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JAPAN / Politics
Jun 15, 2015

Scholars restate Cabinet condemnation, mock LDP's response

Two constitutional scholars who this month rekindled debate over security reforms restate their assessment of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's security bills as unconstitutional.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
Jun 13, 2015

Carr starred at Tokyo Games

Henry Carr didn't have the longevity of Olympic track legends like hurdler Edwin Moses or sprinter/long jumper Carl Lewis. But to those who witnessed and remembered what he accomplished at the Tokyo Olympics in October 1964, his greatness as a runner left an indelible impression.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2015

Aim for green infrastructure expansion in Asia

Infrastructure projects in Asia must be accompanied by protective safeguards to avoid damaging the environment, climate and communities — and slowing economic growth.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jun 6, 2015

Law still a long way behind fertility boom

As the population declines, the number of domestic businesses involved in fertility is growing, giving birth to a slew of additional problems.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jun 5, 2015

Flashy FIFA's fast fall from great game to great shame borders on the farcical

In less than a week, the public face of FIFA has gone from something resembling an old-style Communist Party rally, with a defiant Sepp Blatter fronting ranks of flag-bearing youths, to what looks more like a scene from "Reservoir Dogs."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 30, 2015

Is 'proactive peace' just a new term for war?

"Have you ever heard the roar of a jet fighter?"
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 29, 2015

Success taking a toll on LDP

The quality of the LDP's Diet members is sorely lacking, and the cause comes from the top — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 25, 2015

Gifu lanterns get remake to showcase artisanal brands

Several cities in Gifu Prefecture are collaborating to create "Made in Gifu" andon lanterns that showcase special crafts dear to each one, from Mino's Honminoshi paper products to the Tono region's Minoyaki pottery, used to make the base.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 21, 2015

Japan-U.S. alliance remains as a bulwark against China

The more belligerent Beijing behaves, the more important the Japan-U.S. alliance becomes.
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2015

Putin tries to freeze Ukraine conflict

The latest proposals put forth by Ukraine's separatists are designed to be rejected by the government of Ukraine as a way to produce a permanent frozen conflict zone.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 26, 2015

LDP fails to live up to its name

The Abe administration and the Liberal Democratic Party have gone too far in their abuse of power.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Apr 20, 2015

Why Japan won't join the AIIB

The AIIB will enable China to use funds contributed by other countries for projects that best suit its own strategies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / LOCAL POLLS '15
Apr 20, 2015

Naturalized Kabukicho denizen hopes to teach China lesson in democracy

Komaki Lee gained fame as a pioneering 'Kabukicho guide' who showed foreign visitors the ins and outs of the capital's seedy nightlife entertainment district in Shinjuku Ward. Now he's going into politics.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 16, 2015

Balance, team defense are powering Niigata

The Niigata Albirex BB don't have a player in the league's top 10 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals or blocks.
BASKETBALL
Mar 29, 2015

bj-league lifts ban on JT

The professional basketball bj-league has rescinded its ban on media access by The Japan Times with immediate effect. The ban was instituted on Oct. 11, 2013, and continued for more than 17 months.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2015

The real lesson from the Clinton email imbroglio

The flap over Hillary Clinton's use of private email reflects the tension between the drive for transparency and the instinct for privacy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 12, 2015

Conservatives lash out at Shibuya Ward initiative to recognize same-sex relationships

Conservatives are protesting a proposed initiative by Tokyo's Shibuya Ward to acknowledge same-sex partnerships as equivalent to marriage, claiming it would upset traditional family values and hurt the nation's birthrate.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Mar 11, 2015

Why robots will be granted a license to kill, in Japan and everywhere else

As long as we feel the need to occasionally harm our fellow human beings, most of us will happily let other people — or things — do the dirty work.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 28, 2015

Inflammatory articles aren't helping mags' circulation numbers

In a controversial column by 83-year-old author Ayako Sono that appeared in the Feb. 11 issue of the Sankei Shimbun under the headline "Maintain a 'suitable distance,'" Sono suggested that when and if Japan changes its immigration policies to accept more foreign workers, they should live in racially...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 28, 2015

Flood of retired numbers can lessen significance

You probably saw the article last week with the news the New York Yankees will retire the uniform numbers of former players Andy Pettitte (46), Jorge Posada (20) and Bernie Williams (51). That brings to 20 the total of retired numbers by the Yanks, and Derek Jeter's No. 2 will follow and that means no...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Feb 27, 2015

Artist delivers heartfelt tribute to 3/11 cleanup workers

A couple from Nagoya have been posting daily pictures of heart-shaped images dedicated to those cleaning up the mess at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and other disaster-stricken parts of the Tohoku region.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 26, 2015

Education chief denies report he received illegal funds

Education minister Hakubun Shimomura denies allegations by a muck-raking magazine that he received illegal political donations, accusing it of failing to check the facts.
Reader Mail
Feb 21, 2015

Remember why you came here

Regarding the Feb. 12 article by Eric Johnston and Tomohiro Osaki titled "Author Sono calls for racial segregation": Ruthless Japan-bashing has become a style statement for many foreigners. The recent furor in criticizing the country shows some foreigners to forget that, outside the peaceful boundaries...
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
Feb 15, 2015

New Fukushima bus service broadens options for residents near no-go zones

Local residents in Fukushima Prefecture saw the return of public transportation on Jan. 31 after East Japan Railway Co. began a bus service that passes through the exclusion zone around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 10, 2015

Australia sub deal puts Abe in precarious position

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott survived a leadership challenge on Monday, but his last-minute pledge to allow an open tender on the construction of new submarines poses a challenge to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who must weigh the political risks of becoming more public about his ambition to tap...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 7, 2015

Abe acts quickly to exploit Japan's 'nightmare'

On adjacent televisions at my gym, I watched breaking news on the beheading of journalist Kenji Goto by the Islamic State group next to a "One Piece" anime segment in which fresh-faced youth defended their boat from marauding pirates. The kids routed them in a jiffy and suffered no casualties, a metaphorical...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 23, 2015

Activist says Uganda documentary may aid LGBT cause

Japan has developed a more favorable view of sexual minorities in recent years, but activist Mameta Endo wants to raise awareness of the issue further by encouraging people to take in a documentary that captures the hatred, harassment, and risk of prison time such people face in Uganda.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years