Search - article

 
 
JAPAN
May 12, 2014

'Gourmet' comic stokes Fukushima ire

The popular manga series "Oishinbo" came under fire again Monday after a character based on a real-life former mayor refers to Fukushima Prefecture in its latest issue as unlivable because of the radiation leaking from the ruined power plant there.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 11, 2014

U.S. first lady uses bully pulpit to push concerns about girls

Michelle Obama has taken the unique step of delivering her husband's weekly presidential address to express outrage at the recent kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 11, 2014

Kinō, Aria-to-iu resutoran-ni itta-n-da.

Today, we will introduce the proper use of Xu3068u3044u3046Y and Xu3068u304bu3044u3046Y. X(noun)u3068u3044u3046 Y (noun) means that Y is known as X, and is used when the speaker thinks that the listener doesn't know about X or when both the speaker and the listener don't know it very well. X is the topic word, and Y is the category of X.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
May 11, 2014

Sherpas begin boycott after disaster

Almost all Sherpa mountain guides have decided to leave Mount Everest, a guide said A pril 22, a day after Buddhist monks cremated the remains of those guides killed in the deadliest avalanche to ever hit Everest.
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2014

Bring back 40-hour week as a matter of life and death

A small but impassioned group of psychologists and business academics are making a plea for changing the daily working routine away from the ethics of the nerds and geeks of Silicon Valley and back toward the 40-hour working week.
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
May 10, 2014

Industry 4.0: Germany rethinks manufacturing

Last month, the chief executive officer of one of the country's largest manufacturers spoke in a closed-door meeting to a group of Japanese executives on his company's global strategy. Remarkably, he spend 20 percent of his time praising German companies, from traditional heavyweights such as Siemens...
JAPAN
May 9, 2014

Women's group launches bid to deny sex to men who are pro-war

A women's group campaigns against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to reinterpret the Constitution by urging women not to have sex with any man deemed pro-war.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 9, 2014

Housing bank matches empty properties, renters

Since the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, merged with six towns and villages 10 years ago, the population has grown by 3.4 percent to more than 421,000 people.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 9, 2014

Labor shortage cutting across all industries

Reliance on part-timers has left many companies struggling to fill positions.
Japan Times
WORLD / EU SPECIAL 2014
May 9, 2014

EU logos aim to ensure food quality

The European Union participated in the 39th International Food and Beverage Exhibition, known as Foodex Japan, at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, from March 4 to 7. The European contingent was there to introduce and promote a variety of high-quality European food and beverage products carrying special...
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2014

Obama stakes his priorities

While President Barack Obama's recent Asian sojourn might have not been enough to dispel apprehensions of America's commitment to the region, it did signal that Washington has no intention of ceding its strategic space.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
May 7, 2014

Japanese firms have much to lose in battles over bogus outsourcing

The biggest reason companies sign outsourcing contracts with regular workers is to avoid all the obligations employers have to regular employees according to labor law.
Reader Mail
May 7, 2014

NHK failing its public mission

Regarding the May 3 article "Viewers target NHK chief Momii": This charade has been going on too long for the good of the nation. If NHK Chairman Katsuto Momii is reluctant to resign to resolve the problem that he created in the first place, and continues to cling to his benefactor — currently the...
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2014

West unable to concede Russia's point on Ukraine

It's hard to understand the rationale for Western, and Japanese, sanctions against Russia over Ukraine when a federal system that allows both sides reasonable autonomy under a central government is clearly the best answer.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
May 4, 2014

Chickens culled to halt bird flu

Racing to contain an avian flu outbreak, about 400 workers culled 112,000 birds at two Kumamoto chicken farms from Sunday night through Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2014

Pacific partners should push back against TPP until U.S. shows respect for financial reforms

Despite President Barack Obama's charm offensive in the region, Pacific nations should beware of the U.S. government's position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership until American negotiators show more respect for the regulation of financial services.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 4, 2014

Don't count on bubbles, wage hikes for more Asian growth

Japanese companies should realize the potential danger in relying on the continued expansion of Asian consumer spending, as it appears the region is headed for a period of economic stagnation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 3, 2014

Japan inked: Should the country reclaim its tattoo culture?

Tattooing is the most misunderstood form of art in contemporary Japan.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 3, 2014

Obama's pivot to Asia: Rebalance and reassure

Summits are all about symbolism and optics and on that score U.S. President Barack Obama's swing through Asia was a qualified success. Another few nails were hammered into the coffin of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with officials now edging toward a face saving TPP-Lite, but Americans paid little...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 2, 2014

Matsusaka, Hida cows now shine in shoe biz

Leather shoes made out of high-quality hides from such cows as Hida and Matsusaka are becoming increasingly popular in Japan.
Reader Mail
Apr 30, 2014

Growing more women scientists

The April 16 AFP-JIJI article "Japan's scientists: just 14% female" must be frustrating for the Japanese government, but nowhere near as frustrating as it is for the women trying to mark their way in a field traditionally dominated by men.
Reader Mail
Apr 30, 2014

Much ado about 'fluid prejudice'

Regarding the April 28 Reuters article "China releases trove of Japanese sex slave records": It's wonderful to learn that China has released a "trove" of confidential Japanese records on sex slaves, but why weren't these records released decades ago?
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Apr 27, 2014

Japan whaling future in doubt

The future of whaling in Japan was thrown into doubt after the International Court of Justice ruled March 31 that the nation's annual hunt in the A ntarctic was not really for scientific purposes, as Tokyo had claimed, and ordered it halted.

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