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COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Feb 15, 2015

Spare a thought for the junior-high students going through 'exam hell'

Adolescence has never been easy, but add the pressure of having to pass an important high school exam and you have what's commonly known as 'entrance exam hell.'
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 15, 2015

'Nut rage' prompts South Korea to consider law against 'high-handed' conduct

Resentment has mounted so much in South Korea against what has come to be known as "gabjil," high-handedness by the rich and powerful, that parliamentarians are proposing legislation to punish some of the worst abuses.
WORLD
Feb 15, 2015

China plans international tourism zone with North Korea, Russia

China is planning an international tourism zone in its northeastern border area with Russia and North Korea, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday, in Pyongyang's latest push for new investment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Feb 15, 2015

LGBT students may be ready to come out, but are Japan's schools ready to accept them?

When university student Osamu Inoue, 19, came out openly in high school two years ago and admitted he was gay, he had hoped that at least his school would have adopted a more positive attitude toward sexual minorities.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 14, 2015

Love thy neighbor? Chinese nationals who call Japan home

Like tempestuous lovers, China and Japan have sparred for centuries but have remained interdependent in each other's economy, politics, culture, language and arts.
EDITORIALS
Feb 14, 2015

Miserly use of vacation days

Japan may be the most miserly country in the world when it comes to getting workers to feel free to use their legally entitled number of paid holidays each year.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2015

U.S. to let Cubans sell goods, services

The United States on Friday eased restrictions on imports of goods and services from private Cuban entrepreneurs as part of Washington's rapprochement with Havana after more than half a century of enmity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Feb 13, 2015

Don't let rainy days stop you going out to play

As wintry weather hovers over Japan, parents are constantly on the lookout for indoor places for their kids to play. I'm not a fan of cold weather, so I prefer outings in January and February to be in the comfy confines of climate-controlled museums and movie theaters. That's good enough for me, but...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2015

Global economy's Chinese headwinds

Last year, interest rates were supposed to start rising in the U.S. and U.K. and quantitative easing would deliver increased inflation in Japan. Twelve months later, economic headwinds from China are a major reason why normality seems as distant as ever.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 13, 2015

BOJ sees extra stimulus as counterproductive for now

Bank of Japan policymakers view further monetary easing to shore up inflation as a counterproductive step at present, amid concern it could trigger declines in the yen that damage confidence, sources said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 13, 2015

China offers to mediate in stalled Afghan Taliban peace talks

China offered to mediate in stalled efforts to engage the Afghan Taliban in peace negotiations, reflecting its desire to play a more active role in a region it sees as part of its sphere of influence.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 13, 2015

China offers hand to Greece, seeks long-term access to port

Premier Li Keqiang has told Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras that China is prepared to boost investment in the debt-ridden country after conflicting messages about the sale of the country's biggest port.
WORLD
Feb 13, 2015

Texas winning ticket in $564 million Powerball bought at food mart; buyer still a mystery

A food mart in a small city north of Dallas, Texas, was one of three places where winning tickets were sold in the estimated $564.1 million U.S. Powerball lottery, officials said on Thursday.
BASKETBALL
Feb 12, 2015

Togashi enters All-Star break after top scoring game of season

The Texas Legends are on a 10-day break, but guard Yuki Togashi may be getting antsy to get back on the court at any moment.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2015

Shibuya Ward plans vote on same-sex marriage

One of the capital's 23 wards proposes issuing certificates that would declare same-sex relationships 'equivalent to marriage.'
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Feb 12, 2015

Shimane showing surprising improvement

Despite a disastrous start this season, the Shimane Susanoo Magic won't challenge the Takamatsu Five Arrows' league record of 50 losses.
EDITORIALS
Feb 12, 2015

When push comes to shove

The forcefulness with which the Abe administration is pushing ahead with work on a replacement facility for a U.S. Marine Corps air station in Okinawa could harden the attitude of Okinawans long-opposed to its construction.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health / FOCUS
Feb 12, 2015

In China, legal fight to save forest tests toughened anti-pollution law

A lawsuit filed against four Chinese mining executives accused of destroying a stretch of forest is shaping up as a test of China's strengthened environmental law and the ability of green groups to make companies more accountable for their actions.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 12, 2015

Powerball jackpot hits $500 million for Wednesday drawing

The multistate Powerball lottery jackpot reached the half-billion dollar mark after rolling over for nearly three months into Wednesday night's drawing, the Powerball website showed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 11, 2015

Is Japanese cinema sinking into a self-censorship swamp?

One great thing about living in Japan is the consideration, or omoiyari, people here commonly show for others. My newspaper delivery guy climbs the 25 steps to my front door and deposits a copy of The Japan Times in my mailbox every morning, rain or shine. His colleagues in the U.S. — my home country...

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