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Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 10, 2016

Voting kicks off in Japan as Abe seeks Upper House supermajority

Voting began Sunday in an Upper House election that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has billed as a chance to pass judgment on his economic policies. Opposition parties, however, are focused on preventing a resounding victory for the prime minister that would allow him to take the next step toward revising...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jul 3, 2016

Western media cherry-pick facts and phalli to fit the 'no vagina' narrative in Japan

In Western media coverage of Megumi Igarashi's case, a commonly expressed view has been that Japanese society suppresses vaginal art while celebrating all that is penile. This view is untenable.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2016

Can Brexit be overturned? What Brits are asking each other this weekend

Britain is coming to terms with its decision to leave the European Union after Thursday's dramatic referendum. Here are some of the questions that are doing the rounds in the U.K. over the weekend:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 25, 2016

Shinzo Abe's bait-and-switch campaign strategy

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is doing it again: campaigning on Abenomics while distracting voters' attention away from his real agenda. When he got elected in 2012, Abe ran on Abenomics and kept his revisionist political and historical agenda under wraps, knowing that it does not resonate with voters. He...
JAPAN / Media
Jun 17, 2016

Minor’s death sentence sees Japan media split on anonymity rule

The debate centers on whether to name a man who lost an appeal against a death sentence for a 2010 double murder.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 22, 2016

Teacher seeks advice on sick leave and contract nonrenewal

A reader writes to Lifelines about difficulties he is dealing with at work.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 21, 2016

The second life of Kakuei Tanaka

In July 1976, the month when 218 million Americans were feting their nation's 200th birthday, dramatic events were taking place on other continents also. On July 4 — America's Independence Day — an Israeli commando force staged a dramatic raid on Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but four of...
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2016

The world could use more nonintervention

The principle of nonintervention may be extremely difficult to enforce in today's complex world, but its principles should be revived again.
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.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji