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EDITORIALS
Nov 7, 2014

The GOP retakes Congress

Despite the Republican Party retaking control of the U.S. Senate and increasing its holdings in the House, it's difficult to be optimistic about legislative progress in Washington over the next two years given the deep fissures within the GOP itself.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Nov 7, 2014

Fashion exhibitions take the limelight this month

H&M's big sister, COS, is here
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 7, 2014

Profits at Japanese firms approach all-time high, but not everyone is smiling

Japanese companies are headed toward their highest profits ever, as the falling yen boosts exporters from Toyota Motor Corp. to Uniqlo-operator Fast Retailing Co.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 7, 2014

Facebook tackles Ebola threat by prompting users to donate

Facebook Inc. knows how much influence its news feed can have on members' behavior, and the social network is using that clout to fight Ebola.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2014

Renowned architect condemns Olympic stadium design

A revised design for the main Tokyo Olympic stadium is nothing more than a "white elephant" that's been stripped of its original designer's artistic talent and will forever burden the capital if built, internationally renowned architect Arata Isozaki said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 6, 2014

Dan Stevens goes from Crawley to creepy in 'The Guest'

Dan Stevens achieved TV stardom via his role as English gentleman Matthew Crawley on the popular British period drama "Downton Abbey," and he has now set his sights on the big screen. Will it happen?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 6, 2014

An opportunity for Abe and Xi

One reason for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping's newfound flexibility toward each other may be domestic political shifts in both countries that have created a more equal balance between conservative, nationalist groups and more internationally oriented business interests.
EDITORIALS
Nov 6, 2014

Space, the final frontier

Given the many, irreducible uncertainties of space flight tourism in the future — brought home last week by the crash of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo vehicle — the guiding principle for customers is likely to be 'informed consent.'
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2014

Voters OK legal marijuana in Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, D.C.

Residents of Oregon, Alaska, and the U.S. capital voted to legalize marijuana on Tuesday, in key victories that could fuel the legalization movement as cannabis usage is increasingly recognized by the American public.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 5, 2014

Wales minister says nuclear power remains a good investment

While the nation debates the wisdom of restarting its nuclear power plants, the energy source remains central to some nations' investments for tomorrow. The process to construct a new two-reactor facility in Wales has been going as planned, the British province's economy minister said.
EDITORIALS
Nov 5, 2014

To hike the consumption tax, or not

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe must address concerns about the economy's health before he makes a decision on whether to raise the consumption tax.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2014

Is Ukraine's crisis the U.S. and Europe's fault?

The question at the heart of the Ukraine crisis remains whether Russia should have special right to determine the policies and governments of its neighboring countries.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 5, 2014

Street-dance show's dazzling 'tribute to manga' hits the spot

Street-dance types in Japan can often be seen working on their moves in parks or in front of big plate-glass windows, but in Britain the dance movement is being taken to an entirely new level.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 5, 2014

Washington takes hands-off stance on future of Myanmar's Suu Kyi

Despite hailing Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as "an icon of democracy," U.S. President Barack Obama is quietly acquiescing to the government's decision to bar her from running for the presidency in next year's election, U.S. officials say.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 5, 2014

Republicans prevail in big, bitterly fought U.S. governor races

Republicans governors triumphed in key races on Tuesday in the political heavyweight states of Florida, Michigan and Wisconsin, joining the partisan tide that gave Republicans control of the U.S. Senate.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2014

The six years from 2008 show Keynes was right

The main lesson from all the policy experiments conducted worldwide since the 2008 financial crisis is that government decisions on taxes and public spending have turned out to be more important as drivers of economic activity than the monetary experiments with zero interest rates and quantitative easing.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2014

BOJ money no substitute for tapping China's market

As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks for new growth engines to reinvigorate Japan, he's ignoring obvious ones — like making bolder structural reforms and tapping China's market.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 4, 2014

Mono's dual album release shows dark and light sides to the band

On the 2012 album "For My Parents," instrumental rock band Mono went big. Recorded with the 25-piece Wordless Music Orchestra, the album reflected a band that had finally completed a musical journey that it started more than 15 years ago performing grandiose, symphonic instrumental rock.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 4, 2014

White House blames D.C. gridlock for Democrats' unpopularity

With many races tight but polls showing a general trend in favor of Republicans, the White House on Monday blamed voter dissatisfaction with Washington for what could be an Election Day rout for President Barack Obama's Democrats.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / IEC GENERAL MEETING IN TOKYO
Nov 4, 2014

Helping SMEs to standardization

Economic globalization is not just a matter of concern for large companies, but also for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for more than 99 percent of companies in Japan, thus forming the basis of the nation's economy.

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