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COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2011

Myanmar's new guardian?

Myanmar's one-time military generals, who have miraculously transformed themselves into benign politicians, really do seem to be taking remarkable steps to restructure both the domestic and foreign policy of that fragile nation.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 30, 2011

Cyclists piste at Tokyo police crackdown

Last month, comedian Mitsunori Fukuda was stopped and cited for riding a fixed-gear racing bike on a public street in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward. These bicycles, also known as "piste bikes," have become popular in the past few years, not so much as a conveyance but more as a fashion statement. They usually...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 24, 2011

Asian powers scrambling for regional space

Asia is witnessing a jostling among its major powers — China, Japan and India — for regional strategic space, and a flurry of activity by these countries is focused toward the Southeast Asia region, once a stable region but now a potential area for conflict. China, which is already a permanent member...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INDIA-JAPAN SYMPOSIUM
Oct 24, 2011

India bids for closer East Asia ties for regional integration

India wants to play a role in the economic integration of Asia through closer ties with East Asian powers including China — despite a long history of political hostility — and Japan, journalists and experts from India said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY
Oct 19, 2011

A decade of Afghan tragedy

On July 1, 2002, the United States bombed an Afghan wedding in the small village of Deh Rawud. Located to the north of Kandahar, the village seemed fortified by the region's many mountains. For a few hours, its people thought they were safe from a war they had never invited. They celebrated, and as customs...
EDITORIALS
Oct 17, 2011

A decade of war in Afghanistan

Oct. 7 marked the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan. It has been a bitter decade. The initial success in driving the Taliban from power quickly turned to stalemate as U.S. attention shifted to Iraq. The hope that the war-torn country, a proxy battleground of great power...
EDITORIALS
Oct 13, 2011

Budgeting for reconstruction

The government ministries and agencies have made budget requests for fiscal 2012 that total a record ¥99 trillion, exceeding the fiscal 2011 initial budget of ¥96.746 trillion. Because the government has used up surplus funds to compile the third supplementary budget for fiscal 2011 for the reconstruction...
COMMENTARY
Oct 6, 2011

Few dare call it federal control of education

Obama Gives States a Voice In 'No Child' — New York Times, Sept. 24
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Sep 29, 2011

Plenty of problems in tax hike plan

The government and the Democratic Party of Japan have finalized their temporary tax hike plan and will ask the public to cough up ¥11.2 trillion to help reconstruct the disaster-hit Tohoku region, but experts Wednesday were quick to point out flaws in the hastily prepared blueprint.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2011

Merits of a layman as Japan's defense minister

Japan has suffered from a leadership deficit since the charismatic Koizumi Junichiro stepped down in 2006.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2011

KDDI goes WiMAX with new handsets

Aiming to differentiate itself from its smartphone rivals, KDDI Corp. unveiled a new handset lineup Monday that features models compatible with the high-speed WiMAX network.
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2011

Honda spending $50 million on Ohio plant to restore full production in U.S.

Honda Motor Co. is spending $50 million to expand a transmission factory in Ohio as it upgrades U.S. assembly operations and works to restore full production slowed by an earthquake.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 20, 2011

You name it: Rights for more municipal sites go on sale

C.C. Lemon isn't just the name of a soft drink — it's also the name of a famous concert hall in Tokyo more popularly known as Shibuko — a mecca for aspiring rock stars throughout Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2011

China's historic rise (or slowdown)

Is China on the brink of eclipsing the United States as the world's economic megapower, with the yuan taking over from the dollar as the global currency, and China able to exercise financial, military and political hegemony?
BUSINESS
Sep 15, 2011

Nippon Steel said trying to stave off Brazil threat

Nippon Steel Corp. and Brazil's Gerdau SA are in talks to stave off a rival $2.9 billion bid for a stake in Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais SA, or Usiminas, said two sources familiar with the negotiations.
BUSINESS
Sep 6, 2011

Bearing maker NTN expects windfall amid crisis

NTN Corp., a Japanese maker of bearings for cars and industrial gear, expects sales of the devices used in wind-power generators to exceed its target because the Fukushima meltdown disaster has spurred demand for alternative energy sources.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Sep 5, 2011

University of Hawaii hopes to form bond with Japan

Hosting a regular-season college football game abroad would certainly have an impact, but the University of Hawaii is seeking more than just that.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 5, 2011

MLB scouts doing due diligence on Fighters' Darvish

The press box at QVC Marine Field isn't exactly state-of-the-art. Upfront are three sections of long desks topped with aging, faded wood looking out onto the field from ground level, behind a net and tinted glass. The rear resembles a school cafeteria, with an old television resting on a filing cabinet...
SOCCER / World cup
Sep 4, 2011

Zaccheroni maintains confidence, trust in players

National team manager Alberto Zaccheroni insists he never lost faith in his team's ability to score after a last-gasp Maya Yoshida goal gave Japan a winning start to its 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign against North Korea on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2011

Noda pro-U.S. but past remarks may haunt Asia ties

While Japan-U.S. relations will remain the cornerstone of the nation's diplomacy under the leadership of Yoshihiko Noda, the Democratic Party of Japan's newly elected president and the nation's next prime minister, his past comments on war criminals could strain ties in Asia, analysts said Monday.
BUSINESS
Aug 27, 2011

Honda's tunnel takes wind from rivals' sails

Honda Motor Co. is making $355 million worth of upgrades at plants in Ohio where it opened its first U.S. wind tunnel in 2010, seeking productivity and fuel-economy gains for models designed and built in North America.

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