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CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Feb 1, 2014

The Tattoo Murder Case

Still reeling from the effects of war, Tokyo, in 1948, was ripe with intrigue, not to mention men and women capable of plotting monstrous crimes. Akimitsu Takagi's crime mystery "The Tattoo Murder Case" was first published that year and his gritty scenes of the city are described with the authenticity...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 31, 2014

Asia's emerging democratic axis

A Japan-India democratic axis, with U.S. support, could reshape the Asian strategic landscape and block the rise of a Sino-centric Asia. A rudderless India is in search of its own Shinzo Abe.
EDITORIALS
Jan 29, 2014

Wage hikes can help end deflation

This year's wage negotiations have started, and for the first time in five years, Japan's largest labor organization will demand across-the-board raises in wage bases. The Japan Business Federation concurs but in more evasive language.
BUSINESS
Jan 29, 2014

Road urged removed before games

Developer Mitsui Fudosan Co. said Wednesday it is in talks with the government about the removal of a highway near Tokyo Station ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 28, 2014

New dawn breaking over Japan

Writing from Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says it is not twilight, but a new dawn, that is breaking over Japan, thanks to his administration's overcoming the notion that certain reforms could never be carried out.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jan 27, 2014

Can big names help the plight of small factories?

The smooth, metallic surface reflects the sunlight coming through the window. Without touching it you can see that this is an object made with great care — even though it came from a factory. I'm inside a shop run by Lexus in Tokyo, but what I'm looking at isn't part of a luxury car, it's a small metal...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jan 27, 2014

Have your say on English education

Letters and online responses to the Jan. 6, 13 and 20 Learning Curve columns by Teru Clavel on English education.
WORLD
Jan 25, 2014

'Abe-genda': nuclear export superpower

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is now in New Delhi to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Indian Republic. His presence speaks volumes about closer diplomatic, security and economic ties and, at least from Tokyo's perspective, a common agenda on responding to the rise of China. India remains...
Reader Mail
Jan 25, 2014

Pleasure reading presents hurdles

Having the esteemed professor emeritus Stephen Krashen contribute to the ongoing question of English education in Japan is always pleasurable. However, his letter of Jan. 16, "Recreational reading will score," raises more questions than it answers.
EDITORIALS
Jan 24, 2014

Limits of secrecy oversight panel

An expert council for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may be able to serve as a minor check against the arbitrary application of the new state secrets law, but the the defects of the law will remain.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 24, 2014

Over 1 in 10 men have experienced 'paternity harassment': survey

Survey results show a staggering gap between the government's push for a family-friendly working environment and workplace realities.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2014

SoftBank to Dentsu, firms start to court gays

With less than a 0.1 percent share of Japan's car market, Alfa Romeo knew it couldn't match the marketing muscle of the local giants like Toyota Motor Corp., which together make nine out of every 10 vehicles sold in the country.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2014

Abe talks economy, not diplomatic rifts, at Diet opener

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opens the 150-day ordinary Diet session with a policy speech that reaffirmed his vow to push up wages and expand consumption to make his 'Abenomics' economic policy sustainable
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2014

16 kick off Tokyo gubernatorial race

Campaigning for the Tokyo gubernatorial election officially kicked off Thursday with 16 candidates set to battle over national-level issues ranging from energy policy to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Reader Mail
Jan 22, 2014

Get going with tidal energy

We're students from Yokohama International School. We were assigned to spread awareness of tidal energy in Japan. From the recent rallies in Tokyo, it is evident that many are going the anti-nuclear route, and some suggest alternative energy sources to gradually replace nuclear power plants.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2014

Reforms open SE Asia's 'last frontier'

Newly democratizing Myanmar is a suitable destination for Japanese direct investment as it is Southeast Asia's "last frontier," two researchers based in Singapore said at a symposium in Tokyo.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jan 20, 2014

Expiry dates

It's hard when our children decide we're past our prime. Let's prove we've still got a little shelf life sorting out an admittedly tricky subject.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 20, 2014

Lego could help girls build their future careers

Writer Rachel Cooke believes that if more girls were encouraged to play with building toys such as Lego, then there may be more female architects and engineers.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jan 19, 2014

Kirobo chats with astronaut in space

The first humanoid robot with speech capability to be in space made small talk with astronaut Koichi Wakata and said it had no problem with zero-gravity on the International Space Station.
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Jan 19, 2014

Fukushima kids' teeth to be checked for strontium-90

The Fukushima Prefecture Dental Association will spearhead efforts to determine whether children's teeth contain the radioactive isotope strontium-90 amid worries they were exposed to fallout from the triple core meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in March 2011.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 19, 2014

Want a one-way ticket to the red planet?

Since its announcement in May 2012, the Mars One project hasn't had an easy ride. Critics have questioned all aspects, from the technical feasibility to its funding model. But recent developments from the project seem to be bringing the goal of starting a human colony on Mars by 2025 a little closer....
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Jan 18, 2014

In Jomon and Heian, the times weren't a-changin'

"Man the change-maker." That is one definition of Homo sapiens. Other creatures are changed — by Nature, by evolution — over vast expanses of time measured in hundreds of thousands or millions of years. Humankind consciously generates change. We innovate, build, invent, destroy, build again. Even...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2014

India's shambolic Afghan policy

India stands at a crossroads where it remains keen to preserve its interests in Afghanistan but has refused to step up its role as a regional security provider.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2014

Warring dogmas block climate-change progress

National debates over environmental issues are sometimes derailed by two kinds of extremists: eco-doomsayers and techno-optimists. Noisy, headline-grabbing dogmas are an impediment to progress.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan