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COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2014

An economy resilient to political dysfunction

Recent analysis shows there is little correlation between America's highly publicized political dysfunction and its relative economic performance in serveral dimensions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Japan Showcase
Mar 24, 2014

Aomori Airport’s Snow Removal Team: “White Impulse”

When we arrive at AomoriAirport’s terminal building to meet with the airport director, the board hanging behind the information counters near the first floor entrance shows numerous flights have been canceled. With the entire surrounding area covered in white and snow falling steadily everywhere, one’s...
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Mar 23, 2014

When it comes to tourism, image is everything

The new Osaka Government Tourism Bureau is the latest effort by a Kansai entity to re-brand itself as Japan gears up for a bigger piece of the tourism pie.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 23, 2014

Germans finally start poking fun at the Fuhrer

If Hitler were alive today, would he become a standup comic? Incredible though that may sound to anyone who lived through World War II, that is the scenario sketched out in "Look Who's Back," a satirical novel by Timur Vermes, which topped the best-seller lists in Germany after its publication in 2012...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Mar 22, 2014

With sanctions, Putin looks east

When President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty last week annexing Crimea, to great fanfare in the Kremlin and anger in the West, a trusted lieutenant was making his way to Asia to shore up ties with Russia's eastern allies.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Mar 22, 2014

Energy debate challenges facade of wa

Torn between his nationalistic instinct to resurrect what he seems to regard as Japan's great bygone days of empire-building and the mundane demands of caring for the pressing needs of his nation, a remarkably caring soul might almost feel sorry for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his first months in...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 22, 2014

The Art Lover's Guide to Japanese Museums

JAPAN / Society
Mar 20, 2014

Aum cultists inspire a new generation of admirers

Swayed by a mixture of dark fascination with the outlaw life and dissatisfaction with their own lot, a small but passionate group of young people are bound by their professed admiration for the criminal members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult. They call themselves Aumers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2014

Abe funds matchmaking to ease welfare bill

Over coffee and cake in a rural cafe in Kochi Prefecture, Hideyuki Tanaka, 40, plucked up the courage to speak with Eri, 14 years his junior.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 20, 2014

Giant robots officially fly the flag for cool Japan

With its mountains of public debt, a nuclear meltdown to mop up and the 2020 Olympics bill, you'd think the last thing the Japanese government would be spending taxpayer money on is a study on robots in science fiction.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Mar 20, 2014

Film festival highlights the ongoing plight of Tohoku

Arts Chiyoda 3331 in Tokyo is currently hosting a 3/11 Movie Festival featuring documentaries that focus on the aftermath of the March 11, 2011, quake as well as talks by some of those involved in the recovery efforts in the Tohoku region.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 20, 2014

All aboard Chiba Prefecture's Lab Train

The easternmost point of the Kanto region in Chiba Prefecture offers panoramic views of the coastline with rugged towering cliffs that resemble those of Dover — one of England's most recognizable landmarks. It's a place that many visit to watch Japan's first winter sunrise.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 20, 2014

Akashi invites visitors to not only enjoy art, but to create it, too

Art sprouts from the imagination, but it usually starts with a blank slate of some kind, which is something Akashi Artful Week is offering its visitors. This week-long event includes the installation of a 50-meter-long blank canvas on which visitors are asked to illustrate their impressions of the city...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 20, 2014

Join in the fiesta as Shima Spain Village celebrates 20 years

Shima Spain Village amusement park in Mie Prefecture is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, with a series of events that include the introduction of new parades, anniversary decorations and menus featuring special meals in its restaurants.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 19, 2014

Initially cautious, Abe takes hard line with Russia

In the government's sharpest terms yet, Prime Minister Shinu00adzo Abe and other officials “condemn” Moscow for its attempted annexation of Crimea and promise further economic sanctions.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 19, 2014

At border, guards play down threat of Russian invasion

Ukraine has strengthened frontier defenses with Russia following Moscow's seizure of Crimea but there is no sign of a major troop buildup in a region where some say they would welcome a Russian takeover.
EDITORIALS
Mar 19, 2014

Riken's credibility on the line

The prestigious government-backed Riken Research Institute finds itself in the awkward spot of defending its credibility as a science institute after 'grave errors' were found in two recent papers describing a possible new method for creating pluripotent stem cells.
Reader Mail
Mar 19, 2014

Shorter patent exam is welcome

As an intellectual property counsel, the March 13 Jiji article titled "Japan aims to cut patent exam lengths in half" caught my eye. Unfortunately the on-line article did not link to an underlying copy of any press release or to a synopsis of the related bill that the Abe administration has presented...
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 19, 2014

War crimes evidence in Syria solid enough for indictment: U.N.

U.N. investigators said Tuesday they had expanded their list of suspected war criminals from both sides in Syria's civil war and the evidence was solid enough to prepare any indictment.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 18, 2014

Kauli plans IPO to fund U.S., Asian expansion

Kauli Inc., a digital-advertising company, is planning an initial public offering on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to finance expansion in the U.S. and Southeast Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2014

China rocked by fallen tiger, shaken dragon

It wasn't clear whether Chinese President Xi Jingping would actually prosecute Zhou Yongkang — thus breaking the Communist Party's unwritten rule of immunity for retired members of the Politburo Standing Committee — until the Chinese media revealed shocking details of corruption involving Zhou's family and former subordinates.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 18, 2014

Geskia, Cuushe team up on impressive Neon Cloud side project

Neon Cloud was a mysterious entity when it first surfaced a little more than two years ago, but with the release of its second EP some of that mystery is starting to clear.
WORLD
Mar 18, 2014

China working on new anti-satellite weapon, U.S. researcher says

A detailed analysis of satellite imagery published Monday provides additional evidence that a Chinese rocket launch in May 2013 billed as a research mission was actually a test of a new anti-satellite weapon based on a road-mobile ballistic missile.

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