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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 25, 2016

Can foreign media pressure force changes in Japan?

Former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's first-person "biography" of late Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, "Tensai" ("Genius"), remains atop best-seller lists. It is interesting to note that when Tanaka was alive Ishihara berated him as a crude opportunist. The years have obviously tempered his view, or perhaps...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 21, 2016

Scandal, other outrages fuel Upper House race

A widespread growing sense of anger and concern among Japanese voters will be a key factor determining the outcome of the upcoming Upper House election.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2016

IS an umbrella brand for hate

Islamic State is not an all-powerful octopus of a global terror organization, but it has a talented marketing team.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2016

BOJ makes contingency plans for Brexit, sees dollar squeeze a risk

Policymakers are in frequent contact with their European counterparts on how to soothe markets if Britain votes to leave the European Union, with the first line of defense aimed at preventing a shortage of dollar liquidity.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 15, 2016

Masuzoe resigns over expenses scandal; Sakurai vows not to enter forthcoming gubernatorial race

After weeks of mounting pressure over a political funds scandal that has tainted his office, Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe on Wednesday submitted a letter of resignation to the Tokyo assembly speaker, which takes effect on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / Q&A
Jun 13, 2016

Masuzoe clings to office as pressure mounts over funds scandal

Japanese Communist Party representatives in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly announced Monday the party's decision to submit a no-confidence motion against Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe, which could force the embattled governor from office.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 11, 2016

Fuel-efficiency scandal could end up hitting car buyers in the pocket

The entire auto industry has had its image damaged in the mileage scandal, which means the transport ministry will likely require all carmakers to carry out stricter testing that will cost much more money.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 6, 2016

Masuzoe says he won't quit after probe says conduct was improper but not illegal

Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe says he will remain in office after a probe determines that his use of political funds on a number of occasions was improper — but not illegal.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2016

NSA whistleblower Snowden says U.S. government carrying out mass surveillance in Japan

U.S. fugitive and former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden said all people in Japan are subjected to mass surveillance initiated by the U.S. government.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 2, 2016

Good morning, North Korea! Defector preaches dangers of cult worship over the radio

For an hour each day, Kim Chung-seong, a defector from North Korea and a Christian missionary, takes to the microphone in a small Seoul studio.
JAPAN / Media
May 28, 2016

Shooting the messenger: journalism under siege in Japan

Journalists who refuse to toe the official line are under pressure, experts say
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 28, 2016

Poverty and boredom gnaw at Japan

Boredom, poverty and war: three themes you’d think (wrongly) would be extinct by now — war because humankind as a whole is more peaceably inclined than ever before, poverty because of an abundance of riches and boredom because ... doesn't it go without saying, given the endless stream, not to say...
EDITORIALS
May 26, 2016

Masuzoe's questionable conduct

The Diet needs to plug a gaping loophole in the Political Funds Control Law so politicians cannot use political money for private purposes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
May 24, 2016

OkanoTV

In a light-hearted yet informative way, YouTuber Chris Okano (known online as OkanoTV) gives viewers insight into many aspects of Japanese society and culture — from the usual guide videos to humorous takes on the more more left-field aspects of this country.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2016

Japan pays least since 2005 for LNG amid price slump

Japan, the world's biggest buyer of LNG, paid the lowest price in about 11 years for the fuel last month amid a global oversupply.
CULTURE / Books
May 16, 2016

Crime and thriller writer Kanae Minato named winner of Yamamoto Shugoro Prize

The 29th Yamamoto Shugoro Prize will be given to Kanae Minato for her book "Utopia," the award's screening committee said Monday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 14, 2016

The woman who spent seven years 'locked' in Issey Miyake's wardrobe

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Midori Kitamura says as she settles into her chair. "OK, let's take a break."
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
May 14, 2016

Viz's 30 years pack a punch in the U.S.

This summer, Viz Media, LLC, North America's first-ever distributor of Japanese popular culture, turns 30. Founded in 1986 by the intrepid Seiji Horibuchi, who has since moved on to other projects, the company is now housed in the so-called Twitter building in downtown San Francisco and boasts the largest...
JAPAN / Politics
May 13, 2016

Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe apologizes but remains defiant in face of funds scandal

Yoichi Masuzoe insists his use of political money was legal even as he admits feeling embarrassed and vows to do better for his city.
JAPAN
May 11, 2016

Tokyo's governor becomes embroiled in fresh public funding scandal

Yoichi Masuzoe once again finds himself mired in ignominy, this time over a possible violation of political funding laws.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2016

BOJ board member Sakurai's Ph.D. credentials questioned

Weekly magazine Shukan Post has raised questions about new Bank of Japan Board member Makoto Sakurai's credentials, saying there is no record of him submitting a thesis or graduating with a Ph.D.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 7, 2016

Have you read any good mooks lately?

The word "mook" is a portmanteau of the words "magazine" and "book." I had long assumed, mistakenly, that it was one of those examples of wasei-eigo (Japan-made English terms), such as "open car" (a convertible) or "virgin road" (the aisle down which the bride walks at a wedding ceremony). But from online...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 7, 2016

Tokyo's governor is in a high-spending league of his own

The more the media digs, the more it is uncovering about Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe's profligate ways.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 2, 2016

Pope urges severe punishment for pedophiles as details of 2014 slaying of girl, 6, shock Italy

Pope Francis called for "severe punishment" for pedophiles on Sunday after new details emerged in Italy of the 2014 death of a 6-year-old girl who is alleged to have been thrown from an eighth-story balcony by her abuser.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Apr 30, 2016

Can police successfully keep a lid on gang violence?

When the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi broke up in August last year, many expected a turf war to erupt as the country's largest crime syndicate battled for territorial control against a newly formed group called the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi that was founded by expelled gangsters in the aftermath of the split....

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami