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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2013

China mimics worst of 'Abenomics' at worst time

If imitation really is the greatest form of flattery, Shinzo Abe should be thrilled the Chinese are copying his "Abenomics" strategy to excite investors. The rest of the world shouldn't be. China isn't cribbing the prime minister's actual blueprint, but his formula of spin and hype that has convinced...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 1, 2013

Nothing new in NSA scandal

The surprising thing about the scandal of Washington spying on its friends is that people are surprised. Reports of an Australian decoding operation against the Japanese date back to 1976.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 1, 2013

Seven Unlucky Gods sowing misery across Japan

I have a theory about the conspicuous absence of the Seven Lucky Gods: They each have an evil twin.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 1, 2013

Events mark 1800s castaways who were first Japanese in U.S.

In the late Edo Period 200 years ago, a Japanese ship crippled by a storm drifted for 484 days, the longest period on record.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2013

Pro-base pair may split Nago mayoral poll vote

The coming mayoral election in Nago, Okinawa, is posing a problem for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his LDP because two conservative candidates who favor its policies in the prefecture want to run, which could split the vote.
EDITORIALS
Oct 31, 2013

Mr. Abe leaning the wrong way

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's apparent longing to visit the shrine for Japan's war dead before yearend threatens to deprive the nation of a chance to smooth relations with China and South Korea.
EDITORIALS
Oct 31, 2013

Ethnic unrest in China

The fiery suicide vehicle crash in Tiananmen Square underscores minorities' demands for greater autonomy in China as well as the terror problem for Beijing, despite a growing national economy.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 31, 2013

Tea party anti-elitism harks back to Alger Hiss

The anti-elitism displayed by America's tea party harks back to the beginning of the socialist-and-liberal baiting dialogue of the late 1940s, especially to the perjury trial of Alger Hiss.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 31, 2013

'Jobs'

The centerpiece of "Jobs" isn't really Steve Jobs but the portrayal of Steve Jobs by Ashton Kutcher — whose fame heretofore had rested largely on the fact that he was married to Demi Moore. Who would have thought the guy who oozes Hollywood charm and toy-boy insincerity from every invisible pore had...
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 31, 2013

NSA hacking into, stealing from Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide

The National Security Agency has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, according to documents obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and interviews with knowledgeable officials.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2013

Anti-nuclear Koizumi agitating for comeback?

Long out of the public eye, ex-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's recent rumblings against nuclear power are causing many to wonder if the most popular leader of recent decades seeks a political comeback.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 30, 2013

'Jan Tschichold'

The 20th century, which experienced rapid technological advancements, saw drastic shifts in societal change, not to mention changes in print techniques, that demanded new and modern-style typefaces. Jan Tshichold, one of the most prominent and influential typographers of the time, was a pioneering member...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2013

Japan can learn from British experience on reform

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe can learn from Britain's experience of economic reform in order to ensure Abenomics takes Japan on a course to long-term growth, four journalists from British media organizations said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 30, 2013

NSA chief: European spy agencies gave us data

The director of the National Security Agency on Tuesday dismissed as "completely false" reports that his agency swept up millions of phone records of European citizens, and he revealed that data collected by NATO allies were shared with the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Oct 29, 2013

Shady loans have long history; laws slow to catch up

Mizuho Bank's loans to yakuza and other shady individuals through its group credit company Orient Corp. may be just the tip of the iceberg as corporate Japan struggles to break off its long-held ties with organized crime.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 29, 2013

SDP woos Koizumi to lend clout to anti-nuclear drive

Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi raises hopes he will stage a comeback as an anti-nuclear crusader.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 29, 2013

Flawed assumptions plague latest deficit panel

A false premise of the public, and some budget-cutting politicians, is that the U.S. deficit is spiraling out of control. In fact, the deficit is less than half the $1.55 trillion it was in 2009.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Oct 29, 2013

Tokyo Boredom is blazing its own trail — and the first stop is Taiwan

Of all the cliches about Japanese music being bandied around, the one I find most baffling is the idea that bands here are "just copying Western music." It's a rehash of the old jibe, originally born from fear of Japan's rapid postwar industrial growth, about the Japanese being dedicated imitators but...
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 29, 2013

NSA bills let Congress choose: End amassing of phone records or OK it

After nearly five months of controversy and debate, the U.S. Congress may face a clear choice over the National Security Agency's program to collect the phone records of nearly every American: endorse it or shut it down.
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2013

Suga downplays LDP loss in Kawasaki poll

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Monday downplayed the significance of an independent candidate winning the Kawasaki mayoral election the previous day after boasting no affiliation to the political machine, and the defeat of the presumed front-runner, a Liberal Democratic Party pick he campaigned...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 28, 2013

Copyright extension opponents ready for new fight

For most of history, a great character or story or song has passed from its original creator into the public domain. Shakespeare and Charles Dickens and Beethoven are long dead, but Macbeth and Oliver Twist and the Fifth Symphony are part of our shared cultural heritage, free to be used or reinvented...

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes