Search - 2014

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Dec 15, 2013

Fukushima loses first high school to meltdowns

A private high school in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, will close for good at the end of March because the nuclear disaster has decimated enrollment, school officials said.
EDITORIALS
Dec 14, 2013

A fair division of tax revenues

The central government should try to work out a permanent system of distributing prefectural corporate taxes to local governments that will help stabilize local revenue and decentralize administrations.
COMMENTARY / World / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 14, 2013

Indonesia's challenges — from poverty to Papua

On a recent trip to Jakarta, I experienced firsthand what an infrastructure bottleneck feels like. My driver told me the city is only third in global traffic-jam rankings, trailing Mexico City and New Delhi, but what was a 40-minute ride when I lived there in the mid-1980s took a dispiriting 2½ hours....
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Dec 14, 2013

Leaders from outside box could ignite Japan

On Nov. 30, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company shocked Japan Inc. by announcing that it plans to appoint Frenchman Christophe Weber as its next president by June 2014. Until then, Japanese companies with foreigners in the top spot had fallen into two categories: those that promote foreigners who have performed...
EDITORIALS
Dec 13, 2013

Abe's stimulus only a short-term fix

The Abe administration's latest stimulus package has the central government spending more than it is due to receive in revenue from the fiscal 2014 tax hike, showing that the Japanese economy has yet to enter a self-sustaining cycle built on private-sector demand and investment.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 13, 2013

Dilemma deepens as drones kill more civilians

The Obama administration's refusal to apologize in some cases to family members of the innocent victims of drone attacks, or even to explain what went wrong, indicates that his promise of greater transparency on drone policy has yet to be fulfilled.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 12, 2013

Ruling bloc approves tax reform plan for '14

To stave off some of the negative impacts of the expected consumption tax hike to 10 percent in October 2015, the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc says the levy should be reduced on certain daily necessities.
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.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 12, 2013

Higher-education stimulus would be sure bet for Japan

Making Japanese universities global as well as world class requires generous support not only for hiring foreigners but also — and far more importantly — for improving conditions for all faculty.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2013

Japan tops smartphone app market

Japan surpassed the United States as the top-grossing market for apps in October as use of smartphones surged and wireless carriers started billing customers directly for downloads from Google Inc.'s online store.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2013

Water woe solution: pave over No.1 land?

The state and Tepco should take more steps to mitigate the radioactive water accumulating at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, including paving the land to block rainwater from seeping into the ground, a report says.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Dec 11, 2013

The year in labor: the Top 5 pains of 2013

For Japan's workers, the last 12 months have been a mixed bag. The Top 5 Labor Pains of 2013 will focus on what really shook things up in terms of labor relations and employment law.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2013

Japanese makers play catch-up in smartphone market

In 2013, Japan's smartphone industry faced the shocking news that NEC Corp. and Panasonic Corp. were withdrawing from making those handsets for consumers.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 10, 2013

Joe Biden asked the right question about women in Japan's workforce

The real disgrace isn't U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's 'gaffe,' but how little is changing for Japanese women even under a prime minister who has pledged to empower them as never before.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZ NOTES
Dec 10, 2013

Ai Kuwabara tops favorites list for year in jazz

For the final Jazz Notes column of the year I met up with writer, blogger and presenter of InterFM's "OK Jazz" show James Catchpole to talk about the year in jazz at Eddie's Lounge in Tokyo's Arakawa Ward. It's run by our mutual friend, groove organist Eddie Landsberg.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 9, 2013

Yen will return to strength, former BOJ official predicts

The yen will rally to 100 per dollar in the first half of next year because the Bank of Japan won't be able to expand monetary easing by enough to repeat the weakening effect it had this year, a former official of the central bank said.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2013

Nakaima maintains government aid not tied to Futenma relocation

Relocating the Futenma military base was not on the agenda in talks on central government budget assistance for Okinawa, its governor and Tokyo's top official for the prefecture insisted Sunday.
Figure Skating
Dec 8, 2013

Despite shaky performance, Mao collects fourth Grand Prix Final title

Mao Asada captured a record-tying fourth Grand Prix Final victory on Saturday night despite a less-than-inspiring free skate.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Dec 7, 2013

Impending Japan-China war has the makings of a Clancy classic

On Nov. 23, China announced the creation of a newly expanded air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea, overlapping a large expanse of territory also claimed by Japan. The move has produced a visceral reaction in the Japanese vernacular media, particularly the weekly tabloids. Five...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2013

Pension investment fund must ditch JGBs: Ito

The world's biggest retirement fund needs to cut bond holdings now because the Japanese government will follow an advisory panel's recommendation that the wealth manager seek higher returns, the panel's head said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHARITY DRIVE 2013
Dec 5, 2013

NICCO driven to continue Afghan aid

Members of the Kyoto-based nonprofit organization Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development (NICCO) defied danger and entered Afghanistan as soon as the brutal Taliban government had fallen. They have since continued their difficult humanitarian support activities for more than 10 years....

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami