Search - politics

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 11, 2018

2018 was the year in Japan that saw the stage sing, while contemporary drama barely made a squeak

Musicals have flourished in 2018, with many young stars also helping to sell out straight plays in which they appeared. However, the contemporary drama scene in Japan has been unusually quiet this year in terms of new works and writers.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 11, 2018

Lawsuit filed against Japan's state-funded ceremonies to mark Imperial enthronement

Members of religious groups and other citizens sued the government on Monday, claiming that planned public spending on ceremonies involving the enthronement of Crown Prince Naruhito next year violates the constitutional principle of separation of religion and politics.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2018

New Zealand grapples with China's influence and intimidation

In April 2010, there was a scandal over the Confucius Institute at Osaka Sangyo University in Osaka. During meetings discussing a proposed relocation of the institute between campuses, the director of the University Affairs Board denounced it as a "cultural spy agency" for China and "a 'soft landing'...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 8, 2018

Second opinion: Should you trust your doctor?

Do I really need this operation? Is this medication really good for me? Does my doctor really know what ails me?
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 8, 2018

Steady as she goes: 'Merkel 2.0' takes center stage in Germany

Germany's Christian Democrats have played it safe. By opting for Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel as party leader, they have voted for a centrist who is long on party unity and short on major policy initiatives.
EDITORIALS
Dec 7, 2018

An arrest ripples through global telecoms

The Canadian government has arrested Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, one of China's largest and most prominent companies. Meng was stopped because the United States had issued an extradition request based on charges that she helped Huawei avoid U.S. sanctions on trade with...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 7, 2018

Former President George H.W. Bush laid to rest in Texas

Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush was laid to rest at his presidential library in College Station, Texas, on Thursday, following funeral services at his longtime church in Houston.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 7, 2018

Train 4141 carries body of George H.W. Bush past waving throngs en route to Texas burial

The body of U.S. President George H.W. Bush arrived by train at his presidential library in College Station, Texas, on Thursday to be buried following a funeral at a Houston church where he was remembered by family members who knew him best as "Gampy."
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 7, 2018

North Carolina Republicans open to new U.S. House seat vote if fraud is found

North Carolina Republican Party leaders said on Thursday they would be open to holding a new congressional election in a district roiled by fraud allegations if a state investigation finds enough evidence that the outcome of the race was affected.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2018

Theresa May really has reaped what she sowed

The British prime minister's effort to sideline parliament has failed and now it's hard to tell who's at the wheel of Brexit.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 5, 2018

Malaysian fugitive Jho Low and four others hit with fresh 1MDB charges

Malaysian police filed fresh criminal charges and issued arrest warrants for fugitive financier Low Taek Jho and four others wanted in connection with a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB, officials said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 4, 2018

In 'New Malaysia,' race continues to cast a long shadow

Just months after a stunning election victory, Malaysia's prime minister has had to step in to mollify the country's majority Malay Muslims in recent weeks, underlining a weighty challenge confronting his multiethnic, reformist coalition: race.
WORLD
Dec 4, 2018

Fearful of bias, Google blocks gender-based pronouns from new AI tool

Alphabet Inc.'s Google in May introduced a slick feature for Gmail that automatically completes sentences for users as they type. Tap out "I love" and Gmail might propose "you" or "it."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 4, 2018

Spy boss says U.K. must decide if Huawei is suitable for 5G network

Alex Younger, head of the U.K.'s foreign intelligence agency MI6, said Theresa May's government must decide if Chinese-owned Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. should be barred from running fifth-generation telecom networks in Britain.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2018

G20 gives markets a short-term win

China and the U.S. agree to freeze tariffs for three months, but that's about it.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 3, 2018

Far-right party wins seats in Andalusia, marking a first in Spain

Spain's far-right Vox party won 12 seats in an election in Andalusia on Sunday and could end up a kingmaker in the region, chalking up the first electoral success for the far right since the country's return to democracy in the late 1970s.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Dec 1, 2018

Japan Times 1968: Bandit steals ¥294 million in daring daylight robbery

A young man posing as a motorcycle policeman robbed a bank car of u00a5294 million in cash in a daring broad daylight robbery on a highway in Fuchu in western Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 1, 2018

Madagascan President Hery Rajaonarimampianina concedes defeat in election, appeals for calm

Madagascar President Hery Rajaonarimampianina conceded defeat in his bid for a second term after managing a distant third in the first round of voting in the island's presidential vote.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 30, 2018

Get Up, Stand Up! UNESCO declares reggae a global cultural treasure

UNESCO has declared reggae, the Jamaican music that spread across the world with its calls for social justice, peace and love, to be a global treasure that must be safe-guarded.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 29, 2018

'An Enemy of the People': The not-so-silent majority speaks out again

In one bound, the rising English director Jonathan Munby found himself in the spotlight of Britain's theater scene in 2017 when his smash-hit production of "King Lear," with Sir Ian McKellen in the title role, transferred straight from the rural Chichester Festival Theatre to the West End.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 27, 2018

Constitutional referendum would unleash TV blitz never before seen in Japan

If Japan ever calls a referendum on whether to revise the postwar Constitution, it could spark a heated TV advertising war, akin to what the U.S. goes through for its presidential election campaigns.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 27, 2018

Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma confirmed as a Chinese Communist Party member

Jack Ma, co-founder of China's most valuable company, was officially confirmed as a member of the Communist Party in a state-backed newspaper recognizing business leaders for their contributions to the country's development.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / japan since the Meiji Restoration
Nov 26, 2018

Drawing a 150-year story line

Beset by an aging, shrinking body, Japan must find the means of rebuilding its 'character' if it is to survive the challenges ahead.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 26, 2018

Australian leader Scott Morrison holds emergency meeting as election rout looms

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison held an emergency meeting with members of his embattled Liberal Party on Monday as his minority government stared down the barrel at a heavy election defeat within the next six months.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 25, 2018

Comments of some leaders, EU officials, on outcome of special Brexit summit

The 27 EU national leaders gathered Sunday to endorse both a detailed treaty setting out the terms under which Britain will leave the European Union and a declaration outlining how Britain can keep close to its biggest market by following many EU rules after a two to four year transition.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Nov 25, 2018

Netflix anime welcomes the dark side

As manga artist Go Nagai celebrates the 50th anniversary of 'Shameless School,' first published in the debut edition of Shonen Jump magazine, Netflix releases his 'Devilman Crybaby' as an anime series.
EDITORIALS
Nov 25, 2018

Justice in Cambodia

Japan should press Phnom Penh to continue its pursuit of justice, to protect the integrity of the tribunal and the human rights of the Cambodian people.

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