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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 21, 2016

Japan Post Bank unfazed by global stocks turmoil

The worst-ever start to a year for stock markets and oil's historic slump have not deterred Japan's postal savings bank, which is preparing to shift more of its $1.8 trillion portfolio into equities and alternative assets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / DAVOS SPECIAL 2016
Jan 20, 2016

City supports and encourages high-tech innovation

Saitama City, a major bedroom community of Tokyo, is proud of many things, including the fact that it is home to 1 percent of the country's population, a percentage that is likely to rise as the population is still increasing.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2016

Visitors to Japan surge to record 19.73 million, spend all-time high ¥3.48 trillion

A record 19.73 million people visited Japan in 2015, marking the first time in 45 years that the number of incoming travelers surpassed the outbound figure.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2016

Japan approved 85,550 MW of renewable energy projects since 2012

Japan has given the go-ahead to 85,550 megawatts of clean-energy projects since the introduction of an incentive program in July 2012, with solar comprising the vast bulk of the new capacity.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jan 19, 2016

After signing of nuclear deal, Iran moves from being pariah state to regional power

Iran's release from sanctions testifies to its new relationship with the United States as it moves from pariah state to regional power, a status that could come at the cost of Saudi Arabia, Washington's chief Arab ally.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 18, 2016

Rise of the robots, genetics to eliminate more than 5 million jobs, World Economic Forum research claims

Over 5 million jobs will be lost by 2020 as a result of developments in genetics, artificial intelligence, robotics and other technological change, according to World Economic Forum research.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 18, 2016

China's chief stock regulator expected to resign as turmoil continues to roil markets: sources

Xiao Gang, the embattled head of China's securities regulator, has offered to resign, sources said, after perceived mismanagement wiped more than $5 trillion off the value of the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets since they peaked last June.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2016

Toward a new Islamic golden age

Muslim nations must reverse their sorry state of science if they are to provide better lives for their booming populations and keep up with global development.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2016

Israel pays close attention to Putin, with good reason

Israel's interests vis-a-vis Russia run wide and deep, and are impossible for Jerusalem to ignore.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2016

Don't believe all the myths about North Korea

Before figuring out what can be done about North Korea and its seemingly crazy dictatorship, we mustn't fall prey to four common myths about the hermit kingdom.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2016

Has Taiwan's China gamble gone wrong?

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou made a critical mistake in 2008 when he hitched Taiwan's economy to China.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 14, 2016

Bid to mine 600 million tons of coal on U.S. federal lands tests Obama's green agenda

President Barack Obama's State of the Union pledge to better manage fossil fuel development will face a test within days, when federal officials rule on whether to open public lands containing more than 600 million tons of coal to more mining.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 14, 2016

Global mercury emissions down 30% as less coal is burned

Global emissions of mercury from man-made sources fell 30 percent from 1990 to 2010, in part from decreasing use of coal, the U.S. Geological Survey reported Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 13, 2016

Abe's global contradictions

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talks big about Japan playing a greater role on the global stage, but the reality has been disappointing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jan 13, 2016

As Okinawa confronts dioxin, Vietnam offers lessons

Health monitoring and safety measures are urged as U.S. military denials fly in the face of mounting evidence of contamination on the island.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 12, 2016

Idem Paris: Worlds apart and yet so close

Before photography became a relatively affordable pastime at the beginning of the 20th century, lithographic prints were touted as the democratic image-making medium that could reach all classes of society. At the same time, because the design was drawn directly onto stone, it could be used as a platform...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 12, 2016

Gabriel Orozco: always ahead of the game

Gabriel Orozco has returned to Tokyo. Following his retrospective "Inner Circles" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in early 2015, "Visible Labor" at Rat Hole Gallery is a collection of new works that explore Orozco's classic themes of the city, transportation and games, revealing influences of...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2016

Regional interests fuel Middle East's Cold War

The Iran-Saudi Arabia rivalry could derail efforts to stabilize the Middle East and make a bad regional environment much worse.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2016

America's struggle with gun violence

More than 100,000 people have been killed as a result of gun violence over the past decade in America, and millions more have been the victim of assaults, robberies and other crimes involving a gun.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2016

Japan revamps map symbols that baffle tourists

The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) has released a set of new standard symbols for foreign-language maps after criticism that some of its current pictograms are hard to understand or are even offensive.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 11, 2016

'Be strong and keep believing,' says the Trivago girl with the gift of the gab

Many foreign celebrities here speak Japanese to a high level, yet when it comes to pronunciation and intonation, few sound as accomplished as Natalie Emmons.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb