Search - news

 
 
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2015

Improved 'competitiveness' key to wage hikes, labor chief says

Restoring industrial competitiveness is the key to fueling wage gains that the Abe government and the central bank are counting on to ensure inflation takes hold, according to labor minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 22, 2015

In Obama snub, Boehner asks Netanyahu to address Congress mulling Iran bill

House Speaker John Boehner invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before a joint session of the U.S. Congress next month as lawmakers weigh legislation that would tighten sanctions on Iran.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 21, 2015

Islamic State likely gave hostage ultimatum knowing difficulty of meeting it

The militant group, which aims to establish an Islamic caliphate, is likely using the hostage situation to generate renewed international attention, according to leading analysts.
JAPAN / DAVOS SPECIAL 2015
Jan 21, 2015

Business leaders confident of recovery in coming year

This is definitely the year in which Japan will end its deflationary spiral.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2015

Islamic State threatens to kill two Japanese hostages

In an online video, the Islamic State group threatens to kill two Japanese citizens unless Tokyo pays a ransom of $200 million within 72 hours.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 19, 2015

Iran newspaper shut over George Clooney 'I Am Charlie' headline

Iranian authorities closed the Mardom-e Emrooz newspaper after it published a quote from U.S. actor George Clooney saying "I am Charlie" in reference to the attack on a French satirical newspaper, Tasnim News Agency reported yesterday.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 17, 2015

Mags go big for Kobe gang's 100th

This year will see the observance of various centennials, including the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign in the Dardanelles; the Second Battle of Ypres; and the sinking of the RMS Lusitania with the loss of 1,198 lives.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 16, 2015

Macau sex ring bust shows China expanding crackdown on graft

The arrest of a prominent Macau executive in the largest prostitution bust in the city's history shows Chinese President Xi Jinping is broadening his crackdown on corruption to restrict even long-tolerated vices.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 16, 2015

Taiwan lodges protest over China's new air routes

Taiwan filed an objection with the United Nations aviation agency over new commercial flight routes off China's southeastern coast that it said poses a safety risk to its planes.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jan 15, 2015

Salvage plan keeps Wakayama playing in NBL

The Wakayama Trians will spend the remainder of the season under new management, NBL acting president Mitsuru Maruo said at a Tokyo news conference on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 13, 2015

Delivering on the promise of 'Abenomics'

If politicians themselves participate in the taxpayer identification system, bureaucrats forgo some of the power that excessive regulation affords them and businesses give up some of their special tax benefits, the Abe government may yet fulfill its promise and build a thriving economy.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 13, 2015

Paris attacks suspect entered Syria on Jan 8, Turkey says

The suspected female accomplice of Islamist militants behind last week's attacks in Paris was in Turkey five days before the killings and crossed into Syria on Jan. 8, Turkish officials said on Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2015

Former Asahi reporter files libel suit over 'comfort women' issue

The former Asahi Shimbun reporter threatened by nationalists and revisionists for covering the “comfort women” issue sues a publisher and a Korea scholar over claims he fabricated his stories.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 9, 2015

A shadow falls on the golden arches

In Japanese culture, making an apology is considered a significant social skill, but no matter how well-chosen the words are or how low the bow is, it might not be enough to survive the tough world of business.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2015

Abe pays respects to victims at French Embassy

Expressing solidarity with the people of France, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday signed a book of condolences at the French Embassy's residency building in Tokyo as police near Paris hunted the gunmen behind a massacre at Charlie Hebdo magazine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 8, 2015

Record bearish stock bets reflect skepticism over Abenomics

Bearish bets on Japanese stocks have surged to a record level because foreign investors are increasingly skeptical that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will succeed in reviving the economy, according to financial services company Reorient Group Ltd.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 8, 2015

World leaders condemn attack on Paris magazine; Obama vows to help find killers

World leaders expressed outrage over the attack on a French magazine office in Paris that killed at least 12 people, with several countries calling emergency meetings of anti-terrorism officials to review security.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2015

You want teeth with that? McDonald's Japan sold fries with surprise

A human tooth was served with french fries at a McDonald's in Osaka last summer, the latest revelation in a series of recent woes involving contaminated chicken nuggets and a french fry shortage.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 7, 2015

DASH named best overall diet for fifth year: report

The DASH diet, rich in vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy, has been named the best overall diet for the fifth consecutive year, outpacing Weight Watchers and the Mediterranean diet, U.S. News & World Report said on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 6, 2015

Suga downplays U.S. comments on upcoming WWII statement

The Liberal Democratic Party will step up efforts this year to revise the Constitution, a long-cherished goal of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jan 5, 2015

IOC clears way for return of baseball

The International Olympic Committee approved a new reform for the framework of the Olympic program on Dec. 8, opening the way for a possible return of baseball and softball in a joint bid for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2015

Asia's bad to good for 2014

Find out who or what in Asia were honored for having the worst, bad, good and best year in 2014.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2015

If Obama won't bring U.S. torturers to justice, why not compensate torture victims for life?

If President Barack Obama won't bring U.S. torturers to justice, why not compensate torture victims for lost wages, medical expenses, counseling and other costs of their detention?
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jan 3, 2015

The biggest terrorism threat in Japan

Remember how the government said Japan needed a state secrets law to protect it from acts of terrorism?
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 3, 2015

The highlights of Japanese media in 2014

My choices for the most significant public phenomena of last year are associated with traditional media rather than the social kind, which isn't to say these phenomena didn't impact social media and vice versa, only that TV, newspapers and magazines still affect our perception of the world.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 1, 2015

Hate, muzzle and poll: a top 10 of issues for 2014

A recap of the top 10 human-rights news events affecting non-Japanese (NJ) in Japan last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 31, 2014

Venezuela confirms recession, highest inflation in Americas

Venezuela confirmed on Tuesday it had entered a recession while inflation remained the highest in the Americas, and President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government blamed political foes for the dismal data.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb