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COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2015

Greece eyeing Russia card?

There is speculation that the new government of Greece might try to get bridge financing from Russia if Europe does not accept the demands of the leftist ruling coalition that just swept snap elections.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 2, 2015

Japan's political satire offers comic wordplay — but rarely any offense

The tragic murders at the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo touched off worldwide debate about what forms of satire in the public sphere are appropriate, and under what conditions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 5, 2015

Only modest growth expected for Japan's economy in fiscal 2015

The still-faltering economy, hit hard by April's consumption tax hike as well as bad weather last summer, is forecast to grow only modestly in fiscal 2015 despite the Abe administration's latest economic stimulus package.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2014

Color-coding won't explain mess in Thailand

Recent developments in Thailand may put paid to the international media's tendency to make sense of the protests by describing the 'red shirts' as representing the poor and the 'yellow shirts' as the elite.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jun 4, 2013

By opening up the debate to the real experts, Hashimoto did history a favor

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has been busy making headlines around the world with his controversial views on Japan's wartime sex slaves (or "comfort women," for those who like euphemisms with their history). Among other things, he claimed there is no evidence that the Japanese government sponsored the...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 24, 2012

Netanyahu refocuses on Iran

The domestic criticism started pouring in almost as soon as Israel's ceasefire with Hamas was inked Wednesday night. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had waved a white flag and left the job unfinished, the opposition howled. A snap poll on TV found a large majority of the public did not support the...
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2012

LDP pulls threat, will vote on bill for tax hike

In an apparent about-face Tuesday, the Liberal Democratic Party agreed to vote in favor of the contentious tax hike and social security legislation in the Upper House on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2010

Sales tax hike to take a few years: Kan

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Monday it would take at least two to three years to increase the consumption tax.
COMMENTARY
Jun 25, 2009

Dancing with the dragon

Nearly six months after U.S. President Barack Obama entered the White House, it is apparent that America's Asia policy is no longer guided by an overarching geopolitical framework as it had been under President George W. Bush. Indeed, Washington's Asia policy today appears fragmented. The Obama administration...
COMMENTARY
Aug 24, 2007

Howard feeling the squeeze

LOS ANGELES — John Howard, often the most patient and sure-footed of Western-style political leaders, is reported to be losing patience with the current Iraq government and mulling over options for an Australian troop withdrawal.
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2005

Murakami fund may still hold 6.5% stake in TBS: sources

An investment fund led by Yoshiaki Murakami notified Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. earlier this month that it still holds a 6.5 percent stake in the TV broadcaster, sources said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 17, 2005

All hail the Land of the Free -- or else!

The United States of America is all akilter.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2005

Postal bills headed for Lower House vote

A special House of Representatives committee approved a hotly contested package of postal privatization bills Monday, setting up a showdown between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and postal privatization opponents within his Liberal Democratic Party.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2005

Postal bills headed for Lower House vote

A special House of Representatives committee approved a hotly contested package of postal privatization bills Monday, setting up a showdown between Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and postal privatization opponents within his Liberal Democratic Party.
EDITORIALS
Apr 27, 2004

Mixed marks for Mr. Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who completed his third year in office on Monday, is already one of the nation's longest-serving postwar prime ministers. Although the stratospheric popularity he enjoyed early in his administration is no more, media polls still give him considerably high approval ratings...
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2003

It's Pyongyang's move

The good news about nuclear nonproliferation is that Iran and Libya, both of which have long been suspected of harboring nuclear ambitions, have apparently changed their minds. The bad news is that North Korea, which already has nuclear-weapons programs, remains adamant about keeping them, thus clouding...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2003

Debate suffers as ruling parties dominate

LONDON -- The shape of politics is changing in the world's main democracies in a manner that Japan may find familiar. But the implications are only starting to seep through.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jun 3, 2001

Lessons in crisis mismanagement

All my life I have been behind the times. I wore my bell-bottoms for years after the fashion had died, and in fact only abandoned them after they had shrunk up and become sort of bell-knickers.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2000

Stocks likely to rebound on bargain-hunting

Tokyo stock prices appear poised to rebound strongly on bargain hunting.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
May 3, 2000

Ya'gotta accentuate the positive

Men are from Mars and women are from Venus -- but my wife is from Kagoshima.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jun 2, 2023

U.S. debt-ceiling deal averts disaster, but savings might be less than advertised

Any potential for significant savings was lost at the outset of negotiations, when both sides said they would not consider cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 3, 2023

Greek train tragedy sheds light on chronic state failures

For decades, Greece's 2,552-kilometer rail network has been plagued by mismanagement, poor maintenance and obsolete equipment.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 19, 2023

Kishida Cabinet approval falls to record-low 26.5%

The result apparently reflected anxiety about Kishida's plans to raise taxes to boost defense spending, as well as higher consumer prices.
The Upper House during a plenary session in Tokyo on Wednesday
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 20, 2025

Ishiba handles minority government well over the six-month session

With parliamentary business concluding, all eyes are on next month’s Upper House election.
South Korean soldiers work on a loudspeaker that is set up for propaganda broadcasts during a military drill near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, in this image released on June 9, 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 11, 2025

South Korea halts loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts against North Korea

The loudspeakers were turned on in the demilitarized zone in June last year in response to trash-filled balloons flown southward by Pyongyang.

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Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji