Search - 2014

 
 
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2015

Key Japanese firms to be a surprise no-show at Australian submarine event

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industrieshave declined an invitation to attend a gathering of top Australian naval officials and politicians this week.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 23, 2015

NHK beats commercial TV stations to simulcast punch

NHK's announcement earlier this month that it will start trial simultaneous broadcasts of its programming on the Internet signaled a new era in TV broadcasting.
WORLD
Mar 23, 2015

Syrian insurgents 'mimicking ruthlessness' of army, rights group says

Insurgent groups in Syria have carried out scores of indiscriminate attacks that have killed and maimed civilians in violation of the laws of war, a Human Rights Watch report said on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 23, 2015

Rakuten sues firm over 'stealth marketing' that plays up bogus orders on portal

The Rakuten online shopping portal has been plagued by "stealth marketing," whereby more than 100 retailers have reportedly paid an Osaka-based firm to place fake orders and post bogus customer reviews so their products are displayed prominently on Rakuten's website.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 23, 2015

Crashed Syrian army helicopter crew captured by rebels; one executed

A Syrian military helicopter crashed in northwestern Syria on Sunday and at least four of its crew were captured by rebels, according to a monitoring group.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2015

Gunmen strike at the heart of Tunisia's political idealism

The Tunisian government will now have to wake up and acknowledge that the enemies of constitutional democracy view the success of the Tunisian experiment as a threat to their own vision of Islamic law and governance.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Mar 22, 2015

University teachers in Japan work under the shadow of a falling ax

For most teachers, their job is more than an economic exchange of time for money — it is a vocation. Concern for students' educational development is genuine, as is a deep belief in the value and importance of education, and a regard for the institution's reputation and welfare.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 22, 2015

Nothing will silence anti-coup Thais in Japan

It is difficult to estimate how many Thais who oppose the current military government in Bangkok reside in Japan, but clearly some of them have become more politically active than their counterparts living in Western countries.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2015

Modi's outreach to three Indian Ocean states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tour of the Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka indicates that India has at least made a good start toward tackling China's economic and strategic challenge in India's backyard.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Mar 22, 2015

So you want to be a really smart shopper? Look stateside

"Never buy anything unless it is on sale!" — that's the first rule of an American shopper.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 22, 2015

Toyota set to approve $1 billion Corolla plant in Mexico within weeks

Toyota Motor Corp. is finalizing plans for its first car plant in Mexico, which could be approved by its board as early as next month, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 21, 2015

Sexual identity isn't as simple as it once was

All societies are repressive — some brutally, others benignly, more or less. No society allows us to fully express our true selves. Some societies squash our true selves. Even those that don't will at least keep them in check to some degree. Society could hardly function otherwise.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Mar 21, 2015

Pilots coach Reveno cherished time in Japan

"Konnichiwa."
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Mar 21, 2015

Fighters' Hermida excited about new challenge

Jeremy Hermida hit a grand slam the very first time he stepped in the batter's box in the major leagues, becoming the first player since Bill Duggleby in 1898 to achieve that particular feat. That day, Aug. 31, 2005, has been followed by a series of ups and downs, a winding career path that has led the...
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 20, 2015

Riken to ask Obokata for ¥600,000 in publishing fees for debunked paper

Riken said Friday that it would ask disgraced former researcher Haruko Obokata for about ¥600,000 in compensation for fees associated with publishing the results of her now-discredited research into so-called STAP cells.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 20, 2015

In quest to improve PLA, Xi evokes Japan's victory over navy in 1894

In the "century of humiliation" that President Xi Jinping often evokes for his goal of turning China into a great power, one particular episode resonates: The defeat of China's navy by Japan in 1894.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 20, 2015

Japan's tax agency, Hong Kong join FBI in scrutinizing casino developer

Japan's tax authorities have begun a review of how slot machine maker and casino developer Universal Entertainment accounted for $40 million in payments made in 2010 to an associate of the Philippines' top gambling regulator at that time, sources told Reuters.
WORLD
Mar 20, 2015

Body found in New Jersey river is missing WSJ reporter

A body found in a New Jersey river has been positively identified as David Bird, a Wall Street Journal reporter who disappeared more than a year ago, officials said on Thursday.
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 20, 2015

Arctic sea ice covers record low extent this winter

Arctic sea ice has set a new winter record by freezing over the smallest extent since satellite records began in 1979, in a new sign of long-term climate change, U.S. data showed on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 19, 2015

Michelle Obama, Akie Abe pledge bilateral effort for girls' education

Visiting U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and Akie Abe, wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, pledged Thursday to strengthen bilateral cooperation in helping girls around the world receive an education, especially in developing countries.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Mar 19, 2015

Princeton, Kwansei Gakuin to battle in Legacy Bowl

One of the most successful college football clubs in Japan meets one of the oldest football programs in the sport's mother country when Kwansei Gakuin University takes on Princeton University in the Legacy Bowl on Saturday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 19, 2015

China Air Force needs better command and control, Australian air force chief says

China's air force needs better central control to avoid miscalculations as territorial tensions rise with Japan over the East China Sea, according to the Australian Air Force chief.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 18, 2015

Is Asian cinema caught in a festival feeding frenzy?

On March 5, tickets went on sale for Joe Hisaishi's concert at a 1,200-seat theater in Udine, Italy — and they were sold out in less than a week. In Japan, where Hisaishi is well known as a composer for his soundtracks to films by Hayao Miyazaki, Takeshi Kitano and many others, this rush for tickets...
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 18, 2015

Tatsumi, pioneer of illustrated adult manga, made waves overseas

Yoshihiro Tatsumi, a manga artist who became internationally recognized for his graphically illustrated adult comics, died of cancer in Tokyo on March 7. He was 79.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 18, 2015

Unsung creator casts light on casting and her 'gift from heaven'

Ask any Japanese theater lover to list his or her favorite foreign directors, and most would include Peter Brook, the English-born, long-time French resident who has been bringing his productions here and encouraging audiences to explore new artistic realms since way back in 1973.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 18, 2015

SMBC Nikko targets Nomura with global investment banker hiring

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. is hiring staff at its investment banking unit as it competes with more established names such as Nomura Holdings Inc. for bond and share deals.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 18, 2015

In development bank battle, surge to China rattles Japan, U.S.

Tokyo is expressing doubts over the credibility of China's planned development bank, as European nations seek to join the new institution.

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