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JAPAN
Dec 25, 2014

Top domestic news of 2014

The Japan Times editors selected these domestic stories as the most important of 2014.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 24, 2014

Shinzo Abe begins new term as prime minister, launches Cabinet

The Cabinet remains unchanged except Gen Nakatani, a former first lieutenant in the Ground Self-Defense Force, replaces scandal-hit Akinori Eto as defense minister and minister in charge of security legislation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 24, 2014

Mastering the art of incense takes longer than you think

If you find all this incense as intriguing as I did and are ready to sign up to become a master in the Way of Fragrance, then I suggest you start right away, if not 20 years ago.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 24, 2014

Review: TM Network at Tokyo International Forum

Just as the year drew to a close, so too did J-pop trio TM Network's touring schedule at the Tokyo International Forum's Hall A.
WORLD
Dec 24, 2014

U.S. to pay $3.2 million to contractor freed from Cuba prison

Alan Gross, the contractor freed last week after five years in a Cuban jail will receive $3.2 million from the U.S. government as part of a settlement with his employer, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 23, 2014

Hashimoto quits Ishin leadership

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto resigns as co-leader of Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) to focus on local elections in the spring, a move likely to further weaken the party's clout at the national level.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2014

High risks, rewards in Xi's reforms

Only by addressing the weakening of investment-led growth, bureacratic inefficiencies and worsening pollution, and then shifting to an innovation-based, environmentally sustainable growth model, can China continue to prosper and ultimately achieve high-income status.
EDITORIALS
Dec 23, 2014

Protecting sexual minorities' rights

A Japanese civic group survey has the ruling Liberal Democratic Party standing out from other parties in its failure to view issues involving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people as human rights problems.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 23, 2014

North Korean Net access restored after long outage amid hacking dispute

North Korea's limited access to the Internet was restored after being cut off for hours, days after the U.S. government accused the country of hacking into Sony Corp.'s files.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Dec 22, 2014

Express yo-self with this one essential particle

Today, we will introduce u3088, a particle which is added to the end of a sentence to show a speaker's intention.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 22, 2014

Airport facial recognition system eyed but only for Japanese

As Japan braces for a surge in foreign visitors in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, pressure is mounting to expedite how visitors are processed at airports.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2014

Conservative Abe's secrecy law doesn't hold a candle to Seoul's press suppression

For people concerned with the weakening of press freedoms under the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, its criticism of Asahi Shimbun and the new state secrets law, there should still be a sense of relief that media suppression in Japan has not quite reached the levels now being seen in South Korea.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 22, 2014

India tables nuclear power insurance plan, hoping to attract U.S. firms

India is offering to set up an insurance pool to indemnify global nuclear suppliers against liability in the case of a nuclear accident, in a bid to unblock billions of dollars in trade held up by concerns over exposure to risk.
WORLD
Dec 22, 2014

U.S. firm finds malware targeting visitors to Afghan state websites, suspects China

Malicious software likely linked to China is being used to infect visitors to a wide range of official Afghan government websites, U.S. cybersecurity researchers say.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 21, 2014

Why the U.S.-Cuba talks had to be kept secret

When reporters needled her for details of delicate Israeli-Syrian talks 15 years ago, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright replied: "Sometimes talks, like mushrooms, do better in the dark."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Dec 21, 2014

Newly paired

Sox was last featured here in December 2012 and, perhaps because he is a very shy cat, had been unable to find a home — that is, until he met Jane Aliga-Caparroso and her husband, Ernie Caparroso. Shortly after losing their cat Tango to illness, the couple moved from New Jersey to Japan.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 21, 2014

10 years on, tsunami warning stumbles at the 'last mile'

In April 2012, Indonesia's Banda Aceh, the city worst hit by the tsunami that killed nearly 230,000 people on Dec. 26, 2004, received a terrifying reminder of how unprepared it was for the next disaster.
LIFE
Dec 20, 2014

Public protest in Japan: Power to the people?

"Freedom of assembly and association as well as speech, press and all other forms of expression are guaranteed." — Article 21, Constitution of Japan
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 20, 2014

Soaking up the very best of Wakayama's hot springs

The two sounds occur almost simultaneously: Just as my cellphone alarm begins its melodious chime to rouse me from sleep, the dark clouds above my guesthouse in the town of Tanabe on the Kii Peninsula burst forth with a pounding rain. Within minutes, it's clear that my plans of spending three days hiking...
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2014

Japan deports dozens of Sri Lankan, Vietnamese asylum seekers

Japan deports dozens of foreigners who were seeking asylum in a third round of mass deportations conducted by a specially chartered plane.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Dec 19, 2014

Navigator of the travel labyrinth is big fan of Japan

In Tokyo, Wang Jia Liang is well-known as a trusted travel agent and a most patient concierge who saves travelers time, money and lots of stress.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 19, 2014

Google planning built-in Android system for cars

Google is laying the groundwork for a version of Android that will be built directly into cars, sources said, allowing drivers to enjoy all the benefits of the Internet without even plugging in their smartphones.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 18, 2014

Sculpting the uncanny space between permanence and evanescence

Sculpture is supposedly the most solid and permanent of the creative arts, so it is a paradox that an artist like Junichi Mori — whose work often focuses on impermanence and evanescence — has chosen to work in this style, using materials like marble and wood, instead of something more fleeting and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 18, 2014

'Lyota Yagi Solo Exhibition: Science / Fiction'

Since its foundation in 1975, the Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery has gained a reputation of impressively utilizing its 1,300-sq.-meter space to effectively showcase contemporary art exhibitions.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 18, 2014

U.S. fears Sony hackers may never be caught, law enforcement official says

Government investigators fear the hackers behind the unprecedented attack on Sony's Hollywood studio may never be caught if they are under the protection of North Korea, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 18, 2014

Dramatic U.S. shift: Obama moves to normalize relations with Havana, end Cuba's isolation

Cuba and the U.S. will begin to normalize relations in a surprising move Wednesday by the Obama administration that will loosen a trade and travel embargo that is among the last remnants of Cold War policy.

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