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WORLD / Politics
Sep 26, 2014

Iran blames 'errors' of outsiders for rise of Islamic State

Iran President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday blamed the rise of the Islamic State group and other militants on the mistakes of the West and said the solution to stopping them must come from the Middle East.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 26, 2014

U.S. Attorney General Holder to step down after contentious term

Eric Holder, the first black U.S. attorney general and one of President Barack Obama's closest allies, will announce on Thursday he is stepping down after a contentious term marked by advances in civil rights and frequent battles with Republicans in Congress.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 25, 2014

New right-wing Sunrise Party aims to 'rebuild Japan's pride'

Conservatives were promised right-wing policies, an army, a new Constitution and the confiscation of voting rights from non-ethnic Japanese people on Thursday as two prominent rightists launched a new political party.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2014

McCarthyism, Japan-style

The inordinate attacks by right-wing media and politicians on the Asahi Shimbun after the newspaper retracted and apologized for past reporting errors on two controversial topics does not bode well for the spirit of future press inquiry in Japan.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 25, 2014

China's anti-graft drive puts the squeeze on Macau's casino junkets

Macau's casino junket operators are feeling the squeeze as China's anti-corruption drive has blown a hole in the world's biggest gambling hub. Some are shifting players elsewhere, like the Philippines and Vietnam; others are quitting the business.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Sep 25, 2014

Al-Qaida's Khorasan unit targets disaffected Muslims in the West to carry out attacks in U.S., Europe

The Khorasan Group is attracting hundreds of new followers in Syria, where its recruiting of disaffected Muslims in the U.S. and Europe makes it one of the most dangerous terrorist groups to America and its allies.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 25, 2014

China must close suicide 'loophole' for rotten officials: scholar

China must close the "judicial loophole" of suicide for corrupt officials in its ongoing battle against graft, a well-known scholar said in the official China Daily on Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 24, 2014

String of torched vending machines prompt call for tougher anti-theft devices

A string of vending machines across Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, have been torched and robbed, authorities said Wednesday — a rare event in a country where the ubiquitous machines usually escape thieves' attention.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 24, 2014

As festival's renown goes global, director hails its local role

Since its launch in 2010, Kyoto Experiment has steadily come to rival, if not even surpass, Festival/Tokyo as the nation's leading annual showcase for cutting-edge performances.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Sep 24, 2014

Obama forges disparate coalition to combat Islamic State, but will it stick?

The Arabs are in. Turkey is on the fence. Britain, still smarting from an earlier Iraq war, is cautiously edging toward expanded action. Even Greece wants to help — if someone would tell it how.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2014

U.K. Labour leader Miliband tacks left in bid to win national vote next May

Labour Party leader Ed Miliband cast himself as Britain's prime minister-in-waiting on Tuesday, eight months before an election, pledging to wring money from wealthy home owners, hedge funds and tobacco companies to fund better health care.
WORLD
Sep 24, 2014

United States defends Syria airstrikes in letter to U.N. chief

The United States told the United Nations on Tuesday it led airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria because President Bashar al-Assad's government had failed to wipe out safe havens used by the group to launch attacks on Iraq.
EDITORIALS
Sep 23, 2014

Scotland stays in

Although last week's vote in Scotland preserves the U.K., expect the Union to be transformed as the Scottish people hold British politicians to their campaign pledge of giving the Scots more power over their own affairs.
WORLD
Sep 22, 2014

IAEA set to announce 32-year low in nuclear power production

The cost of keeping uranium out of the hands of terrorists and safe from natural disasters is sidelining nuclear energy, which officials once dreamed would power a utopian future of cheap, almost limitless electricity.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2014

U.K. stays intact, promising more powers to nationalists

The No-to-independence campaign in Scotland was greatly helped by the publication of a joint pledge by all three U.K. party leaders that there would be speedy legislation conferring extensive new powers to the Scottish parliament.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2014

Union could unravel over devolution pressure

If the Scottish nationalists had won, they'd have started a risky, costly transition to independence, but the final destination would have been clear. The unionists' victory avoids that short-term pain but prolongs the constitutional uncertainty.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Sep 22, 2014

Annals of Cheap: Eco Rent-a-car

With rental cars this cheap, who needs to own?
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 21, 2014

Politicians discuss plan B in nuclear power push: underground reactors

With Japan's nuclear power plants nearing the end of their 40-year life cycle, a group of politicians is entertaining the idea of replacing them with underground reactors.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 21, 2014

After Scottish vote, U.K. faces monumental shift in governance — and all that comes with it

When 3.6 million Scots voted Thursday on whether to leave or stay within the United Kingdom, they were answering one simple question: Should Scotland be an independent country?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 20, 2014

Abe's female Cabinet picks warrant a closer look

In a Sept. 5 Twitter post, university instructor Akiko Orita pointed out that four of the five women appointed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to his new Cabinet do not use their legal names. Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi, state minister in charge of abduction issues Eriko...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 20, 2014

MVP awards up for grabs in both leagues

Who do you think should be selected as MVPs in the Central and Pacific Leagues this season? There does not appear to be any clear-cut favorite in either league. Ask any Japanese media person or beat writer at the bal park, and they think about it for a moment and answer with a puzzled expression, saying,...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 20, 2014

Bahrain says parties find common ground but Shiites say demands not met

Bahrain's crown prince said Friday political parties had identified five areas of "common ground," including potential parliamentary and judicial reforms, in a bid to end years of instability in the U.S.-allied gulf Arab island state.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 20, 2014

Alibaba surges 38% on massive demand in market debut

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. .'s shares soared 38 percent in their first day of trading on Friday as investors jumped at the chance for a piece of what is likely to rank as the largest IPO in history, in a massive bet on China's burgeoning middle class.

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