Search - 2013

 
 
CULTURE / Music
Dec 23, 2014

Lower sales affected acts worldwide

The Japanese music market has faced hard times as of late. Starting with an announcement from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in March that the country's music sales dropped 16.7 percent in 2013, the past 12 months saw no particular upswing in physical or digital sales, therefore...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Dec 23, 2014

Who was music being made for in 2014?

When looking back on the year in music, the big question music fans should be asking themselves is, "Who was music being made for in 2014?" Looking at the broader picture, we can find the answers writ large across the Japanese music scene.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 23, 2014

South Korea shows the way on 'womenomics'

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he wants to put more women to work to help make up for the country's shrinking population. Yet, of the 1,093 people who ran for office in recent snap elections, a mere 169 were women. Abe might want to study neighboring South Korea.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2014

A tipping point for Pakistan?

The attack on an army school in Peshawar, Pakistan, was the Taliban's single deadliest in its history. The question now is whether it will turn out to be a turning point for Pakistan in its relations with the group.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 23, 2014

Hashimoto to resign as co-leader of Ishin no To

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto reportedly plans to resign as co-leader of Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) to focus on local elections in the spring, a move likely to further weaken the party's clout at the national level.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 23, 2014

Still haunted by WWII, Asia looks for Abe atonement in 2015

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's election victory means he will helm Japan into the 70th anniversary of its World War II defeat in 2015, a watershed year that will set the tone for Tokyo's fraught ties with Beijing and Seoul.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 23, 2014

Boston bomb suspect cites Islamic State comparisons in bid to move trial

Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is making a last-ditch bid to move his terrorism trial to another city, arguing that local news media are turning potential jurors against him with stories comparing him to Islamic State militants.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Dec 22, 2014

Refiners Idemistu and Showa Shell in talks for tie-up

Shares in Japanese refiners surged on Monday after two of the largest said they were discussing a tie-up, as falling demand for fuels spurs the industry to consider consolidation.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Dec 21, 2014

Joho sparks Toyama in victory over rival Iwate

Star guard Masashi Joho's return to the Toyama Grouses lineup this weekend delivered what the team has come to expect during his tenure with the franchise: victories.
LIFE
Dec 20, 2014

Public protest in Japan: Power to the people?

"Freedom of assembly and association as well as speech, press and all other forms of expression are guaranteed." — Article 21, Constitution of Japan
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 20, 2014

Weeklies walk a fine line in scandal reporting

In her regular column in the Dec. 11 issue of Shukan Bunshun, novelist Mariko Hayashi blasted the weekly magazines, including Bunshun, for failing to follow up on a scandal that, under normal circumstances, should have been right up their alley. The daughter of the late Osaka-based singer and TV host,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2014

Blowing the dust off Edo Period erotica

You always remember your first time.
BASKETBALL
Dec 20, 2014

Johnson scores 40 points as 89ers beat Crane Thunders

Sendai 89ers star Kejuan Johnson delivered a brilliant offensive performance on Saturday.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 20, 2014

Swallows, Buffaloes upgrade rosters, renew hope for title run

The last time there was a Yakult-Orix Japan Series played, it was 1995. The Orix team was the BlueWave, based in Kobe and led by some guy named Ichiro Suzuki. He had just completed his second full season in Japanese baseball, hitting .342 to win his second of seven consecutive Pacific League batting...
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2014

Japan deports dozens of Sri Lankan, Vietnamese asylum seekers

Japan deports dozens of foreigners who were seeking asylum in a third round of mass deportations conducted by a specially chartered plane.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Dec 19, 2014

Aomori relying on strong nucleus in second season

The Aomori Wat's are positioning themselves for another postseason appearance, building on the experience the Tohoku-based team gained in its inaugural season.
Japan Times
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Dec 19, 2014

Pochettino making believers out of Tottenham fans

The accent was so rough the suspicion was it had been honed on a cheese grater. "Pochettino," said Mike from Edmonton, "he has to go . . . we ain't moving nowhere under him."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 19, 2014

Australia gingerly mulls Japanese submarine offer

Australia is considering buying top-secret technology from Japan to build a fleet of next-generation submarines, a move that would risk reigniting diplomatic tensions with China that have only recently died down.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Dec 19, 2014

South Africa struggles to tackle obesity

At lunchtime outside South Africa's biggest shopping mall, hungry workmen in hard hats pour out of a building site to buy cheap loaves of bread and jumbo bottles of fizzy drinks.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 19, 2014

Wall St. gains sharply for second day; Oracle drives tech shares

U.S. stocks climbed more than 1 percent on Thursday, extending a rally from the previous session as tech shares gained with upbeat results from Oracle.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2014

Asia isn't ready for Chinese economic turmoil

As China's first full year of rebalancing draws to close, how has President Xi Jinping done?
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 18, 2014

Navigating Japan with a family at New Year's

Let's be honest. We're adults. New Year's in Japan can be a bit hectic. And then static. It's one of the longest, if not the longest, holiday periods in the year.

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