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BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Dec 24, 2013

Debt-issuance levels point to lack of concern for debt: experts

Experts say the draft fiscal 2014 budget doesn't show that the Abe team is serious about revising the debt-driven fiscal structure as more than 40 percent of the budget will be paid for through new debt issuance.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 22, 2013

This year's buzzwords show how Japanese is evolving

Last month I shelled out ¥2,980 for my 2014 edition of 現代用語の基礎知識 ("Gendai Yogo no Kiso Chishiki", "Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words"). It's a 1,660-page monster that's well worth the outlay, and this year publisher Jiyu Kokumin-sha, as an extra bonus, included a 74-page booklet that...
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 22, 2013

Osaka joins rush to attract foreign tourists

If you asked many Kansai-area foreigners, and not a few Tokyoites, to come up with a slogan to promote Osaka internationally, you might get a response along the lines of: "Osaka: When You Can't Get a Hotel in Kyoto."
Japan Times
JAPAN / WEDGE
Dec 22, 2013

'Abenomics' exposing sheltered dairy farmers

The price of raw milk sold to dairy product makers rose by ¥5 per kg in October as imported cattle feed gets costlier amid the weakening yen.
WORLD
Dec 22, 2013

Land grabs and melting ice: five misconceptions about the North Pole

Forget Santa Claus' ethnicity — what is his nationality? Canada's recent announcement that it may try to extend its territory to include the North Pole has led to a debate over who owns this Arctic area, about 1.3 times the size of the United States. Let us consider some of the biggest misconceptions...
BASKETBALL
Dec 21, 2013

FIBA warns JBA about problems

FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann has advised the Japan Basketball Association to resolve issues that exist inside the nation's basketball circles or face greater problems in the future, according to Japanese media reports.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 20, 2013

Dictatorship of the majority

Japanese civic movements conspicuously picked up steam to oppose the state secrets bill just before its enactment into law, illustrating that many Japanese voters become critical of the Abe administration when it takes up issues other than the economy.
EDITORIALS
Dec 20, 2013

Inose must still come clean

Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose's announcement of his intention to resign does not relieve him of the public duty to explain why he received a so-called ¥50 million loan from a scandal-tainted hospital operator group without having to put up collateral or pay interest.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Dec 20, 2013

To tap tourist yen, think train-packing, plastic grub and sumo

I think it is time for some up-to-date experiences — ones that the waves of tourists due to flood Japan up through the 2020 Olympics might savor more than those that revolve around traditional Japanese culture.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 19, 2013

Comiket, where otaku come to share the love

The Tokyo International Exhibition Center, better known as Tokyo Big Sight, boasts an area of more than 80,000 sq. meters of exhibition space. It's the country's largest convention center and will host wrestling, fencing and taekwondo during the 2020 Olympics.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2013

Mitsubishi Estate to hike office rent in Marunouchi

Mitsubishi Estate Co. plans to increase office rents for the first time in about five years in 2014 as the supply of new buildings slows.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 17, 2013

The best Japanese albums of 2013: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, 'Nanda Collection'

While boy bands such as Arashi and Exile continued transmogrifying midtempo pap into Oricon gold, the interesting twists and turns in J-pop over the past year came from idol pop. The scene, often associated with schoolgirl costumes and no-dating policies, produced some great music and exciting storylines....
MORE SPORTS
Dec 17, 2013

Fukushi, Kiryu honored by JAAF

Veteran long-distance runner Kayoko Fukushi received the athlete of the year trophy and high school sensation Yoshihide Kiryu also grabbed the spotlight with two accolades at the annual JAAF Athletic Awards on Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 17, 2013

Tepco bonds a safe bet now: Nomura

Nomura Holdings Inc. is urging investors buy Tokyo Electric Power Co. bonds after a report that the government plans to cap the utility's cleanup costs at the wrecked Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2013

Osaka drops railway sale after nixing Lone Star

Osaka Prefecture has canceled the ¥78.1 billion sale of a commuter rail line after local lawmakers rejected U.S.-based Lone Star Funds as the winning bidder, according to a source.
EDITORIALS
Dec 16, 2013

Defaulting to the old ways

The Abe administration seems to be reverting to an old energy policy by revisiting an old policymaking process, despite the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2013

The rights of those detailed in cyber-perpetuity

There is the need to ensure that, in a world where many, if not all, of the important details of our lives exist in cyber-perpetuity, people reclaim some level of control over their online selves.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 15, 2013

The war on katakana starts at school

Eliminating katakana's use as a pronunciation aide would benefit Japanese students' ability to communicate, but that clearly can't be achieved overnight. However, it's still worth putting up a 'faito.'
COMMENTARY / World / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 14, 2013

Indonesia's challenges — from poverty to Papua

On a recent trip to Jakarta, I experienced firsthand what an infrastructure bottleneck feels like. My driver told me the city is only third in global traffic-jam rankings, trailing Mexico City and New Delhi, but what was a 40-minute ride when I lived there in the mid-1980s took a dispiriting 2½ hours....
Reader Mail
Dec 14, 2013

Scheme to send teachers abroad skips problem

I'm afraid I cannot match the level of enthusiasm expressed in the Dec. 8 editorial "English teachers to study abroad" for the Tokyo Board of Education's brain wave to send English teachers abroad for study in their third year of teaching.
EDITORIALS
Dec 13, 2013

Abe's stimulus only a short-term fix

The Abe administration's latest stimulus package has the central government spending more than it is due to receive in revenue from the fiscal 2014 tax hike, showing that the Japanese economy has yet to enter a self-sustaining cycle built on private-sector demand and investment.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan