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COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 3, 2017

China's shadow looms large in Japan-Thailand relations

The need to protect its interests and to compete with China explains Japan's embrace of Thailand's military regime.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 3, 2017

Japan's ex-top cop spearheads campaign to boost immigration

When it comes to public safety and terrorism in Japan, nobody probably knows the situation better than Takaji Kunimatsu.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Mar 3, 2017

Patisserie Kihachi kick-starts spring with Mont Blanc Sakura sweet

It may not feel like it, but spring is right around the corner, and for the nation's dessert makers that means everything gets a bit pink as they capitalize on the coming of the ever-fleeting cherry blossoms.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 3, 2017

In a break from LDP, Kono calls for Japan to open doors to blue-collar foreign workers

Veteran Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Taro Kono is calling for a drastic policy shift that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is loath to accept: open up Japan to blue-collar foreign workers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 1, 2017

Building a family with a difference: American couple in Japan explain decision to adopt child with disabilities

Confronted with hard questions about why they felt the need to adopt, the O'Briens chose to raise Sam, a child with Down syndrome.
EDITORIALS
Feb 28, 2017

Loose cap on overtime hours

The government's proposed cap on overtime work is too high to adequately safeguard the health of workers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 28, 2017

How Donald Trump is testing U.S. democracy

U.S. President Donald Trump's testing of the foundations of U.S democracy may transform existing assumptions about America and its global role.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 27, 2017

Japan's Senkaku challenge

No group of islands poses a bigger challenge for Japan's security than the Senkakus.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 26, 2017

Japan has no room to criticize U.S. refugee ban

Donald Trump's America isn't the only country turning its back on refugees. Japan is just as guilty.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 26, 2017

No welcome for refugees

The milk of human kindness toward refugees has soured across the world.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 26, 2017

At the site of WWII Japanese POW breakout in Australia, a space for peace

In the early hours of Aug. 5, 1944, more than 600 Japanese POWs attempted an escape, knowing full well that most, if not all, would be killed before they could reach freedom.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Feb 26, 2017

Kyoto working to get its interpreter/guides up to global speed

With over 3 million visitors from abroad visiting the ancient capital of Kyoto in fiscal 2015, getting around with an official interpreter would have meant relying on government-qualified guides.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 25, 2017

Premium Friday is not about taking a holiday

The anonymous writer of Asahi Shimbun's finance-related Keizai Kishodai column pointed out in the Feb. 18 edition that Japanese people only think of time off on a day-by-day basis, whereas Europeans tend to conceptualize it in week-long blocks, as 'vacations.'
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 25, 2017

Legend Nagashima rekindles memories of an unforgettable life in baseball

It was good seeing former Yomiuri Giants third baseman and manager Shigeo Nagashima visiting the team's spring training camp in Miyazaki earlier this month. He just turned 81 this past week and is visibly handicapped by a stroke suffered in 2004 that limits movement on the right side of his body and...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 23, 2017

Ghosn taps veteran executive Saikawa to replace him as Nissan CEO

Nissan Motor chief Carlos Ghosn picks Hiroto Saikawa to take over so he can focus on revamping struggling Mitsubishi Motors while also running French carmaker Renault.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 2017

Variety of discounts, perks in works for 'Premium Friday' launch

Starting Friday, many workers in Japan, notorious for its culture of overwork, will have a chance to start the weekend early, albeit once a month, for a trip to an onsen (hot springs), a shopping spree or simply dining out with family and friends.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Feb 22, 2017

Pedophile sting ops roil U.S. forces on Okinawa

Controversial operations in which sailors pose online as underage girls lead to dozens of NCIS arrests.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 22, 2017

Trump is from Mars, Guterres is from Venus

The U.S. president and U.N. secretary-general are polar opposites, but if the world is to weather the gathering storm, the two will have to work together.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 22, 2017

'Man Down': War injuries go beyond the battlefield

'Man Down" is an indictment of war, and its message is one that focuses on its terrible lingering consequences — specifically, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With many ending up homeless, suffering mental difficulties or becoming suicidal, PTSD is a real issue. According...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 22, 2017

'Close-Knit': The pride that breaks the prejudice

Japan would seem to be a paradise for LGBT people. Transgender "talents" have been appearing regularly on Japanese TV for decades and LGBT folks can walk the streets here with little fear.
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 22, 2017

Ballet icon Nina Ananiashvili looks set to bow out in splendid style

"Up to now, I've had about 120 partners in total," Nina Ananiashvili declared with a laugh. "Of course, I mean on the stage."
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 21, 2017

The Japan-United States alliance of despotism

In both Japan and the U.S., the governments are retreating from the rule of law and guarantee of people's freedom under the cause of national security.

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