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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 4, 2015

Volkswagen faces new €2 billion hit as 800,000 more cars are tied to emissions woes

Volkswagen AG said an internal probe in the wake of the diesel scandal that has engulfed the company for the past six weeks showed irregularities on an additional 800,000 cars, deepening a crisis that has already cost long-time Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn his job, depressed the stock price...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 3, 2015

How the TPP can transform Japan's economy

Regardless of whether or not the TPP is implemented, Japan's farmers must change their approach if they want to secure their futures rather than hope that subsidies will continue forever.
Japan Times
Rugby
Nov 2, 2015

Jones signs off with plea for Japan to keep momentum

Outgoing national rugby team coach Eddie Jones bid farewell to Japan on Monday with a warning that the Brave Blossoms must keep winning to make the 2019 Rugby World Cup a success.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2015

China's freshwater grab

China is in the midst of a dam-building frenzy that will appropriate internationally shared water resources.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2015

With massive IPO of Japan Post, the nation seeks to shake decades of torpor

As Japan prepares this week for the biggest initial public offering in the world since Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. in September 2014, the government hopes that the ¥1.5 trillion privatization of the postal service will help revive the country from its 20-year slump.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 31, 2015

Tsukiji countdown: clock ticking on famed fish market

With a year to go until the wholesale fish market in Tokyo's Chuo Ward closes its doors for good, operators in the market prepare to say their last goodbyes to the landmark attraction.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 31, 2015

Turntable Films compile folksy pop vignettes for sophomore album 'Small Town Talk'

Today's music industry demands a constant churn of new content from artists, whether that be songs or videos or something else that can connect with fans immediately. Yosuke Inoue is understandably taken aback when asked what he and his band, Turntable Films, got up to in the three years since they released...
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2015

Trilateral East Asia summit will signal symbolic thaw with Japan: experts

When East Asia's top leaders finally convene in Seoul Sunday, expect little progress and lots of symbolism as China and South Korea make nice with Japan, experts say.
EDITORIALS
Oct 30, 2015

Japan Post's murky privatization

Despite the upcoming listing of the Japan Post group, a distressing number of questions about its full privatization remain unanswered.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 30, 2015

Russia thwarts plan for Antarctic ocean sanctuary, but China gets on board

Russia has again thwarted attempts to create the world's largest ocean sanctuary in Antarctica, the final country opposing the protection of a vast swath of rich waters from fishing, after a revised international plan won support from China.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 26, 2015

Japan, South Korea grow more 'cyber mature' as they build online defenses: study

A series of online attacks over the past year have spurred Japan and South Korea to bolster their cyberdefenses, improving their ranking on an annual list of countries' "cyber maturity," in which Australia notably dropped.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 26, 2015

Big polluters had better start learning to pay up

Big Oil, Big Gas and Big Coal need to accept responsibility for climate change and start making real contributions to adaptation, or prepare to battle for their own survival.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2015

Canada moves back to the middle of the road

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's core social and economic policies won't be radically different from those of Stephen Harper, but he'll be much nicer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE PERSISTENT VEGETARIAN
Oct 23, 2015

Vegan ramen isn't just for women on a diet

In the four years since it opened, ramen chain Soranoiro has garnered widespread praise — and for good reason. In addition to its standard shoyu and shiō-based ramen, it also offers more adventurous concoctions including ramen with sudachi (Japanese citrus), umi-budō (sea grapes) or, unbelievably,...
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2015

Top life insurers face second-half obstacles to returns on investment

Japan's biggest life insurers face hurdles wherever they seek returns in the fiscal second half, as Bank of Japan debt buying depresses local yields, the yen shows signs of strength and currency hedging costs soar.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Oct 23, 2015

China graft-buster says must learn from ancients to tackle corruption

China's ruling Communist Party must learn from the traditional virtues that have defined Chinese culture since ancient times as it tackles corruption, a problem that still hangs "acutely" in front of them, the top graft-buster wrote on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 22, 2015

Ex-Ishin no To members refuse to give up seal, bankbook as party paralyzed by leadership struggle

Ishin no To may be on the verge of vanishing as rebellious members threaten procedures to legally disband the party.
EDITORIALS
Oct 22, 2015

Employment insurance revamp

The Abe administration is looking at reforming the employment insurance scheme to get more senior citizens into the workforce, but beefing up other components of the social welfare net would be more effective.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 22, 2015

Climate change slams economy: Stanford-Berkeley study

Climate change could cause 10 times more damage to the global economy than previously estimated, slashing output by as much as 23 percent by the end of the century, a new research paper from Stanford and Berkeley finds.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Oct 21, 2015

Jumpin' Jiminy: YoYo the cat finds a new home in Tokyo

The handsome Blanco, first featured here in May 2014, has found a home in the capital with a Canadian resident.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2015

China's policy toward North Korea is changing

China is beginning to face an unfavorable political and strategic landscape that will compel it to change its North Korea policy whether it wants to or not.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 19, 2015

Bathrobes, pee cups enliven Canada's election trail

One candidate had to drop out after video footage emerged showing him peeing in a cup, another hid in bushes in camouflage to catch vandals defacing his signs, while a third slew a dragon in his campaign video.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 18, 2015

Residents upset over condominium overhaul

It is a common sight in Japan to see houses or condominiums undergoing a spruce up. Covered in tarpaulins and wrapped in a steel cage of scaffolding, this state of affairs can last from just a few weeks to several months, depending on the scale of the renovations.
EDITORIALS
Oct 18, 2015

Leaving jobs for nursing care

The Abe administration needs to take concrete steps to stem the flow of people who quit their jobs because they must care for ailing relatives.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Oct 18, 2015

Fukushima skating rink to reopen in anticipation of residents' return

A well-known skating rink in Kawamata, Fukushima Prefecture, that closed after the triple core meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant in 2011 will reopen in January, giving a shot in the arm to the disaster-stricken area.

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