Search - 2014

 
 
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2016

Why are America's allies so persistently pathetic?

Washington's allies, despite benefiting from capable populations and enjoying advanced economies, can't be bothered to invest heavily in their own defense.
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Jan 24, 2016

Barring the unforeseen, Kyoto's dwindling voters look set to keep kimono-clad mayor

Given Kyoto's prosperous domestic and international tourism industry, the mayoral election on Feb. 7 is widely expected to be an easy win for incumbent Daisaku Kadokawa, 65, who is backed by the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito and the Democratic Party of Japan.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 24, 2016

'Plane wreckage' found in Thailand fuels talk of missing Malaysian jet

A piece of suspected plane wreckage has been found off the coast of southern Thailand, a local official said on Saturday, prompting speculation it might belong to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished nearly two years ago.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 23, 2016

Hiroko Kuniya's ouster deals another blow to quality journalism in Japan

Hiroko Kuniya, the widely respected anchor for NHK's stellar "Close-up Gendai" news analysis program, has been ousted from her position after 23 years with the show. She now joins a growing list of prominent news presenters and commentators who have discovered the apparent perils of not kowtowing to...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 23, 2016

Haruka Kuroda: 'Whatever the situation, listen to your feelings'

U.K.-based Japanese actress on jelly and collaborating with Gorillaz
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 23, 2016

Mounting student debt may cost society dearly

The education ministry conducted a survey in 2014 of institutes of higher learning and found that the average yearly tuition for private universities was ¥864,384. In addition, the average "entry fee" (nyūgakukin) was ¥261,089. Adding other expenses, the ministry estimated it cost a student ¥1.43...
EDITORIALS
Jan 23, 2016

Fears over personal data security

People are understandably worried about the security of the My Number system, and the government has done little to reassure them.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2016

Abe indicates pivot toward reduction of wage disparities in policy speech

In a key policy speech for 2016, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledges to promote measures to reduce wage disparities.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2016

The bigger Asia builds, the harder it falls?

Could the opening of the world's second-largest building in the heart of Shanghai portend a financial crash?
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 22, 2016

Seoul to set up intelligence data link that connects it to Japan-U.S. system

South Korea will set up a military data link to share imagery and real-time intelligence with Japan and the United States.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 22, 2016

BOJ on verge of fresh inflation target delay, putting monetary policy under scrutiny

The Bank of Japan is poised, for the third time in less than a year, to push back the time frame for reaching its inflation target, making it harder for policymakers to hold off from enlarging monetary stimulus.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 22, 2016

U.S. weighs making Hawaii missile test site operational: sources

The U.S. military has stepped up discussions on converting its Aegis missile defense test site in Hawaii into a combat-ready facility that would bolster American defenses against ballistic missile attacks, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 21, 2016

LGBT Indians to drive taxis in Mumbai in sign of social acceptance

Mumbai's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens will soon be able to drive private taxis in the city, in a sign of the increasing acceptance of the marginalized community in India's commercial capital.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2016

Thai military risks weakening the monarchy

The Thai military's overuse of lese majeste law to prop up its own authority risks weakening the monarchy over the long term.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2016

Amari vows to answer claims over ¥12 million in undeclared funds

Scandal-hit economic minister Akira Amari vows to answer allegations that he and two secretaries received large undeclared donations and hospitality.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 21, 2016

Sharp gets ¥600 billion offer from Foxconn

Foxconn Technology Group has offered about ¥600 billion to buy struggling electronics maker Sharp Corp., according to a person familiar with the talks, in what could mark the largest acquisition since 2009 for the assembler of Apple Inc.'s iPhones.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 21, 2016

Dracoraptor, forerunner of fearsome T-rex, unearthed in Wales

In the early years of the Jurassic Period, when the world was recovering from one of the worst mass extinctions on record, a modest meat-eating dinosaur from Wales helped pave the way for some of the most fearsome predators ever to stalk the Earth.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2016

The bill for China's flawed ascent is coming due

The Chinese government's contract with its 1.4 billion subjects is that it will deliver prosperity and they will be obedient. But how much longer can this deal continue?
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 21, 2016

Five held in Germany, 10 in Turkey in joint bust of alleged traffickers of 1,700 Syrians

German and Turkish police arrested 15 people suspected of people smuggling in a joint operation to break up a ring believed to have trafficked more than 1,700 Syrian refugees to Europe.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes