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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 25, 2015

Japan and the war on terror

The Abe administration must not be allowed to use 'the war on terror' to enact sweeping security laws.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 23, 2015

When kanji components sound off, be sure to pay attention

Many common kanji include easily recognizable phonetic components that give a pretty good idea of how they should be read.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Nov 23, 2015

Processed meat can cause cancer

Eating processed meats raises the risk of colorectal cancer in humans, and red meat is also a likely cause of the disease, World Health Organization experts say.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 23, 2015

Toyohashi embarks on 'rubbish' project to achieve biomass power goals

The Aichi Prefecture city of Toyohashi, with a population of 380,000, is set to embark on a unique and challenging project in fiscal 2017 of collecting biodegradable waste from households and companies for a combined biomass power generation facility.
CULTURE
Nov 21, 2015

Yukio Mishima's enduring, unexpected influence

Forty-five years ago this week — at just after 10 a.m. on the bright, cold morning of Nov. 25, 1970 — a telephone rang at the Tokyo home of popular enka singer Hideo Murata. On the line was author Yukio Mishima, a man who in the short space of his 45 years had lived life more fully than perhaps seemed...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 21, 2015

There's no time like the Christmas present

It may not be a traditional custom in Japan, but Christmas gift-giving is always played up by shopping malls here. If you're finding it all a bit overwhelming but still looking for something special, our writers are here to help with a few ideas that they think will make perfect gifts for your friends,...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 21, 2015

Without tackling Japan's labor mismatch, Abe's GDP target is just a pipe dream

The government urgently needs to address the mismatch between the jobs available and the people who are looking for employment.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2015

Who's to blame for America's PC culture?

Barack Obama deserves real credit for speaking up for freedom of expression on college campuses, but he should direct his Education Department to follow suit.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 17, 2015

Putin questions U.S.-led TPP trade pact arrangements

Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized on Tuesday the way the U.S.-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal is being arranged, saying the "clandestine talks" do not promote stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 17, 2015

Few clues about radicalization in hunt for 'ghostlike' alleged mastermind of Paris attacks

French investigators think they know who masterminded the deadliest terrorist assault in peacetime France: Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 20-something Belgian who joined the ranks of the Islamic State group a few years ago.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Nov 16, 2015

Empress Michiko turns 81

Turning 81, Empress Michiko recalled her April trip to Palau to commemorate those who lost their lives there in World War II.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 16, 2015

Tours provide renewed interest in Japan's oldest hydro power plant

The Miyashiro No. 1 power plant, which houses the country's oldest working hydraulic generator, is attracting public attention after it started offering guided tours last spring.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 15, 2015

Construction of an outlaw Marine base in Okinawa

In its eagerness to appease U.S. Marine demands for a super base in northern Okinawa, the Abe administration has cast aside the rules of law.
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Nov 15, 2015

Tainted cities irate over Tepco's slow compensation payments: survey

Tokyo Electric Power Co. has paid a mere 11.4 percent of the ¥55.3 billion in nuclear redress claims filed by municipalities damaged by the Fukushima disaster, a survey shows, and some are seeking action to speed the process up.
Reader Mail
Nov 13, 2015

Coverage of China overly critical

Enough already! Normally a fairly balanced newspaper, the Nov. 4 issue of The Japan Times carried no less than eight articles that are directly or indirectly critical of China.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 12, 2015

Putin's daughter and Russia's second-generation elite

Since Vladimir Putin began cementing his grip on Russia in the 1990s, many of his friends have grown famously rich.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2015

Syrian crisis: Are we near the beginning of the end?

With the Syrian regime proving far stronger than Western countries expected, a political settlement to the horrible civil war may finally be within reach.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 10, 2015

Reconstruction minister denies misuse of political funds, underwear theft

Reconstruction minister Tsuyoshi Takagi on Tuesday dismissed any notion he will step down and denied separate allegations that he misused political funds and stole a young woman's underwear.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2015

Big science now faces big problems in China

Under the government's heavy hand, the Chinese scientific establishment has long suffered from cronyism, corruption and pervasive fraud.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Nov 9, 2015

Physical fitness of elderly is improving

The physical fitness of elderly people in Japan is continuing to improve both for men and women, a survey shows.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 9, 2015

Aichi NPO goes extra mile with language support for non-Japanese kids

Aichi Prefecture, where manufacturing businesses are heavily concentrated, currently has the largest number of young non-Japanese students in the country. There are 6,300 such students in the prefecture and the number of students requiring Japanese language support is increasing every year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 7, 2015

Heart of darkness: Nostalgic Tokyo disappearing amid construction boom

The Shinagawa neighborhood of Musashi-Koyama — a vibrant maze of tiny alleyways that once housed dozens of small eateries, tapas restaurants and bars — is now a virtual ghost town.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 7, 2015

Aomori's moving castle and other architectural tales

Once every century, Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture experiences an unusual event — the Hirosaki Moving Castle Project — when the city relocates an entire castle using manpower only.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 7, 2015

TV Asahi gets 'The Scoop' on false convictions

Last week the Tokyo Shimbun ran an article about Keiko Aoki and Tatsuhiro Boku, the couple convicted of murdering Aoki's 11-year-old daughter in 1995 and sentenced to life in prison. The upcoming retrial, which will likely reverse the guilty verdict, may reveal that the Osaka pair were coerced into making...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 7, 2015

Without doubt, company executives will just go with the flow

Asahi Kasei. Toyo Tire & Rubber. Toshiba. What's the connection? Executives lined up before the cameras, bowing their heads in shame.
Reader Mail
Nov 6, 2015

The refugee crisis: What about Japan?

Regarding the article "UNICEF chief urges Japan to open its doors to more refugees" in the Oct. 19 edition, if the Japanese are truly "very good global citizens," as UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake says, surely my fellow countrymen would agree with Lake's appeal? After all, the refugee crisis...
Reader Mail
Nov 6, 2015

Racist drawing of Syrian girl

Regarding the article "Manga artist removes illustration mocking Syrian refugee" in the Oct. 8 edition, as a citizen of Japan I felt disgusted looking at this racist drawing by Toshiko Hasumi that used an innocent child to represent such perverse prejudice.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2015

Dreams for the 21st century

The 21st century will see many fabulous innovations that we can barely imagine today.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Nov 4, 2015

Different strokes: navigating the Japanese school system with a learning difficulty

Japan's schools can be ill-prepared for dealing with bicultural children with learning problems.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 3, 2015

Beijing found to be covertly operating global public radio network

In August, foreign ministers from 10 nations blasted China for building artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea. As media around the world covered the diplomatic clash, a radio station that serves the most powerful city in America had a distinctive take on the news.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years