Search - 2012

 
 
JAPAN / Society
Mar 20, 2014

Aum cultists inspire a new generation of admirers

Swayed by a mixture of dark fascination with the outlaw life and dissatisfaction with their own lot, a small but passionate group of young people are bound by their professed admiration for the criminal members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult. They call themselves Aumers.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 20, 2014

Lack of interest in Osaka mayoral race threatens to damage Ishin brand

While Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto is all but certain to be returned to office in Sunday's election, a lack of interest among voters and the refusal by the major political parties to field candidates threatens to make the result meaningless.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN WEB WATCH
Mar 20, 2014

Who holds the deeds to gossip bulletin board 2channel?

Massive anonymous bulletin board 2channel has played an important role on the Japanese Web for 15 years (mostly on the dark side). Riddled with gossip and rumors, the site has always kept its ownership vague to avoid legal conflict, but recently a longtime background supporter seems to be trying to shake...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2014

'Tank girls' lead the charge

Being a soldier in Japan after World War II was seen as a job for failed police recruits and unemployed youths from depressed rural towns.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 19, 2014

Is the world ready for another Bush?

By all appearances, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is a man on a mission.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 19, 2014

Tohoku school's plays tell how it is

"We always start creating our next work by having a meeting with everyone involved in the drama club," high school teacher Michiko Ishii explained.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 18, 2014

In Ukraine, Putin eyes a return to glory

As tensions between Russia and the West grew more heated with Vladimir Putin's rapid move Monday to recognize Crimea as an independent state, his actions and motives remain opaque to U.S. and European officials.
EDITORIALS
Mar 18, 2014

Overhaul the electoral systems

Diet members need to set their sights on overhauling the electoral systems for both houses before the next national election and explore what kinds of systems would better suit the different roles of each chamber.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2014

Government, industry bodies take part in first broad cybersecurity drill

Japan faces a full-on cyber-attack across government departments Tuesday in a drill aimed at bolstering national security as the country gears up to host the 2020 Olympics.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 18, 2014

Believe it or not, pay phones are here to stay

Since 2002, the number of pay phones nationwide has dwindled by two-thirds.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2014

Tokyo Olympic organizing committee gets 28 new members, including seven women

The organizing committee for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games added 28 new members, including Olympic athletes and cultural figures, to its executive board.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2014

Ueno Zoo to put panda pair back on view after failed mating attempt

Following a failed attempt to get the pair to breed, Ueno Zoo announced Monday it will put its popular giant pandas back on display Wednesday after keeping them out of the public eye for almost two weeks.
WORLD
Mar 17, 2014

Timbuktu begins rebuilding tombs

Malian masons Friday began rebuilding mausoleums in the historic city of Timbuktu destroyed by Islamists during their occupation of the country's north, the United Nations said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 17, 2014

Ailing U.S. veteran wins payout over Agent Orange exposure in Okinawa

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has granted compensation to another former service member for exposure to Agent Orange while stationed in Okinawa during the Vietnam War era, despite U.S. denials that the defoliant was ever present there.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 17, 2014

Cooler heads need to convey Japan's message

A note of skepticism has crept into the public perception of Japan-U.S. relations in both countries. For that reason, cooler heads must convey Japan's message to the world.
EDITORIALS
Mar 17, 2014

Change at the top court's helm

It is hoped that incoming new chief Justice Itsuro Terada will stand firm in keeping the Supreme Court independent of political presssures as it considers controversial issues such as the disparity in vote value between legislative constituencies and whether Japan may exercise its right to collective self-defense.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2014

Singh: missing for a decade

It would be interesting to know just what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh — in office for a decade but rarely in power during that time — thinks the job requires beyond being a sycophant toward the first family.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Mar 15, 2014

Why criminals love bitcoins so

Criminals may already have made off with $500 million worth of bitcoins since the virtual currency was launched in 2009 — and you can double that if they emptied Mt. Gox's coffers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Mar 15, 2014

Japan's future may be stunted by its past

Is time carrying us forward, or backward?
EDITORIALS
Mar 15, 2014

Good year to sell to the mega-rich

The number of individuals in the world with $30 million or more in net assets increased between 2012 and 2013 to 167,000 worldwide, according to a report used by high-end specialty services that cater to the mega-rich.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Mar 14, 2014

Arsenal boss Wenger rarely gracious in defeat

"Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser," said Vince Lombardi, the legendary NFL coach. Fair point, but you can be a gracious loser and still maintain the fire and passion that Lombardi had.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Mar 14, 2014

Dahl still drawing on the joys and absurdities of expat life

For over 20 years, Roger Dahl has been making Japan Times readers laugh — and think — with his Opinion Page political cartoons and “Zero Gravity” comic strip, which pokes gentle fun at the foreign experience in this country.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBL NOTEBOOK
Mar 14, 2014

Hall looks on bright side during trying season

A year after he was on a team that had its hands on a possible NCAA men's national championship, American Carl Hall is on a club that struggles to get even a single victory in Japan.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami