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COMMUNITY / Issues
Dec 18, 2013

A secrets law for whom? Look who gets a free pass

Ancient Confucian scholars regarded law as a necessary evil, something used on lower orders of people who lacked the moral refinement to act righteously without prompting. Yet this just states a basic truth about law: It is something we do to other people. You and I know how to act properly, right? It's...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 14, 2013

TPP offers early test of how far secrets law will cow Japan's media

Journalist Toshihiro Yamanaka characterizes the TPP talks as 'the most secretive trade negotiations to take place since the end of the 19th century,' an observation supported by classified documents recently released by WikiLeaks showing how the U.S. is pressuring all countries involved in TPP to make sure details of the talks are kept from the public.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 12, 2013

Government to promulgate new secrets law quickly

The government will promulgate the contentious state secrets law Friday, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet will be tested in its ability to create viable independent overseers to check how the state classifies and declassifies information before the law takes effect within a year.
EDITORIALS
Dec 12, 2013

Repeal the state secrets law

Repeal of the recently enacted state secrets law appears indispensable for ensuring that Japan remains an open society with democratic principles fully upheld.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Dec 12, 2013

NSA uses online tracking 'cookies' to find spy targets

The National Security Agency is secretly using the tools that enable Internet advertisers to track consumers, using "cookies" and location data to pinpoint targets for government hacking and to bolster surveillance.
JAPAN / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Nov 30, 2013

Japan: The new Uzbekistan of press freedom in Asia

If you're living in Japan, you may be surprised to know that your right to know has been replaced by the right to remain silent. Shhh ... don't protest. It's practically a done deal.
EDITORIALS
Nov 7, 2013

The limits of surveillance

Whether the issue is NSA's mission or constitutional principles, the constraints placed on how intelligence services operate in a democratic society should reflect a consensus reached by its citizens.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 20, 2013

Why U.S. government is afraid of itself

The U.S. war on leaks has degenerated to a government deliberately destroying its property to keep its staffers from catching sight of publicly available information.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 10, 2013

'Broad standard' OKs NSA snooping

The Obama administration on Friday asserted a bold and broad power to collect the phone records of millions of Americans to search for a nugget of information that might thwart a terrorist attack.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 28, 2013

Fukushima: evolving fear into fact

Misinformation and flawed reporting about Fukushima radiation levels and reactor stability persisted even when scientific data had become readily available.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jul 14, 2013

Media outlets rethink news embargo ethics

It's said that the news never stops. But often, its timing is stage-managed.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 7, 2013

Britain to Google: Fix privacy policy or face legal action

Google is facing increased pressure over its privacy policies, as British regulators ordered the tech giant Friday to give users more insight into how the information it collects on them is used.
EDITORIALS
Jul 1, 2013

Mr. Snowden's revelations

There is real debate over whether Edward Snowden is a whistleblower for civil rights violations or a traitor who has harmed U.S. national security.
WORLD
Jun 25, 2013

U.S. probes if China played role in Snowden leaks; fugitive not on Cuba flight

U.S. intelligence agencies are investigating whether Edward Snowden's leaks may be a Chinese intelligence operation or whether China might have used his concerns about U.S. surveillance practices to exploit him, according to four American officials.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 25, 2013

CIA asked that bomber be put on terror watch list

The CIA pushed to have one of the suspected Boston bombers placed on a U.S. counterterrorism watch list more than a year before the attacks, U.S. officials say.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 17, 2013

Data from 3/11 could save lives if used effectively

As the second anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake approached, the media again rallied to pay tribute to the tragedy's victims, whether dead or alive. Many of the latter are still in limbo, unsure of their future since the events of that day wiped out much of their past.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 11, 2013

Toxic management erodes safety at 'world's safest' nuclear plant

On Jan. 30, 2012, Byron Nuclear Generating Station lost operability to all of its safety-related equipment. At the time, Jim Hazen was the nuclear station operator responsible for the affected reactor, one of two at the Exelon-owned nuclear plant in Byron, Illinois.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 4, 2013

Greater disclosure can feed conspiracy theories

One of the most troubling outcomes of the global financial crisis has been a collapse of trust in democratic politicians. What good has transparency done?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 25, 2013

I still haven't found what I'm looking for ...

Thinking about Google over the last week, I have fallen into the typically procrastinatory habit of every so often typing the words "what is" or "what" or "wha" into the Google search box at the top right of my computer screen. Those prompts are all the omnipotent engine needs to inform me of the current...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 19, 2013

Seven Japanese confirmed safe but fate of 10 others unknown in Algeria hostage situation: JGC

Amid conflicting reports Friday about casualties among foreigners who were taken hostage at a natural gas complex in Algeria, the government and JGC Corp. confirmed the safety of seven Japanese workers but said 10 others were still missing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jan 1, 2013

Checking out the real estate agents

Several months ago we looked at a house that had been bought at auction by a housing company, fixed up and then put on the market. We found it among the listings on the home page of a realtor we've dealt with in the past, and he agreed to show it to us.
Events / KANSAI: WHO & WHAT
Dec 8, 2012

Tour Suita library's foreign-language collection

A library tour will be offered for foreigners in the city of Suita, Osaka Prefecture, on Monday. The event will run from noon to 1 p.m. at Senri Library, which has the biggest selection of foreign-language books, CDs and DVDs in among the many libraries in the city.
LIFE / Travel / TRAVEL INSIDER
Dec 5, 2012

Share a secret, win Virgin tickets; SAS winter sale; Singapore and Virgin Australia code share

Secret ticket giveaway Virgin Atlantic Airways will give away a pair of round-trip economy-class tickets between Tokyo and London to the person who submits the "best secret spot in the U.K." as a contribution to the company's "Secret U.K. Guide."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 13, 2012

Hospitality gone wild — don't let yourself be hijacked!

If you are planning on walking the Shikoku Pilgrimage in honor of the patron saint Kobo Daishi — be warned. Don't let yourself get hijacked.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight