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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 5, 2019

'Minority Report' gets real as Japan startup develops AI cameras to spot shoplifters before they steal

It's watching, and knows a crime is about to take place before it happens.
Japan Times
LIFE
Oct 12, 2013

Kanpai! Sake through the ages

'A civilization stands or falls by the degree to which drink has entered the lives of its people, and from that point of view Japan must rank very high among the civilizations of the world.'
COMMENTARY
Aug 27, 2009

Are green shoots sprouting?

Is recovery from the global recession already under way? In Germany, France and the United States, authoritative voices are declaring the recession over and telling us that growth has resumed. And now the same view is heard in Japan. Yes, if you take a magnifying glass you can see tiny little specks...
EDITORIALS
Feb 24, 2008

The age(s) of adulthood

One of Japan's most thriving holidays is Coming of Age Day, when those who turn 20 that year dress in bright kimono or formal hakama and take photos at shrines. The celebration of adulthood, however, is not without controversy. Recent debates by the Legislative Council have suggested that the legal definition...
JAPAN / FOCUS
Oct 27, 2022

Faith or manipulation? Debate grows over regulating Unification Church tactics

Some argue that followers were manipulated into giving donations, while others say that questioning their 'faith' could lead to restrictions on freedom of religion.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead: Reckonings
Jan 7, 2022

China bets on a common prosperity

China's leaders believe their country is on the verge of a transformation into a truly “modern socialist economy.” They're not alone.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Oct 13, 2021

Apple's China balancing act more precarious as Xi cracks down on tech

Last month China's top court effectively granted consumers the right to sue Apple for alleged abuse of market power, threatening the delicate balance the firm has cultivated in the country.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2021

Data privacy Chinese-style

The new privacy law will probably do less to protect Chinese users than many believe, and it might even entrench further the dominance of incumbent tech giants.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2019

An economic policy agenda for the Reiwa Era

The Reiwa Era is poised to become a great one for Japan.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 2, 2018

Japan, savings superpower of the world

Japan's renaissance as the world champion surplus saver and source of financial capital is a key consequence of Abenomics and the domestic economic recovery.
EDITORIALS
Jan 20, 2018

Lowering the age of adulthood

To ensure protection of young adults against unscrupulous business practices, the government needs to widen the scope of salvation measures.
EDITORIALS
Sep 13, 2016

BOJ's upcoming policy review

The Bank of Japan should candidly assess the impact of its monetary policy and consider whether it's still worth pursuing.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 18, 2015

Only India and China can end Asia's haze

Making sustainably produced palm oil more affordable for consumers in India and China is key to clearing Southeast Asia's smoggy skies.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 26, 2013

Kaizen and the art of human wa maintenance

Kaizen here is organic, ubiquitous and attuned to the physical and psychological needs of human beings. At its best, this 'human-scale kaizen' eliminates or eases many of the mundane uncertainties, annoyances and embarrassments of daily life.
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2012

Cloudy outlook for economy

In its latest monthly economic report released on Aug. 28, the government downgraded its assessment of the economy for the first time since October 2011 when the effects of the European sovereign debt crisis and the strong yen broadsided the economy.
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2011

Overcoming deflation psychology

One reason people feel that the Japanese economy is stagnant is the long bout of deflation. Once deflation psychology has set in, it is very difficult for both firms and people to shed it.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Nov 28, 2010

Veering off the path of mutually assured destruction

As individuals, we usually recognize when we're heading off in the wrong direction and then have the good sense to get ourselves back on the right track.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2008

Inflation stays at 2.4% for a second month

Consumer price inflation exceeded 2 percent for a second month as companies passed on costs of food and other daily necessities.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2004

Cabinet endorses diluted bill to safeguard whistle-blowers

In response to a spate of insider revelations of corporate wrongdoing in recent years, the Cabinet endorsed a bill Tuesday to protect whistle-blowers from employer retaliation under certain conditions.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2001

'Gyudon,' PCs, phone fees tossed into new CPI mix

The government will soon add mobile phone fees, personal computers and "gyudon" beef bowls to items monitored when compiling monthly consumer price indexes as part of a reshuffle of the gauges' components, government officials said Wednesday. The new items will be used to calculate the CPIs starting...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 19, 2022

China's underground market for chips draws desperate automakers

A massive gray market for chips has exploded in China, populated with hundreds of middlemen where the cost of acquiring just one item can run as high as 500 times its original price.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Sep 29, 2022

Slots to smartphones: Pandemic sends Australia's gambling problem online

Already the world's biggest gambling nation in terms of loss per person, Australia has seen a shift in betting behavior since the pandemic-forced closure of public venues.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2022

China bans most exclusive copyright deals for digital music platforms

The order comes amid a widening crackdown by Chinese regulators on the country's technology sector.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2021

The fight for open societies begins again

Freedom House reports that less than 20% of the world's population now live in what it categorizes as fully free societies, the lowest share in more than a quarter century.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 30, 2020

Trump’s China scorecard shows many defeats, and one big change

American companies cite much the same concerns — and the same growth objectives — with regard to China today as they did when Trump took office.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2020

How to keep calm in a pandemic: Education, information and communication

Fears over the pandemic can be managed and experts are calling for policymakers to be more transparent to help the public cope with distress.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
May 30, 2019

Students and teachers have mixed views on Japanese schools' strict dress and hair codes

Many high schools often have regulations on student attire and hairstyles. But in some cases, students as well as teachers are skeptical about the rigorous rules and their strict enforcement.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2017

The Trump administration's economic potential

The U.S. faces serious political challenges, but economically it remains on sound footing.
EDITORIALS
Jan 19, 2017

Varied agenda in wage talks

Overwork and pay raises are major issues in this year's union-management wage negotiations.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past