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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 16, 2016

Mainstream Republicans despair as Trump and Cruz dominate presidential race

With two weeks to go until the first contest of the 2016 presidential race, Republicans who fear their party has been hijacked by the likes of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz found little to comfort them in the latest debate.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2016

What happens after China's bubble goes pop?

Will China be a source of stability and strength for the world economy — or the opposite?
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2016

Cruz rips up truce with Trump in Republican presidential debate

The long and awkward truce between anti-establishment favorites Donald Trump and Ted Cruz blew apart at the Republican debate Thursday as the two men battling for first place in the Iowa caucuses tore into each other over Cruz's eligibility to be president.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 14, 2016

As fortunes fade at home, drug giant Takeda eyes greener shores overseas

One balmy summer evening last year, some of the most prolific biotech and scientific minds of Boston came together.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jan 14, 2016

For Japan's manufacturers, yen gains are reminder of Lehman lessons

Just when Japan's employers might have thought it was safe to embrace sustained wage increases — thanks to a cheap yen and rising earnings — a turn in the exchange rate has flashed a warning signal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 13, 2016

Brutal true story behind 'Moby Dick'

Finally we can start talking about something other than "the force" and how a guy in New York had his name legally changed to Darth Vader. "In the Heart of the Sea" is opening this weekend, and it's an adventure story on a whole other level, involving a killer whale instead of aliens. Set in 1820 and...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 8, 2016

U.S. House may see bipartisan vote next week on North Korea sanctions bill with added financial squeeze

The House of Representatives could vote in the coming days on legislation backed by Republican and Democratic lawmakers to broaden U.S. sanctions on North Korea, House leaders said on Thursday, a day after Pyongyang announced it had tested a hydrogen nuclear device.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jan 6, 2016

For Japan's English teachers, rays of hope amid the race to the bottom

The major economic engines of Japan Inc. — car manufacturers, appliance giants and the like — have often been caught price-fixing: colluding to keep an even market share, squeeze competitors out and maintain "harmony." Similarly, the commercial English-teaching business could be accused of wage-fixing:...
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 3, 2016

Nearly 90% of companies expect economy to grow in 2016: poll

Nearly 90 percent of 101 major Japanese companies expect economic expansion in 2016, with many projecting private consumption and capital spending to recover from their 2015 doldrums, a Kyodo News poll found Saturday.
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...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2015

Germany is right to flout Russia sanctions

Germany has rallied Europe in support of Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia, but has been less diligent in their implementation.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 27, 2015

Stranglehold on music copyrights is loosening in Japan

Pop music agency Avex Group Holdings, known for managing artists such as Exile, Namie Amuro and Tokyo Girls' Style, announced in October that they plan to transfer the copyright administration of up to 100,000 songs from the current holder, JASRAC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 26, 2015

'Ōsōji': ways to keep your home spick and span

Three experts discuss their philosophy on the New Year's chore that everybody loves — cleaning.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Dec 26, 2015

Catching the last of the season’s leaves at Shiba Daimon

When I exit the Oedo Subway Line's Daimon Station, I find myself inside an ebullient throng of Chinese tourists headed in the direction of the prominent Jodo-shu (Pure Land Sect) Buddhist Zojoji Temple. The temple's oldest structure, the elegant 1622 red-lacquered Sangedatsumon gate, is a National Important...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 26, 2015

Asia's person of the year and the death of a giant

It took two elections spaced over a quarter of a century, but Myanmar's military junta has finally got the message and is obeying the will of the citizens as expressed in the 2015 elections. In November, the ruling Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) woke up to find out just how reviled it really...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2015

And the winner of the Nude Emperor Award is . . .

Xi Jinping, Donald Trump and Jack Ma star in our awards for the most inept, self-interested and narcissistic people of 2015.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Dec 24, 2015

The Japan Times advisory board rates paper's coverage

The Japan Times Media Advisory Board members who have been monitoring the newspapers' reporting met Nov. 18 to discuss progress from the previous board meetings and offer advice for the future.
EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2015

Wrong-headed BOJ program

The Bank of Japan appears to be entering the realm of meddling — even indirectly — with business decisions by private-sector companies.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2015

Encourage the Koreas to talk, and talk some more

When no other policy seems to be working, why not give greater engagement with North Korea a try?
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 22, 2015

China poised to pass anti-terror law this month with West-opposed cyber-provisions

China's controversial anti-terrorism law could be passed as soon as the end of this month, state news agency Xinhua said on Monday, legislation that has drawn concern in Western capitals for its cyber-provisions.
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.
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2015

Jins eyewear-maker plans overseas expansion amid sluggish domestic market

Eyewear-maker Jin Co., which offers low-price glasses under the brand name Jins, aims to expand its business overseas amid a shrinking domestic market, CEO Hitoshi Tanaka said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 11, 2015

Magazine claims Australian entrepreneur is man behind bitcoin

Craig Steven Wright, an Australian, is the latest in a line of men alleged to be the mysterious creator of bitcoin, a digital currency that has attracted the interest of banks, speculators, criminals and regulators.

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic