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Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Feb 16, 2014

Local startup SoftBank on course to become global player

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's 2010 speech about his new 30-year plan has proven to be more than a grandiose spiel as it barges into the global telecommunications market.
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Feb 16, 2014

Son's rags-to-riches career impresses by the numbers

Although alive and well, Masayoshi Son has already attained legendary status in Japan for rising from his poverty-stricken childhood to become the chief SoftBank.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Feb 16, 2014

An endangered liberal voice

What has become of the Liberal Democratic Party's 'liberalism' since the Abe administration took the nation's helm? A lone survivor of that tradition weighs in on the future of 'Abenomics' and Japan itself.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Feb 16, 2014

Prepping for university straight from the crib

Aiko has just finished bouncing like a rabbit toward a white line. She has already identified photographs of fruit and will soon be told a story about a panda, after which she'll have to draw a picture and offer an ending. How she does with these activities could determine where she attends university,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 16, 2014

All's fair when it comes to NHK's fare

In a country where TV fare typically involves panels of posturing personalities oohing and aahing over each other's exploits, Japan's two national NHK channels are a welcome beacon of quality programming.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Feb 16, 2014

Nante kanshin-na ojōsan-nano!

Today we will introduce the usage of the two nouns that are homonyms but are written with different kanji, u304bu3093u3057u3093uff08u611fu5fc3uff09and u304bu3093u3057u3093uff08u95a2u5fc3uff09, and their related expressions.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2014

Wrong debate on economic inequality in U.S.

The theory that growing inequality in the 2000s caused many low- and middle-income Americans to over-borrow so that they could keep up with wealthier Americans doesn't hold up. The right debate is on why lenders relaxed credit standards.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / ICE TIME
Feb 16, 2014

Canada's Chan dignified in defeat

Canada's Patrick Chan held a press conference on Saturday, the day after settling for the silver medal behind Yuzuru Hanyu.
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Feb 16, 2014

Lack of bids threatens to keep Fukushima evacuees in temporary lodgings

Plans to build new public apartments for the nuclear refugees in Fukushima Prefecture are stalling because the prefectural government is struggling to attract bids from contractors.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 15, 2014

A tale of two Abes: PM's rosy view jars with life of toil seen in poison case

Did the frozen-food poisoner have some obscure notion of 'justice' in mind? Might it have been his way of saying to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 'Japan is not back; Japan won't be back until working for a living does not entail the sacrifice of all human dignity
CULTURE / Books
Feb 15, 2014

I Hear Them Cry

In her debut novel, "I Hear Them Cry," award-winning author Shiho Kishimoto explores how the pattern of violent behavior can be inherited from parent to child and how love and violence are often connected.
EDITORIALS
Feb 15, 2014

More foreigners working in Japan

Whether it's the willingness at more workplaces to accept diversity or the nationwide worker shortage, especially in the construction industry, more foreigners are working in Japan than ever before.
Reader Mail
Feb 15, 2014

In defense of our 'ocean elders'

Regarding the Feb. 2 editorial "Defend dolphins, not a 'tradition": Japanese society must join with the rest of the world in ending the exploitation and mistreatment of cetacean mammals — dolphins and whales. We now know they are advanced in intelligence, awareness and social organization. We should...
OLYMPICS
Feb 15, 2014

Hanyu wins Japan's first gold medal of the Sochi Olympics

Yuzuru Hanyu becomes first Japanese man to capture the Olympic gold in figure skating.
EDITORIALS
Feb 14, 2014

A bridge across the Taiwan Strait

For the first time since the end of China's civil war in 1949, official representatives from Beijing and Taipei sat down at the same table to discuss a shared future.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 14, 2014

Is it better to win Olympic bronze than silver?

Research suggests that in the Olympics, those who finish third are likely to be a lot happier than those who finish second. There are broader implications as far as our emotional reactions to other events are concerned.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 14, 2014

Asia's democratic dramas

Socially and economically, Asia now stands roughly where Europe was at the start of the 20th century. One can only hope that its democratic journey will be shorter and less violent.
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Feb 13, 2014

Perpetual problems plague Japan Basketball Association

Intermittent hullabaloo by the Japan Basketball Association's big wigs about "big plans" for the future of men's basketball generally produces one thing: a collective yawn by those who analyze such things.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBL NOTEBOOK
Feb 13, 2014

Change of scenery helps Wakayama's Kawamura grow into all-around standout

Takuya Kawamura has been known as one of the best Japanese offensive machines in the last several years, winning multiple scoring titles in the Japan Basketball League, the predecessor of the NBL.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 13, 2014

Nago mayor remains defiant over Futenma plan

Susumu Inamine, mayor of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, vowed Thursday to use every weapon in his arsenal to block the central government's efforts to construct a replacement base in his city for the U.S. Futenma airfield.
EDITORIALS
Feb 13, 2014

Transparent interrogations

It is time to refute, once and for all, the objections of police and prosecution officials and move forward to the day when the entire interrogation process for criminal susepcts, in principle, is recorded electronically.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2014

Does Fed chief have a sense of duty to global economy?

Emerging markets wait to see whether new U.S. Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen has any inkling of the international pain that American policies are causing to the global economy.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Feb 13, 2014

Japan gets in the mood for love this Valentine's Day

Love is all around at this time of year, but on Valentine's Day in Japan it isn't so evenly distributed. The festival of romance has long suffered from a gender imbalance here: Feb. 14 is traditionally a day for women to give presents to men — not just their partners, but also often fellow students,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 13, 2014

'Iya Monogatari: Oku no Hito (The Tale of Iya)'

Cycling in the mountains near Tokyo, I often have two thoughts: First, I feel sorry for big-city denizens missing all the natural beauty so near. Second, I wonder how the locals can wrest a living from their tiny fields and orchards, perched precariously on the slopes.

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