Search - 2015

 
 
WORLD
Jan 1, 2015

Lithuania joins euro as tensions with Russia rise

Lithuania joined the euro zone at the stroke of midnight on Thursday, hoping to anchor itself in Europe as its former master Russia flexes its military muscle in the region.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 1, 2015

Ebola spreading in Sierra Leone as global cases top 20,000, deaths exceed 7,900: WHO

The Ebola virus is still spreading in West Africa, especially in Sierra Leone, and the number of known cases globally has now exceeded 20,000, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 31, 2014

A watershed year for Japan

Japan is at a crossroads in many ways as the nation greets the 70th year since it set out on the path of rebuilding after its defeat in World War II.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 31, 2014

Venezuela confirms recession, highest inflation in Americas

Venezuela confirmed on Tuesday it had entered a recession while inflation remained the highest in the Americas, and President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government blamed political foes for the dismal data.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 30, 2014

Inoue seizes WBO super flyweight title with second-round knockout of Narvaez

Japanese phenom Naoya Inoue made the crowd at the arena stand on its feet because of his explosive performance.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 30, 2014

China banking on projects

The key factor that has led Beijing to create the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank is the belief that creating new demand abroad is the only way to avoid a simultaneous collapse of local governments and state corporations.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2014

Meet Asia's biggest losers in 2014

Warren Buffett wasn't the only bigwig in 2014 to get caught 'swimming naked when the tide rolls out.' The Sage of Omaha shared the year's losers' spotlight with a number of companies, politicians and corporate emperors.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 29, 2014

Sharia law forces gays into hiding in Indonesia's Aceh

Overwhelmed by fear, members of the main gay rights group in the Indonesian town of Banda Aceh started burning piles of documents outside their headquarters in late October, worried that the Sharia police would raid them at any moment.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2014

China steps in as the banker to call in a pinch

Thanks to China, Christine Lagarde of the International Monetary Fund, Jim Yong Kim of the World Bank and Takehiko Nakao of the Asian Development Bank may no longer have much meaningful work to do.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Dec 29, 2014

Sony bulls looking beyond hackings to lucrative turnaround play

It may not be as far-fetched as the CIA dispatching a celebrity tabloid show host and his producer to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Yet a 43 percent rally in the shares of money-losing Sony Corp. is pretty remarkable.
SOCCER
Dec 28, 2014

Atletico close to sealing Torres deal

Atletico Madrid is close to sealing a deal for Spain forward Fernando Torres to return to his boyhood club, assistant coach German Burgos said on Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 28, 2014

The year in education: After all the talk, can Japan walk the walk in 2015?

With ideas coming in thick and fast in 2014 and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe having effective carte blanche after his landslide election victory, it's now or never for key education reforms.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 28, 2014

Thai regime plays royal card to silence critics

The military regime in Thailand appears to be trying to silence political critics of the monarchy by charging them with lese-majeste offenses.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 27, 2014

Learning to love robots

With half the decade complete, we examine an industry that has significantly changed the way we think about ourselves.
EDITORIALS
Dec 27, 2014

2014: a year of conservative gains

The year 2014 was full of unexpected events, but none helped to jolt Japan's economy, politics or society out of a sense of being stalled.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 27, 2014

Falling oil prices pushing Russia toward recession

Slumping oil prices have put Russia's economy on course for a sharp recession next year, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Friday, as authorities scaled up their bailout for the first bank to succumb to the recent ruble crisis.
COMMENTARY
Dec 26, 2014

What the revised jump in U.S. growth means

The strength of the U.S. economy stands in stark contrast to what is happening in the eurozone and Japan, and the resulting divergence will be accompanied by opposing monetary-policy responses.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2014

America's gun culture and the manly virtues

As growing economic autonomy among American women reshapes breadwinning and gender roles, it's getting tough out there for tough guys. So it doesn't take much imagination to grasp the appeal of holding a gun to some men.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 26, 2014

Inflation drive hampered by recession-hobbled economy

Inflation slowed for a fourth month in November and industrial production and retail sales unexpectedly dropped, based on government data released Friday, pointing to further weakness in an economy Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is trying to revive from recession.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2014

Unlocking ASEAN's true economic potential

Some critics insist that ASEAN members vary too widely in terms of economic development to create a smoothly functioning manufacturing entity. But ASEAN, unlike the European Union, is not trying to form a monetary union.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 25, 2014

A realistic agenda for voters to prevent the worst results

One wonders if the Japanese are realistic enough to vote against political parties and candidates in order to prevent the worst results even if they don't see candidates of their choice.
CULTURE / Art
Dec 25, 2014

'Tohl Narita: Art/Special Effects/Monsters'

The work of designer and sculptor Tohl Narita — known for his character design for the "Ultraman" series — will be exhibited at Fukuoka Art Museum in January 2015.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person