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COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Nov 27, 2016

'Five-year rule' triggers 'Tohoku college massacre' of jobs

I have discussed the "five-year rule" several times before in this column — the revision of the Labor Contract Law (Rodo Keiyaku Ho) enacted in 2013. Under the amendment, any worker employed on serial fixed-term contracts (yūki koyō) for more than five years can give themselves permanent status....
CULTURE / Books
Nov 26, 2016

The hidden heart of Natsume Soseki

Dec. 9 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Natsume Soseki (1867-1916), a novelist widely regarded as being the one of the greatest writers of modern Japan. Events commemorating this anniversary have been held throughout 2016 but, in case you think it will all be over by Christmas, another milestone...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 26, 2016

Trump, Putin and Kim make Abe miserable

What a bad week for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. His foreign policy initiatives lay in tatters with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's plans to dump the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Russian President Vladimir Putin pouring cold water on Abe's hopes of regaining some of the Northern Territories....
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 26, 2016

Pondering Trump's future prospects of throwing out first pitches in MLB, NPB

What kind of president will Donald Trump be regarding sports?
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2016

Swiss vote on ending nuclear power raises prospect of more fossil fuels

Switzerland votes in a referendum on Sunday on whether to make a speedy withdrawal from atomic energy production, a move that would reduce nuclear risks but raise reliance on fossil fuels from Germany or imported nuclear power from France.
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Nov 24, 2016

Spa treatments, lunch for busy women; exclusive rooms offer seasonal respite; an afternoon tea plan with a twist

Spa treatments, lunch for busy women
WORLD
Nov 24, 2016

New scanners to reduce need for unpacking at airport security

Makers of scanners used in airports are testing new technology that could soon make taking liquids and laptops out of carry-on bags a thing of the past, speeding up security lines for passengers.
Japan Times
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Nov 23, 2016

The Japan Times Readers’ Fund

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BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 22, 2016

Guerrero, Ramirez, Rodriguez newcomers on Hall of Fame ballot

Outfielders Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez and catcher Ivan Rodriguez are among the prominent newcomers to the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released on Monday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 22, 2016

Thai internet laws raise questions about privacy protection

Thailand's military government, which has cracked down on online dissent since seizing power in 2014, is pushing ahead with cybersecurity bills that rights groups say could mean more extensive online monitoring, raising concerns over privacy protection.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 21, 2016

Thailand to begin building late king's funeral pyre next year

Thailand will begin building the funeral pyre for late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last month at the age of 88, next year, the government said Monday, adding that 8,000 people will be involved in the cremation ceremony.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2016

America's political checks and balances in peril

The outcome of the 2016 election is likely to gut the already weakened U.S. political system's checks and balances on government power.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 21, 2016

Abe to seek bigger fiscal policy role in '17 budget

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government is pushing for a greater role for fiscal policy next year, according to draft guidelines for the 2017 budget seen by Bloomberg.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2016

AIG sees $430 million loss on Fuji Life sale, gain on Seoul deal

American International Group Inc., the insurer that's shrinking to free up capital for shareholder buybacks, said it expects to book a loss of about $430 million on the previously disclosed deal to sell Fuji Life Insurance Co. in Japan.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 21, 2016

Burdened but unbowed, Germany's Merkel faces biggest test as she seeks a fourth term

Announcing on Sunday that she will seek a fourth term in office, Germany's Angela Merkel faces perhaps the biggest test of her career: defending the European and trans-Atlantic status quo amid huge uncertainty for both.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 20, 2016

Ogre You Asshole flirts with tension on latest album

The members of Ogre You Asshole are bracing for something. At least, that's what the title of their seventh album, "Handoru o Hanasu Mae Ni" ("Before Letting Go of the Handle") suggests. (The album's official English title is the less tense "Everythingsomethingnothing.")
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2016

Could Japan's bond bubble get Trumped?

Bond market vigilantes are keen to test the Bank of Japan's latest moves to keep yields low as U.S. rates rise.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2016

Koike postpones decision on fate of Tsukiji relocation until summer

The governor says the relocation will take place sometime between winter 2017 and spring 2018, if it takes place at all.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past