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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 4, 2014

Tourists may not warm to Japan's welcome

A former colleague of mine always made it a point to tell people coming to Japan for a visit to bring lots of handkerchiefs because the public restrooms didn't have towel dispensers. I always took a more positive view and emphasized that public restrooms in Japan were everywhere and open to everyone,...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Oct 4, 2014

Sato shines as role model

With her clumsy but emotional and breathtaking presentation at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires for Tokyo's 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid in September 2013, Mami Sato became a household name in Japan.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 4, 2014

North Korea may have shut down reactor: U.S. think tank

North Korea may have shut down a recently restarted reactor that can yield plutonium for bombs, possibly for renovation or partial refueling, a U.S. security institute said, citing new satellite imagery.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Oct 4, 2014

Yakuza do what Abe Cabinet pick can't

In most countries, police officers and criminals are supposed to be on opposite sides of the law, especially the higher up the chain of command you go, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe doesn't appear to think this is necessary.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 4, 2014

Japanese officials silent on drama unfolding in Hong Kong

'The future of Hong Kong is extremely important to the future of Japan,' but Tokyo is officially staying tight-lipped about the pro-democracy protests there.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2014

Problem with President Xi

Chinese President Xi JInping has insisted he won't tolerate any concessions to the calls for electoral and governmental reform now being made in mass demonstrations in Hong Kong. The analogy with the Tiananmen tragedy is now widely made.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 3, 2014

BOJ struggling to meet inflation deadline, former vice governor says

The Bank of Japan may need more time to achieve its 2 percent inflation target and the country can't ignore harm caused by an abrupt weakening of the yen, said Toshiro Muto, a two-time contender to lead the central bank.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 3, 2014

Scores in U.S. possibly exposed to Dallas Ebola patient; four isolated

More than 80 people had direct or indirect contact with the first person to be diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus in the United States, health officials said Thursday, as four members of the patient's family were quarantined as a precaution.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Oct 2, 2014

Key questions entering 10th season

Japan's first men's pro basketball circuit tips off its 10th season with 10 games on Saturday.
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2014

$617 billion 'fat finger' error raises concern over Tokyo trading controls

The unleashing of ¥67.78 trillion ($617 billion) of mistaken stock orders in Japan is reviving concern about the accountability of brokers overseeing trades in the world's second-biggest equity market.
Japan Times
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Oct 2, 2014

Hakuho equals Chiyonofuji on all-time greatest list, but leaves the limelight for Ichinojo to enjoy

In years to come, the 2014 Aki Basho will most likely be remembered as the tournament in which makunouchi’s Mongolian new boy Ichinojo made arguably the biggest splash in a top flight debut in living memory.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 2, 2014

In Hong Kong protests, China confronts limits of its power

In the heart of Mong Kok, one of the most densely populated districts on earth, an abandoned Hong Kong police van is enveloped in the student-led demonstrations paralyzing swaths of the city. Along with yellow ribbons and flowers, symbols of the city's pro-democracy movement, protesters have taped a...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 1, 2014

Kokaku Kidotai (Ghost in the Shell: 25th Anniversary Edition)

Director: Mamoru Oshii Language: Japanese (subtitled in English)
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Oct 1, 2014

Leading group sheds makeweights as season gets down to nitty-gritty

The last few weeks have whittled down the list of genuine contenders for this year's J. League title, but choosing a winner with eight games left is still far from straightforward.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Oct 1, 2014

Readers' letters: Ian Thorpe, the Yushukan, racism, teaching English, tipping and sunlight

Some emails received in response to recent Community articles.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 2014

An imperfect Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a strikingly imperfect society in almost every respect: politics, economy, security and human rights. Nor does the two-headed potential monster of a government now being created in Kabul make it an entirely lost cause.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 30, 2014

DPJ chief assails Abe over rise in far-right hate speech

Democratic Party of Japan leader Banri Kaieda lashes out at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, demanding that he publicly denounce the rise in racist rallies in Japan.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2014

Volcanoes may be next obstacle for Japan's atomic power industry

The deadly volcanic eruption of Mount Ontake over the weekend may strengthen the argument of activists campaigning to keep the country's 48 reactors shut.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2014

Labor's battle against exploitation by capital, 150 years ago and today

The first international labor organization was founded 150 years ago in London. Although capitalist globalization has weakened the labor movement today, it has also opened new avenues of communication that may yet facilitate workers' international cooperation.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2014

New anti-Semitism in Germany isn't the same

It's not the old-style, neo-Nazi anti-Semites who are trying to burn down synagogues or calling the Jews out to fight these days, as they have a problem with the currently dominant strain of anti-Semitism — its carriers have darker skin.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 29, 2014

Abe outlines plans for rural revitalization, sends signal to China in Diet speech

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers a key policy speech pledging to prop up declining provincial economies, while apparently signaling his willingness to improve relations with China.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2014

The next nasty economic surprise for the U.S.

Without an expanding economy as a shock absorber, will racial, ethnic, religious, generational and ideological conflicts worsen in the U.S.?
WORLD
Sep 29, 2014

Obama says U.S. underestimated Islamic State gains in Syria

President Barack Obama said U.S. intelligence officials failed to appreciate the gains made by Islamic State extremists in Syria during the last few years of that country's civil war.
EDITORIALS
Sep 28, 2014

Lower House electoral reform

A panel of experts has begun discussions on addressing Lower House electoral reforms, particularly the vote-value disparity between rural and urban districts, after talks among the ruling and opposition parties failed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 27, 2014

The tricky path abroad for Japanese games

On the website Change.org, there is a petition addressed to Bandai Namco Games signed by 711 people, as of Sept. 25, that reads simply, "Bring 'God Eater 2' to North America and EU."
EDITORIALS
Sep 27, 2014

Providing care to drug addicts

Japan has prided itself for having escaped the scourge of drug addiction and the need to set up many drug-treatment facilities. A health ministry survey makes a myth of that belief with estimates that the nation has at least 400,000 users (15 to 64 years old) of harmful substances.
MULTIMEDIA
Sep 26, 2014

Okinawa set to invite Universal Studios Japan to build theme park near Nago

Okinawa is planning to formally invite Universal Studios Japan to open a theme park in the Nago area, a prefectural official said Thursday.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’