Search - 2012

 
 
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2014

Obama's surprise for Latin America

Perhaps most remarkable about the Cuba-U.S. agreement to re-establish diplomatic relations is that Latin American leaders were caught napping by the most significant Latin American moment in the last half-century.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 18, 2014

Companies still hoarding cash despite pleas from Abe, Kuroda to spend

Two days after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe secured a pledge from Japan Inc. to do its best to boost wages to revive the world's third-biggest economy, data showed companies hoarding record amounts of cash.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 18, 2014

Stephen Collins admits sexual contact with young girls: People magazine

Actor Stephen Collins, who played the family pastor in the television series "7th Heaven," has admitted to having inappropriate sexual contact with three underage girls decades ago, People magazine reported on Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 18, 2014

Dramatic U.S. shift: Obama moves to normalize relations with Havana, end Cuba's isolation

Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations in a surprising move Wednesday by the Obama administration that will loosen a trade and travel embargo that is among the last remnants of Cold War policy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 17, 2014

Hill of Freedom: 'Looking for lost love in a Seoul back alley'

Speaking in another language makes you a different person, especially, I've noticed, if you happen to be a non-native fluent in Japanese. The mild-mannered Aussie transforms into a slangy tough-guy, rolling his r's and living in his own mental version of a yakuza movie. And the frank-talking American...
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 17, 2014

Tepco's net income set to rise 19%

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said net income will rise 19 percent this fiscal year and that it will put off an increase in electricity rates in favor of more cost cuts.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 17, 2014

Jeter, Matsui coming together to aid Tohoku children

Retired New York Yankees greats Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui are teaming up once again, this time in support of children in the Tohoku region.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 17, 2014

Did Mars have life? NASA rover finds methane, organic chemicals

Methane in the Martian atmosphere and organic chemicals in the red planet's soil are the latest tantalizing findings of NASA's Mars Curiosity rover as it hunts for clues about the possibility of extraterrestrial life, scientists said on Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 17, 2014

Silence is golden in art-comedy for all

"I've been drawing pictures for as long as I can remember," Kentaro Kobayashi said when I asked him how he came to be such a versatile and popular entertainer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 17, 2014

'Entrance/Exit' shows the way for new arts fest

Bulging like a half moon out into the Seto Inland Sea from Kyushu's northeast corner, the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita Prefecture may be remote and lack rail links to the rest of the country, but since time immemorial it has been a crossroads for travelers in both directions between Japan, the Korean Peninsula...
WORLD / Politics
Dec 17, 2014

Republicans tip hand on Obama lines of attack with nominees

Senate Republicans are previewing the lines of attack they'll pursue in 2015 against President Barack Obama's immigration, foreign policy and gun regulation policies during this week's debate on executive-branch nominees.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2014

'Lone wolf' Australian hostage-taker had violent, unsettled past

The self-styled sheik behind a siege at a Sydney cafe had been charged as an accessory to murder and with multiple sexual offenses. He also harbored deep grievances against the Australian government and had found little kinship in the city's large Muslim community, where he was seen as deeply troubled....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2014

No excuse for tolerating torture

Already 'torture' is fading from the headlines. Anti-torture Americans have been way too polite the past 12 years. They should have shouted down the torturers and apologists, ridiculed them, locked them away.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2014

ECB must banish the specter of deflation

The European Central Bank is moving, hesitantly but ineluctably, toward quantitative easing, as the threat of deflation — and the ineffectiveness of its previous measures — leaves it no choice.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Dec 16, 2014

Seven-Eleven comes out with a creamy treat

Seven-Eleven has been selling Cold Stone Creamery's ice cream since 2012, but the two took their partnership a step further by collaborating on a new series of candies that were released last week. One of the new treats you can find at Seven-Eleven stores across the country are chocolates inspired by...
WORLD
Dec 16, 2014

U.S. dictionary Merriam-Webster picks 'culture' as word of year

Whether popular, corporate or entitled, "culture" was named word of the year by U.S. dictionary Merriam-Webster on Monday as a flexible catch-all that can easily identify a subject, idea or issue.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 16, 2014

Police storm Sydney cafe to end hostage siege; gunman, two others dead

Heavily armed Australian police stormed a Sydney cafe on Tuesday and freed a number of hostages being held there at gunpoint, in a dramatic end to a 16-hour siege in which three people were killed and four wounded.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2014

Taiwan's voters say 'hands off'

Taiwanese voters late last month sent an important message to their government and to Big Brother China watching from across the narrow strait — hands off our democracy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 15, 2014

Tankan' shows manufacturers' confidence is waning

Confidence among large manufacturers declined in the fourth quarter as the recession offset a boost from the weaker yen, the Bank of Japan's "tankan" survey showed Monday, underlining the economic challenges for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after his electoral victory.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 15, 2014

Resurgent JCP has night to remember

While the leaders of most of the opposition parties were grim-faced Sunday night, the Japanese Communist Party was celebrating after it more than doubled its seats in the Lower House.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 15, 2014

China charms Hong Kong's law enforcers

Hong Kong's top law enforcers, schooled in British-style judicial independence and separation of powers, are being cycled through Communist Party schools in China, where judges are appointed by the party and police are charged with crushing dissent.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji