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COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2016

The lunar year that was — from bad to good

Entrenched economic interests and a 'little bric' of bureaucracy, regulation, interventionism and corruption continue to impede the structural changes needed to attract more foreign direct investment and drive long-term job creation in Asia.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 2, 2016

Japan's trading houses face $13 billion hit on commodities misfire

A handful of companies that have dominated almost every kind of raw material business in Japan for decades may take as much as $13 billion in charges during the current fiscal year.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2016

In search of growth strategies

Restoring growth to the global economy will require the removal of obstacles to investment, efforts to fix dysfunctional labor markets and measures to counteract rising inequality.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2016

Mustafa Koc, Turkey's beloved businessman

Turkish magnate Mustafa Koc was able to walk a fine line with a government that too often sees its secularist opponents as terrorists.
BUSINESS / AEC SPECIAL
Jan 29, 2016

Increasing competitiveness, fostering human resources

Since its foundation in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has made extraordinary progress. It has been transformed into an increasingly well-regulated, dynamic and the world's fastest-developing economic region. Its member states grew from six to 10 and today include Brunei Darussalam,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 27, 2016

'The Actor' gets inside the mind of a struggling Japanese actor

How do Japanese actors do it? I don't mean the stars of mainstream films — those "multi-talents" that are busy 24/7 with TV, stage and advertising gigs — I'm talking about the legions of supporting actors who may have only a single scene or line in a film, or play a body floating in a river. How...
BUSINESS
Jan 27, 2016

Bank of Kyoto snubs Abe's plea to cut cross-shareholdings

As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urges Japanese banks to reduce their stakes in client companies, at least one lender is not playing ball.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 25, 2016

Changes in store for TOEIC, but test still not total gauge of fluency: experts

In Japan, having high English proficiency can be a strong advantage for students wishing to get into prestigious universities and companies and for businesspeople seeking a promotion.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 23, 2016

SMAP dodges bullet; Becky isn't so lucky

When media leaked intelligence on Jan. 10 that eternal boy band SMAP might be dissolving, the outpouring of fan emotion overwhelmed anything else that was happening in the show business world. One person who was probably grateful for the distraction was Rebecca Eri Ray Vaughan, the TV personality better...
EDITORIALS
Jan 20, 2016

Fatal bus crash raises alarm bells

The Karuizawa bus crash should prompt the industry and authorities to reconsider whether current safety regulations are adequate and being properly followed.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 20, 2016

Founder wants to retake helm of Cookpad, overhaul management

Cookpad, Japan's most popular recipe-sharing website, has been apparently rocked by internal strife, with its founder proposing a reshuffle of board members due to differences in management policy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 15, 2016

China's richest man eyes global film empire with purchase of Hollywood blockbuster studio

Flanked by models in white sequin dresses amid booming music and dazzling lights, China's richest man savored his latest entertainment triumph this week: the announcement of a $3.5 billion deal to take over a Hollywood blockbuster movie studio.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2016

Pacific dreaming in Moscow

Russia's government announces yet another set of impotent plans to develop its long-neglected Pacific region.
WORLD
Jan 6, 2016

Obama's move to control gun sales turns on a murky definition of who is a dealer

What makes a gun dealer?
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2016

Mitsubishi UFJ plans division to pursue fintech endeavors

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. has set up a unit to research and develop new financial technologies, the first of its kind for a major Japanese bank, people with knowledge of the matter said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 5, 2016

Detroit-Silicon Valley crossover: GM antes up $500 million to forge self-driving car partnership with Lyft

General Motors Inc. and Lyft Inc. on Monday set out plans to develop an on-demand network of self-driving cars as the U.S. No. 1 automaker announced it would put $500 million into the ride-sharing service's latest $1 billion fundraising round.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 4, 2016

From Airbnb to LGBT, 'hit products' capture the zeitgeist of 2015

A look at the products, services and other economic activities that stood out during the previous 12 months, according to the Nikkei Marketing Journal.
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2016

Ministry steps up labor crackdown on 'overworked, underpaid' university students

The welfare ministry is ramping up its fight against black 'baito,' or exploitative part-time jobs, amid claims more firms are underpaying and overworking university students to cut costs.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Dec 29, 2015

Tech giants spot opportunity in forecasting China's smog

Air pollution in China could be big business.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Dec 20, 2015

Celebrating success with catfish and cupcakes

A look at two power couples of African descent who have focused their skills, talents and wherewithal on introducing tastes of the West to Eastern palates.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 19, 2015

Growing old, gracefully: senior citizens in the workplace

For Eiji and Kumiko Ishikawa, the working day starts as early as 5 a.m. Having loaded the requisite equipment into their van, they set off for their first job of the day, a 14-story high-rise in western Tokyo.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
Dec 19, 2015

Shearman details life behind sporting lens

Mark Shearman has achieved extraordinary success as a sports photographer, specializing in track and field. He has a remarkable portfolio — containing images of Olympic legends such as Edwin Moses and Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt and Sebastian Coe — that few can ever hope of compiling. But, he admits without...
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Dec 19, 2015

Curtain finally falls on the 'Toru Hashimoto Show'

"Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

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