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JAPAN
Nov 20, 2014

Shimomura wants to make English classes mandatory for fifth- and sixth-graders

Education minister Hakubun Shimomura proposes a root-and-branch overhaul of the elementary, junior high and high school curricula.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 19, 2014

Filmex brings art and brutality to Tokyo cinemas

Now in its 15th edition, Tokyo Filmex is Japan's leading art-over-commerce festival, offering a lineup packed with films screened earlier this year at major festivals around the world, while disdaining the glitz and glamour of the recently ended Tokyo International Film Festival. The Filmex guest list,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 19, 2014

Open Windows: 'Sliding into the creep zone'

What has happened to Elijah Wood? The former child star whose career out-survived most of his contemporaries is slipping further and further into the creep zone. In the decade since his signature role as Frodo in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, his roles have gone from nerdy and vulnerable to nerdy...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 18, 2014

Abe to dissolve Lower House on Friday for Dec. 14 election

After weeks of leaks and speculation, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Tuesday he will dissolve the Lower House on Friday for a snap election next month, after his administration decided to delay a second consumption tax hike planned for next October.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 18, 2014

Abe is banking on getting a new voter mandate

It's finally official. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday he will dissolve the Lower House and call a snap election next month, after his administration decided to delay the next hike in the consumption tax until April 2017.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 18, 2014

Actor Ken Takakura, who defined image of yakuza anti-heroes, dies at age 83

Beloved as 'one of the last true movie stars,' Ken Takakura was a true phenomenon of Japanese cinema.
EDITORIALS
Nov 18, 2014

Economic downturn continues

In the upcoming election, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has much explaining to do about the state of the economy.
EDITORIALS
Nov 18, 2014

Shortage of nursing care workers

With the nation's population rapidly graying, the government must take steps to boost the number of nursing care workers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 18, 2014

Engineer mobility at Samsung is a lesson for troubled Sony

Samsung Electronics Co. is giving Sony Corp. a lesson in quick decision-making by moving engineers from its smartphone unit less than a month after posting a profit slump in the business.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2014

For whom the Berlin Wall fell?

A quarter century after the fall of the Berlin Wall, democracy and prosperity have not really arrived for most people in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 15, 2014

A look at NPB's new skippers for the 2015 season, challenges they will face

Five new managers are in place to lead Central and Pacific League teams in 2015 after an unusually big turnover of field bosses. Here is a look at who they are, their backgrounds, what kind of leaders they may turn out to be and what issues they will face with their respective clubs.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2014

Asahi Shimbun announces new president

The scandal-hit daily newspaper says 55-year-old Masataka Watanabe, one of its managing directors, will take over as president of the company on Dec. 5.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2014

DPJ will oppose tax hike to 10%, saying Abe failed to meet conditions

Reversing its earlier stance, the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition force, said Friday it will oppose the planned sales tax hike to 10 percent from 8 percent next October.

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