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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 16, 2014

Worry, mystification in China over Scotland independence vote

As Scotland heads to the polls Thursday to vote on whether to become independent, one country with restive regions of its own is watching the debate unfold with nervousness and some mystification — China.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2014

Yemeni journalist devoted to bringing democracy, women's rights to her country

Japan is an ideal model for countries racked by conflict and poverty because of how it resurrected itself from the devastation of war and achieved peace, the first Arab woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize says.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2014

G1 Global Conference 2014 takes up sales tax question

G1 Summit, led by Globis Management School Dean Yoshito Hori, hosted the G1 Global Conference 2014, in which politicians, business executives and scholars held panel discussions in English, in Tokyo on Monday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 13, 2014

Low City, High City

Best known for his translations of "The Tale of Genji" and the fiction of Yasunari Kawabata, for which the author won a Nobel Prize, Edward G. Seidensticker was also an accomplished essayist and historian.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2014

Brazil's contradictory election candidate

Candidate Marina Silva has put together a set of policies and a coalition of supporters that are sometimes downright contradictory, but they may deliver her into the Brazilian presidency.
EDITORIALS
Sep 12, 2014

Raise wages, not party donations

The Japan Business Federation's decision to resume urging roughly 1,300 member companies to make political donations is aimed at rebuilding the influence of the nation's largest business lobby on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Critics of that tack say raising wages and boosting investments would work better in that regard.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 12, 2014

Asteroid-mining race starts with few laws in place

Nobody is expected to start mining asteroids this decade, but the U.S. Congress is to hold hearings on the Asteroids Act, legislation that takes a simple line: If you extract a resource from an asteroid, it's yours.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 12, 2014

Scotland can expect a huge hangover after vote

There will be a lot of hurt heads, a lot of tears and, without a doubt, an immense amount of anger that will last who knows how long if Alex Salmond's dream of an independent Scotland comes true. The referendum campaign has been thrilling but utterly divisive.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 12, 2014

Crucial lessons of 9/11 go unlearned

When one returns to America this week after spending some time overseas, one may question his own sanity, struck by the perception that the U.S. government seems bent on an almost suicidal road to war.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2014

Japanese youths becoming less engaged with U.S., observers warn

The U.S.-Japan relationship remains extremely close due to shared interests and common strategic concerns. But issues ranging from trade negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership to a perception on the U.S. side that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is too focused on the past, have created immediate political...
BUSINESS / Economy / 'SUMMER DAVOS' SPECIAL 2014
Sep 10, 2014

Transforming the corporate mindset

Yoshiaki Fujimori, president and CEO of Lixil Group Corp., believes a true leader must carry out two main tasks: implement innovative changes and educate the next generation.
BUSINESS / Economy / 'SUMMER DAVOS' SPECIAL 2014
Sep 10, 2014

Young global leaders focus energy and knowledge on better future for all

The Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGLs), created in 2004, is a unique community formed by the most exceptional leaders from every region of the world and every stakeholder in society. These honorees have committed their energy and knowledge to the most critical issues facing humankind. Already successful...
EDITORIALS
Sep 10, 2014

NATO's 'call to arms'

NATO's declaration of resolve to defend member states against aggression from the east must be followed by effective action
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 9, 2014

New Thai PM uses holy water, feng shui to ward off occult

As he prepares to move in to Bangkok's Government House this week, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is going to great lengths to sweep away any occult challenge.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 8, 2014

Sadayuki Sakakibara confirms Keidanren will return to recommending political donations

The nation's biggest business lobby is set to resume recommending for the first time in five years that its member companies make political donations, in an effort to strengthen ties with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration to gain a bigger say in policy.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2014

New sanctions on Iran to hurt peace prospects

New U.S. sanctions recently announced against Iran are aimed at making life difficult for Mahan Air and other entities. But the limitations are unlikely to move Iran to freeze its nuclear program and will instead damage prospects for peace.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2014

Stupid advice for women worried about rape

Anyone who doubts that politically correct online activitists are out to lunch need only read up on their reaction to a nail polish that allows women to discreetly discover whether their drink has been spiked by one of several common 'date rape' drugs.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 6, 2014

Trio of NPB teams hit it big with midseason acquisitions

The Seibu Lions were fielding a toothless lineup early in the NPB season while Ernesto Mejia was up to his usual hard-hitting trick on the other side of the world with the Gwinnett Braves, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
EDITORIALS
Sep 6, 2014

Social media damps debate

A new American study finds that regular users of social media sites are among the least likely to share opinions or start a political debate, either online or in person.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2014

Beijing's Humpty Dumpty mindset damages Hong Kong

Hong Kong people may soon be able to choose their chief executive, but they will not have a real democratic choice in who can be a candidate for office.
EDITORIALS
Sep 4, 2014

Keep a close eye on new Cabinet

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reshuffled executive posts of the Liberal Democratic Party and his Cabinet apparently with the aim of setting up his re-election as the Liberal Democratic Party's president in autumn 2015.
EDITORIALS
Sep 2, 2014

Put fiscal health ahead of politics

Ballooning budget requests by ministries for fiscal 2015 total more than ¥100 trillion for the first time, raising serious doubts about the Abe administration's commitment to fiscal discipline.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 2, 2014

Baltic states fear 'hybrid warfare' from former Russian masters

Nervously eyeing Russian naval maneuvers and military flights near their borders, the three ex-Soviet Baltic states fear they may emerge as the next geopolitical flash point after Ukraine in a confrontation that could test their cherished Western ties.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 1, 2014

Putting an end to the Japan-Korea history wars

As another war of words heats up, Japanese and South Korean leaders need to step back, recognize where the real interests of their people lie, and stop obsessing about the past.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 1, 2014

Zuma summons Lesotho leaders for emergency talks after army attempts coup

Lesotho's political leaders were summoned by South African President Jacob Zuma for emergency talks after the military in the landlocked kingdom carried out an attempted coup.
JAPAN / INTERPRETATION & TRANSLATION
Aug 31, 2014

Connecting two cities beyond interpretation

Interpreters and translators facilitate communication and understanding between people who speak different languages, which sometimes is instrumental in bridging two distant cities.

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