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COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 16, 2013

The shadow from Yasukuni

Just as Japanese conservatives are taken to task for refusing to acknowledge their country's colonial horrors, so China would do well to expand discussion of its own history.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 16, 2013

'Happy go lucky' Australia now adrift in Asia

Australians used to call themselves 'the lucky country,' but today's mineral wealth seems to have created a nation prone to flip-flop foreign policies and crazy economic strategies.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 16, 2013

Alexei Navalny: firebrand bidding for Russia's soul

Last week, Alexei Navalny, the recently convicted Russian opposition blogger, lawyer and candidate for the post of mayor of Moscow, posted a provocative item on his site.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 16, 2013

Race to build water-grab dams endangers Himalayas

The future of the world's most famous mountain-range could be endangered by a vast dam-building project, as a risky regional race for water resources takes place in Asia.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 15, 2013

Booker on track to reach Washington

Newark Mayor Cory Booker took another step toward the Senate on Tuesday when he easily won the Democratic nomination in New Jersey. Republican nominee Steve Lonegan isn't expected to be more than an also-ran against Booker, meaning the Newark mayor has basically punched his ticket to Washington.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 14, 2013

We lose serendipity if Bezos personalizes news

Whatever the emerging form of newspapers, it is crucial that they continue to provide readers with all sorts of stories, ideas and opinions that readers didn't select.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2013

Fed's dark succession games

It's strange how, in the first half of the year, humans beat robots in the dark art of interpreting the gnomic utterances of the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2013

The scoop on print media tragedies

The effect of the digital revolution is uneven. While China seems to launch newspapers almost weekly, in the U.S. they seem to be folding or changing ownership.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 10, 2013

New English translation of Dante an impressive feat

Poets can't help themselves from translating Dante, even if they are only going to do small chunks, as Byron did, having a stab at Francesca of Rimini's speech from the fifth canto of the "Inferno." He approached it the most difficult way, rendering "verse for verse the episode in the same metre ......
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 10, 2013

Aussie opposition regains poll lead

Australia's opposition has regained the lead over Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's government, with 52 percent of respondents in an opinion poll published Saturday saying they will support the coalition in the Sept. 7 national election.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 10, 2013

Online firearms loophole 'bigger than gun shows'

The marketplace for firearms on the Internet, where buyers are not required to undergo background checks, is so vast that advocates for stricter regulations now consider online sales a greater threat than the gun show loophole.
WORLD
Aug 8, 2013

Senator backed Ron Paul for cash

A well-known state senator who just days before Iowa's caucus in the 2012 presidential campaign abruptly flipped his support from Rep. Michele Bachmann to then-Rep. Ron Paul of Texas allegedly sought payments from Paul in return for his endorsement, according to materials published Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 7, 2013

Norwegian, Japanese musicians team up for show inspired by A-bomb anime

Norway is exporting more than just salmon this summer. A group of some 60 musicians, led by composer Magnar Am, have arrived in Japan.
Reader Mail
Aug 7, 2013

The 'blackface' political shtick

Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso's recent suggestion that Japan's politicians take a play from the National Socialist German Workers' Party and quietly try to slip constitutional revisions under the public radar have sparked a storm of international indignation.
PRESS / Corporate Trends
Aug 7, 2013

New pricing plans for The Japan Times / International New York Times; details of renewed product lineup

In March this year, The Japan Times announced a publishing agreement with the New York Times Company that will see its daily newspaper, "The Japan Times" packaged with the "International New York Times" in the Japan market commencing with the Oct. 16 issue. The new combined newspaper will be called "The...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 6, 2013

Political Islam loses legitimacy

The progress of political Islam depends on whether Turkey's AKP and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood commit to safeguarding the principles of pluralism and the rule of law.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2013

Inside the mind of Deng's intellectual successor

A new book at last puts Zhu Rongji, Shanghai's former mayor and the economic intellectual successor to the late Deng Xiaoping, into the pantheon of Chinese giants.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Aug 3, 2013

Toyohiro Akiyama: Cautionary tales from one not afraid to risk all

In December 1990, journalist Toyohiro Akiyama made headlines the world over when he blasted off aboard a Soviet rocket to become the very first "space correspondent" in history.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 3, 2013

YouTube videos hold a sliver of hope for future elections

During the recent campaign for the Upper House, a YouTube video emerged revealing the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's attitude toward the electorate. A woman attending a rally in Fukushima by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe carried a placard that asked the LDP leader his stance on the nuclear energy controversy....
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 3, 2013

Where's the love? Japanese feel unhappy, unloved and pessimistic

The results of a Pew Opinion survey released in July 2013 found that the public mood in Japan is improving but remains "mostly one of dissatisfaction." However, that dissatisfaction is 10 percent lower than the level registered in 2007 during Shinzo Abe's first spell as premier.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Aug 3, 2013

Iran's Rouhani faces pressure over economy

Iran's economy is showing signs of foundering just as the country prepares to inaugurate its first new president in eight years, with Western sanctions cutting ever deeper into the Islamic republic's financial lifelines and increasing pressure for a nuclear deal with the West.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 2, 2013

Bangladesh Islamists barred from next poll

A top Bangladesh court has ruled that the registration of the nation's biggest Islamic group as a political party was illegal, barring it from contesting next year's election and deepening concerns over growing violence.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2013

Beautiful but wasted Earth

Most people are too preoccupied with the business of keeping a job and remaining healthy even to think about the grand problems of the survival of planet Earth.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 30, 2013

7-Eleven wizard, 80, to take on U.S.

Over the past 39 years, Toshifumi Suzuki has expanded 7-Eleven to 50,000 outlets, more than any other retail chain. Now, at the age of 80, he says he has no interest in retiring. He's got too much work to do.
EDITORIALS
Jul 30, 2013

Korean War's far-reaching legacy

For North Korea, the day the United Nations Command, North Korea and China signed the armistice ending the Korean War 60 years ago is a day to celebrate.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2013

A maddening category in which America soars

The focus on economic indicators has prevented consideration of the geopolitical implications of the ever-increasing rates of severe mental disease in America.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 28, 2013

Idaho mom sues Obama over surveillance program

Anna Smith is a mother of two who lives in rural Idaho, works the night shift as a nurse and goes to the gym a lot. She rarely follows the news and knows little about the debate over government surveillance and privacy that has rocked Washington in recent weeks.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 26, 2013

Bankrupt Detroit pins hopes on arts

James Morris is the owner of DSE, a downtown Detroit T-shirt business. He hadn't noticed that his city had filed for bankruptcy and he doesn't particularly care. "There hasn't been a moment when Detroit wasn't dealing with problems. Now it's just official," he said.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years