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EDITORIALS
Aug 6, 2010

Accelerate nuclear disarmament

This year Hiroshima and Nagasaki hold their peace memorial services to mark the 65th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of them as the world feels the "global momentum toward a nuclear weapons-free world," as U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon observes. It is important that every nation and citizens...
Reader Mail
Jul 29, 2010

The way to enrich communication

The anonymous author of the July 22 letter, "Rakuten may be asking for trouble," fears a loss of culture because of Rakuten President Hiroshi Mikitani's decision to make English the company's official language by 2012. As a citizen of a country where English is very often used as a business language...
COMMENTARY
Jul 29, 2010

A clash of interests in Asia

The show of force mounted this week off the Korean Peninsula by the United States and South Korea was the biggest in decades and was intended to warn North Korea not to take aggressive action against the South.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 26, 2010

Black Sea challenge by U.S. set to keep Russia on edge

A storm is gathering in and around the Black Sea as Russia faces a mounting challenge from the United States, which is beefing up its military presence in former Soviet satellite countries like Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jul 25, 2010

Japan's 'seismic ship' may yield a bonanza

Despite the ongoing Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, the search for deep-sea oil and gas reserves elsewhere continues unabated — off the coasts of Scotland, Greenland, West Africa, Brazil, the Philippines . . . and even Japan.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 25, 2010

Savoring the wisdom of some Japanese predictions about Japan

FIRST IN A THREE-PART SERIES — I was 8 years old when we got our first television set, a 10-inch Admiral. That was in 1952, still early days for the new and exciting medium. It wasn't long before I was glued every week to my favorite program, "Criswell Predicts."
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 18, 2010

Arashi idol in 'Summer Lover' drama; behind the scenes of the Sky Tree; CM of the week: Calorie Mate

The ratings for "Moon Lovers," the drama series that just ended in the coveted Monday 9 p.m. slot at Fuji TV, were not as high as expected despite the participation of heartthrob Takuya Kimura. Maybe a younger Johnny's idol, Jun Matsumoto of Arashi, will have better luck with "Natsu no Koi wa Niji-iro...
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2010

China, Indonesia drive on Komatsu

Komatsu Ltd., the world's second-largest construction equipment maker, plans to double production this financial year to meet demand from China and Indonesia.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2010

Toyota, Nissan want bigger slice of the pie in Latin America

Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. will invest a combined $1.2 billion to expand production in Latin America amid growing regional and export demand.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 11, 2010

Media fixated with China's new wealth

With the World Cup, sumo's baseball betting scandal and Sunday's Upper House election dominating the media's attention, some readers may have not noticed the extensive coverage also being devoted to China. And we're not just talking about crowds at the Shanghai Expo, but the crowds of visitors to Ginza,...
BUSINESS
Jul 9, 2010

NEC sets supercomputer goals

NEC Corp. aims to double its share of the global supercomputer market in the next four years by increasing sales in Europe, a market where industry leaders IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. may be easier to challenge.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 8, 2010

Japan's economic fantasy

HONG KONG — Belatedly, Japan's leading politicians are waking from their coma and realizing that the country's economy is in a massive mess hit by a triple whammy of low growth, heavy debts and an increasingly aging population.
JAPAN / OKINAWA'S HOSTAGE ECONOMY
Jul 7, 2010

Futenma relocation has certain bidders salivating

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. — Last month an executive of a major construction company in Nago confessed what was considered a long-held industry secret in this city that is poised to be the replacement site for the Futenma military base: For decades most local contractors had rigged bids for public works projects,...
JAPAN / OKINAWA'S HOSTAGE ECONOMY
Jul 7, 2010

Special burden, special economic benefit

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. — On Aug. 4, 2005, then Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine was told by Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya that the United States had agreed to return all of the major military bases south of Kadena, central Okinawa Island, to Japan on condition that the Futenma air base be relocated...
EDITORIALS
Jul 7, 2010

Getting serious on debt reduction

Prime Minister Naoto Kan's call for supra-partisan discussions on a consumption tax raise and the government's long-term fiscal management plan announced shortly before the G20 summit show that the Kan administration has become serious about reducing the national debt. As a deflationary trend continues,...
EDITORIALS
Jul 6, 2010

New era for cross-strait relations

Officially, it is called the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), but it is potentially much more. The trade deal signed by China and Taiwan early last week could transform the relationship between the two governments. It deepens the integration of the two economies, opening the door to closer...
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2010

Toyota may shift some car output to Thailand

Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest carmaker, may move production of some cars to Thailand, reducing its reliance on Japanese factories.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2010

The G20's expensive party

HONG KONG — Leaders of the world's most powerful nations and a few less powerful hangers-on, like Canada and Italy, have just spent a few more billions of their taxpayers' money as they failed to devise a rescue plan for a world economy that is still perilously close to the cliff edge of disaster....
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Jun 28, 2010

Japan not competing hard enough to reap big rewards in Africa

These days the world's eyes are on Africa. However, of the 32 soccer teams competing in the FIFA World Cup, one main stakeholder is missing: the Chinese team.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’