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COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 4, 2015

The veiled cause of Abe's legislative predicament

The national debate over the security bills as been limited to constitutional issues but it should also focus on Japan's significantly enhanced responsibilities in the U.S. defense guidelines.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 3, 2015

Washington state sues U.S. over toxic vapors at WWII-era Hanford nuclear waste site

The U.S. government has failed to adequately protect crews involved in a decades-long cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state, leaving workers sickened by exposure to toxic vapors, the state alleged in a lawsuit filed on Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 3, 2015

Global tree tally at 3 trillion but falling rapidly and humans at root of problem, study finds

Earth is home to just over 3 trillion trees — the redwoods of California, the olive trees of Tunisia, the cherry trees of Japan, the eucalyptus of Australia and so many more — but they are being lost at an alarming rate because of human activities.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Sep 2, 2015

Tracing the emotional roller-coaster ride of life abroad

"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." — writer Terry Pratchett
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 2, 2015

Hitachi plans wind energy parts production line

Hitachi Ltd. plans to expand its reach into the market for offshore wind projects by adding a production line to make key turbine parts used in some of the largest wind-generation systems currently available.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 2, 2015

'Violent outbreaks' feared after 13 yakuza brass split

A century after its founding, the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest and most notorious crime syndicate, appears to have expelled 13 of its approximately 70 affiliated gang leaders Tuesday, creating local fears of related gang violence.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 2, 2015

China has lots of U.S. Treasuries, little leverage

The U.S. has little reason to worry about China selling off its Treasuries, and Shinzo Abe's desire to keep Washington happy is one of them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 1, 2015

Takashi Homma's window on today's crafts

Broadly speaking, compared to Britain, Germany and the United States, France and Japan have shared an alternative approach to design since the industrial revolution, focusing more on the appreciation of handmade and luxury goods. This economic necessity reverberates today as a mutual affection of these...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 1, 2015

Poster woman for the war against the U.S.-led TPP

For Yoko Inoue, art is like a bomb: Throw it into a crowded street and the truth just might explode out of it.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 1, 2015

Child thyroid cancer unlikely to rise in Fukushima but extent of radiation exposure unclear: IAEA

An increase in thyroid cancer among children is unlikely after the disaster at the Fukushima No 1 nuclear plant four years ago, but it remains unclear exactly how much radiation children in the vicinity were exposed to, International Atomic Energy Agency said in a new report.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 1, 2015

Obama urges reaching climate deal in Paris 'while we still can'

President Barack Obama said on Monday that world leaders must agree to cut carbon emissions at a U.N. summit in December because the climate is changing faster than efforts to curb global warming.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 31, 2015

Drop the 'dasai' and get 'yavai' with high school slang

Keeping up with 'hayari no kotoba' (trending slang) and 'ryu016bku014dgo' (buzz words) is crucial for high schoolers.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 30, 2015

Europe fails to meet recycling goals for electronics

Only a third of Europe's electronic waste is properly recycled, with vast numbers of cellphones, computers and televisions illegally traded or dumped, a study led by the United Nations and Interpol said on Sunday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 29, 2015

Only a teenager, yet an expert on war

'The last war was the worst."
LIFE / Style & Design
Aug 29, 2015

Kitagawara shapes a new Kobuchizawa Station

Since 2011, Tokyo University of the Arts and the city of Hokuto in Yamanashi Prefecture have been working together to redesign its Kobuchizawa Station building as part of an initiative to breathe new life into the rural area.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2015

GOP candidate Jeb Bush finds his inner neocon

The world can't afford a rerun of George W. Bush's disastrous presidency under his brother, Jeb Bush.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 28, 2015

Natural wine is a natural fit in Tokyo

The natural wine movement is spreading. Everywhere I look in Tokyo, neighborhood wine bars and small bistros are introducing all-natural wine lists. I'm starting to wonder, why does natural wine fit so organically into the city?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2015

'Empower women,' say global female leaders at World Assembly for Women

Women have made significant achievements in all levels of society but "it is equally clear that we are not there yet," Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said in Tokyo Friday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 28, 2015

Kazakhstan to host first nuclear fuel bank to assist nonproliferation

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Kazakhstan signed an agreement Thursday to locate the world's first bank of low-enriched uranium in the ex-Soviet nation to ensure fuel supplies for power stations and prevent nuclear proliferation.
WORLD
Aug 28, 2015

UK immigration hits record high, causing headache for Cameron

Long-term net migration to Britain has hit a record high, underscoring the challenge Prime Minister David Cameron faces to dispel voter fears that immigrants are straining public services such as housing, hospitals and schools.
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Aug 27, 2015

A hotel experience for the ladies; cocktails to celebrate centenary; revisiting an iconic American era

A hotel experience for the ladies
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2015

What should China do?

China must avoid reverting to greater state control in its effort to get its economy back on track.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2015

Japan should tap Olympics to bolster flagging English skills, says language school boss

Japan should use its opportunity as 2020 Olympics host to bolster English proficiency amid figures showing a worsening trend, says the Japan president of the official English language-training supplier for next year's Rio Games.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2015

New nuclear fuel bank a welcome development

The new Kazakh fuel bank is a significant step toward achieving a world free of nuclear weapons.

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