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Reader Mail
Jul 23, 2015

Abe's dangerous surge to the right

Regarding the story "Lower House passes security bills amid protests" in the July 17 paper — Guess what? On the morning following the LDP's bulldozing the security bills through the Lower House, NHK spent the first 20 minutes of the morning news talking about the weather, followed immediately by sports...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 23, 2015

Drug companies study why some people are 'superhuman' and how the rest of us can benefit

Steven Pete can put his hand on a hot stove or step on a piece of glass and not feel a thing, all because of a quirk in his genes. Only a few dozen people in the world share Pete's congenital insensitivity to pain. Drug companies see riches in his rare mutation. They also have their eye on people like...
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jul 20, 2015

Softbank's Pepper sells out instantly

Softbank Corp. announced on June 20 that 1,000 units of its humanoid robot Pepper sold out in just one minute after they went on sale on its website.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 20, 2015

Centrair emerges as key freight hub for agricultural exporters

Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture has emerged as a key hub for agricultural exporters as they capitalize on local subsidies, a global washoku food boom and weakening yen.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Jul 19, 2015

Fukushima trials to explore viability of hydrogen fuel network

Fukushima and the Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute (FREA) are kicking off a renewable energy project with a view to making the prefecture a hydrogen supply center by as early as 2016.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jul 19, 2015

Visa status reforms aim to make doing business in Japan easier

The 'investor/business manager' residence status has been replaced by a new 'business manager' category, but what does the change mean?
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 18, 2015

Despite what the media says about juvenile crime, the kids are alright

In an essay he wrote for Asahi Shimbun's Internet magazine Webronza in June, professor Mikio Kawai, a specialist in "serious crime," revealed the results of a survey he conducted last March among 1,456 "older" people. He asked the respondents if they thought juvenile crime was on the increase. Sixty-two...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 18, 2015

History, hexes feature in criminal potpourri

In addition to their regular mixture of celebrity gossip and scandals mixed with practical advice for readers — such as how to quit smoking or winning pachinko techniques — the weeklies also treat their readers to snippets of Japanese history.
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Jul 18, 2015

Propagating Russian Orthodox faith in Japan

As astonishing as its vigor is the fact that Russia's eastward expansion, beginning in the 16th century, went all but unnoticed, by Japan no less than by Europe.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 17, 2015

Ten years on, Maltine sticks to its guns on free music

Tomohiro Konuta sometimes imagines an alternate world where he's not running a music label.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 17, 2015

Legal flaws in government's case on Henoko

The stage is set for a long, bitter, destabilizing battle between Okinawans and the national government over the construction of a new military facility in Henoko.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2015

Forum on corporate competitiveness

The business environment surrounding companies has changed dramatically recently. Companies are urged to deal with such changes, as doing so will allow some to recover from financial crises and others to sustain profitability and continue to be industry leaders.
Reader Mail
Jul 16, 2015

Thailand doing all it can for refugees

I deeply regret that the column "Rohingya Refugee crisis shames Southeast Asia" by Pavin Chachavalpongpun in the May 22 edition does very little to contribute to putting the issue in its proper perspective.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2015

Protesters decry passage of 'war legislation' by Lower House committee

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Wednesday morning in front of the Diet building in Tokyo in a show of measured outrage as a Lower House special committee voted on the government's defense bills.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 15, 2015

Amid angry scenes, ruling parties force security bills through Lower House committee

A special Diet committee has sign off on legislation that would expand the scope of Self-Defense Forces' missions overseas, setting the stage for a vote in the Lower House.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 14, 2015

Hamp case gave oxycodone a bad name, say doctors

The high-profile arrest of former Toyota Motor Corp. executive Julie Hamp last month over importing oxycodone might fuel prejudice in Japan against the narcotic painkillers and other strong pain-relieving drugs, experts fear.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2015

The line between the state and the public broadcaster

The editorial independence of public broadcasters is vital to the health of democracies.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jul 13, 2015

'One Piece' sets Guinness record for manga

The popular manga series 'One Piece' was officially recognized by Guinness World Records on Monday as the comic book series with the most copies published by a single author.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 13, 2015

Nagoya subway line's late-night service extension finds marginal success

In a widely publicized event last July, the Higashiyama subway line in Nagoya extended its operating hours to provide the "latest last train for subways in Japan."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 13, 2015

DPJ's Okada says Abe on slippery slope with push to enact security legislation

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be taking a big risk if he pushes through a dramatic change in security policy despite objections from most citizens, who want a better explanation for why the change is needed, a top opposition figure has said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 13, 2015

China targets rights lawyers as crackdown on activists widens

Chinese authorities have widened a crackdown on human rights groups, detaining or questioning more than 50 lawyers and activists in a sweep over the past few days, rights groups say.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 12, 2015

Cocaine smugglers turn to South Asia for new routes, markets

Police who seized Asia's largest known shipment of liquid cocaine at a Bangladeshi port late last month say it was headed for India, the latest sign that drug cartels are increasingly plying their trade in South Asia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 11, 2015

Dark humor won't shield us for much longer

'I hope," read an email from a colleague boarding an Osaka-bound shinkansen in Tokyo last week, "nobody sets himself on fire."
CULTURE / Books
Jul 11, 2015

'Cartographic Traditions in East Asian Maps' explores an uncharted region of study

East Asian mapmakers began rendering their corner of the globe centuries before they considered the wider world. "Cartographic Traditions in East Asian Maps" examines these geographical depictions made by the artisans and bureaucrats of China, Korea and Japan.
Reader Mail
Jul 10, 2015

Sushi chefs should keep their hair tidy

On the July 5 article "Female chefs are giving sushi a new lease on life," only one of these female chefs looks like someone I would want preparing my food (Yumi Chiba). Her hair is neatly and professionally tidied under her chef's cap.
Reader Mail
Jul 10, 2015

Thailand is a land of free expression

Regarding the article "Lese Majeste brings despair to Thai families" by Marion Thaibaut, an AFP-Jiji reporter based in Bangkok, in The Japan Times on May 25, I wish to clarify the following:
Reader Mail
Jul 10, 2015

Beef up pensions, not bullet-train security

Regarding the story "Bullet trains get rude wake-up call" in the July 5 edition, it was surely only a matter of time, after such a long record of years of virtually trouble-free operation, that eventually something should happen on the shinkansen.

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