Search - special

 
 
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jul 24, 2012

How I learned to stop worrying and embrace the atom

Like millions of other people in Japan, I watched the events of March 2011 unfurl with shock and trepidation. The massive earthquake, the terrible tsunami and then what seemed to be a dreadful nuclear disaster.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 23, 2012

Bloom is off decentralization

A number of local political parties have cropped up of late clamoring for further "decentralization," which would shift much administrative and budgetary authority from the central government to local governments.
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2012

Costas' criticism sparks discussion over tributes

Should the International Olympic Committee permit individuals or groups to make political statements during the Olympics?
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jul 22, 2012

Is Rio+20 the way the world ends — with a whimper?

Last month, more than 45,000 people descended on Rio de Janeiro for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 21, 2012

Raw beef liver not alone in Japan's big menu of extreme foods

The ban on serving raw beef liver at restaurants in Japan is a small victory for the bovine community. The question now is, will this cause a black market to fill the gap? Could mere cow tipping turn into liver-stealing? Will we have little yatai restaurants inside pastures with cows on display the way...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jul 20, 2012

Boomer boom: Businesses tapping consumption where they can find it

Retired people are already single-handedly propping up consumption.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 19, 2012

Fuji Rock embraces Kilimanjaro blend

It may be tough to tell from both acts' music and sense of style, but without the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Saitama funk sextet Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro would be a very different band.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 19, 2012

China and Japan: A 40-year friendship worth singing about

Forget allegations of spies and economic intrigue. Put aside the controversial Senkaku Islands and celebrate as the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing unites with the New National Theatre in Tokyo to commemorate the 40th anniversary of normalized relations between Japan and China. Two...
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2012

FSA's No. 2 tells Nomura to get its house in order after insider probe

The government wants the Nomura brokerage to clean its "wounds" and uphold higher ethical standards after it leaked information used for insider trading, the deputy head of the Financial Services Agency said.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Jul 17, 2012

Employees should work toward a life of leisure, not live to work

Some readers' responses to Hifumi Okunuki's June 19 Labor Pains column, "In 'right-to-work' Japan, employees should also have the right to rest":
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Jul 16, 2012

Rickshaws roll back into style

The trendiest way to get around town on two wheels without breaking a sweat? Hand-pulled rickshaw.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 16, 2012

Nuclear engineers ditching Japan for a bigger paycheck

Although Japan is reputed to be one of the most technologically advanced nations in nuclear power generation, it now faces a serious "brain drain" as some of its highly experienced nuclear engineers are lured to work in other countries for much better remuneration than they could hope to receive at home....
EDITORIALS
Jul 16, 2012

Resuscitating women workers

Relevant Cabinet ministers on June 22 adopted an action plan to support women who try to find employment or start businesses. The government plans to incorporate it into the "Japan resuscitation strategy" this summer.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jul 15, 2012

Better late than never for Japan's first, "slowest" Olympian

Have you heard the one about the Japanese runner who took 54 years to finish the Olympic marathon?
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jul 14, 2012

How to keep your health insurance when you can't pay for it

There's help for people who can't pay their national health insurance premiums.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 13, 2012

Hitoshi Matsumoto gets big laughs in Japan but the comedian wants more

Comics who direct films may start by making audiences laugh, but if they are at all successful they typically turn serious. The classic example is Charlie Chaplin, who went from slapstick two-reelers to speechifying against totalitarianism in "The Great Dictator."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 13, 2012

Introducing a Kansai feel for the eel

Every summer, as the mercury rises the gourmands of Kansai head for their local eel-cuisine specialist. The custom of eating unagi to alleviate the effects of the summer heat is known as doyō-no-ushi no hi, (day of the ox of the seasonal change period) or doyō-iri (entering the period of seasonal change)....
EDITORIALS
Jul 11, 2012

Prosecution's questionable call

The Supreme Public Prosecutors Office on June 27 decided not to indict Mr. Masahiro Tashiro, a former prosecutor with the special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office. He was accused by a citizens' group of falsifying a report on his interrogation of Mr. Tomohiro Ishikawa,...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 10, 2012

Osprey deployment heightens safety worry

The United States last month announced that the MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft will be deployed to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa as scheduled in October.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 10, 2012

Tokyo: Aside from stripping down to Super Cool Biz attire, what tips do you have for keeping cool at work this summer?

Kiriko Iwa
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jul 8, 2012

Balentien having a blast during second season in Japan

Wladimir Balentien's cousins began calling him "Coco" when he was 4-years old, because it was easier to say than his name, and the moniker stuck.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 7, 2012

The price you pay for electronic bells and whistles of businesses

The setsuden (power-saving) campaign is now in full force, as residents all over Japan are being encouraged to conserve electricity so there is enough to get through the high-use summer months. Even on my small island of 609 people, each household received a list of suggestions on how we can help Japan...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jul 7, 2012

In wake of 3/11 disasters, successful Italian helps those who helped him

After 21 years in Japan and for most of that time working 15 hours a day, Calabrian restaurateur Elio Ermanno Orsara has achieved a certain measure of success.

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