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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Dec 25, 2014

Japan Times Advisory Board serves up brickbats, praise for newspaper's coverage

Ichiro Fujisaki, who formerly served as Japan's ambassador to the United States, praised the paper for its "readability." He said he senses that the editors try to choose phrases and words that are easy for Japanese readers to understand.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Dec 24, 2014

Standing up to the country's flagship carrier

An airplane crash in 1977 would inspire one JAL employee, Taeko Uchida, to get serious about union activism in a way that would decades later find her leading a legal and labor battle against Japan's flagship carrier.
EDITORIALS
Dec 19, 2014

Can the opposition mend its ways?

It's time Japan's political opposition learn from their failures of the past two years, especially their crushing defeat in the Dec. 14 Lower House election, to rebuild themselves in a way that enables them to challenge the ruling bloc and to give voters a real choice.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 16, 2014

Controversial to the end, Shintaro Ishihara bows out of politics

Hawkish former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara officially puts an end to his nearly 50-year political career after losing his Diet seat in Sunday's Lower House election.
EDITORIALS
Dec 15, 2014

Abe's mandate by default

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should not take his Liberal Democratic Party's widely predicted big wins in the Lower House election on Sunday as carte blanche from voters to run his administration exactly as he wishes.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 15, 2014

Undecided voters swing Abe's way again

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a gambler, and he won again Sunday night.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 8, 2014

As opposition dithers, voters mull four more years of Abe

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's chances for becoming the nation's longest-serving leader in more than four decades are increasing as the opposition finds itself hobbled by factionalism, shifting policies and funding shortages.
EDITORIALS
Dec 3, 2014

Debating nuclear energy

Lawmakers and parties need to lay out energy plans that include measures to reduce emissions that don't rely on nuclear power.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 3, 2014

Campaigning for election kicks off as Abe's approval rating dips

Official campaigning for the Dec. 14 Lower House election kicked off Tuesday, with 1,191 candidates across the country angling for one of the chamber's 475 seats.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 30, 2014

Sino-U.S. climate deal mainly a political triumph

The U.S.-China emissions deal is a huge political triumph, but whether it alters the world's climate is an open question.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 26, 2014

EU puts annual cost to society of air pollution at $235 billion

Air pollution, chiefly from coal-fired power plants, cost society up to €189 billion ($235 billion) in 2012 — equal to the gross domestic product of Finland — the European Environment Agency (EEA) said in a report published on Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 24, 2014

Baffled by snap election, voters may stay home and erode the mandate Abe seeks

Voters, puzzled as to why Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is calling an election now and unimpressed by opposition alternatives, may shun the Dec. 14 election in record numbers.
EDITORIALS
Nov 24, 2014

Lowering the recidivism rate

The National Police Agency's 2014 white paper shows that the recidivism rate has been on a steady rise since 1997.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Nov 23, 2014

Kepco weighs new lease of life for geriatric reactors

In a decision that will set a precedent for Japan's rapidly aging nuclear reactors, Kansai Electric Power Co. must soon choose whether to restart reactors 1 and 2 at its Takahama plant in Fukui Prefecture and operate them beyond the 40-year threshold, the first time a Japanese utility has faced such...
WORLD
Nov 19, 2014

Nevada has highest proportion of illegal immigrants in U.S.

Nevada has the highest proportion of illegal immigrants of any U.S. state, at 7.6 percent of its population, and the number of illegal immigrants nationwide is leveling off at about 11.2 million, according to a study released on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 18, 2014

Iran sending funds via China bank to elite Quds force, report says

There is no trace of Shenzhen Lanhao Days Electronic Technology Co. Ltd. at its listed address in the beige and pink-tiled "Fragrant Villa" apartment complex in this southern Chinese city. The building's managers say they've never heard of it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2014

For China, pollution and climate change are not the same problem

Pollution is literally killing the inhabitants of China's most polluted cities.
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2014

Awaiting Abe's political gambit

If Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is going to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election, he will have to clearly lay out his agenda for voters and await their verdict.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 6, 2014

In possible breakthrough, Abe and Xi likely to hold brief talks at APEC

Tokyo and Beijing are reportedly preparing for a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, but a real thaw remains unlikely.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 4, 2014

Japan wakes up to reality of dementia, seeks unique solutions

Asayo Sakai banged on the front door, demanding to be let out. She was at her daughter's apartment, where Asayo has lived for the past six years. She has no memory of how she got there or what she's doing there.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Nov 3, 2014

Malala, Satyarthi win Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded Oct. 10 to 17-year-old Pakistani Malala Yousafzai, who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban, and to India's Kailash Satyarthi for their efforts in championing children's rights.
EDITORIALS
Nov 1, 2014

Spirit of giving to hometowns

The Abe administration plans to expand the system in which taxpayers contribute money to local governments of their choice — ideally their own hometowns — in return for tax reductions in the places where they currently live.

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