Search - 2012

 
 
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 19, 2011

Summer's joys in snow country

If you'd only ever experienced Niseko under a four-meter blanket of snow, you'd barely recognize Hokkaido's most cosmopolitan winter-sports resort in summer — in the best way possible.
EDITORIALS
Jun 17, 2011

Managing two airports in Kansai

The Diet on May 17 enacted a law to integrate the management of Kansai airport and Itami (Osaka) airport. The transport ministry will establish a new firm by April 2012 with all the capital coming from the government. It will start operating in the summer of that year.
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2011

Hitachi cuts power-system sales goal

Hitachi Ltd. lowered its target for power-system sales in fiscal 2012 by 3.3 percent, as the company expects reduced revenue from its nuclear energy business.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2011

Quake-proof building makers prepare for bigger shock

As Japan's record earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m on March 11, Hidenori Tsukatani crawled under his desk and thought to himself: Now we will find out.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 16, 2011

JR puts on a show of faces for public causes

When French photographer-turned-street artist JR visited Tokyo in May, he commented, "I love the vibe here but I don't see enough art in the street." His latest project, "Inside Out," may lead the way to help change this.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2011

The U.S. Federal Reserve is playing with fire

The dollar has had its ups and downs, but the downs have clearly dominated of late. The greenback has lost more than a quarter of its value against other currencies, adjusted for inflation, over the last decade. It is down by nearly 5 percent since the beginning of 2011, matching the lowest level plumbed...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jun 15, 2011

Nintendo et al roll out the big guns at E3

The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is gaming's main event. It's when the industry's heavyweights face off with new games and new hardware. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo (which doesn't traditionally participate in the Tokyo Game Show) all go head to head. This year's E3, in Los Angeles, provided...
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...

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