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EDITORIALS
Feb 1, 2015

Greece's new government

The victory of the radical left party Syriza in Greek national elections last week poses challenges to the established political order in that country as well as in Europe.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 31, 2015

Hostage talks deadlocked

Jordan and Japan tensely wait as Amman's request for proof of life is answered only by a mysterious silence from the Islamic State hostage-takers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jan 31, 2015

Crime and punishment: Abe's Mideast crisis

In general, crime prevention is a good thing — it helps stop crime. By punishing people for minor transgressions, you stop them from committing larger misdemeanors and discourage crime overall. If the principle is applied blindly, however, it can produce some awkward results.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 30, 2015

Fate of hostages unclear as swap founders

Japan and Jordan await word on Kenji Goto and pilot Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh as the Islamic State group fails to provide proof of life for the hostage swap.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 30, 2015

December output gain hints at end to latest recession

Industrial production snapped two quarters of decline in December, signaling the economy may have limped out of recession.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2015

Goto gets sunset deadline extension

A new audio message purportedly from hostage Kenji Goto on Thursday morning declared that Jordan must present female prisoner Sajida al-Rishawi at the Turkish border by sunset on Thursday, or Jordanian air force pilot Mu’ath al-Kaseasbeh would be executed immediately.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2015

Goto's mother pins hopes on Abe

The mother of hostage Kenji Goto said Thursday she is pinning all her hopes on the government of Shinzo Abe, as she believes he can bring her son home alive.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2015

Jordan reportedly offers to swap would-be bomber for captured pilot; no mention of Goto

Jordanian state-run television reported Wednesday that Amman was ready to release an Iraqi failed suicide bomber on death row if the Islamic State group freed a captured Jordanian pilot, citing a government minister in the Middle East country.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 27, 2015

Goto swap gets more complex

Jordan is demanding that the Islamic State group release both Japanese journalist Kenu00adji Gou00adto and a captured Jordanian air force pilot, according to Kyodo News.
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2015

Radio report, voiceprints muddy waters as officials deliberate over hostage crisis

After the Islamic State group reportedly confirmed via radio that it had killed Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa, both Japan and Jordan were saying little Monday about how they might respond to its demand that a suicide bomber jailed in Jordan be exchanged for the second hostage, Kenji Goto.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2015

Diet session opens with focus on security as hostage crisis continues

The Diet opens with expectations for the Abe administration to focus on security legislation in his quest to get the Japanese military more 'proactively' involved overseas.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 26, 2015

Netanyahu defends planned Congress speech as anti-Iran strategy

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended on Sunday a planned speech to the U.S. Congress about Iran, saying he had a moral obligation to speak out on an issue that poses a mortal threat to Israel.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Jan 25, 2015

Team Abe plans 'manners' PR blitz against hate speech

Stung by domestic and international criticism the government is far too tolerant of hate speech, and embarrassed by past Cabinet ministers who failed to condemn such acts, the Abe administration is finally planning to take decisive action on the problem.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 25, 2015

Abe says likelihood of video being real is 'high'

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the static video purportedly showing a photo of Japanese hostage Hau00adruu00adna Yuu00adkau00adwa is probably authentic.
WORLD
Jan 24, 2015

Some counterterrorism efforts in Yemen frozen

The United States has halted some counterterrorism operations against al-Qaida militants in Yemen following a takeover of the country by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, U.S. officials said Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 23, 2015

Hostages in limbo as deadline passes

The presumed 72-hour deadline for paying the exorbitant ransom demanded by the Islamic State group apparently expired at 2:50 p.m. Friday without any hint about what would happen to the two Japanese hostages in its grasp.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2015

Journalists criticize Abe's response to hostage crisis

As the hostage drama continues over two Japanese held by the Islamic State group, journalists versed in Middle Eastern affairs are questioning how the Abe administration is handling the crisis.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2015

Okinawa to host WEF cybersecurity summit

The government will host a cybersecurity conference jointly with the World Economic Forum in Okinawa in November, Japanese officials announced at this year's annual economic conference in Switzerland.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2015

Abe briefing paper rules out strike on Islamic State

The prime minister's office explored the idea of conducting a military strike against the Islamic State group in Syria as the ransom deadline approached.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 23, 2015

Former owner of club Noon sees acquittal upheld

The former owner of an Osaka nightclub charged under Japan's controversial "no dancing" law has been cleared of wrongdoing after a High Court upheld his acquittal last year.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2015

Japanese officials silent as hostage clock ticks

As Tokyo insists it has not 'received any contact' from the Islamic State group, the nation wonders what will happen to the two men it has taken hostage.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2015

Abe forced to walk a fine line in oil-rich Middle East

The seizure of two Japanese nationals by the Islamic State militant group is raising questions about Japan's Middle East policies and the effectiveness of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's brand of personal diplomacy.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2015

Self-censorship is biggest threat to free speech in Japan

An edgy art exhibition of works rejected or removed by other exhibitors offers insights into whether Japan can be considered a nation of free speech.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2015

Improved 'competitiveness' key to wage hikes, labor chief says

Restoring industrial competitiveness is the key to fueling wage gains that the Abe government and the central bank are counting on to ensure inflation takes hold, according to labor minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 22, 2015

Social media pressure Cambodian leaders

The CCTV footage is blurry but graphic. A gunman stands over a cringing victim, firing bullet after bullet into his body until the Phnom Penh street is spattered with blood.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan