Search - 2015

 
 
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2016

Japan short of 'minimum' standards on human trafficking: U.S. State Department

The U.S. State Department on Friday credited Japan with making "modestly increased" efforts against human trafficking in 2015, including the identification of some labor-trafficking victims for the first time in two decades.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jun 20, 2016

Japan to take 150 Syrians as students

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says that Japan will accept 150 Syrians over five years, treating them not as refugees but university students.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 18, 2016

California surpasses France as world's sixth-largest economy

California is now the sixth-largest economy in the world, surpassing France, thanks to a robust state economy and a strong U.S. dollar.
EDITORIALS
Jun 11, 2016

Scientists and defense research

Japanese scientists should maintain their long and proud tradition of not taking part in any defense-related research.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 5, 2016

Is China winning the contest for South China Sea control?

China views the U.S. as a declining power that would not be able to sustain a major war in Asia.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 4, 2016

Beer essentials: The craft beer boom in Japan shows no sign of running dry

Tomoko Sonoda was a college student during the "Dry Wars," the years immediately following the 1987 release of the game-changing light lager Asahi Super Dry. She and her classmates held tasting parties for the spate of new brews that were released by the three other major breweries in an attempt to compete....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 4, 2016

Under Abe, Japan gets left behind at G-7 summit

For Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the best thing about the recent G-7 Ise-Shima summit was that it gave him cover to wriggle out of a planned tax increase. He could pretend postponing the tax increase is a statesman-like concession to boosting global growth, rather than a way to pander to voters in the...
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2016

Japan ranked most popular spot for international conferences in Asia for fourth consecutive year

But a tally of countries that hosted international meetings says that Japan ranked seventh globally in 2015.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 29, 2016

Forget clubbing: Outdoor festivals offer a natural alternative

When the revised adult entertainment business law comes into effect on June 23, bringing an end to Japan's archaic ban on all-night dance parties, it will mark the end of what has been a challenging period for the nation's nightclubs. But beyond the major metropolises, at campsites and off-season ski...
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 29, 2016

Japan won't go quietly into the night as population falls

For a nation that rebuilt itself from the ashes of war, the modern challenge of repopulation should surely not prove impossible.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / OBAMA VISITS HIROSHIMA
May 23, 2016

After 71 years, debate over A-bombs shows no sign of resolution

It was a fine, clear day in Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. That fact determined the fate of the city, together with its numerous inhabitants.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 19, 2016

McHenry revels in Golden Kings' legacy

Winning a title to close out the Ryukyu Golden Kings' remarkable stretch of sustained excellence in the bj-league put a huge smile on Golden Kings legend Anthony McHenry's face.
Japan Times
SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
May 17, 2016

Murphy making immediate impact at plate for NL East-leading Nats

Murphy's Law (If anything can go wrong, it will) plagued the Washington Nationals throughout the entire 2015 campaign.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 10, 2016

Unfriendly activist battles Japan CEOs to wrest returns by force

Tsuyoshi Maruki stands out like a lone wolf in Japan, where societal intolerance for aggressive shareholder campaigns has spurred a breed of friendly activists.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
May 8, 2016

Suzuki always ready to contribute for Carp

Seiya Suzuki has gotten his fair share of playing time for the Hiroshima Carp this season, but he's not taking that for granted. Suzuki knows success will bring him even more opportunities, so the 21-year old doesn't want to waste a single chance to show what he can do.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 8, 2016

Saudi Arabia replaces oil minister, central banker as part of plan to reduce dependency on oil

Saudi Arabia's King Salman announced a government overhaul that saw the kingdom's top central banker and longtime oil minister replaced as part of sweeping economic changes led by his son to reduce the nation's reliance on hydrocarbons.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 7, 2016

Domestic violence: 'Abuse was all I knew'

There's an almost dispassionate matter-of-factness in the way Risa Tanaka describes how she was tortured by her husband.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 7, 2016

Diabetes emerges as Japan's hidden scourge

Reading a review of British writer Bee Wilson's "First Bite: How We Learn to Eat" in the London Review of Books, I stumbled on an astonishing figure: 4 million people in the U.K. have diabetes. An unhealthy diet and increasingly sedentary lifestyle have taken their toll, causing a 65 percent surge in...
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2016

Insufficient electoral reform

The ruling coalition needs to explain why the nation is still being kept waiting for the fundamental reform needed to correct the gross disparity in vote values.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 23, 2016

Making hay while the sun shines: Should Japan adopt daylight saving time in summer?

How many times have you been jolted awake in summer at 4:30 a.m. by rays of sunlight streaming through your flimsy curtains? Conversely, how many sunsets have you missed because you've been stuck in an office until it's officially time to go home?
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2016

Electric cars take a back seat to SUVs in China

The Chinese government is determined to make the smog-choked country a leader in eco-friendly electric cars, but consumers prefer big gas guzzlers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2016

Japan's first-ever hate speech probe finds rallies are fewer but still a problem

The Justice Ministry finds a “significant” number of xenophobic rallies held by nationalist groups still occur regularly.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami