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COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2014

The antidote to poverty, disease and terrorism

To increase the chances of success for children in developing countries, educating mothers may be more important than educating fathers, as educated girls seem to develop better essential life skills, including the ability to participate effectively in society.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 27, 2014

After victory in key Iraqi town, Shiite militias take revenge

After helping government forces break the Islamic State's grip over a strategic town just south of Baghdad on Saturday, Shiite militias decided it was time for payback.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 26, 2014

Special report: why Ukraine's revolution remains unfinished

In the afternoon of Feb. 20, after the morning's dead had been cleared away, Volodymyr Melnychuk arrived outside Kiev's October palace.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 25, 2014

Blondes have more fun in NHK's morning drama

Two weeks ago I received a message from a reader who asked me to ask NHK why the public broadcaster had changed the name and the hair color of the female protagonist of its new daily 15-minute asa-dora (morning drama series) "Massan," which is based on the life of Masataka Taketsuru, the first person...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2014

Surprise €2.1 billion EU bill leaves U.K.'s Cameron in bind as Euroskeptic rivals pounce

In a vivid display of fury at European Union technocrats, British Prime Minister David Cameron refused to pay a surprise €2.1 billion bill Friday as EU leaders ordered an urgent review of the calculations used.
EDITORIALS
Oct 24, 2014

Patent law must retain incentives

As the government drafts amendments to the patent law, the question is how effective the new rules will be in ensuring fair corporate remuneration to inventors so that they keep their engineering talent in Japan to enhance the nation's industrial competitiveness.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Oct 22, 2014

Silver City: one man's dream of growing old in English

My friend dares to dream of a whole city for aged foreigners in Japan where everyone speaks the lingo.
COMMENTARY
Oct 21, 2014

Abe's 'womenomics' is little more than skin deep

The sudden resignations of two female Cabinet ministers over separate spending scandals suggest that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prefers to appoint warm, telegenic figures to help him sell unpopular policies rather than strong, independent-minded women.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 21, 2014

EMAF packs a lot onto its musical menu

In its first week, the Red Bull Music Academy Tokyo has treated local audiences to a wide gamut of sounds, from hip-hop to deep house to noise, while keeping the capital's billboards comprehensively smothered in advertising. The two-day EMAF Tokyo (Electronic Music of Art Festival), held under the auspices...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 19, 2014

Thai regime hunts for legitimacy in Myanmar

Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha visits Myanmar, of all places, to try to add a layer of legitimacy to his regime following the military coup last May.
WORLD
Oct 19, 2014

Ukraine says it has agreed on interim gas price with Russia

Ukraine's and Russia's leaders have reached a preliminary agreement on a price for gas supplies this winter, but Kiev may need international help to pay, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Saturday.
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Oct 18, 2014

Getting to the heart of Murasaki's 'Tale of Genji'

"If any society in the world can be described as unique," wrote historian Ivan Morris, "it is that of Heian Kyo in the time of Murasaki Shikibu."
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 18, 2014

Russia, Ukraine near deal on gas supplies after tough Milan talks

Russia and Ukraine made progress on Friday toward resolving a dispute over gas supplies in time for winter, but European leaders said Moscow still has to do much more to prop up a fragile cease-fire and end fighting in eastern Ukraine.
OLYMPICS / ROBERT WHITING'S 1964 OLYMPICS RETROSPECTIVE
Oct 17, 2014

Schollander, Hayes were spectacular at Tokyo Games

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics had a profound impact on the capital city and the nation. In the third installment of a five-part series running this month, best-selling author Robert Whiting, who lived in Japan at the time, looks at some of the stars who emerged during the competition.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2014

Don't overstate Japan 'danger'

Chinese allegations that the Abe government is moving toward a militarist foreign policy demonstrate China's inability or unwillingness to acknowledge that current Chinese behavior contributes to the enhancements in Japanese security policy that China wishes to avoid.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Oct 17, 2014

BIFF 2014 plays down unavoidable controversies

The biggest event of the year for South Korea's film industry is the opening night of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which marked its 19th year Oct. 2 to 11. Whether or not they have films screening at the festival, almost all the major Korean movie stars show up and strut the red carpet...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 17, 2014

Son's $51 billion acquisition run faces speed bump

Billionaire Masayoshi Son's 300-year business plan for SoftBank Corp. sees no pause in acquisitions that saw him splurge $51 billion in five years. Higher interest rates in the U.S. and Japan may put the brakes on his debt-fueled ambitions.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 17, 2014

Priest, air passenger among six hospitalised in Spain for Ebola tests

Spanish authorities reported four new patients with suspected Ebola symptoms on Thursday, including a feverish passenger who started shaking on an Air France flight to Madrid and a Spanish priest who had recently been in Liberia.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 16, 2014

Tokyo International Film Festival contender 'Pale Moon' gets to the root of all evil

The bad news? Japan has only one entry in the Competition section at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival. The good news? The submission, Daihachi Yoshida's "Pale Moon," is a major contender for the $50,000 Tokyo Grand Prix.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EMBASSY AVENUE
Oct 15, 2014

Raising children Swedish style

Children and parents enjoyed Swedish products for kids during the Sweden Kids Week event last weekend at the Embassy of Sweden in Tokyo.
Reader Mail
Oct 15, 2014

No justification for Islamic State

I am shocked that The Japan Times published the Oct. 10 AFP-Jiji article "Ancient prophecies of apocalypse give Islamic State jihadists hope." The article contains implied praise for Islamic State — the most horrifying terror group in the world. Carefully read, the article reflects a desperate attempt...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Oct 15, 2014

Is it time to bid bye-bye to 'haro'?

When was the last time someone Japanese used your presence as an excuse to say 'haro' whilst furtively glancing sideways at their companions to confirm they just made the funniest joke ever?
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 15, 2014

'Polygraph' blurs realities in a dark blend of blood and beauty

The 1980s murder at the center of "Le Polygraphe" echoes that of an actress in the Canadian city of Quebec — a killing for which the chief suspect for a time was the renowned Quebecois dramatist Robert Lepage, who cowrote the play in 1987 with actress, author and theater director Marie Brassard. Postmodern...

Longform

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