Search - 2012

 
 
EDITORIALS
May 1, 2012

Changing Futenma statement

Japan and the United States on April 27 issued a joint statement — an interim report on the review of the 2006 plan to realign U.S. armed forces in Japan. The statement hints at the possibility of exploring new options concerning the plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from the...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2012

Is it an Arab spring for new borders?

Two things stand out in the Middle East since the Arab Spring began — one that happened, and one that did not. What happened was that for the first time in modern Arab history, authoritarian regimes and rulers were toppled, or seriously challenged, by popular demonstrations, not — as in the past...
COMMENTARY
Apr 30, 2012

The international path toward self-destruction

The latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that, after allowing for some data uncertainties, world military spending in 2011 as essentially unchanged from that in 2012. This breaks a 13-year-long run of continuous military spending increases. It might be a...
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2012

Officials find Oi split on reactor restarts

Officials from the central government announced they made progress on convincing residents that it is safe to restart two idled reactors at Oi's nuclear plant during a meeting Thursday evening.
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2012

BOJ boosts asset buys to tune of ¥5 trillion

The Bank of Japan on Friday eased monetary policy by boosting the size of its asset purchase program by ¥5 trillion, saying the move will "better ensure the return of Japan's economy to a sustainable growth path with price stability."
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2012

METI official talks up Oi reactor restart in Fukui

A visiting official from the industry ministry on Thursday apologized to the town of Oi, Fukui Prefecture, over the government's failure to create a new nuclear watchdog by April 1, but stressed that the town's idled atomic reactors have passed all the requisite safety tests to resume operations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2012

'I'm Still Here'

You can do just about anything in Hollywood — stints in rehab, wife-beating, being arrested for lewd conduct, or drunk-driving topped off with a few anti-Semitic remarks, to name but a few — but the one thing they'll never forgive you for is spurning stardom. Woe to those such as Mickey Rourke who...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 27, 2012

Staten an island of strength for Jets in inaugural season

With 50 games in the books, the Chiba Jets' first chapter is nearly written.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 27, 2012

Representing Japan at Art Kyoto

In the wake of the recently held Art Fair Tokyo, Kyoto is following up with its own alternative in Art Kyoto. Organizers will, however, eschew the international art fair model seen in Tokyo and do what Kyoto does best — represent Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 27, 2012

Representing Japan at Art Kyoto

In the wake of the recently held Art Fair Tokyo, Kyoto is following up with its own alternative in Art Kyoto. Organizers will, however, eschew the international art fair model seen in Tokyo and do what Kyoto does best — represent Japan.
EDITORIALS
Apr 26, 2012

Stalemate in the Upper House

The Upper House on Friday passed censure motions against Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka and infrastructure and transport Minister Takeshi Maeda. The nonbinding motions were submitted by the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito and two smaller parties.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2012

Reinventing the Sino-U.S. relationship

China and the United States are in the grip of major structural changes that both dread will end the halcyon era when China produced low-cost goods and the U.S. bought them. In particular, many fear that if these changes lead to direct competition between the two countries, only one side can win.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2012

Nissan can post ¥10 trillion in sales if Japan's '1,000-lb. gorilla' allows: Ghosn

Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn said revenue at Japan's second-biggest automaker may reach ¥10 trillion ($123 billion) in 2012, depending on the strength of a currency he compared to an oversize ape.
COMMENTARY
Apr 24, 2012

'Cruel and unusual' punishment of teenagers

In the summer of 1787, just 94 years after the Salem witch trials, as paragons of the Enlightenment such as James Madison, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin deliberated in the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, a mob pelted and otherwise tormented to death a woman accused of being a witch....
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2012

How much should one's birth gender matter?

Jenna Talackova reached the finals of Miss Universe Canada last month, before being disqualified because she was not a "natural born" female. The tall, beautiful blonde told the media that she had considered herself a female since she was four years old, had begun hormone treatment at 14, and had sex...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 23, 2012

Capitalistic consensus moved Brazil investors

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's visit to Washington earlier this month offers an occasion to consider how some once-poor countries have broken out of poverty, as Brazil has. Development institutions like the World Bank have advocated improving business law as an important way to do so. Are they...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2012

Mekong states get ¥600 billion in ODA

Japan will provide ¥600 billion in official development assistance within three years to the Mekong region countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to bolster their development, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda declared Saturday.
BASKETBALL
Apr 22, 2012

B-Corsairs finish home slate with series sweep

For a professional sports team, playing better in a season's late stages is more important than doing so at the beginning.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 20, 2012

Geary displays coaching acumen for first-year club

Building a successful basketball team from scratch requires patience, enthusiasm, hard work and first-rate instincts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2012

Sharp unveils largest TV on domestic market

Sharp Corp. on Wednesday unveiled a new line of large televisions for the domestic market that feature liquid crystal display panels.
COMMENTARY
Apr 18, 2012

Competition gives U.S. airlines a bumpy ride

From his office window, Thomas W. Horton, in his fifth month as CEO of American Airlines, can see in the distance the Manhattan-size footprint of Dallas-Fort Worth airport, where American has 85 percent market share; it also has 68 percent in Miami, gateway to South America's booming market. A few miles...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji