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EDITORIALS
Oct 18, 2015

Leaving jobs for nursing care

The Abe administration needs to take concrete steps to stem the flow of people who quit their jobs because they must care for ailing relatives.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2015

Social sciences touted as climate changers at Kyoto tech forum

The role of social sciences in finding solutions to long-term energy and environmental problems will only grow in importance as the world works to meet its future energy needs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, participants at the opening day of the annual Science and Technology in Society forum said...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 3, 2015

Universities fending off attacks on the liberal arts

As discussed last week, in June the education ministry sent a directive to all 86 national universities in Japan, apparently calling on them to abolish or reorganize their humanities and social sciences departments.
EDITORIALS
Oct 3, 2015

Economizing on medical spending

Japan's medical expenditures are rising at an unsustainable pace and everyone is going to have to pitch in to keep costs down.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 30, 2015

Asian-American politicians challenge Kyoto youngsters to enter politics

Younger Japanese, especially women, should exercise not only their right to vote but also their right to hold elected office and enter politics, a visiting delegation of politicians from the United States said during a conference in Kyoto.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 16, 2015

Pentagon blocks report on 'toxic contamination' at base outside Okinawa capital

Excerpts cite buried chemicals and 'evidence of contamination by heavy metals and pesticides' at military site on prime real estate near Naha.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 15, 2015

In Japan, the rise of the machines solves a labor problem

The rise of the machines in the workplace has U.S. and European experts predicting massive unemployment and tumbling wages.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2015

Welsh leader uses first visit to Japan to flag increased exports, stronger bilateral ties

Wales First Minister Carwyn Jones says he wants to export more products, especially food and beverages, to Japan and build stronger economic, business and cultural ties between the two nations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 24, 2015

Sony to offer commercial drone services from 2016

Sony Corp. plans to offer commercial drone services targeting the construction, logistics and agriculture industries from the first half of next year.
WORLD
Aug 3, 2015

Obama's climate legacy takes shape with move on power plants

The Obama administration on Monday was to issue rules to cut carbon emissions from U.S. power plants, a move designed to secure the president's legacy on climate and one which has already influenced the campaigns of those who want to succeed him.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 26, 2015

Ten years after its Japan special, who would Interview want to talk to?

In 1969, pop artist Andy Warhol founded Interview magazine. The New York-based publication was initially distributed among the city's "in crowd," later finding a wider audience in those seeking more than the usual mainstream fare.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2015

Japan sets 26 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions as 2030 target

Japan will slash greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2030 from 2013 levels.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 14, 2015

How to cope with Japan's demographic transformation

Japan must take steps to make it easier for women to work while raising families and to extend the nation's healthy life expectancy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 8, 2015

The pond scum that may one day fuel planes

The future of Japan's biofuel industry may be pond scum. Or more specifically, green algae that's swirling around in tanks on a tropical Okinawan island.
EDITORIALS
Jul 7, 2015

Shortage of nursing care workers

The number of nursing care workers is set to fall short of demand by 380,000 within a decade unless the government takes steps to make the industry more attractive.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 2, 2015

Iraq, Islamic State agree on one thing: Turkey hogging Euphrates water

There's one thing Islamic State militants and the Iraqi government they're besieging agree on: Turkey is using more than its fair share of water.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2015

Japan weighs 'almost suicidal' pension squeeze for growing band of seniors

Sipping beer and listening to a guitarist at an event for retirees in western Tokyo, Sadao Sekine said he backs government plans to cut the nation's ballooning debt — as long as he can keep his benefits.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 28, 2015

Time to banish old people to the countryside?

I couldn't help but gasp upon reading the Japan Policy Council's new recommendations to help take the aging population burden off Tokyo: "Encourage the elderly to move to the countryside, where the facilities are less crowded and there are more spaces for those needing full time care."
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2015

A bellicose China only for the foreseeable future

Careful analysis of China's coming demographic changes — rapid graying unprecedented in human history — shows that Beijing's seemingly unstoppable rise is heading for a brick wall.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 20, 2015

Moment of truth nears for nuclear waste time bomb

More than half a century after the world's first commercial nuclear plant went into operation in the United States, the industry may finally be nearing a way to store radioactive waste underground permanently.
EDITORIALS
Jun 15, 2015

Migration of elderly residents

Should the government promote the migration of the greater Tokyo area's elderly residents to rural parts of the country to avert a crisis in welfare services for senior citizens?
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 8, 2015

Sincere climate pledge or 'sleight of hand'?

Last week, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet announced Japan would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2030, based on 2013 levels. The plan will be presented to delegates at a United Nations conference on climate change in Paris this December.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 23, 2015

Lowball nuclear pitch is fooling no one

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced the results of a review of energy production costs, which concluded that nuclear will remain the cheapest alternative for Japan over the next 15 years while pointing out that the calculations took into consideration the...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2015

Canada's climate change conundrum

A recent announcement that Canada won't match U.S. emission-reduction targets offers a fresh look at Canadians' enduring bipolarity on climate change.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 3, 2015

Cosmic rays may damage the brains of astronauts

Researchers said on Friday that long-term exposure to galactic cosmic rays, which permeate space, may cause dementia-like cognitive impairments in astronauts during any future round-trip Mars journey, expected to take at least 2½ years.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji