Search - article

 
 
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Nov 17, 2014

Maglev faces cost, engineering hurdles

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on Oct. 17 approved Central Japan Railway Co.'s plan to construct the Linear Chuo Shinkansen Line.
EDITORIALS
Nov 16, 2014

Questionable ODA policy shift

The Abe administration plans to introduce new ODA guidelines that will pave the way for aid to armed forces of other nations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Nov 16, 2014

Minamisoma to get top-flight robotics R&D center

A Tokyo machinery maker will launch a cutting-edge research and development center for robots in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, in April to support the recovery of the disaster-hit prefecture.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 15, 2014

Shrinking well: Is depopulation affecting Japan's energy, climate goals?

Keishi looks a lot like it did when Toshiko Nakamura first moved there four decades ago. The quiet farming community in Nagano Prefecture is a patchwork of verdant rice fields, lush kitchen gardens and picturesque post-and-beam houses nestled between pine and chestnut trees on the slopes of Mount Hijiri....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 15, 2014

Tokyo continues to pull people in, which pulls the rest of Japan down

Earlier this month, the government pledged for the zillionth time to "revive" Japan's "regions." Local governments are in danger of vanishing in coming decades due to depopulation, and former Liberal Democratic Party No. 2 Shigeru Ishiba was put in charge of the regional revitalization ministry, which,...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Nov 14, 2014

Why Abe will likely opt to call a snap Lower House election

Successive resignations of two female Cabinet members dealt a blow to the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But should the opposition camp be credited for its attack that forced them to step down or did the administration manage to minimize the impact by counteracting quickly?
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 14, 2014

Honminoshi traditional paper-making flows from long dedication, and UNESCO takes notice

UNESCO recently announced that Honminoshi, a traditional Japanese paper-making craft, is being considered for the organization's list of intangible cultural heritage.
Reader Mail
Nov 12, 2014

Minister's idea of free expression

With regard to Tomohiro Osaki's Nov. 6 article titled "New justice minister against outlawing hate speech," I'd like to add my two-pence worth. First, I wonder what Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa means by "freedom of expression." It seems that many politicians in Japan believe that freedom of expression...
Reader Mail
Nov 12, 2014

No complaints from the natives

Regarding professor Jiro Yamaguchi's Oct. 20 article, "Perilous spirit of the times": I entirely agree with his observation that "It is pathetic that we have to quote the foreign media to criticize what's going on in this country."
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2014

Kuroda ally warns Abe against delaying consumption tax increase

An adviser to the Bank of Japan and longtime colleague of Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda is warning that a delay by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to raise the consumption tax would have profound implications for monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 11, 2014

Takata coverage suspended by SMBC Nikko, citing air bag crisis

Takata Corp. was suspended from coverage by a securities firm that said the lawsuits and recalls the air bag maker faces in the U.S. cloud its earnings outlook.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2014

Righteous sectarian hatred returns to India

With Indian state elections approaching, parts of Delhi are again awash with manufactured hate amid a resurgence of communal violence elsewhere in the country.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Nov 10, 2014

Aso designated as global geopark

The caldera of active volcano Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan was added to a list of global geoparks on Sept. 23, according to the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network.
Reader Mail
Nov 8, 2014

Transparency trumps DIY rules

In his Oct. 25 article, "Western media distorts Japan," Gregory Clark tries to justify the reprehensible behavior of certain executives of Olympus.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 7, 2014

First locally produced wine from Aichi set to hit market

When Daisuke and Azusa Suzaki begin to sell this season's wine later this month they will be putting Aichi Prefecture on the winery map.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Nov 5, 2014

Let's ensure no happy returns to Japan for this vile 'dating coach'

After bragging on a YouTube video about degrading assaults on women in Tokyo, Blanc says he's coming back.
Reader Mail
Nov 5, 2014

Japan's own form of terrorism

Regarding the Oct. 31 Kyodo article "University may cave into sex slave threats": One reads with incredulity the reports that the president of Hokusei Gakuen University in Hokkaido is considering not renewing a contract by a professor who wrote articles concerning forced prostitution in World War II....
COMMENTARY
Nov 3, 2014

Avoiding Western networks

All five BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — have vested interests in developing long-term alternative financial institutions for parking their money and moving it internationally, independent of the West's bullying instincts and addiction to sanctions.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Nov 3, 2014

Malala, Satyarthi win Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded Oct. 10 to 17-year-old Pakistani Malala Yousafzai, who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban, and to India's Kailash Satyarthi for their efforts in championing children's rights.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 3, 2014

China successfully develops laser system to defend against drones, Xinhua reports

China has successfully tested a self-developed laser defense system against small-scale low-altitude drones, according to state media.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Nov 2, 2014

Children of Japanese 'war brides' tell tales of racism, hardship and perseverance

The sons and daughters of American servicemen and their Japanese wives recall the tales their parents told them about adjusting to life in the U.S. in the postwar years.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 1, 2014

Debating the merits of lifetime employment

Some years ago I worked for a language-teaching service that offered in-house classes for companies. One client was a major electronics manufacturer, and many of the students were trained engineers assigned to the sales division.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 31, 2014

U.S. regulator orders Takata to release documents on its troubled air bags, testify under oath

U.S. auto safety regulators on Thursday ordered Japanese supplier Takata Corp. to provide documents and answer questions under oath related to the government's ongoing probe of potentially defective Takata air bags in millions of U.S. vehicles.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 31, 2014

Does right-wing extremism threaten Japan's democracy?

Japan's image abroad is suffering as a result of the apparently growing influence of right-wing extremists in the government. It is in Japan's national interest to discourage revisionists from propagating historical lies that might threaten the democratic processes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 31, 2014

Teen cancer patient asks Aichi governor to arrange schooling in hospital

A 17-year-old boy being treated for kidney cancer has appealed to the governor of Aichi Prefecture to set up a high school education program in his hospital.
Reader Mail
Oct 29, 2014

Keep out the military jargon

The Oct. 11 article by William Pfaff, "The war against Islamic State," contains a reference to "asymmetric wars." Can Pfaff please tell us what this means? I am sure I am not the only one who is baffled by this arcane term, which was no doubt the intention of the Pentagon when they dreamed up this piece...
Reader Mail
Oct 29, 2014

Turnoff for foreign academics

Regarding Takamitsu Sawa's Oct. 22 article, "The battle to boost universities": Japan might be fighting a losing battle in its efforts to attract highly qualified foreign academics to teach and do research here, as one of the first major obstacles would be the language barrier.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Oct 28, 2014

Organizational flaws, collusive ties taking a toll on the WHO

Critics of the World Health Organization say its inability to fight Ebola thus far can be traced not only to its own organizational problems but also to its 'collusive relations' with the pharmaceutical industry.
EDITORIALS
Oct 27, 2014

The rule of law in China

The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party pledged last week to 'comprehensively advance the rule of law.' But can the rule of law really take root as long as a party central panel remains in overall control of initiating corruption probes against high-ranking officials?

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