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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 11, 2015

Invoking Manchuria's cross-dressing spy

She was born the daughter of a Manchu prince in Beijing in 1907. Later, as she grew up in Japan, she earned notoriety for her flamboyant challenges to gender roles and her military exploits as a princess-spy. Even today Yoshiko Kawashima still stokes controversy, and Phyllis Birnbaum's new biography...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 11, 2015

'The SAGE Handbook of Modern Japanese Studies' examines when modern Japan began

The first chapter in this dense collection of Anglophone academia asks, "How and when did modern Japan begin?" Editor James D. Babb, a lecturer in politics at the University of Newcastle, has collated a selection of texts that address this question, many of which grapple with the ostensibly inscrutable...
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 11, 2015

Iran deal could stumble on sensitive nuclear monitoring

Beefing up international monitoring of Iran's nuclear work could become the biggest stumbling block to a final accord between Tehran and major powers, despite a preliminary deal reached a week ago.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 10, 2015

Popular news program hit by LDP demand for 'neutral' coverage of 'Abenomics'

The LDP pressured major broadcaster TV Asahi to run “fair and neutral” programs about “Abenomics” ahead of the Lower House election in 2014, it is learned.
JAPAN / Politics / LOCAL POLLS '15
Apr 10, 2015

Voters in Saga face small candidate field, big issues

Saga is stuck with a paucity of candidates in the unified elections this month even as issues with both national and local implications stalk the ballot.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 8, 2015

How do you cure an allergy to money?

When is a "multitalented" person too "multi"? Where is the line between extending your creative energies in new directions and spreading yourself thin?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 8, 2015

'Jimi: All is by My Side' takes liberties with the ghost of Hendrix

Even now, some four decades after his death, the name Jimi Hendrix still carries mystique.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2015

Greece's worst option would be IMF default

The uncertainty over this week's payment to the IMF is just the latest episode of a multiyear tragedy for Greece and its creditors as they try to navigate a situation that has been managed too timidly for too long.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2015

No clear victors in U.K. debate

The main TV debate of Britain's national election campaign produced no clear winner.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 7, 2015

Crash pilot's medical record preceded stricter reporting rules, Lufthansa says

Lufthansa said on Monday it was not required to inform German aviation authorities about Andreas Lubitz's former depression because he qualified as a pilot before stricter reporting rules went into effect in 2013.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2015

In defense of Angela Merkel

It is critically important, in the face of a dark force that is rising in Europe, to defend German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Apr 5, 2015

Viewed through a religious lens, Japan makes more sense

Ever noticed how Japan — and in particular, its ruling elite — keeps getting away with astonishing bigotry?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 5, 2015

Under-30s short of cash can defer their Japan pension payments

The official line is that anyone residing in Japan aged 20-59 must sign up for the national pension. However, there are two options for deferral for young people.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Apr 4, 2015

Learning valuable lessons from the yakuza?

"He had connections and interactions with individuals related to the yakuza. Why on earth would he be appointed a (Cabinet) minister? The responsibility of the prime minister for appointing him to this position is tremendously weighty."
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2015

GOP's road to power runs through Israel

The deterioration of U.S.-Israeli relations under the Obama administration could help the Republicans win the White House in 2016.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ABENOMICS — THE BOTTOM LINE
Apr 3, 2015

Inflation eludes, stock rise helps few, but yen's fall hurts many

As the second anniversary of the BOJ's radical deflation-busting program approaches, economists question the merits of “Abenomics” and whether frothy stocks and a weaker yen deserve praise.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2015

The trials and tribulations of Asian democracy

The list of national political leaders in Asia who have faced, or are about to face, criminal charges has grown so extensive that it is plausible to wonder whether democracy itself can survive in a number of these countries.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 3, 2015

Summoned investigators fail to appear at New Orleans hearing for millionaire murder suspect Durst

Robert Durst, the real estate scion awaiting extradition to California to face a murder charge, will remain jailed in Louisiana after investigators his attorneys wanted to question did not appear at a court hearing on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2015

AIIB: Chinese cash versus American might

When it comes to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the message from China to the U.S. is clear: either concede to us the place we deserve in existing international institutions, or we will go around you and start our own.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2015

Cinderella's new moral: be rich or be a pumpkin

Kenneth Branagh's remake of 'Cinderella' carries a troubling economic message.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 1, 2015

Media, automakers offer gags galore as April Fools' Day catches on in Japan

Companies humored their customers on April Fools' Day, offering eye-catching products and services that in some cases appeared to meet a credulous audience.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 1, 2015

New Riken chief pledges to restore trust after scandal

The newly appointed head of the Riken research institute has pledged to restore its reputation as a global leader in the field.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 1, 2015

Iran nuclear talks miss deadline; U.S. threatens to walk away

Six world powers and Iran negotiated past a March 31 deadline into the wee hours of Wednesday, struggling to conclude an outline accord on Tehran's nuclear program in the face of a U.S. threat to abandon the talks.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2015

Why arming U.S. allies can be like sending weapons to the enemy

There are two ways the U.S. can arm an ally such as the Kurds. It can donate, or sell cheap, the latest U.S.-made weaponry. Or it can send foreign-made weaponry — Russian usually — through a middleman.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Mar 31, 2015

Williams beats 15-year-old Bellis

When the ball whizzed past Serena Williams for an ace late in Sunday's match, the subdued crowd suddenly erupted with a roar.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 31, 2015

BOJ should play mysterious

Arguably no central banker in the world has been bolder and more aggressive about quantitative easing than Japan's Haruhiko Kuroda.

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