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COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2015

Thailand in 2015: a year of spinning its wheels

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha's promises to launch a number of projects to put Thailand back on the track toward democracy have proven empty.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Dec 20, 2015

Loneliness grows as 3/11 evacuees vacate temporary housing

Even though thousands of evacuees from the 3/11 disasters still live in temporary housing, many others have moved on, turning once busy communities into virtual ghost towns.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 19, 2015

Japanese newspapers' self-interest ensures they toe Komeito's line on tax exemption

The vernacular press has been uncharacteristically unanimous in its support for the exemption of food from the planned consumption tax hike.
EDITORIALS
Dec 18, 2015

The center holds in France

French centrist political parties have fended off the far-right National Front for now, but the fight is far from over.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 17, 2015

Two generations of 'Star Wars' heroes come together in 'The Force Awakens'

It all started a long time ago (1977 to be precise) in a galaxy far, far away — er, Hollywood. Six films and billions of dollars in merchandising later, the world awaits the arrival of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 17, 2015

Putting politics over economics, Abe may stall sales tax hike, call for double Diet poll next summer

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may put off a sales tax rise and call a snap Lower House election next summer, in tandem with a poll for the upper chamber, imitating a winning strategy he used a year ago, some advisers and political sources say.
EDITORIALS
Dec 16, 2015

The risky nuclear deal with India

The pending nuclear cooperation pact with India, a nuclear weapons power, represents a major shift in Japanese policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 16, 2015

Abe flubs great opportunity to be a green global leader

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could have stood forward at the Paris climate talks as a world leader in the fight against climate change. Instead, he offered nothing new.
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2015

Tightest job market since 1992 may weigh on Japan bonds

The nation's most severe labor shortage in almost quarter of a century will support the central bank's inflation target and weaken appetite for already low-yielding bonds.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 14, 2015

To see the future of electric cars, look to China

The real action on electric vehicles is happening in China, where smoggy skies and government subsidies are creating the perfect conditions for them to thrive.
WORLD
Dec 14, 2015

U.S., Japan, Germany among 18 nations to build carbon markets

Eighteen nations including the U.S., Japan and Germany will work together to develop international carbon markets to help speed the pace of emission reductions under the Paris climate deal struck Saturday, according to the New Zealand government.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Dec 14, 2015

Pressured by allies, Merkel looks to 'drastically' cap Germany's refugee influx alreadly set to top 1 million

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday she wanted to "drastically decrease" the number of refugees coming to Germany, signaling a compromise to critics of her open-door policy from within her conservatives on the eve of a party congress.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 12, 2015

Ruling coalition clinches deal on food tax rate

The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito finalized plans to apply a lower sales tax rate to food purchases, a measure that will cost u00a51 trillion in revenue.
EDITORIALS
Dec 10, 2015

Rise of National Front in France

The far-right National Front is making disturbing gains in France, and the mainstream political parties need to up their game.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Dec 10, 2015

Yahoo weighs spinoff of Web units, not ditching Alibaba stake

Yahoo Inc. is changing course. Again.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Dec 10, 2015

Lexus races to fill sports coupe gap a decade after SC's demise

What does 2+2 equal? If Lexus is doing the math, its newest model could be the answer.
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2015

Low tax on food will hurt the poor, say economists

Political negotiations between the nation's ruling coalition are approaching a showdown over the unpopular consumption tax, which is set to rise to 10 percent from 8 percent in April 2017. A sweetener being considered has drawn scathing criticism from many economists.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 7, 2015

U.S. arms-makers strain to meet demand as Mideast conflicts rage

Top U.S. arms makers are straining to meet surging demand for precision missiles and other weapons being used in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State group and other conflicts in the Middle East, according to senior U.S. officials and industry executives.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 6, 2015

It should be home sweet home, but not in Japan

The destructive nexus between construction companies, bureaucracy and politicians is largely responsible for Japan's glut of rapidly depreciating houses.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2015

Toyota eyes '15-'16 U.S. sales record, 'trying to make hay' as economy rises, gas prices fall

Toyota Motor Corp. expects record U.S. auto- industry sales for 2015 followed by another two years of strength as gasoline prices remain low and the U.S. economy continues on a path of stable growth.

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