Search - people

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 22, 2015

Ramen dividends: Holders of some firms' shares fancy 'yutai' gifts

Many stock investors collect dividends. Hiroto Kiritani, however, collects melons. And ramen noodles, McDonald's hamburgers, the clothes on his back, anything, really, that Japanese companies send him, gratis, just for owning their stock.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 21, 2015

'You should never hide negative information': Edano

At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano was sitting in an Upper House committee along with then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Cabinet. Without warning, the room they had gathered in began to shake violently, and looks of concern intensified on lawmakers' faces. Edano...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Feb 21, 2015

Finding thrills on plum blossom hill

February is a tricky month for venturing out in Tokyo. Daylight hours lengthen and the light softens slightly, but the weather itself seems controlled by a sadist at the thermostat.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 21, 2015

Goto's stories put Japan woes in perspective

"More than diamonds, I want peace."
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
Feb 21, 2015

Tokyo Dome a worthy option for basketball

One of the key selling points of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic bid was its compact plan, which called for 85 percent of the venues to be within 8 km of the Olympic Village.
Reader Mail
Feb 21, 2015

Remember why you came here

Regarding the Feb. 12 article by Eric Johnston and Tomohiro Osaki titled "Author Sono calls for racial segregation": Ruthless Japan-bashing has become a style statement for many foreigners. The recent furor in criticizing the country shows some foreigners to forget that, outside the peaceful boundaries...
Reader Mail
Feb 21, 2015

Being bilingual not always so cool

I'm considered bilingual. I lived in Canada until the age of 6. Many times people have told me it's cool to be bilingual, but it's not that simple. In Canada, I was too small to know there are different languages. I never distinguished Japanese from English. Sometimes I answered a Japanese question in...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 21, 2015

Modi's suit beats Marilyn Monroe's pink dress with $690,000 sale

Not even Marilyn Monroe's pink dress could match Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's suit.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 21, 2015

Afghanistan arrested Chinese Uighurs to get Beijing's help on Taliban talks: officials

Afghanistan arrested and handed over several Muslim Uighur militants from China's west in an effort to persuade China to use its influence with Pakistan to help start negotiations with the Taliban, Afghan security officials said on Friday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2015

Blame Obama for Libya's descent into chaos

U.S. President Barack Obama destroyed Libya, just as George W. Bush destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan earlier. Obama doesn't deserve a historical pass.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 20, 2015

New tech isn't paying off as much as before

We are not getting our money's worth from the 'creative destruction' process that the economist Joseph Schumpeter trumpeted. For example, the technology that makes social networking possible monetizes activities that used to be outside the market's purview, while leaving us open to criminal and governmental cyber assaults.
EDITORIALS
Feb 20, 2015

Japanese support for the AEC

Japan should throw its support behind the regional plan to establish the ASEAN Economic Community by yearend, thus creating a single market and production base of more than 600 million people.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 20, 2015

Japan's constitutional millstone

If there is one factor that could help the Abe administration overcome the constitutional millstone against modernizing Japan's military defense, it would be Obama administration support. Japan is the only power that can block China from gaining ascendancy in the region.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Feb 20, 2015

Accidents involving unregulated mini-boats on rise

Accidents involving miniboats, which require no license or qualification to operate in Japan, are on the rise.
WORLD
Feb 19, 2015

Islamic State lays claim to North African outpost

The images match the worst of Islamic State group's atrocities: black-clad fighters and an English-speaking jihadi taunt the West before slaughtering their victims in orange jumpsuits on a Libyan beach.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2015

Diet may take up gambling bill again, but odds are low Japan will see casinos by 2020

As lawmakers discuss reintroducing a bill to legalize casino-style gambling during the current Diet session, Osaka and Yokohama are reportedly favorites to host the first resort complexes with casinos.
EDITORIALS
Feb 19, 2015

Aid that could foment conflict

Under a new Abe administration policy, Japan will be able to extend aid to the armed forces of recipient countries on condition that it be used only for nonmilitary purposes. But what will stop a nation from saving such aid for a rainy day to foment conflict?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 19, 2015

Neo-impressionism: color-coded familiarities

The term "neo-impressionism" suggests a sequel to impressionism and, just like with movie sequels, there is a faint lowering of expectations. But this is entirely the wrong way to approach "Neo-Impressionism: from Light to Color" at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2015

Jeb Bush foreign policy team too familiar?

Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush has drawn heavily from the administrations of his brother and father in picking his nascent team of foreign policy advisers, a choice that may undercut his assertion that he is his "own man" on international affairs.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 19, 2015

DPJ lawmakers grill Momii over his performance as NHK chairman

The nation's largest opposition party has identified a new target for attack: the gaffe-prone, apparently pro-government chairman of public broadcaster NHK.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 19, 2015

Secretive robot maker Fanuc targeted by activist investor Loeb

Fanuc Corp., one of Japan's most reclusive companies, has spent decades building a wall of secrecy around its ultra-profitable industrial-robotics business.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 18, 2015

Fifty Shades of Grey: 'The real perversion here is how business has infected even matters of the heart'

The lyrics to the Gang of Four song "Contract" (from their seminal post-punk album "Entertainment!"), set to brittle guitar chords and thrashing drums, explored the distance between the bedroom and the boardroom. Singer Jon King addressed a lover who "dreamed of scenes / like you read of in magazines,"...

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