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Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 5, 2012

Samurai Japan unveils preliminary roster for 2013 WBC

Two-time defending World Baseball Classic champion Japan has released its preliminary roster for the 2013 edition of the tournament, and as expected manager Koji Yamamoto will be relying on a young, domestic-based squad as he attempts to guide Samurai Japan to a third consecutive title.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 30, 2012

Expertise on climate is a terrible thing to waste

Doha, the capital of the oil state of Qatar, might be regarded as the most appropriate host for the climate change talks that have started, given that it is a living, breathing testament to the oil and gas-guzzling modern economy.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 27, 2012

Something new for China?

Political leadership transitions typically signal either a change in direction or continuity. But the mere prospect of such a transition usually postpones some important political decisions and freezes some economic activity, pending the resolution of the accompanying uncertainty.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 25, 2012

Attitude change needed to shake up the workforce

Several weeks ago the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, hung around briefly after the IMF finished up its annual meeting — which happened to be in Tokyo this year — and appeared on a special hourlong edition of NHK's in-depth news show "Closeup Gendai." The topic was working...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LIGHT GIST
Oct 30, 2012

The world according to Toru Hashimoto

Loved by his supporters for his fiery rhetoric — which often involves bashing the Tokyo-centric status quo, overpaid local bureaucrats, utility executives, teachers' unions or, indeed, anybody who disagrees with him — Hashimoto's critics charge that he's a dangerous rightwing demagogue seeking a...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 17, 2012

Lions star Nakajima keeps quiet about future

Everyone understood this was the end of the line for Hiroyuki Nakajima.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 30, 2012

Senkaku issue falls hard from the shelf

Tanaage, which means to put something on the shelf, is a term that pops up often in the coverage of the current imbroglio over the islands that Japan calls the Senkakus. There is disagreement over when China, which calls the islands Diaoyu, started insisting they were its territory, but in any case the...
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / ANALYSIS
Sep 12, 2012

Island disputes could cost Tokyo 2020 Olympics

With the vote to determine the host of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games less than one year away, Tokyo's chances of landing the global extravaganza could slip away in the wake of Japan's ongoing involvement in island disputes with South Korea, China, Russia and Taiwan.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 9, 2012

It will take more than a pop group to save Fukushima's reputation

Last March, Tatsuya Yamaguchi of the idol group Tokio told the media that he was determined to someday reopen Dash Village, the farm that he and his bandmates built from scratch as an ongoing project on their long-running Nippon TV series "The Tetsuwan Dash." The farm is in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture,...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 9, 2012

Final countdown under way for Ishii, Kokubo

Infielder Takuro Ishii of the Hiroshima Carp has announced his retirement as an active player effective at the end of the 2012 season. Ishii joins infielder Hiroki Kokubo of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks who will also hang up his spikes when his club concludes its schedule in October or November.
Japan Times
LIFE
Sep 9, 2012

Sea changes set in motion

Between 20 and 30 percent of Japan's marine fisheries production was lost in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck the Tohoku region of northeastern Honshu on March 11, 2011, followed by huge tsunamis and explosions and reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. In...
COMMENTARY
Sep 5, 2012

Nuclear edge to sea disputes

The tug of war over the South China Sea is seen mainly as a struggle among rival claimants —China, Taiwan and several Southeast Asian states — for control of valuable fisheries as well as seabed oil, natural gas and mineral resources.
COMMENTARY
Sep 3, 2012

China thrives in soft corner with two-track U.S. strategy

The U.S. strategy long has been geared against the rise of any hegemonic power in Asia and for a stable balance of power.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2012

Preference should go to real, rational women

In the Dominican Republic last month, a pregnant teenager suffering from leukemia had her chemotherapy delayed, because doctors feared that the treatment could terminate her pregnancy and therefore violate the nation's strict anti-abortion law. After consultations between doctors, lawyers, and the girl's...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2012

Output trumps energy-saving mood

In this summer of idled nuclear plants and energy shortages, corporate Japan is under duress.
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2012

Defense white paper eyes China

The 2012 white paper on defense, endorsed by the Cabinet on July 31, expressed concern over China's rapid defense buildup and muscle-flexing in the Pacific Ocean, noting that it has become common for Chinese naval vessels to enter the Pacific Ocean, and that China appears intent on improving its ability...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 2, 2012

Media at the crossroads of profits and politics

On July 24, seven key News International personnel in the United Kingdom and one contracted private investigator were charged with 19 counts of conspiracy to hack mobile phone voice mails between 2000 and 2006. At long last, the allegations will be tested in court.
EDITORIALS
Jul 29, 2012

Billionaire's tax to help the poor

In searching for new sources of funding, the United Nations this month called for a tax on billionaires to raise money for poor countries. According to the assessment in the U.N. World Economic and Social Survey, an annual tax on the world's super-rich would yield almost $400 billion a year.
BUSINESS
Jul 25, 2012

Azumi rattles intervention saber over 'one-sided' gains in the yen

Finance Minister Jun Azumi on Tuesday indicated increased concern about the yen's advance, reiterating his resolve to take action against abrupt and speculative movements in foreign exchange markets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2012

Property mogul Mori bets $202 million on China

Billionaire Akira Mori, the owner of Japan's most profitable closely held developer, said he has formed a company to invest in China and advise Japanese companies on expanding there.
Reader Mail
Jul 15, 2012

Leveling field should be in court

Regarding Sarah Fuidio's July 5 letter, "Leveling the field for women": July 4 was the 236th birthday of the United States, which relentlessly upholds its original constitution and the amendments. I take this occasion to express my great admiration for the U.S. Supreme Court for defending the constitution's...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 8, 2012

Give Kato four more years at NPB helm

A Kyodo News item came out of the blue on July 3, indicating Nippon Professional Baseball commissioner Ryozo Kato's term was to have expired June 30, and he is now in limbo, awaiting word about whether he will be extended.
EDITORIALS
Jun 29, 2012

Making what people will buy

The Noda Cabinet on June 5 endorsed a fiscal 2011 white book for promoting Japan's core manufacturing technologies. The report, jointly compiled by the trade and industry ministry, the labor and welfare ministry, and the education ministry, expresses a sense of crisis over the fact that market shares...

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