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ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 16, 2016

China tries out new hardware in Xinjiang counterterrorism exercise

China has tested 21 new pieces of security equipment, including drones, during a counterterrorism exercise in the western region of Xinjiang, state media said Tuesday, as it strengthens its presence in the violence-prone area.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 15, 2016

Airing the IMF's dirty laundry

The IMF's role in Europe's post-2008 crisis shows why it needs an independent management team that can make decisions free of political interference.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 14, 2016

Some schools in Japan need educating about the dangers of heat stroke

A 'Concerned Mum' writes in regarding the risks of heat stroke at Japanese schools.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 14, 2016

Negative rates killing growth

Central bankers should admit defeat, scrap the silly negative interest rate policy and treat the real problem.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 12, 2016

Divisions weaken Palestinians

There can never be a free Palestine without Palestinians first freeing themselves of the factional strife that weakens them.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 11, 2016

Reappraising Japan-U.K. ties

As it prepares to exit the EU, Britain needs a prosperous and politically stable Japan more than ever.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2016

The race is on for volunteer interpreters for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Japan gears up for another kind of competition, namely the race to nurture volunteer interpreters for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2016

Japan firms to see sales peak over new Mountain Day holiday

As Japanese prepare to head for the hills Thursday for the nation’s inaugural Mountain Day holiday, retailers and tour operators are gearing up for an  ¥820 billion windfall.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2016

Fans gather to watch Japan's Olympic athletes on giant public screens

The heat of the Rio Olympics is such that it can be felt even in Japan.
OLYMPICS
Aug 9, 2016

Swiss court rejects two Russians' bid to place track ban on hold

Two Russian track and field athletes have failed in a bid to have their ban from the Olympics put on hold.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 8, 2016

Tokyo's new governor says she's raring to push policy agenda forward

Tokyo's new governor, Yuriko Koike, says she's ready to put her pledge for sweeping change into force right away.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 8, 2016

Brazilians divided but upbeat as Olympics arrive

Rio de Janeiro's hosting of the 2016 Olympics has divided public opinion in Brazil, where political and economic crises have put the games under scrutiny like never before.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 7, 2016

Injecting a little music into Japanese politics

"Let's not put politics into music."
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Aug 7, 2016

'Invisible Tokyo' seeks out the stories of people living in the capital

What does it actually mean to be connected? To be unique and young in the country's biggest city? A new, self-proclaimed "neo documentary" on Amazon Prime Japan titled "Invisible Tokyo" has taken up the task to answer these ever-evolving questions.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Aug 7, 2016

Japan's Minor Offenses Act has major untapped potential

Law has the teeth to tackle everything from peeing and posters to more serious matters.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 6, 2016

Climate change threatens nation's agriculture

Dark clouds cast gloom over future domestic food production as global temperatures rise
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Aug 6, 2016

Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura: the samurai era in town and country

A friend I've known for more than 20 years is now president of the Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura cultural theme park in the Kinugawa Onsen area of Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 6, 2016

Rio Olympics open with ceremony focused on environment

Rio de Janeiro opened South America's first-ever Olympic Games on Friday with a pared-down ceremony that put the environment to the forefront and celebrated Brazil's rich and diverse culture.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 5, 2016

The radical post-modernism of Islamic State

Islamic State's strategy to destabilize liberal societies is working.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2016

Britain's Tories are now in a class of their own

Theresa May has begun her premiership with her Conservative Party in its strongest position in more than a quarter of a century.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2016

Energy rout fells Japan's venerated 'Big Three' trading giants

The energy price collapse is doing in Japan what the Great Depression and two world wars couldn't: put an end to a century of dominance by its three most prestigious companies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 3, 2016

Abe retains key ministers in reshuffle, but defense chief pick likely to stoke controversy

Japan's leader chooses a right-leaning nationalist as defense minister while keeping most of his other key ministers in place.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 3, 2016

Foreign wives provide insight into temple lives

Japan's temples are an integral part of the country's traditional culture. For the majority of us, visits are usually limited to specific events such as New Year's Eve, or perhaps as part of a sightseeing agenda if the temple is a famous one. The lives of some Japanese, however, still revolve around...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 2, 2016

Cromartie brings bid for Montreal MLB team to Japan

Warren Cromartie said being back in Japan made him feel like he was home. He said there were fans who recognized him while he was out and about in Tokyo and that he'd already made plans to have dinner with a few of his former Yomiuri Giants teammates later in the week. If there's time, he said, he'd...
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Aug 1, 2016

Talking about Harajuku Station's new look

Harajuku Station is getting a makeover, let's describe how we think it should go.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 1, 2016

'Pokemon Go' a hit 20 years after franchise debuts

"Pokemon Go," the GPS-crossover game for smartphones, has been an instant hit all over the world, particularly in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Jul 31, 2016

Tokyo NPO founder shows foreign residents how to survive disasters

No one can truly be prepared for a calamity like the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, even for Japanese who have gone through disaster drills regularly since childhood to learn how to react.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 30, 2016

Bushido: Soseki, 'Star Wars' and the samurai

In September 1912, Gen. Maresuke Nogi — a hero of the Russo-Japanese War — committed ritual suicide. His sensational death took place on the day of Emperor Meiji's funeral, making it an act of junshi (following one's lord in death) and a high-water mark for the samurai code in the modern era.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan