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Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 16, 2015

Who benefits from the new overtime pay system?

On Feb. 13, a Labor Policy Council sub-committee submitted to the labor ministry a report with suggestions for a bill to revise the labor standards law. The revision, which the ministry plans to submit to the next regular Diet session, applies to the work of skilled white collar professionals and will allow them to 'work in a manner that demonstrates their achievements' more effectively, which is another way of saying that employers will no longer be required to pay these workers overtime for extra hours on the job, which in turn means that employers cannot be accused of pressuring them to work overtime for no pay, a system popularly known as saabisu zangyo, or 'free overtime.'
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2015

Time to rein in greedy airlines

Hundreds of millions of airline passengers are facing unnecessary turbulence as airlines squeeze as much money as possible from them, and governments look away rather than see that passengers get a fair deal.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Feb 16, 2015

Readers split over issue of U.S. military presence in Okinawa

Some emails and online comments in response to the claim by a U.S. military official that Okinawan protesters have faked their injuries.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 15, 2015

Sony still faces tough hurdles despite CFO's successes

Despite Kenichiro Yoshida's successes as Sony CFO, the company is still facing tough hurdles.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 15, 2015

Growth-stunting technology

Though information and communications technology has made remarkable strides since 1991, it appears to have stunted Japan's economic growth rate.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 15, 2015

'Nut rage' prompts South Korea to consider law against 'high-handed' conduct

Resentment has mounted so much in South Korea against what has come to be known as "gabjil," high-handedness by the rich and powerful, that parliamentarians are proposing legislation to punish some of the worst abuses.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 14, 2015

Japan's public diplomacy is expensive and errant

Global understanding does not come cheaply. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has budgeted ¥70 billion — yes, that's more than $500 million — to help get the word out about Japan and ensure that China and South Korea aren't the only ones controlling the narrative.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2015

Presidential politics: all personality, no platform

Hillary Clinton may have everything she needs to run for U.S. president in 2016: money, name recognition, staff, organization — everything except ideas at the moment.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2015

Can Malaysian democracy thrive without Anwar?

If the Malaysian opposition party People's Alliance does not hold together without Anwar Ibrahim — who is back in jail again — all chance of ending the National Front's seemingly perpetual rule will be lost.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2015

Global economy's Chinese headwinds

Last year, interest rates were supposed to start rising in the U.S. and U.K. and quantitative easing would deliver increased inflation in Japan. Twelve months later, economic headwinds from China are a major reason why normality seems as distant as ever.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2015

Foreign recruits are Islamic State's cannon fodder

Aspiring jihadists looking to join the Islamic State army are often lured to the front lines with promises of changing the course of history, but at least for less-skilled foreign recruits, especially those from Central Asia, the experience of fighting for the new caliphate is oftren brief and bloody.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2015

Author Sono calls for racial segregation in op-ed piece

A prominent author and former government adviser calls for Japan to adopt a system to force immigrants to live separately from Japanese in zones based on race.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2015

Syria-bound photographer fears passport confiscation sets dangerous precedent

A freelance photographer who was prevented from going to Syria when the Foreign Ministry confiscated his passport in the wake of the Islamic State hostage crisis this month expressed concern Thursday his case will set a precedent that will undermine freedom of the press in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 11, 2015

Is Japanese cinema sinking into a self-censorship swamp?

One great thing about living in Japan is the consideration, or omoiyari, people here commonly show for others. My newspaper delivery guy climbs the 25 steps to my front door and deposits a copy of The Japan Times in my mailbox every morning, rain or shine. His colleagues in the U.S. — my home country...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2015

The U.S.-India nuclear breakthrough that wasn't

Nuclear power faces an uncertain future, with few new reactors under construction in the West. Yet India has continued to place the nuclear deal at the hub of its relationship with America.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2015

China's looming G-20 moment

Chinese President Xi Jinping certainly will not pass up the chance to ensure that the G-20 agenda serves China's interests next year.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 10, 2015

Australia sub deal puts Abe in precarious position

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott survived a leadership challenge on Monday, but his last-minute pledge to allow an open tender on the construction of new submarines poses a challenge to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who must weigh the political risks of becoming more public about his ambition to tap...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2015

Ishiba tells rural communities to compete or lose funding

The Abe administration's czar for regional regeneration believes it is a case of sink or swim: Enterprising communities will maintain their grip on state funding and flourish, and stragglers will be cut loose.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 10, 2015

Cheaper robots predicted to replace more factory workers over coming decade

The falling cost of industrial robots will allow manufacturers to use them to replace more factory workers over the next decade while lowering labor costs, according to new research.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Feb 9, 2015

Teach yourself to master the word 'sensei'

Today, we will introduce various ways of using the noun u5148u751f uff08u305bu3093u305bu3044uff09, which means teacher, as in u9234u6728uff08u3059u305au304duff09u3055u3093u306eu304au7236 uff08u3068u3046uff09u3055u3093u306fu3001u5c0fu5b66u6821uff08u3057u3087u3046u304cu3063u3053u3046uff09u306eu5148u751fuff08u305bu3093u305bu3044uff09u3067u3057u305f (Ms. Suzuki's father was a teacher at an elementary school).
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 9, 2015

Growth concerns loom for Daiichi Sankyo on drug warning

Daiichi Sankyo Co. risks losing a slice of revenue to generic-medicine competition next year. Now, the drugmaker's plans to fill the gap have hit a roadblock and investors worry that growth may flounder.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 9, 2015

Egypt sets Feb. 12 retrial date for jailed Al-Jazeera journalists

The retrial of two Al-Jazeera journalists jailed in Egypt will start on Feb. 12, the lawyer for one of the defendants said on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 6, 2015

Piketty's solution for Japan's sick economy? A fourth arrow

French economist and author Thomas Piketty has received rock-star treatment in Japan while arguing that the Bank of Japan's ultra-loose monetary policies are ginning up stocks and real estate for the wealthy.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2015

Facebook diplomacy on the Ukrainian front

Dramatic dispatches of diplomacy from a Ukrainian tank officer underscore social media's ability to keep soldiers and their commanders on Ukraine's eastern battlefield in touch with friends and families.
EDITORIALS
Feb 5, 2015

Better life for dementia sufferers

The government, which recently adopted a new strategy for measures against dementia, needs to follow through on the idea of ensuring a better quality of life for patients by heeding the wishes of sufferers and their families.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 4, 2015

Families hit as inflation outruns wage rises

Increases in the cost of living outpaced annual earnings that rose for the first time in four years in 2014 as the Abe administration sought to reflate the economy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 4, 2015

In shrinking villages, abandoned graves are a sign of generational flight

In the nation's declining provinces, it is not only the living who are neglected.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2015

Alibaba scores a hollow victory over Beijing

Alibaba's success in its confrontation with the Chinese Communist Party is not a sign that life is generally improving for private business in China,

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?