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EDITORIALS
Aug 8, 2009

Reviewing defense policy

An advisory body on security and defense submitted a report to Prime Minister Taro Aso on Aug. 4, calling for a review of Japan's defense-only posture, the traditional stance on the right to collective self-defense, and the weapons export ban. If proposals in the report are implemented, they would undermine...
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2009

Defense-only posture needs reviewing: panel

Japan should consider dropping its ban on engaging in collective self-defense and overhaul its defense-only posture, a panel reviewing government strategy said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2009

The new face of home caregivers

Kazuo Yamazaki was in the prime of his career as an engineer at a Japanese music company doing business across borders. His decades-long profession came to an abrupt end six years ago, however, when at age 55 he became his mother's primary caregiver.
EDITORIALS
Jul 28, 2009

Updated defense considerations

The government's 2009 white paper on defense details recent military moves by China and North Korea. Japan must closely watch the situation in Northeast Asia and carefully make the necessary adjustments to create an environment that will reduce the chances of confrontation, military or political.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2009

Ishihara must face the opposition

The Democratic Party of Japan's rise to pre-eminence in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly may force Gov. Shintaro Ishihara to bend on some of his more controversial policies, notably the funding of troubled lender Shinginko Tokyo, according to observers.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 5, 2009

Takeda pleased OCA backs Tokyo 2016 bid

SINGAPORE — Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda left Singapore on Saturday convinced that the whole of the Asian sports movement was behind Tokyo's bid to stage the 2016 Olympic Games.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2009

Key gripes converge in Tokyo poll

With the July 12 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election drawing near, opposition parties are beginning to attack the contentious policies endorsed by the bureaucracy and Gov. Shintaro Ishihara.
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2009

Toyota facing $1 billion hit over California law

Toyota Motor Corp., ranked as the U.S. market's most fuel-efficient automaker, may have to spend more than $1 billion to meet California's requirement for zero-emission cars.
JAPAN
May 24, 2009

MOX use opposed by Genkai's leery residents

GENKAI, Saga Pref. — Before a two-lane access road was built to connect it with other parts of the prefecture, the village of Genkai, nestled in high hills with deep ravines beside the Sea of Japan, was so remote that even locals called it the "Tibet of Saga Prefecture."
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2009

Nonbank giant Orix seeking state loans

Orix Corp., Japan's biggest nonbank lender, is borrowing from the government as more loans to real estate companies turn bad and the cost of selling bonds rises.
EDITORIALS
Mar 11, 2009

Mr. Aso lands on Okinawa

Prime Minister Taro Aso visited Okinawa Prefecture over the weekend for the first time since he came to power in September, and met with Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima. He did not visit any U.S. military bases or their vicinity, as he apparently sought to avoid luring public attention to base-related issues....
COMMENTARY
Mar 11, 2009

Gauging Obama's Asia policy

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent trip to Asia underscored elements of continuity and change in the Obama administration's Asia policy. Generally speaking, her visits to Japan, South Korea and China represented continuity; her trip to Indonesia signaled change.
COMMENTARY
Mar 10, 2009

Warming up for the bottom line on climate

SINGAPORE — Researchers from around the world meet in Denmark this week to discuss the latest scientific findings on climate change, following recent warnings that the severity of global warming this century will be much worse than previously expected and that changes to the climate will be difficult...
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2009

Nissan to tap European markets for cash

Nissan Motor Co., facing its first loss in nine years, plans to tap European capital markets, win government loans and sell real estate to maintain the cash it has on hand.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Feb 15, 2009

Eco-sweepers get to push their dust in the ancient way

In the future, when some oddly inclined academic sits down to pen the definitive history of the broom in Japan, several key years will stand out like piles of dust littering the corridors of time. One of them could be 2009.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building