Search - 2014

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jan 9, 2014

Anime/manga experts hopeful for year ahead

Aside from Hayao Miyazaki's sudden departure from filmmaking in September, the anime world saw some potentially hopeful developments in 2013.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jan 9, 2014

Winter could be the best season to visit the zoo

Winter is not the season most people would think of as a good time to visit the zoo, but it is actually one of the most eventful times of the year for many animals as they adapt to the colder temperatures. See for yourself this month as the Tokyo Zoological Park Society kicks off its Visit Hot Zoo 2014...
CULTURE
Jan 1, 2014

NHK's yearlong drama 'Gunshi Kanbei' takes cues from Korean success stories

Strap yourselves in, you're in for a hair-raising ride.
EDITORIALS
Dec 31, 2013

A year to become politically active

In 2014 the Japanese people risk having their rights to freedoms of the press, thought expression curtailed as a result of the state secrets protection bill that the Abe administration rushed through the Diet in December.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2013

A terrible year for Syria and Egypt

Even with the most optimistic assessments, the Syrian conflict is unlikely to be settled in 2014. As for Egypt, nearly 20,000 people have been sentenced or are now facing trials for belonging to or supporting the 'wrong' political camp.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 14, 2013

Major roster overhaul raises outlook for Hawks

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have been one of the most active among the Japanese pro baseball teams in making preparations for big improvement in 2014. It is clear the team management is viewing its fourth-place finish in 2013 as unacceptable and, judging by its wheeling-and-dealing this off-season, the...
EDITORIALS
Dec 1, 2013

A shift in rice production policy

It will take much more than an end to the rice paddy area reduction policy coupled with subsidies to turn Japanese agriculture into a growth sector as envisioned by the Abe administration.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 29, 2013

Obama's risky Afghan gambit

The Obama administration's decision to conduct U.S. training and counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan through 2024 means virtually an indefinite American troop presence there.
EDITORIALS
Nov 21, 2013

A bigger role for Haneda airport

Both airlines and the transport ministry should make joint efforts to enable Haneda airport to better function as a hub in the Tokyo area.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2013

EPA proposes reducing biofuel mandate

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed lowering requirements for biofuel use in 2014, trimming targets for corn-based ethanol use for the first time.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2013

Potential rises with India's booming middle class

Japanese firms need to — and some are starting to — better understand the changing behavior of Indian consumers to succeed in the region's new economic powerhouse, journalists from Indian media organizations said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Aug 27, 2013

Improving relations with Russia

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Vladimir Putin will meet on the fringe of the Group of 20 leaders summit next week in Saint Petersburg to discuss mutual trust.
EDITORIALS
Aug 19, 2013

Inadequate financial plan

The Abe Cabinet-endorsed medium-term financial reconstruction program does not present adequate concrete measures for restoring health to Japan's finances.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 21, 2013

Hesitating on sales tax hike?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is said to be considering delaying the increase in the consumption tax rate currently scheduled to take effect in April 2014.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 14, 2013

Passage of strict abortion bill highlights Democrats' uphill fight in Texas

The politically charged battle over whether to restrict abortions in Texas ended late Friday night when the state Senate passed legislation and sent it on to Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, for his signature. In the end, the fight underscored the challenges Democrats face as they look to break the Republicans'...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 2013

Never mind Obama's hedge on the rule of law

President Barack Obama acts as if he can simply post a 'never mind' notice on the White House website if he finds a law's details politically inconvenient.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2013

White House delays health care rule that businesses insure workers

The mandate requiring U.S. employers to provide insurance for workers will not take effect until 2015.
EDITORIALS
Feb 1, 2013

Budget shows old LDP stripes

The nearly ¥93 trillion initial general-account budget for fiscal 2013 approved by the Abe Cabinet shows that the old Liberal Democratic Party is back.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2012

The risks of a U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan

The Obama administration appears determined to vacate Afghanistan as fast as possible. If the latest leaks are to be believed, officials are willing to leave as few as 6,000 U.S. troops behind after 2014, concentrated at the Bagram air base and a few other installations around Kabul. The mind boggles...
COMMENTARY
Dec 3, 2012

Separatist dreams that are mostly just hot air

In other parts of the world, separatist movements are usually violent (such as Kashmir, Sri Lanka, the various Kurdish revolts) and they sometimes succeed (South Sudan, Eritrea, East Timor).
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2012

Citi moving bank HQ to Shinjuku

Citigroup Inc. will move its Japanese retail banking unit's headquarters to Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward from Shinagawa in 2014 to increase floor space and cut costs, according to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg News.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami