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EDITORIALS
Jun 14, 2011

Welfare reform and cost issue

The government's conference on reform of social welfare spending and taxes, chaired by Prime Minister Naoto Kan, proposed on June 2 raising the consumption tax rate from the current 5 percent to 10 percent in phases by fiscal 2015 to secure stable funds for maintaining and strengthening social welfare....
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 12, 2011

Those opposing Kan offer no clear reason he must go

The 2012 U.S. presidential election campaign officially started two weeks ago, when former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced he would be a candidate for the Republican Party nomination. Romney chose as the setting for his momentous, though unsurprising, announcement a beautiful old family farm...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jun 8, 2011

Apache pull plug on 2011-12 season

Due to financial problems, the Tokyo Apache have suspended operations for the bj-league's 2011-12 season, it was announced on Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 8, 2011

Fukushima investigation

The Kan Cabinet on May 24 established a third-party panel to investigate the accidents at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The move was extremely tardy, coming 2? months after the start of the nuclear crisis and nearly one month after Prime Minister Naoto Kan's announcement...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2011

Ahmadinejad tempts the wrath of Ayatollah

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has now made the mistake that all Iranian presidents make: He has challenged the authority of the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He is doomed to fail.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2011

Tripartite consensus

Japan, China and South Korea may have many differences, but late last month they managed to agree on one thing -tourism. At a meeting of tourism ministers from the three countries, an agreement was forged about guidelines to promote tourism. When agreement on so many other issues in the region has long...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 3, 2011

"Making of Tokyo Sky Tree — Construction Site In The Sky"

In preparation for the 2012 completion of the Sky Tree, the world's tallest communications tower, this exhibition offers an understanding behind the construction's planning and building.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2011

Nissan says U.S. Leaf sales may reach 12,000 in '11

Nissan Motor Co., aiming to be the world's largest seller of electric cars, expects to deliver as many as 12,000 battery-powered Leaf hatchbacks to U.S. customers this year as orders are confirmed and production quickens.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2011

Pakistan again turns toward China

Large events sometimes have unintended strategic consequences, as the killing of Osama bin Laden in a compound in Abbottabad, a military-dominated town near Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, shows.
BUSINESS
Jun 2, 2011

Tepco debt swaps facing 53% chance of defaulting

The cost of protecting Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s debt shows the likelihood of a default increased to 53 percent after the utility's credit rating was cut to junk status by Standard & Poor's.
EDITORIALS
May 31, 2011

A G8 vote of support for Japan

The Group of Eight summit, the annual meeting of the world's leading industrialized economies, has lost some of its shine in recent years, eclipsed as well by the rise of the G20 as a forum for global economic decision making. Nonetheless, the G8 still serves important purposes, two of which were on...
EDITORIALS
May 30, 2011

North Korea appeals to sponsor

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il visited China for about seven days from May 20. It was his third visit to China in a year. He traveled more than 4,000 km on a special train. Both Beijing and Pyongyang are mum about his visit. But it seems that the main purpose of his visit was to appeal for economic...
EDITORIALS
May 27, 2011

Ripples from an arrest

The arrest of Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on charges of sexual assault in New York City has been the occasion for all sorts of salacious gossip and speculation.
EDITORIALS
May 26, 2011

Helping hands to Mr. Kan

The perseverance that people in northeastern Japan have shown after the massive earthquake and tsunami devastated their communities March 11 has impressed many people around the world.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 26, 2011

Boris "Heavy Rocks"/"Attention Please"

Being a Boris completist is a daunting task. One of the country's most prolific underground acts, this year the Tokyo three-piece have already issued their "New Album" full-length and "Klatter," a vinyl-only collaboration with Japanese noise-artist Merzbow. They are back again with their two latest releases,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 25, 2011

Sony's fiscal year hurt by 'smack in the eye'

For Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer, this was supposed to be Sony Corp.'s year.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 24, 2011

Pension payout query: to leave it or lump it?

Marc has a question about pension refunds for foreigners: "I was a resident of Japan for about 25 years and I paid into the system for about 20 years. Six years ago my Japanese employer transferred me to Vietnam. Since then we did an employee exchange with a South African company. This company has been...
JAPAN
May 23, 2011

Kan, Wen, Lee bolster disaster plans

Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Chinese and South Korean counterparts agreed Sunday to enhance cooperation on a range of programs — including nuclear safety and disaster management — in light of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

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