Search - 2015

 
 
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2017

Most Americans are a little too relaxed about nukes

A new survey has revealed that Americans are surprisingly willing to make a first nuclear strike — and kill millions of civilians abroad.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 5, 2017

A somber prelude to riots of color

Koji Kinutani's entire career — from his student work to his metaphysical portraiture, which inaugurated a manga trend in contemporary art; his Styrofoam sculptures; the "Goddess of the Silvery Peak" (the basis for the official 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games poster); and his sometimes frightening...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 5, 2017

Drive-thru funeral service will let Japanese bid an easy and fast last farewell

In a first for Japan, a funeral home operator in Nagano Prefecture will be offering a drive-thru service allowing the bereaved to give their final farewells without having to get out of their car.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 5, 2017

EU eyes tougher action against Poland over democracy concerns after Merkel joins fray

Germany's entry alongside France into a battle between the European Commission and Poland over the rule of law increases the likelihood of unprecedented EU action to punish Warsaw.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 5, 2017

Arson blamed for Kenya girls school inferno deadly to nine, seen as part of a trend

Kenya's education minister said on Monday that arson was to blame for a weekend blaze that killed nine pupils at a girls' boarding school, part of a rising trend of deliberate school fires.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Sep 4, 2017

Sarfate has pitched way into MVP discussion

The bow has become one of the most familiar sights in Japanese baseball. Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks closer Dennis Sarfate records the final out of a game, brings his right hand up to meet his gloved left hand in front of his chest, and leans forward. When you see it, Sarfate has either converted a save or...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 4, 2017

Merkel seen surviving challenger's onslaught to win TV debate ahead of elections

Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared to hold her ground in a television debate ahead of German elections, under attack from her Social Democrat (SPD) rival on refugee policy, ties with Turkey and her handling of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Sep 3, 2017

Line CEO Takeshi Idezawa hears voices guiding smartphones evolution

Since its messaging app debuted in June 2011, Line Corp. has shaken up the online communications landscape in Japan and morphed into a player in smartphone communications infrastructure.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 3, 2017

Brave Thunders looking to take final step to silverware

A pair of runner-up finishes isn't a bad accomplishment for most teams.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Sep 3, 2017

The hot topic of high-rise fire prevention

The fire that killed at least 80 people in London's Grenfell Tower in June, as well as similar apartment building blazes that recently occured in Dubai and Hawaii, has brought the world's attention to the issue of safety in high-rise residences.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Sep 3, 2017

How Japan got new contract law it neither wants nor needs

One possible explanation for the inexplicable change in contract law: It is a giant experiment driven by academic hubris and bureaucratic ambition.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Sep 3, 2017

Some schools in Japan get air conditioning while others are left to nature's whim

Government data shows air conditioning is becoming standard in most Japanese public schools, but a handful of cities and prefectures are resisting the trend for questionable reasons.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 3, 2017

Tight market and new labor law improving job security for Japan's army of contract workers

Japan's labor market is getting so tight that companies are starting to convert contract and part-time workers into full-time, regular employees to prevent them from leaving — a move that could lift wages and spending but squeeze profits.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 2, 2017

Battling nuclear demons: Mental health issues haunt those who were the first line of defense after 3/11

Ryuta Idogawa traces the onset of his battle with mental illness to a moment not long after his parents had been relocated to Saitama from their hometown of Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, in the spring of 2011.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 2, 2017

No one else wants Okinawa's U.S. bases

On Aug. 15, the 72nd anniversary of the Japanese surrender, there was a symposium in Tokyo about changing the Constitution. One of the panelists, documentarian Tatsuya Mori, pointed out that earlier that day Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had given remarks at an annual memorial event, and at no point did...
EDITORIALS
Sep 2, 2017

Changing the Juvenile Law

The government should think very carefully before lowering the age that minors receive protection from prosecution for minor crimes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 1, 2017

U.S. consumer go Rogue as compact SUVs eclipses family sedans in sales rankings

Toyota Motor Corp.'s U.S. sales chief predicted in late 2015 that the RAV4 would outsell the Camry within five years. It won't take nearly that long.

Longform

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