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Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 14, 2017

Akie Abe's connection with Moritomo Gakuen scandal puts role of Japan's first lady under spotlight

Is the wife of a prime minister a public official who should be subject to legislative rules and bureaucratic regulations on her activities, or a private citizen who shouldn't be held accountable over the political impact of her activities?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Mar 11, 2017

Abe's revisionism nets own goals at home and away

What links Osaka, Seoul, Busan and Glendale, California? Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's championing of revisionist history.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 5, 2017

Rule change could see Abe become nation's longest-serving leader

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party rubber-stamps an internal rule change to extend the maximum tenure of its president from the current six years to nine.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Mar 5, 2017

Entrepreneur taps theatrical skills to coach Japanese leaders in the art of the speech

From John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in 1961 to Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" speech in 2008, history has been colored by powerful rhetoric that is never forgotten.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 4, 2017

No free ride for U.S. auto manufacturers

Anyone who was around in the 1980s will remember the turmoil caused by the U.S.-Japan trade imbalance, especially in the automotive field. In order to maintain their growing position in the American market, Japanese car manufacturers knew they would have to move some of their operations to the United...
EDITORIALS
Feb 21, 2017

Uncertainty rattles French politics

There is fear that the French presidential ballot will produce the same upheavals as did the presidential campaign in the United States.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2017

Trump highlights downside of 'Goldwater rule'

The American people and the world deserve to know the psychological profile of the U.S. president.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 15, 2017

Kremlin denies meddling in French election, targeting top candidate Macron with 'fake news'

The Kremlin denied on Tuesday that it was behind media and internet attacks on the campaign of French presidential front-runner Emmanuel Macron though his camp renewed the charges against Russian media and a hackers' group operating in Ukraine.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2017

First ladies Akie and Melania show independent streaks but are likely poles apart

When Japanese first lady Akie Abe made her rounds in Washington on Friday, noticeably absent was the high-level chaperone of previous visits — America's first lady.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 10, 2017

Appeals court tells Trump it won't back down

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upholding a nationwide freeze on Donald Trump's immigration executive order is a powerful rebuff to the administration — and to the president personally.
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Feb 7, 2017

Nitaya, Isobe shine for Japan at Winter Universiade

It is always nice to see a skater who has given it their all, but never quite been able to break into the elite ranks, enjoy success on a big stage.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 6, 2017

France's Fillon under pressure to quit presidential bid as fake work row rages

France faces a week of political uncertainty with Francois Fillon, the right wing presidential candidate, under mounting pressure to quit the race because of a fake-jobs-for-the-family scandal and divisions over whether, and how, to replace him.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2017

Abe faces opposition questions on U.S. alliance, conspiracy bill

Abe expresses eagerness to arrange a summit talk with Trump “as soon as possible,” vowing to further strengthen ties.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2017

Abdication panel issues interim report noting problems with permanent revision to Imperial House Law

The paper details the pros and cons of allowing an emperor to abdicate, focusing on a possible permanent revision to the law.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 16, 2017

Why Trump is succeeding where Powell failed

The experience of British nativist firebrand Enoch Powell in the late 1960s and early 1970s can help shed light on Donald Trump's political success.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / OKINAWA BEAT
Jan 13, 2017

Okinawa prepares for new effort to block Henoko base by rallying local opposition

Okinawa Prefecture is scrambling to plot its next move in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling siding with the central government's effort to relocate the operations of a U.S. military base within the prefecture despite fierce local opposition.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2017

Israel throws a U.N. tantrum

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had only himself to blame for the U.S. decision to not veto a U.N. resolution criticising Israel's settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 1, 2017

Abe has no reason to rock the boat by calling early-2017 snap election

After weeks of speculation that 2017 may start with a snap election in late January, the prime minister said on NHK that it will not happen.
Japan Times
JAPAN / JAPANESE IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Dec 19, 2016

Critical thinking essential in global environment

What is the key to developing flexibility in thinking — a crucial ability to live and work in the era of globalization? A recent classroom visit may have revealed a possibility for the future of universities in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 14, 2016

Outgoing chairman credited for Mitsubishi Fuso turnaround

On arrival at Narita airport in 2009, the incoming chief executive of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp., Albert Kirchmann, asked his assistant there to pick him up, "Tell me, what are 'my people' expecting?" Hesitantly, the assistant replied, "They are expecting you to defend Fuso by standing up for...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2016

Italy's was just the latest stupid referendum

Like David Cameron's Brexit fiasco, this didn't have to happen.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2016

Why Trump might be good president

Expectations of Trump are so low in the minds of many Americans that small acts of civility and moderation will seem like remarkable achievements.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 12, 2016

Trump assails U.S. protesters, then praises their 'passion' hours later

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump denounced Americans who protested against his election, but praised them hours later Friday, underscoring contradictions that have raised questions about his leadership style.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 7, 2016

From Operation Tomodachi to Hiroshima visit, exiting Obama viewed favorably in Japan

On Tuesday, the whole world will be watching as Americans choose their next president.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Nov 6, 2016

On the trail of team Trump in Tokyo

A reporter stalks that elusive breed of American in Japan: the Trump supporter.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 3, 2016

Poll still puts Clinton 6 points ahead of Trump; FBI innuendo irks Obama

Hillary Clinton led Republican Donald Trump by 6 percentage points among likely voters, according to a Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll released on Wednesday, the same advantage the Democratic presidential nominee held before an FBI announcement that reignited the controversy about her email practices....
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Nov 1, 2016

Slow start to season nothing new for Hanyu

Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu has made a habit of starting slowly during the Grand Prix season in recent years.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 29, 2016

Could nuclear advocacy be Abe's undoing?

Voters have elected anti-nuclear governors in Kagoshima and Niigata prefectures in recent months. These elections can be considered referenda on nuclear power because that issue was the main focus of debate in both campaigns. The results have put Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — and his plans to rev up...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 19, 2016

Obama tells Trump to 'stop whining' as Donald doubles down on rigged poll claims

President Barack Obama lacerated Donald Trump on Tuesday over his repeated assertions that the Nov. 8 election is rigged against him, telling the Republican presidential candidate to "stop whining and go try to make his case to get votes."
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 18, 2016

Trump sharpens 'rigged' election allegations disputed by Republican lawyers

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday cited studies he said showed rampant voter fraud, saying the Nov. 8 election was "rigged" against him even as Republican lawyers called his allegations unfounded.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes