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COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2013

A perfect role model for an imprisoned politician

Former Ukraine Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, now the imprisoned leader of that country's opposition, writes a tribute to South Africa's Nelson Mandela, emphasizing that one of the few gifts that imprisonment can bestow is the ability to begin to see more clearly the inner workings of the human soul.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2013

Five myths about helping out the Philippines

Among common misconceptions about assistance to victims of communities shattered by storms or earthquakes are that locals wait for the international community to come save them and that goods and services are 'free' donations.
WORLD
Dec 10, 2013

Drinking water project pumps up Dead Sea

The Dead Sea has been rapidly disappearing for the past 50 years, one of the world's natural wonders careening toward ecological collapse.
EDITORIALS
Dec 7, 2013

English teachers to study abroad

In a bold move to raise the level of English instruction, the Tokyo Board of Education plans to start sending its junior high and high school teachers to an English-speaking country for three months of study.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2013

Inequality threatens Mandela legacy

Nelson Mandela emerged from 27 years in apartheid jails in 1990 pledging to seize South Africa's mines and banks. Four years later, his government slashed spending and courted foreign investors, paving the way for the longest period of growth in the country's history.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHARITY DRIVE 2013
Dec 5, 2013

NICCO driven to continue Afghan aid

Members of the Kyoto-based nonprofit organization Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development (NICCO) defied danger and entered Afghanistan as soon as the brutal Taliban government had fallen. They have since continued their difficult humanitarian support activities for more than 10 years....
Reader Mail
Dec 4, 2013

Maritime rifts could cost China

Regarding Kevin Rafferty's Nov. 29 article, "Can Xi's reforms succeed?": Much has written about Chinese President Xi Jinping's determination to push national reforms, but he has yet to overcome three institutional obstacles.
Reader Mail
Dec 4, 2013

Get young people into forestry

C.W. Nicol's Nov. 3 article, "Hybrid furniture and the working horse" — about what could be done to turn Japan's neglected forests into useful, productive, beautiful areas — is inspiring.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2013

IAEA says Tepco should consider water release

International Atomic Energy Agency experts suggest that Tepco consider discharging toxic water from the Fukushima No. 1 plant into the ocean after lowering the level of radioactive materials to less than the legal limit.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2013

Nation's kids top fields in PISA test

For the first time ever, Japanese 15-year-olds have topped the list in reading and science performance in an international academic survey covering 34 developed countries.
EDITORIALS
Dec 3, 2013

Fukushima voter discontent

Voters' defeat of incumbent mayors in Fukushima Prefecture should flag the Abe administration that they not happy with the slow pace of reconstruction from the nuclear disaster in March 2011.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 3, 2013

A vital role for Caroline Kennedy

Given the nexus of issues that tie vital U.S. interests to Japan's reform process, Caroline Kennedy, the new U.S. ambassador to Japan, could well prove to be a crucial link between the countries.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2013

Opening the kitchen to foreign chefs

As a foreigner aspiring to become a "washoku" (Japanese food) chef, South Korean student Seo Dong-young faces a dilemma. The 23-year-old student at a Tokyo culinary school wants to stay here and work after graduation, but unfortunately that isn't an option.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 3, 2013

Panasonic eyes growth via auto parts ventures

Panasonic Corp. is in talks with automotive parts makers for possible acquisitions or alliances as Japan's No. 2 TV maker seeks to expand the components it delivers to vehicle manufacturers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 2, 2013

Between dreams and discrimination, Japanese build new lives in the City by the Bay

How are modern-day Japanese immigrants experiencing life in America — and in particular, San Francisco? What are their dreams, their struggles and rewards? And how do they handle the need to belong, the ceaseless negotiation between assimilation and roots?
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2013

China dons provocateur suit

However powerful President Xi Jinping might have become, China's declaration of a vast air-defense identification zone does not add to its store of 'soft power.'
WORLD
Dec 2, 2013

Weak hurricane season puzzles researchers

It was a hurricane season almost without hurricanes. There were just two, Humberto and Ingrid, and both were relatively wimpy, Category 1 storms. That made the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, which ended Saturday, the least active in more than 30 years — for reasons that remain puzzling.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 2, 2013

U.S. plan for new, Western-trained Libyan force faces obstacles

Deepening divisions among Libya's myriad armed groups are increasingly stirring conflict in the North African state. Now the United States and its allies are prepared to add a new force to the toxic mix.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2013

India again shows signs of irrational sanguinity

India shows no signs of facing its underlying problem of poor governance or overcoming its sense of political drift. What, then, accounts for its relentless sanguinity?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 30, 2013

Delving into the dark side of longer life

Longevity is like prosperity — it seems an unalloyed good but on closer examination turns out not to be. Longevity spawns dementia, infirmity, loneliness and a demographic imbalance favoring the very old at the expense of the young.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 30, 2013

Expect greater influx of Latinos in NPB

Fan Dayan Viera was born in Cuba and currently lives in Miami, Florida. He emailed to say, "As a Cuban, I wonder if Japanese teams will be taking advantage of the new policy change where Cuban players are going to be allowed to play in foreign leagues without needing to defect from Cuba."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2013

English part of equation for science students

Even as Japan was praised for its English presentations during the bidding process to host the 2020 Olympic Games in September, it is no secret that Japanese are still said to be poor at communicating in English.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 28, 2013

This Thanksgiving let's pardon these turkeys

This Thanksgiving, give thanks for 2013, a year the future might study more for amusement than for edification.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2013

Line censoring messages in China

In another example of the dilemmas facing Internet companies operating in China, Japan-based instant messaging app provider Line Corp. has been censoring chats among users there, blocking the transmission of politically sensitive words and phrases.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?