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LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 16, 2016

Let's discuss the burden of 'double care'

An estimated 253,000 people in Japan are shouldering the double burden of raising children while also caring for sick or elderly family members.
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
May 14, 2016

Has pacifism always been doomed to fail in Japan?

Japan had a pacifist "constitution" long before 1947, when the current one went into effect. It was issued in the year 604, its author so esteemed, in his own time and since, as to merit the posthumous name Shotoku Taishi (Crown Prince Sage-Virtue). His lifetime (574-622) spanned an early phase of Japan's...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 11, 2016

'Predatory conferences' stalk Japan's groves of academia

“Predatory conference” organizers now stalk Japan’s groves of academe, preying on unsuspecting researchers. These conferences are inferior events that contribute little to the field of academic knowledge but generate plenty of revenue for organizers’ bank accounts. Academics, some simply naive...
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 2, 2016

Let's discuss what to do with pets in quake-hit Kumamoto

As evacuees with pets in quake-hit Kumamoto shy away or are even banned from moving into evacuation shelters, Ryunosuke Animal Hospital has opened its doors to pets and their owners.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 11, 2016

U.S. Navy signals intelligence officer charged with spying, possibly for China, Taiwan

A U.S. Navy officer with access to sensitive U.S. intelligence faces espionage charges over accusations he passed state secrets, possibly to China and Taiwan, a U.S. official said on Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2016

The debate about debating Islam

Legitimate intellectual inquiry unfortunately always degenerates into political bickering over whether it is acceptable to criticize Islam.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 30, 2016

Nuclear issues involving North Korea, Japan on table at Washington summit

The North's nuclear weapons program is thought to top a list of topics that world leaders, including Japan's prime minister, will discuss in Washington.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 28, 2016

Records can shed light on U.S. role in Argentina

U.S. President Barack Obama should be praised for engaging in 'declassified diplomacy.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 19, 2016

Japan's tabloids book front-row seats at the Trump circus

Donald Trump. And now that we've got your attention ...
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 18, 2016

Suspicions Abe will again delay tax hike bolstered by pro-government daily

Speculation that the delayed second stage of the consumption tax hike will be postponed yet again was reinforced Friday after a pro-government daily reported that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering the option.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 22, 2016

Tokyo lawmaker says being gay is matter of 'personal taste,' does not merit taxpayer support

A member of the Suginami Municipal Assembly in Tokyo is drawing flak from the LGBT community for saying gay, lesbian and bisexual people refer to themselves so out of “personal taste” and thus are not worthy of support by municipal governments.
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.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 4, 2016

Olympics minister denies cash-for-favors allegation involving English teacher dispatch agency

Toshiaki Endo has admitted taking cash from the founder of a Tokyo teacher dispatch agency but said he did nothing wrong.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Jan 29, 2016

American legal principles and the Magna Carta

Henry Mittwer was a man of Japanese and American descent who stood up to the U.S. internment during World War II but in the end bore no rancor for that nation.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 28, 2016

Embattled economy minister Amari resigns over graft claims

Embattled economic minister Akira Amari on Thursday resigned over a graft scandal involving the misappropriation of funds within his office.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2016

Amari vows to answer claims over ¥12 million in undeclared funds

Scandal-hit economic minister Akira Amari vows to answer allegations that he and two secretaries received large undeclared donations and hospitality.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 20, 2016

Japan's economic minister hit with bribery allegations, vows response

Akira Amari swears to answer accusations of a money scandal leveled against him by a weekly tabloid after conducting an investigation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 16, 2016

The elephant in the room for Toshiba is nuclear

Japanese press outlets often cover scoops from competing outlets, but it's rare to build on a competitor's story with original reporting, especially when the scoop is a few years old. In December, the weekly magazine Aera, which is affiliated with the Asahi Shimbun, ran an article about a secret meeting...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jan 2, 2016

Getting a high rise out of dodging taxes

About a year ago, we talked about using real estate purchases to lower inheritance and gift taxes. Obviously, people who are able to take advantage of these schemes are already well off — the average person doesn't have to worry about paying inheritance taxes when his or her parents die because for...
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 28, 2015

Let's discuss the law on surnames

Plaintiffs contesting family laws that require spouses to choose a single surname expressed shock and anger at Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling, saying it will force more women to suffer the misery of having to change their name upon marriage.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Dec 27, 2015

Japan's culture and courts need to get with the program on overtime

Practice and precedent fly in the face of government slogans about achieving 'work-life balance' and reducing Japan's excessively long work hours.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 16, 2015

Airbnb: Will Japan kill the golden goose?

Time will tell whether new legislation kills or culls the golden-egg-laying goose that Airbnb has become for hosts and travelers.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 14, 2015

Let's discuss this year's buzzwords in Japan

This year's most memorable buzzwords in Japan were recently announced, with the words 'bakugai' and 'toripuru surii' jointly taking home the top honors.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Nov 29, 2015

Lessons in Japan's labor laws from striking NPB baseball stars and English teachers

What do Nichibei Eigo Gakuin teachers in 2000, pro baseball players in 2004 and Berlitz language instructors in 2007 have in common?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 9, 2015

Weighing Japan's options in the South China Sea

Rather than send Japanese ships to conduct freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea, Japan should continue to focus its efforts on maritime capacity building in Southeast Asia.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 17, 2015

What's in a name? Japan debates whether to allow spouses to adopt separate surnames

Upper House lawmaker Mizuho Fukushima and her partner, Yuichi Kaido, have been together for about 40 years. They don't celebrate any kind of anniversary, however, because they've never been officially married.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 14, 2015

Animal advocates divided over shelter practices

Foreign volunteers break off contact with Tokyo NPO over conditions at dog facility.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami