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Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 11, 2013

Toxic management erodes safety at 'world's safest' nuclear plant

On Jan. 30, 2012, Byron Nuclear Generating Station lost operability to all of its safety-related equipment. At the time, Jim Hazen was the nuclear station operator responsible for the affected reactor, one of two at the Exelon-owned nuclear plant in Byron, Illinois.
Japan Times
LIFE
Mar 10, 2013

Will robots end up creating jobs or end them?

At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a management robot is learning to run a factory and give orders to artificial coworkers, and a BakeBot robot is reading recipes, whipping together butter, sugar and flour and putting the cookie mix in the oven. At the University of California at Berkeley, a robot...
EDITORIALS
Mar 10, 2013

Resuscitating Japan's fishing culture

The efforts by young fishermen engaged on fish culturing on the Uwa Sea, west of Ehime Prefecture, may offer an example of a new direction that Japan's fishing industry should take in making itself vibrant. In 2009, the Ehime Prefectural Government started a system of certifying fishermen younger than...
Japan Times
JAPAN / TOHOKU TRAPPED IN TIME
Mar 9, 2013

NRA gets strict, must prove credibility

Japan's nuclear regulator has had a major revamp in the two years since lax safety standards contributed to the catastrophic nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, discrediting it in the eyes of the public.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Mar 9, 2013

Netherlands' success no overnight phenomenon

The calls began coming in August, and they didn't stop. Netherlands manager Hensley Meulens had a player who was excited about the upcoming World Baseball Classic, and he wanted the manager to hear all about it.
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2013

Italy's opera buffa

If the potential consequences of the Italian national election were not so severe, the outcome would be the stuff of great comedy. After all, one quarter of the votes were taken by a party formed by a standup comedian, while former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has again climbed to center stage and...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 5, 2013

Natural gas leaks may hasten global warming

Two guys in a black car cruise the streets of Washington's residential neighborhoods. The only signs of what they are up to are a gray plastic tube hanging out of the trunk and the fact that they get out of the car frequently to place a black box on manhole covers and study its readings.
EDITORIALS
Mar 5, 2013

A chance to host linear collider

The government and science community should encourate discussions on bringing the International Linear Collider to Japan as public support is indispensable for this expensive project.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 5, 2013

Juku: an unnecessary evil or vital steppingstone to success?

For the past year, Tokyo sixth-grader Manami has had dinner at home an average of four times a week. The rest of the time she has had to make do with a juku-ben, a boxed dinner prepared by her mother and consumed between classes at juku, or cram school.
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2013

Clean energy incentive: Keeping up with Joneses

You'd think that with the vast amount of information out there connecting home energy use with global warming, consumers would be more into insulation, solar power and super-efficient furnaces.
EDITORIALS
Mar 3, 2013

Improving relations with Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori have set the stage for talks over the sovereignty of the Northern Territories.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Mar 3, 2013

Yu Negoro: Documenting the gender imbalance

Yu Negoro, 40, is a documentary filmmaker who has delved deep into the issues of gender and sexuality in Japanese society. Her first project was a series of three short films dealing with women suffering from eating disorders, a condition Neguro suffered in her 20s. Attributing her problems partly to...
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 2, 2013

Killer robots must be stopped, say campaigners

A new global campaign to persuade nations to ban "killer robots" before they reach the production stage is to be launched in the United Kingdom by a group of academics, pressure groups and Nobel peace prize laureates.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 2, 2013

Third Van Allen radiation belt seen

NASA probes that are exploring the twin Van Allen radiation belts encircling the Earth have spied a third band of radiation that burst into view and then disappeared, scientists reported Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Feb 28, 2013

MBV inspires Japan to keep staring at its feet

In February 2013, there were three events that shook the world: the resignation of the pope, North Korea's successful test of a nuclear bomb, and the release of Irish/British rock band My Bloody Valentine's first new album in 22 years. Dispatched with less frequency than popes and comparable volume to...
EDITORIALS
Feb 28, 2013

Challenges for President Park

Park Geun Hye, South Korea's first female president, has taken the reins of a country beset by stubborn internal as well as international problems.
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2013

Horse-meat scandal dents Europe's culinary esteem

According to folklore, Europeans have always treated their food with reverence, eating grandma's slow-cooked stews concocted with farm-fresh ingredients while Americans wolfed down the genetically modified, chemically preserved junk symbolized by burgers and fries.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 28, 2013

Transforming India's huge potential into growth

Unlike China, which has shown clear signs of economic stabilization since mid-2012, India has been slow to recover amid delay of necessary reforms.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 27, 2013

The G-20 is not up to the job

If the recent circus performance of G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors is a preview, their September summit threatens to be a waste.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 26, 2013

Government to sell massive JT stake

The government said Monday it will sell a stake in Japan Tobacco Inc. worth nearly ¥1 trillion to help cover reconstruction costs for the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the country's largest share offering since 2010.

Longform

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