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SOCCER
Nov 17, 2014

Hiddink feels heat despite Dutch win

Speculation over the future of Netherlands coach Guus Hiddink dominated the Dutch media on Monday even after Sunday's comprehensive 6-0 win over Latvia revived the team's Euro 2016 qualification campaign.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 17, 2014

Japan's economy takes a dive as Abe weighs delay of second tax hike

The economy unexpectedly sank into a recession in the last quarter, unable to shake off the impact of April's consumption tax hike and raising the odds that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will postpone a second increase next year.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 17, 2014

Okinawa election a big win for opponents of Futenma relocation

With Takeshi Onaga's election as governor of Okinawa, opponents of building a replacement facility in Nago's Henoko district for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma now have a powerful ally.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2014

American politics are paralyzed on principle

Americans are avoiding unpopular choices by hiding behind ideological platitudes.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2014

Xi shows U.S. his no-nonsense approach to bilateral relations

Last week, President Xi Jinping showed the world a newly assertive China that's less worried about impressing others than in pursuing its own goals.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 15, 2014

Shrinking well: Is depopulation affecting Japan's energy, climate goals?

Keishi looks a lot like it did when Toshiko Nakamura first moved there four decades ago. The quiet farming community in Nagano Prefecture is a patchwork of verdant rice fields, lush kitchen gardens and picturesque post-and-beam houses nestled between pine and chestnut trees on the slopes of Mount Hijiri....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 15, 2014

Holiday gifts they'll cherish from cover to cover

As the holiday season rolls around, it's time to dash about in a mad panic in search of gifts that say "I've given this one some thought, honest." Or you can just let us do the thinking for you, with gift suggestions from our regular book reviewers — tailor-made for the Japanophile reader.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 14, 2014

Stumped for gift ideas? We've got you covered

It's that time of the year again, and The Japan Times contributors and columnists are here to help.
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2014

Awaiting Abe's political gambit

If Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is going to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election, he will have to clearly lay out his agenda for voters and await their verdict.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 14, 2014

View private operation of schools with caution

Education reformers take for granted that strategies borrowed from business will improve schools. But the evidence is hardly convincing.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2014

Battle against Ebola raises ethical questions

The tiny number of Ebola cases in rich countries — and the ensuing panic-inducing headlines and quarantine measures — have brought home the global nature of infectious disease today.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Nov 14, 2014

Why Abe will likely opt to call a snap Lower House election

Successive resignations of two female Cabinet members dealt a blow to the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But should the opposition camp be credited for its attack that forced them to step down or did the administration manage to minimize the impact by counteracting quickly?
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2014

America's money politics

The success of big money was even greater than widely expected in America's mid-term election.
EDITORIALS
Nov 13, 2014

Tolerating the voices of children

People must realize that children are the future of rapidly graying Japan and work to create an environment in which their presence is not only welcome but encouraged.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 13, 2014

Osaka mayor mulls options in event of snap Lower House election

If a snap Lower House election is held next month, one of the candidates may be Osaka Mayor and Japan Restoration Party co-leader Toru Hashimoto.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2014

Republicans vow to fight EPA in Congress over China emissions breakthrough

Republican congressional leaders on Wednesday wasted no time in criticizing what they called President Barack Obama's "one-sided" climate deal with China, using the announcement to declare war on the administration's plan to use executive actions to combat carbon emissions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2014

Takata says it has modified compound involved in air bag recalls

The composition of an air bag propellant that contains a volatile chemical at the center of a global car recall has been modified, a company official says.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2014

China flouts efforts to protect world's wildlife

It would be nice to believe China's rhetoric that it cooperates with other countries in protecting wildlife. Yet, for two decades at least, Chinese consumer demand has been directly linked to the precipitous decline of wildlife populations around the globe.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / SYMPOSIUM ON EUROZONE
Nov 11, 2014

Europe, Japan face similar problems

Europe and Japan may want to learn from each other when it comes to dealing with mounting government debt, opportunities for the Japanese food industry, whether Japan and Britain should strengthen their ties in trade and consumption tax increases.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 10, 2014

GOP takeover could mean trouble for Japan

Perhaps no one in Asia is happier than Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party to see Republicans take over control of the U.S. Congress. In fact, Japan's plummeting currency and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal put Abe in a tough corner.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 8, 2014

Kendama: a whole new ball game

Almost every child that has grown up in Japan has seen a kendama, a wooden traditional Japanese toy consisting of a ken (sword) and tama (ball) connected by a length of string.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 7, 2014

Tokyo admits 'differing views' on Senkakus, opening door to Abe-Xi meeting

The leaders of Japan and China appear to be set to hold their first summit-level talks since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to power nearly two years ago.
EDITORIALS
Nov 7, 2014

The GOP retakes Congress

Despite the Republican Party retaking control of the U.S. Senate and increasing its holdings in the House, it's difficult to be optimistic about legislative progress in Washington over the next two years given the deep fissures within the GOP itself.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2014

Did Islamic State call a convention of nuts and have 15,000 show up?

If an estimated army of at least 15,000 violent, crazy people — many carrying U.S. passports or passports from countries where they don't need visas to come to the U.S. — have traveled to Syria and Iraq to fight along Islamic State and similar extremist groups, shouldn't everyone start thinking outside the box for ways to track them?
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 7, 2014

Ancient Russian's DNA sheds light on Neanderthal interbreeding

DNA extracted from the skeleton of a man who lived in Russia about 37,000 years ago is giving scientists new insights into the genetic history of Europeans including interbreeding that took place with Neanderthals more than 50,000 years ago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 6, 2014

BOJ has ECB in a bind as euro soars versus yen

Mario Draghi had something new to worry about as he prepared for Thursday's European Central Bank policy meeting: the euro-yen exchange rate.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 6, 2014

An opportunity for Abe and Xi

One reason for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping's newfound flexibility toward each other may be domestic political shifts in both countries that have created a more equal balance between conservative, nationalist groups and more internationally oriented business interests.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 6, 2014

'Tagasode Screens: The Kimono as Painting Theme'

"Whose outfits are these?" is a question you might ask when viewing tagasode (someone's sleeve) painted screens, which feature kimonos lined up and hung on racks as their subjects.

Longform

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