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EDITORIALS
Jan 18, 2015

Rajapaksa's surprise

While the new president of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, says he wants to build a nation based on Buddhist principles of nonviolence and compassion, it is not clear if he is prepared to investigate charges that war crimes were committed during the 26-year-long civil war with the Tamil Tigers.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 17, 2015

Snark levels were on full blast for 'Kohaku'

The 2014 edition of NHK's venerated song contest, "Kohaku Uta Gassen," broadcast on Dec. 31, was remarkable for several reasons, though the performance that generated the most remarks was the one by the equally venerated pop-rock group Southern All Stars, their first on the show in 31 years.
COMMENTARY / World / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 17, 2015

Sri Lanka votes against fear and kleptocracy

The stunning ouster of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Jan. 8 was good news for that island nation of 20 million, and further evidence of a universal yearning for good governance.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 17, 2015

Kids do better when they go to preschool all day

Full-day preschool may prepare children better for learning and social development than part- time programs, new research showed, bolstering the case for putting kids in classrooms at younger ages.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 17, 2015

Tavenner, who oversaw botched 'Obamacare' website launch, to quit

The Obama administration official who oversaw the botched rollout of the "Obamacare" website, Healthcare.gov, announced Friday she will resign as head of the agency that also manages the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs.
Japan Times
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 16, 2015

USOC gets Olympic bid wrong again

"Once you become predictable, no one's interested anymore."
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 16, 2015

Nagoya museums on quest to track visitors' nationalities

The industrial tourism business in Nagoya will have a new mission in fiscal 2015. Museums and activity centers will begin tracking visitors' nationalities in order to target them better.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2015

Daihatsu dismantling 'Toyota Way' as market changes

When Daihatsu Motor Co. launched the Mira e:S minicar in 2011, the Toyota affiliate thought it had found a model for emerging markets. The Mira e:S — e for eco, S for smart — was capable of going 30 kilometers on a liter of gasoline (72 mpg) for a sticker price of just ¥795,000, or $6,637. And indeed,...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 16, 2015

Korean troops take part in exercises

Winter drills on either side of the demilitarized zone underscore the fragility of a potential thaw between North Korea and South Korea after Kim Jong Un raised the possibility of a summit.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 16, 2015

Macau sex ring bust shows China expanding crackdown on graft

The arrest of a prominent Macau executive in the largest prostitution bust in the city's history shows Chinese President Xi Jinping is broadening his crackdown on corruption to restrict even long-tolerated vices.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jan 15, 2015

Revolving door with coaches damaging growth of Japanese game

A troubling trend is one of the hallmarks of the 2014-15 Japan men's pro basketball season.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2015

Moving toward the next Chinese economy

After more than 30 years of extraordinary growth, the Chinese economy is shifting onto a more conventional development path. The difficult rebalancing now under way could lead to an economy that's stronger than ever.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 15, 2015

Documentary festival delivers an encore to Tokyo audiences

Last November, Japan Times film critic Kaori Shoji predicted that the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival's (YIDFF) program of screenings would slant toward sociopolitical analysis, focusing on substance over style. Audiences must have welcomed this weighty exposition of the documentary...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 14, 2015

Frederick Wiseman in communion with an art musuem

One of the most distinctive and unique documentarians of our time, Frederick Wiseman, 85, is famed for two things: an utter disdain of explanatory narration and an exhaustive fascination with his subjects. Since 1967 — when he produced and directed "Titicut Follies," a documentary about a Massachusetts...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 14, 2015

A longer look at the problems of 'Unbroken'

Why can't "Unbroken" — Angelina Jolie's hit World War II drama — catch a break in Japan? There are presently no plans to release the film here in theaters, on DVD or online, even though it has a strong Japan focus as well as a major role for popular local rock musician Miyavi (whose real name is...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 14, 2015

The Judge: 'works better if you're a well-to-do, over-40 male'

There is a point in a woman's life — specifically, mine — when surprises in movies and in dates are just not all that welcome anymore. Which is why "The Judge" is a vehicle to like — very, very much. Robert Downey Jr. faces off with Robert Duvall in a patriarchal, angst-ridden mystery thriller...
Reader Mail
Jan 14, 2015

Politics and women overseas

The Dec. 14 national election was personally significant for me because, for the first time in my life, I voted. A bittersweet experience it was. I happened to be on a short-term sabbatical in Japan when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for the snap election. During the weeks leading up to it, I collected...
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2015

State secrets law could constrain researchers

The spirit of Japan's new state secrets law may officially be about protecting national security, but lawyers say it could affect a broad range of academic research as well.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jan 14, 2015

In Twitter hack, Pentagon sees perils of social media

If so-called cyberjihadis want to launch another social media attack on America's military, they will have plenty of targets: the U.S. Army alone lists more than 2,000 links to feeds on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other accounts.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2015

Japan's rising economy results in fewer suicides, but recession might reverse that

The slide into recession last year wasn't just a blow to "Abenomics," as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's fiscal policies are known.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 13, 2015

Cheap smokes finally going up in price

Until the tobacco prices went up in 2010, third-class cigarette sales were very low.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 13, 2015

Hollande wins top marks for crisis handling — for now

Somber, genuinely moved and attuned to the mood of the people, President Francois Hollande is set for a popularity boost after getting rare top marks from local media and analysts for his handling of France's worst attacks in decades. But there is no guarantee this will last.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jan 12, 2015

Lower oil prices spell good news for Japanese economy

Manufacturers, motorists and households and all stand to reap the benefits of falling prices for crude oil.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years