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Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 8, 2014

Basketball clinics increasing coaches' knowledge of game

This season, Donald Beck put in overtime work away from his obligations with the Toyota Alvark basketball team.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 8, 2014

Young Japanese filmmaker's dystopian dream

Several years ago, a film project of mine was selected for J-Pitch, a government-backed initiative that introduces new filmmakers to veteran producers outside Japan, in the hope (in my case, a faint hope) that they will co-produce an original film. At a J-Pitch seminar where new filmmakers delivered...
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2014

Obama stakes his priorities

While President Barack Obama's recent Asian sojourn might have not been enough to dispel apprehensions of America's commitment to the region, it did signal that Washington has no intention of ceding its strategic space.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 7, 2014

Abe strengthens ties with NATO

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, concerned about China's military spending and the Senkakus dispute, forges a new partnership agreement with NATO.
Reader Mail
May 7, 2014

Time to move on, rebuild ties

The "comfort women" issue never seems to stray from the headlines. It seems that every month there is a new comment by a Japanese government official or by a Chinese or Korean counterpart that sparks unhappy responses, and further draws out an almost-70-year-old issue. In all honesty, it's time that...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
May 5, 2014

Caroline Kennedy, dive with me in Okinawa and it'll change your mind

I entreat you, Ambassador Kennedy, to help protect the marvelous coral reef ecosystem at Oura Bay in northeast Okinawa from certain destruction under the U.S.-Japan plan for military expansion.
EDITORIALS
May 5, 2014

Virus spells trouble for pig farmers

Porcine epidemic diarrhea — a virulent disease that infects piglets — is rapidly spreading in Japan and could bankrupt some farmers already hit hard by the sudden rise in feed prices.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
May 5, 2014

Money that must go down the pan

In almost all of Japan's major cities, close to 100 percent of the population are connected to public sewerage systems, but the farther away from cities you get the more the number drops. Tokushima Prefecture is the lowest, at 16.3 percent.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
May 3, 2014

Telephone fraud: ‘Hello, is it me you’re looking for?’

For young sociopathic entrepreneurs in Japan, the best way to get rich quick is by learning to say the following three lines convincingly:
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 2, 2014

Lawyer gives Article 9 some coffee shop buzz

One morning in late April dozens of mothers, some with children, gathered at an Italian restaurant in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, hoping not only to dine, but also to learn what kind of future might await their children if the Constitution is amended.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2014

Corporate tax rate to be reduced by April '15, Nishimura says

Tokyo will start making significant cuts to the corporate tax rate by April 2015 in line with its aim of making the economy more competitive and of spurring a recovery driven by spending and massive monetary stimulus, deputy economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said.
EDITORIALS
Apr 30, 2014

Risky medical deregulation

The government should give up its attempt to introduce mixed medical treatment and instead speed up the process for approving coverage and use of new drugs and medical technologies under the public health insurance system.
Reader Mail
Apr 30, 2014

Growing more women scientists

The April 16 AFP-JIJI article "Japan's scientists: just 14% female" must be frustrating for the Japanese government, but nowhere near as frustrating as it is for the women trying to mark their way in a field traditionally dominated by men.
Reader Mail
Apr 30, 2014

A government that can't reason

It is unbelievable how thick, stubborn and stupid the government of Japan is on some essential questions that project the Japanese people's reputation widely across the world.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 28, 2014

Abe's 'third arrow' crucial for Asia: IMF

Asian policymakers must push ahead with structural changes to ensure the region continues to lead global growth and withstand volatility as the United States reduces monetary stimulus, the International Monetary Fund said, naming Japan and China as potential sources of risk.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 28, 2014

Five activists win court fight but battle against Tokyo university is not over

The Tokyo High Court recently upheld the acquittal of the 'Hosei Five' on charges under the Law for the Punishment of Acts of Violence in a case that became a rallying point for students across Japan.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: ARCHITECTURE
Apr 28, 2014

Japanese architecture on show in Venice, and the loss of a legend

Architects often claim to be deeply concerned about protecting the distinctive soul of places and regions, which would seem to imply that architects should stay close to their roots. Yet the export of architectural services and the global circulation of architects has never been higher. This paradox...
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Apr 27, 2014

Off-the-radar Kansai offers advantages to startups

Ever since St. Francis Xavier arrived in Kagoshima in August 1549, official Japan has preferred foreigners of a certain type: prestigious leaders who are status-quo-oriented and have a large organization backing their ventures here.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 26, 2014

Mini-revolutions may add up to a change

1949. The war was over. Slowly, a numbed populace rose from the dead. That year, 2.7 million babies were born — a record high, never surpassed.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 26, 2014

Lucy Birmingham: 'Don't give up on your dream no matter how many people tell you it's wrong'

'The world can learn a lot from the Japanese about how to get up and start over again despite unimagineable tragedy.'
Reader Mail
Apr 26, 2014

Depending on Obama to curb Abe's notions

Regarding U.S. President Barack Obama's trip to Japan last week: Animosity among Asian leaders is nearing a critical mass as governments of the main players becoming increasingly hard-line and intolerant. America must insist that Japan cease its deliberate tit-for-tat aggravations that risk serious...
Reader Mail
Apr 26, 2014

Scuttling a chance to end the ill will

Regarding the April 20 AFP-Jiji article "Diet ranks vow to defy ICJ ruling": It was with considerable satisfaction that I heard of the recent 12-4 ruling by the International Court of Justice in favor of Australia's lawsuit against Japan's whaling program.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2014

Costs keep mounting for idled reactors

Since March 2011, the government has focused on the cost of cleaning up after Fukushima, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Now, the bill is coming due for another unbudgeted consequence of that calamity — shutting down the nation's 48 remaining nuclear reactors for costly safety reviews that...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 25, 2014

Bill Granger's reciprocal love affair with Tokyo eating

Over the past few years, several American-style pancake joints — Eggs n' Things and Cafe Kaila, for example — have washed up on Tokyo's shores. Now, the tide is going the other direction.

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’