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Reader Mail
May 9, 2013

Limits of planning good health

Chris Flynn (May 2 letter, "Australia's declining smoking rate") seems to believe I'm a shill for the local agricultural interests here in rural Kumamoto based on my opposition to tobacco restrictions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2013

Proud war on fools and sociopaths won't win over the anti-Keynesians

American economist Paul Krugman has been right about the U.S. fiscal stimulus being too small and being withdrawn too soon. But he's wrong about many of his critics.
EDITORIALS
May 6, 2013

Austerity under attack

The human cost of the austerity mentality is threatening national political systems and the popular will to embrace reform. EU leaders are beginning to see this.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 6, 2013

New talks unlikely to settle Northern Territories dispute

There is little reason for optimism that new Japan-Russia talks over the fate of the Northern Territories will fare any better than previous attempts to reach a deal.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 4, 2013

The French left turns on Francois Hollande

The freshly cut inscription on the marble "tombstone" was savage and to the point: "Betrayal! Here lie the promises of F. Hollande which were made to workers and their families in Florange on 24 February 2012. From the steelworkers of Lorraine." With barely suppressed anger and bitterness, Frederic Weber,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 2, 2013

Huffington Post looks to weave new Web in Japan

The Japanese version of the Huffington Post will offer a website that spurs more interaction between the media and the public and empower Generation Y, the children of the baby boomers, said Shigeki Matsuura, editor-in-chief of Huffington Post Japan, which is scheduled to launch next Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2013

Australia, Indonesia moving as close as perceptions allow

Irritants in Australia-Indonesia ties stem from popular Australian misperceptions about the changes in Indonesia and political condescension by some leaders.
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2013

Why Putin's peace pact in Chechnya will collapse

The involvement of two ethnic Chechens in the Boston Marathon bombing shows that the wars that ravaged the Russian republic more than a decade ago aren't over.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 29, 2013

Bush library revives focus on maligned presidency

George W. Bush returned to the spotlight last week for the dedication of his presidential library, an event that has triggered fresh public debate about his eight fateful years in office. But he has re-emerged with a better public image than when he left Washington more than four years ago.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 29, 2013

Miranda warning to suspects needs updating

Miranda warnings to suspects are part of U.S. culture, but today that culture includes technological threats that the Supreme Court of 1966 could not foresee.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 29, 2013

Australia eyes changes to labor law

Australia plans to toughen laws allowing overseas workers to plug short-term labor needs and skills shortages as some employers are exploiting the system, Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor said.
MORE SPORTS
Apr 28, 2013

Takahashi opposes reducing marathon selections for IAAF World Championships

Sydney Olympic gold medal-winning marathoner Naoko Takahashi has an objection, saying a Japan Association of Athletics Federations decision takes irreplaceable opportunities away from the runners.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 27, 2013

Should healthy people pay less for health insurance?

Should healthy people pay less for national health insurance than unhealthy people?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 27, 2013

Globe-trotting Abe has energy on the brain

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is embarking on a diplomatic quest from Sunday that will take him halfway around the globe to Russia and the Middle East accompanied by dozens of top corporate executives, with one key goal in mind: energy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 26, 2013

Murakami's 'Jellyfish Eyes' blends kawaii and creepy into a postquake critique

In the West he's been referred to as 'the other Murakami.' To those in Japan, the difference is so prominent that very few would ever confuse artist-cum-filmmaker Takashi Murakami with novelist Haruki Murakami.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 23, 2013

Conservative tasks in Japan

As the first conservative government in Japan for a long time, the Abe Cabinet faces two major tasks, including departing from the postwar regime on security.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2013

Why making Europe 'German' won't fix crisis

It's now common to hear analysts say Europe must become 'German' to exit from its crisis, adopting Teutonic approaches to policy. This is a wrongheaded idea.
WORLD
Apr 20, 2013

The unintended paradoxical legacy of the lady in blue

Two former prime ministers were buried this week. One was a gloriously battling heroine of freedom, Boadicea in pearls, who put the Great back into Great Britain and won the Cold War with a little assistance from U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The other was the empress of evil, Cruella de Vil in a twinset,...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2013

Why well-informed people are also close-minded

A U.S. study finds that if you know a lot about politics, efforts to undermine or dislodge your political beliefs with facts might well upset you and therefore backfire.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Apr 17, 2013

Aisin, Toshiba ready for showdown in JBL Finals

The Aisin Sea Horses have inarguably been the team to beat in the JBL in recent years, but they aren't about to rest on their laurels.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2013

Top French officials disclose personal wealth

The wealthiest member of France's Socialist government, French people learned Monday, is Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who inherited a $7.8 million fortune from his family's trade in art and antiques. But Michele Delaunay, minister for the aged, also disclosed a comfortable stash: $7 million, mostly...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Apr 17, 2013

Give the kids a dose of culture and fun at Tokyo Midtown

Since the 1950s, the Roppongi entertainment district has been synonymous with drink, debauchery and the like ... or so people tell me.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Apr 16, 2013

Taking cues from soccer could help baseball reach goal

Judging by popular opinion, many seem to think convincing MLB to commit to sending its top players to the Olympics is the key to getting the sport back into the program in the future, preferably in time for the 2020 Games.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 16, 2013

Tokyo: Do you have a message for young North Korean leader Kim Jong Un?

Get a hobby. Play less Battleships. Kim should take up something else, such as darts. He really needs to show his generals who is boss, and needs to be a little more refined in how he demonstrates his power.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 15, 2013

Online, Chinese heap scorn on North Korea

The views posted on Chinese Internet sites about the diplomatic faceoff with long-term ally North Korea have been anything but diplomatic.
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Apr 15, 2013

Baseball, softball join forces in hopes of returning to Olympics

The international federations that govern baseball and softball stood united Sunday afternoon with one goal in mind: getting their sports back on the Olympic program.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 12, 2013

Disaster did little to shake up status quo, expert says

Disappointing expectations that the megaquake and tsunami two years ago — and subsequent nuclear calamity — would trigger a rebirth of politics and government, Japan's key policies remain largely unchanged, says Richard Samuels, director of the Center for International Studies at Massachusetts Institute...
EDITORIALS
Apr 11, 2013

Uphill battle for arms treaty

The U.N.-adopted Arms Trade Treaty faces a bleak prospect of being ratified by the three countries that account for 60 percent of weapons exports.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?