Search - japan

 
 
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2009

CPI tumbles at record pace

Consumer prices fell at a record pace in May, adding to signs that a return to deflation may hamper a rebound from the nation's worst postwar recession.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2009

At 70, Italian institute truly is an institution

Back in prewar Japan — when there were still titled nobility — it was the duty of the upper class to engage in philanthropic activities, promote art or spread foreign culture here.
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2009

Tigers fans hope resurrection of deep-sixed 'Colonel' helps lift jinx

Fans of baseball's Hanshin Tigers hoped to exorcise a 24-year "curse" Thursday by honoring a repaired statue of Colonel Sanders at Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Osaka.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CONTROLS ON FOREIGNERS
Jun 26, 2009

LDP's point man on immigration bills

First in a series
EDITORIALS
Jun 24, 2009

Soccer team on a roll

Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2010 World Cup when it defeated Uzbekistan 1-0 on June 6. It will be its fourth consecutive appearance in the World Cup since its debut in the 1998 finals in France.
COMMENTARY
Jun 24, 2009

Tough to intercept missiles

Due to the severe economic slump, the United States recently announced that it would make substantial cuts to its costly and controversial missile defense program. Several new parts of the planned shield are to be canceled.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 23, 2009

Fans make troupe phenomenon it is

Takarazuka Revue Co., Japan's all-female musical troupe, is a love-it or hate-it theatrical landmark.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2009

Farm consultant cultivates seeds of opportunity

The ranks of farmers, crop acreage and yields are all shrinking and Japan's food self-sufficiency rate remains one of the lowest among major developed nations.
EDITORIALS
Jun 23, 2009

Anti-piracy law

The Diet has enacted a law that will enable the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces for antipiracy missions at any time and anywhere in the world. Two Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyers are now in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, joined by two P3C antisubmarine patrol planes. Their antipiracy...
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2009

Corporate confidence heads up

Business confidence improved for the first time in three quarters and demand for services rose, adding to signs the recession is easing.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 21, 2009

Tokyo spurned in the 'ultra miracle' of new film's linguistic embrace

On June 8, the evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on a fascinating phenomenon — one that may be a harbinger of a broad cultural and social movement in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / WEEK 3
Jun 21, 2009

Drawn to the land

Considering that Japan is only 40 percent self-sufficient in terms of its food supply, few would dispute that the country's agriculture is in a deepening crisis.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Jun 21, 2009

'Spotted snakes, with double tongue'

In ages past we humans relied on natural phenomena and omens from nature to guide us in our understanding of seasonal events and our attempts to make predictions about the uncertain future.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jun 21, 2009

Punchy posters urge Tokyoites to mind their manners

It doesn't take a genius to realize that public spaces in Japan are filled with numerous audible and visual reminders about the importance of maintaining personal decorum.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2009

End of BOJ funding measures tied to economy

The Bank of Japan should consider whether to stop pumping extra cash into the banking system by evaluating trends in corporate financing and the economy, BOJ Policy Board members said last month.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2009

Immigration revision set to be passed

The ruling and opposition camps have revised a contentious set of immigration bills in a way that increases government scrutiny of both legal and illegal foreign residents while extending additional conveniences, according to a draft obtained Thursday by The Japan Times.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 18, 2009

The safety nets for would-be suicides

Every time the National Police Agency comes out with new suicide statistics, media reports tend to focus on the fact that the annual suicide count has reached a new high or has topped the psychologically significant 30,000 threshold for yet another year. (The latest figure available was 32,249 in 2008.)...
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2009

Fitch to keep sovereign debt rating unchanged

Fitch Ratings Ltd. said it will maintain Japan's sovereign debt rating at AA- even though the government has abandoned its goal of balancing the budget by 2011.
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jun 18, 2009

Shichimi

Dear Alice, Based on my forays into Japanese restaurants in North America, I was under the impression that Japanese cuisine didn't feature any spicy flavorsat all. Then, on my first trip to Japan, I wandered into a restaurant that specializes in soba noodles. When my order came, the waitress drew my...
EDITORIALS
Jun 17, 2009

An unhappy Cabinet member

The resignation of Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kunio Hatoyama last week is yet another indication of Prime Minister Taro Aso's lack of leadership. More than a month before, Mr. Hatoyama had said during Diet deliberations that he was against retaining Mr. Yoshifumi Nishikawa as president...
JAPAN
Jun 17, 2009

Tokyo bolsters sanctions on Pyongyang

The Cabinet approved new sanctions Tuesday against North Korea that reinforce previous restrictions on financial and people exchanges with the hermit state.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2009

Koizumi reforms hurting public: Rengo boss

The head of the nation's biggest union group urged the government to abandon policies introduced by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, saying they have made life harder for average Japanese.
Reader Mail
Jun 14, 2009

Government solutions fall short

The June 7 editorial, "One every 15 minutes," made me sad and then angry. The most crushing part of the editorial was about young people — those that represent Japan's future. If you don't have a big dream or hope for your life in your 20s or 30s, then when do you get it?

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years