — an outcome likely to...

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear