Search - 2014

 
 
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2013

A terrible year for Syria and Egypt

Even with the most optimistic assessments, the Syrian conflict is unlikely to be settled in 2014. As for Egypt, nearly 20,000 people have been sentenced or are now facing trials for belonging to or supporting the 'wrong' political camp.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 14, 2013

Major roster overhaul raises outlook for Hawks

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have been one of the most active among the Japanese pro baseball teams in making preparations for big improvement in 2014. It is clear the team management is viewing its fourth-place finish in 2013 as unacceptable and, judging by its wheeling-and-dealing this off-season, the...
EDITORIALS
Dec 1, 2013

A shift in rice production policy

It will take much more than an end to the rice paddy area reduction policy coupled with subsidies to turn Japanese agriculture into a growth sector as envisioned by the Abe administration.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 29, 2013

Obama's risky Afghan gambit

The Obama administration's decision to conduct U.S. training and counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan through 2024 means virtually an indefinite American troop presence there.
EDITORIALS
Nov 21, 2013

A bigger role for Haneda airport

Both airlines and the transport ministry should make joint efforts to enable Haneda airport to better function as a hub in the Tokyo area.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2013

EPA proposes reducing biofuel mandate

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed lowering requirements for biofuel use in 2014, trimming targets for corn-based ethanol use for the first time.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2013

Potential rises with India's booming middle class

Japanese firms need to — and some are starting to — better understand the changing behavior of Indian consumers to succeed in the region's new economic powerhouse, journalists from Indian media organizations said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Aug 27, 2013

Improving relations with Russia

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Vladimir Putin will meet on the fringe of the Group of 20 leaders summit next week in Saint Petersburg to discuss mutual trust.
EDITORIALS
Aug 19, 2013

Inadequate financial plan

The Abe Cabinet-endorsed medium-term financial reconstruction program does not present adequate concrete measures for restoring health to Japan's finances.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 21, 2013

Hesitating on sales tax hike?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is said to be considering delaying the increase in the consumption tax rate currently scheduled to take effect in April 2014.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 14, 2013

Passage of strict abortion bill highlights Democrats' uphill fight in Texas

The politically charged battle over whether to restrict abortions in Texas ended late Friday night when the state Senate passed legislation and sent it on to Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, for his signature. In the end, the fight underscored the challenges Democrats face as they look to break the Republicans'...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 2013

Never mind Obama's hedge on the rule of law

President Barack Obama acts as if he can simply post a 'never mind' notice on the White House website if he finds a law's details politically inconvenient.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2013

White House delays health care rule that businesses insure workers

The mandate requiring U.S. employers to provide insurance for workers will not take effect until 2015.
EDITORIALS
Feb 1, 2013

Budget shows old LDP stripes

The nearly ¥93 trillion initial general-account budget for fiscal 2013 approved by the Abe Cabinet shows that the old Liberal Democratic Party is back.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2012

The risks of a U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan

The Obama administration appears determined to vacate Afghanistan as fast as possible. If the latest leaks are to be believed, officials are willing to leave as few as 6,000 U.S. troops behind after 2014, concentrated at the Bagram air base and a few other installations around Kabul. The mind boggles...
COMMENTARY
Dec 3, 2012

Separatist dreams that are mostly just hot air

In other parts of the world, separatist movements are usually violent (such as Kashmir, Sri Lanka, the various Kurdish revolts) and they sometimes succeed (South Sudan, Eritrea, East Timor).
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2012

Citi moving bank HQ to Shinjuku

Citigroup Inc. will move its Japanese retail banking unit's headquarters to Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward from Shinagawa in 2014 to increase floor space and cut costs, according to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg News.
EDITORIALS
Jun 28, 2012

Collusion on consumption tax hike

The Democratic Party of Japan together with the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito on Tuesday passed through the Lower House bills for the so-called unified reform of the tax and social security systems. In the voting for a bill to raise the consumption tax — a pet idea of Prime Minister Yoshihiko...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2012

Tax hike risks stunting growth in '14

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda risks stalling the economy by pushing through his consumption tax increase, which may dampen spending even as it aids efforts to tame the world's largest debt burden.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2012

The Afghan endgame mirage

On a recent visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan, I could not fail to notice the increasingly frequent international calls for an "endgame" in Afghanistan. But an endgame for that country is a dangerous illusion: The game will not end, and neither will history. The only thing that could come to an end is...

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.