Search - 2016

 
 
SPORTS / YEAR IN REVIEW 2015
Dec 24, 2015

Top Japan sports stories of 2015

The Japan Times editors selected these domestic sports stories as the most important of 2015.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Dec 24, 2015

Improved play has Fukuoka back in playoff race

There's no magic formula for the Rizing Fukuoka to swiftly climb in the Western Conference standings.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2015

Six crazy things Trump says that are spot on

Some of Donald Trump's utterances are offensive. His nativist demagoguery is outright fascist. But Trump also says stuff that other politicians and the media are afraid to say and need to be said.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2015

Time has come for a new century in the Middle East

2016 should mark the start of a new century of homegrown Middle Eastern politics focused urgently on the challenges of sustainable development.
Dec 24, 2015

Gekijoban: Mozu / Cinema Mediage / 2015-12-26 to 2016-01-01

WORLD
Dec 24, 2015

In death knell for MOX project, U.S. to deem 6 tons of plutonium nuclear waste

The U.S. government plans to designate 6 metric tons of surplus plutonium now stored in South Carolina as waste and ship it to a storage facility in New Mexico, according to a preliminary notice filed on a federal website on Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 23, 2015

SpaceX facing big challenge with reusable rockets

SpaceX just proved that it can send a 14-story rocket booster into space and then land it successfully back on Earth. It is something the company had never managed to do before but is essential if Elon Musk has any hope of dramatically cutting the cost of reaching space.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2015

Design by architect Kengo Kuma picked for Tokyo's new Olympic stadium

Kengo Kuma's blueprint prevails in the contest to redesign the new National Stadium after the initial plan was scrapped amid a national uproar over cost and other factors.
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Dec 22, 2015

Mao’s outlook at midseason: What the experts think

Three-time world champion Mao Asada has been inconsistent through the first half of the 2015-16 season. Two victories, a third-place finish, and a sixth-place showing.
EDITORIALS
Dec 22, 2015

Akatsuki's Venus mission

Launched in 2010, the Akutsuki space probe is now set to shed light on Venus' mysteries.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 22, 2015

Japan's pioneer power steering maker feels threatened by advent of driverless cars

A Japanese company that once revolutionized the auto industry by inventing electric power steering now finds itself on the wrong side of the latest technology innovation: driverless cars.
WORLD
Dec 22, 2015

People who reject Syrian refugees are allies of extremists: U.N.

People who reject Syrian refugees are the "best allies" of Islamic State militants and other extremists, the United Nations refugee chief said on Monday after U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump proposed an entry ban on foreign Muslims.
Japan Times
Rugby
Dec 21, 2015

Japan reveals Sunwolves roster; Hammett named as coach

A few of Japan's Rugby World Cup stars, including Akihito Yamada, Shota Horie and Hitoshi Ono, will headline the Sunwolves squad that will compete in Super Rugby next spring, team organizers revealed on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2015

Kirin forecasts first loss since 1949 after Brazil unit hurt by slump

Kirin Holdings Co.'s efforts to expand overseas have hit a snag, with the beer giant predicting its first annual loss since 1949 after an economic slump in Brazil hurt its operations there.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2015

Osaka Gas may pull out of Marubeni thermal power project

Osaka Gas Co. may pull out of a thermal power project planned with Marubeni Corp. amid signs of nuclear restarts and increasing calls to reduce carbon dioxide from power generation.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 21, 2015

Mie pearl farmer looks to Vietnam for new opportunities, fresh workforce

Ago Bay in Shima, Mie Prefecture, is one of the leading places in Japan where pearls can be cultured. The number of pearl farmers has declined in recent years, however, and they are an aging workforce.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
Dec 19, 2015

Shearman details life behind sporting lens

Mark Shearman has achieved extraordinary success as a sports photographer, specializing in track and field. He has a remarkable portfolio — containing images of Olympic legends such as Edwin Moses and Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt and Sebastian Coe — that few can ever hope of compiling. But, he admits without...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 17, 2015

Putting politics over economics, Abe may stall sales tax hike, call for double Diet poll next summer

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may put off a sales tax rise and call a snap Lower House election next summer, in tandem with a poll for the upper chamber, imitating a winning strategy he used a year ago, some advisers and political sources say.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 17, 2015

Republican senator checking if Cruz unveiled classified info during candidate debate

A Republican senator is investigating whether Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz released classified information while discussing the National Security Agency during Tuesday night's debate.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 16, 2015

JAAF names Tanii top athlete of 2015

Race walker Takayuki Tanii, who captured a bronze medal in the men's 50-km competition at this summer's IAAF World Championships in Beijing, was named the athlete of the year at the annual Athletic Awards of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2015

Shift from Australian to European barley providing relief for struggling wagyu beef farmers

The most expensive meat in the world is getting a little cheaper to produce.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2015

In defense of Donald Trump's name-calling

Winner or loser, Donald Trump has done political debate in America a huge favor by freeing 'stupid' from the rhetorical prison of words and phrases polite people aren't allowed to use.

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