Search - 2015

 
 
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2015

Donald Trump and the politics of self-esteem

The more Trump flouts prevailing norms on the divisive moral issues that are now dominating U.S. politics, the more popular he becomes among Republicans.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2015

American higher education is a house divided

On all too many U.S. campuses, faux scholars representing specious disciplines exploit academia as a jobs program for otherwise unemployable propagandists hostile to freedom of expression.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2015

The French rally to the republic

French voters took the path of reason on Dec. 13 when they thwarted the National Front's bid to gain control of regional assemblies.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 21, 2015

Action at grass-roots level vital to success of COP21

Shared concern and empathetic openness to the suffering of others holds the key to fighting climate change.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2015

Kirin forecasts first loss since 1949 after Brazil unit hurt by slump

Kirin Holdings Co.'s efforts to expand overseas have hit a snag, with the beer giant predicting its first annual loss since 1949 after an economic slump in Brazil hurt its operations there.
SOCCER / CLUB WORLD CUP
Dec 21, 2015

Barcelona as good as advertised in Club World Cup final

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi paid tribute to strike partners Luis Suarez and Neymar after the trio combined to deliver Barcelona a record third Club World Cup title on Sunday — and warned the rest of the world they are not finished yet.
SOCCER
Dec 20, 2015

Barcelona cruises past River Plate to claim third Club World Cup title

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi recovered from illness to lead Barcelona to a record third Club World Cup title with a 3-0 win over River Plate in Sunday's final.
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Dec 20, 2015

Nuclear power plants feared vulnerable to terrorist groups

Security at France's 58 nuclear power plants was purportedly raised to its highest level last month as a result of the terrorist attacks in Paris, stoking concern over the safety of Japan's nuclear facilities.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Dec 20, 2015

Celebrating success with catfish and cupcakes

A look at two power couples of African descent who have focused their skills, talents and wherewithal on introducing tastes of the West to Eastern palates.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 20, 2015

The verse that launched Kohh's rise into rap stardom

One of the country's fastest rising hip-hop artists just might be on his way to becoming the first internationally recognized rap star Japan has produced.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 19, 2015

Recommended reading for the holidays and beyond

'Black Dragon River' stands out among the nonfiction books that caught the eye of columnist Jeff Kingston over the past year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Dec 19, 2015

Hatsune Miku: the 'nonexistent' pop star

My 2015 kicked off with a January concert by Hatsune Miku, Japan's digital pop star, in Las Vegas. It is winding down with a visit to Miku's creator, Hiroyuki Itoh, at his company's head office in Sapporo, Hokkaido.
EDITORIALS
Dec 19, 2015

Japan's woeful school funding

Japan's consistently and shockingly poor level of educational spending is being ignored by the central government and education ministry.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2015

The troubling slump in American startups

Data on startups provide robust evidence of a pervasive decline in U.S. business dynamism over the last several decades.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Dec 18, 2015

December 19, 2015

Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 18, 2015

Japan and the 'maritime pivot' to Southeast Asia

Japan's security focus remains rooted in its immediate region centered on the East China Sea, Sea of Japan, and the open seas of the Western Pacific.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 18, 2015

Three troubled sisters; Japan's favorite mystery author; CM of the week: McDonald's

The heroes of the three stories that make up the omnibus drama "Damashi-banashi" ("Stories of Deceit"; Nippon TV, Sun., 11:15 p.m.) are the somewhat untrustworthy Yoshida siblings.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2015

Toshiba to use crisis for profit-building overhaul

The biggest crisis in Toshiba Corp.'s 140-year history gives President Masashi Muromachi an opportunity to push through painful reforms from layoffs to business closures, accelerating the industrial conglomerate's move away from consumer electronics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 17, 2015

Putting politics over economics, Abe may stall sales tax hike, call for double Diet poll next summer

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may put off a sales tax rise and call a snap Lower House election next summer, in tandem with a poll for the upper chamber, imitating a winning strategy he used a year ago, some advisers and political sources say.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 16, 2015

JAAF names Tanii top athlete of 2015

Race walker Takayuki Tanii, who captured a bronze medal in the men's 50-km competition at this summer's IAAF World Championships in Beijing, was named the athlete of the year at the annual Athletic Awards of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations in Tokyo on Wednesday.
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.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2015

In defense of Donald Trump's name-calling

Winner or loser, Donald Trump has done political debate in America a huge favor by freeing 'stupid' from the rhetorical prison of words and phrases polite people aren't allowed to use.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 16, 2015

As jobs-for-life fade, mobility key as workers face a survival reality check

Shuhei Takebe graduated from a prestigious university in Japan. It qualified him to become a day laborer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 16, 2015

Derrick Woollacott: Lost postwar memories find the light of day

In 1942, Derrick Woollacott entered the military and ended up kickstarting his career as a photographer at age 19. Lacking formal education after 14 and the financial means to own a camera, this was his best shot.
EDITORIALS
Dec 15, 2015

The consumption tax mess

It's questionable whether the government's plan to introduce a lower tax rate on food products is the best way to help lower-income households.

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