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Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 9, 2016

Beijing to shut 2,500 firms this year to fight pollution

Beijing will close 2,500 small polluting firms this year in its latest effort to combat pollution, state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday, citing the municipal government.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 9, 2016

Low wages at the heart of foreign labor shortage woes

There has been a lot of discussion recently about allowing more foreign workers into Japan to make up for severe labor shortages in some fields. As of the end of 2014, the labor ministry estimated there were 790,000 foreign nationals working in Japan legally, which is more than the number of national...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 9, 2016

Critics assail Abe after middle-class income gaffe highlights wealthy upbringing

The prime minister draws public criticism over comments Friday that some claimed as evidence he lacks real knowledge about the plight of the middle class.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 8, 2016

Three people missing, 100 homes destroyed by Western Australia bush fire

A major bush fire in western Australia destroyed nearly 100 homes and left three people unaccounted for as it tore through a small rural town south of Perth, emergency officials said on Friday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 8, 2016

Drought hits global cereals output, study finds

Droughts and extreme heat have cut national cereal production by 9 to 10 percent on average around the world in the last half-century, and the impact has worsened since the mid-1980s, researchers said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices
Jan 6, 2016

Views from Saitama students: What are your post-graduation hopes and dreams?

Sakurako Misaka, 19Ideally, I want to be rich when I graduate from university, and I would also like to live in London.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2016

Japan's CEOs: underpaid and underwhelming

Atsushi Saito says Japanese corporate heads are underpaid and shun bold decisions for fear of missing out on cushy adviser roles after they retire.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2016

Russia's isolationism is official

Russia's latest National Security Strategy provides valuable material for the study of the angst, paranoia and befuddlement now gripping the Kremlin.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2016

The Islamic State group learns from the past

The Iraqi government's fight with Islamic State is just getting started.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 5, 2016

Toyota joins Ford against Apple-Google car screen dominance

Toyota Motor Corp. agreed to use a car-phone connectivity system championed by Ford Motor Co. in a bid to keep Apple Inc. and Google from dominating control of dashboards.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2016

U.S. sues VW over Clean Air Act violations; liabilities could theoretically top $90 billion

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday filed a civil lawsuit against Volkswagen AG for allegedly violating the Clean Air Act by installing illegal devices to impair emission control systems in nearly 600,000 vehicles.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2016

Curbing growth is key to achieving food security

To ensure global food security for all, we need to recognize our limitations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 4, 2016

Key Chinese drone-maker sees promise in newly regulated Japan market

The outlook for Japan's drone market is promising and a recently enacted law to regulate flights of unmanned aerial vehicles will result in a safer user environment, according to the Japan chief of China-based drone-maker DJI.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2016

Woman leads sex education drive to enlighten clueless youths

Asuka Someya discovered she was pregnant at the age of 20 when she was a university student.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2016

Modi's surprise Christmas Day visit to Pakistan

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again shows his talent for the spectacular with an impromptu stopover in Pakistan.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 30, 2015

Posh New York City hotels pledge to go green, hope to inspire others around world

Some of New York's most iconic hotels, comprising more than 11,000 guest rooms, promised to cut their carbon footprints on Tuesday and join a city effort to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2015

New year's resolutions for the global economy

Global growth doesn't promise to be much better in 2016 than it was this year, but policy changes could boost incomes and expand opportunities for people everywhere.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2015

Solving America's stubborn poverty problem

To succeed, any new war on poverty in America must reverse several socially corrosive trends.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Dec 29, 2015

Tech giants spot opportunity in forecasting China's smog

Air pollution in China could be big business.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 29, 2015

Switzerland has kept records for 150 years and this December clocks in as the warmest

Switzerland will mark its warmest December since the country that founded winter tourism began keeping records 150 years ago.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 28, 2015

Trump's machismo may not work against Hillary

Donald Trump's macho posturing has taken him to the top of the GOP's presidential contenders, but that tactic could backfire on him if he employs it against Hillary Clinton.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 28, 2015

Troops aid evacuations in flood-ravaged northern England

British soldiers helped evacuate hundreds of people from rising floodwaters in the historic city of York on Sunday, after heavy rainfall inundated towns and cities across northern England.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2015

The sustainability revolution in finance

Sustainable development is increasingly being integrated into financial decision-making, both by national governments and private-sector players.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 25, 2015

More than money: Employees in China demand cleaner office air

Many companies in China have found that good salaries, promotions and career prospects aren't enough — they also need to offer cleaner air within their offices to lure and retain staffers.

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