Search - 2015

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 17, 2016

Breaking into and out of Japanese show biz

Eiji Uchida's scabrous new comedy about the struggles of a down-and-out indie film director, "Lowlife Love" ("Gesu no Ai"), confirms what I have known for years: Japanese show business can be brutal to the weak or clueless. They end up used and discarded, like so many human Kleenexes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 17, 2016

Third Japanese municipality recognizes same-sex unions

The city of Iga, Mie Prefecture, has announced it will start issuing certificates recognizing same-sex partnerships starting in April, Japan's third municipal government and the first outside Tokyo to take such a step.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 17, 2016

Viral anonymous blogger rails against Abe failure to alleviate chronic day care shortage

An anonymous blog post penned by an irate mother complaining that she has to quit her job after her child was denied admission to a day care center has gone viral on the Internet, shedding light on what she called the hypocrisy of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's drive to promote the "dynamic engagement"...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2016

Military cuts can fund Sanders' social programs

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders could fund his ambitious social programs by slashing America's bloated military budget.
EDITORIALS
Feb 16, 2016

Japan's fragile economy

The latest GDP data underlines the frail state of the economy.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 15, 2016

Abe pledges $78 million in humanitarian aid to visiting Abbas

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday offered $78 million in fresh humanitarian assistance to visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, renewing his vow to support the Middle East peace process amid yet another period of tension.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Feb 15, 2016

Tokyo stocks leap but Japanese market at mercy of global uncertainties

Japan's economic contraction in the fourth quarter has deepened lingering uncertainty in global financial markets, which have been gyrating since the start of the year.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Feb 15, 2016

Past Olympians offer hoop advice

Former Olympians and administrators of Japanese basketball who are anxious about the future of the game in the country have come together to form the Japan Basketball Improvement Conference (JBIC), it was announced Monday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 15, 2016

Indian-American could replace Scalia worked on controversial cases for business

One possible contender to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court is an Indian-American appeals court judge, Sri Srinivasan, who has pro-business credentials and a stellar resume. If he were nominated his background may make it more politically challenging for Republicans as they plan...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 13, 2016

Give me chocolate: Japan's growing obsession with the 'food of the gods'

People with a sweet tooth can get a glimpse of how Charlie Bucket felt when he first stepped into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory in Roald Dahl's popular 1964 tale by popping into Musee du Chocolat Theobroma in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 13, 2016

One slip can sink a salaryman's career

'I've always been shy," says Kazuo. "Face-to-face communication never came easily to me." At 48, he's been out of work five years. He lives with his mother, who's close to 80 — mostly off her pension. A typical day — typical not only of him, says the weekly Spa!, but of an increasing number of middle-aged...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Feb 13, 2016

Winning looks: Sacai, Mr. Gentlemen and AllSaints

Sacai wins Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 13, 2016

Japan is losing its drive to get behind the wheel

Even domestic automakers seem to be concentrating on expanding overseas as the market at home looks bleak.
BASKETBALL
Feb 13, 2016

Tokashiki reaches deal to remain with WNBA's Storm

Star forward Ramu Tokashiki has signed a multiyear contract with the Seattle Storm, the WNBA club announced on Friday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 12, 2016

In southern Africa, an illusion built on aid heralds hunger

As she walks along a dirt road in central Malawi, Louise Abale carries her precious corn wrapped in a brightly colored cloth and balanced on her head.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2016

China pushes back on THAAD

China is critical of moves to deploy a missile defense system in South Korea in the wake of North Korea's rocket launch, but fails to offer much in the way of constructive suggestions on how the South can ensure its own security otherwise.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2016

The huge public impact of domestic violence

Domestic violence against women is so widespread that it has become a global public health issue.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2016

Saudi reform efforts wax and wane with oil prices

No one should underestimate the determination of Saudi Arabia's new rulers to overhaul the kingdom's economy, but the immense challenges should not be underestimated either.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 12, 2016

Australia's new deputy prime minister elected unopposed

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has inherited a hard-right climate-change skeptic for his deputy after the retirement of his current No. 2 on Thursday, an appointment that could block any revamp of an emissions trading scheme.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 11, 2016

Australian cuts to climate change research may hit drive into Asia

Funding and job cuts at Australia's climate change research body could undermine the country's goal of dominating the Asian premium food market by placing farmers at a disadvantage to U.S. and European competitors.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2016

Is microcephaly caused by Zika or pesticides?

Microcephaly in children may have a multicausal origin.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 11, 2016

Heal thyself: U.N.'s WHO at crossroads; experts call for fresh focus, structure

When executive board members of the World Health Organization sat down for their annual meeting in Geneva in January, many powerful figures spoke forcefully of the need to reform the leading global authority on health and disease.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 11, 2016

Yen surge nearly erases declines from Kuroda's 2014 easing surprise

The yen rose to about 3 percent shy of the level it was trading at before the surprise monetary easing step the Bank of Japan took in October 2014 saw it tumble. Traders are now wondering if policymakers will seek to arrest gains that threaten to undermine years of unprecedented monetary stimulus.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past