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EDITORIALS
Jun 23, 2016

Constitution as a campaign issue

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeatedly emphasizes that economy is the foremost issue in the campaign for the July 10 Upper House election — urging voters to choose whether to endorse his bid to go on with Abenomics or return to what he calls "those dark days" before the policy package was launched. But...
EDITORIALS
Jun 22, 2016

Abenomics and the Upper House election

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe keeps trumpeting his economic policies. It's time for voters to give him their report card.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 20, 2016

South Korea trains next generation of keyboard warriors

In one college major at Seoul’s elite Korea University, the courses are known only by number, and students keep their identities a secret from outsiders.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2016

Beyond any turmoil linked to Brexit, central bankers dread long shadow of possibilities

Finally, a financial flare-up that the world's central banks will have seen coming.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2016

Japan's first lady, Akie Abe, speaks her own mind

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has outlasted those that scoffed at his return to power as leader of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party in 2012. And yet while the prime minister appears to have established himself as an increasingly dominant force in domestic politics over the past decade, the most...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 14, 2016

Macho assault rifle ads may be silver bullet in U.S. gun-control debate

"Forces of opposition bow down. You are single-handedly outnumbered."
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 8, 2016

China may build seabed 'space station' to help hunt for minerals in South China Sea

China is speeding up efforts to design and build a manned deep-sea platform to help it hunt for minerals in the South China Sea, one that may also serve a military purpose in the disputed waters.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 7, 2016

Disputed shoal may become military line in sand on South China Sea

Global defense chiefs meeting in a plush hotel in Singapore over the weekend were faced with one of Asia's biggest looming security challenges, but left without any tangible sense of how to tackle it.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2016

Trans-Pacific shell game

While the Trans-Pacific Partnership might help the U.S. advance its goal of containing China's influence in the Asia-Pacific region, the economic case is not nearly as strong.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Jun 5, 2016

West-inspired anime chief propels Polygon Pictures to success

Polygon Pictures, one of the oldest digital animation studios worldwide, has been turning its lights off at 10 p.m. sharp since 2011. Employees can turn them back on again but they automatically go dark every hour.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 3, 2016

Abe's LDP signals dramatic shift on BOJ in election pledge

Though a centerpiece of past election agendas, the LDP makes no reference to monetary policy in its campaign platform ahead of the summer poll.
EDITORIALS
Jun 3, 2016

The July Upper House election

Much will be at stake in the July 10 Upper House election. The nation's youngest voters should make their voices heard.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 26, 2016

Questions abound as teams prep for new league

What kind of rivalries will develop in the early days of the B. League?
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2016

Cookpad's maverick founder stirs recipe for unrest

A spat is rocking one of Japan's most popular Internet companies after the founder moved to kick out the board, enraging staff and sending shares tumbling.
EDITORIALS
May 12, 2016

Getting more women in the Diet

Systemic change is needed to increase female representation in Japan's political sphere.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
May 9, 2016

Former Yomiuri infielder Gonzalez remains close to game

Edgar Gonzalez may not be playing anymore, but he's still spending most of his time on baseball diamonds.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
May 8, 2016

Does the Japanese Constitution mean anything?

If the Liberal Democratic Party gets its way, the current charter, full of rights that are barely known, would be replaced with a constitution that's more about duties.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
May 7, 2016

Elite athletes profess benefits of multisport participation on eve of Golden Grand Prix meet

Justin Gatlin and other top international athletes insist that playing different sports helps develop track and field athletes' potential.
EDITORIALS
May 2, 2016

The Constitution, 69 years on

Despite Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to convince the public otherwise, there is no need at this time to revise the pacifist Constitution.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2016

Scandal-plagued Mitsubishi Motors reliant on ASEAN as redress claims brew

Mitsubishi Motors Corp., embroiled in a car-rigging scandal in Japan, may find that its future increasingly hinges on its performance in Thailand — the automaker's biggest overseas production base.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 30, 2016

Japan's meek media kowtows to the government

Last week I compared the Catholic Church in Boston and Japan's "nuclear village" of atomic-power advocates — two powerful institutions that stifled embarrassing revelations for some time. The Oscar-winning film "Spotlight" depicts the comeuppance of the church hierarchy after investigative reporters...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 27, 2016

Agent Orange and Okinawa: the story so far

Five years after The Japan Times first revealed the U.S. military's use of toxic defoliants on the island, new evidence continues to come to light.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2016

Being a Russian media mogul is dangerous

Putin now controls almost every wide-reaching news outlet in Russia. All he has to do is jerk the leash from time to time.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2016

Van Sant plots a bleak hike through Aokigahara

At least Arthur Brennan didn't want sushi, an AKB48 concert or a night out on the town with a maiko (trainee geisha) on his arm. As Japan's ranking soars on the international travelers' destination lists, the more cliched their itineraries seem to get. But Matthew McConaughey's Brennan of Gus Van Sant's...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 26, 2016

Young dramatists mark the Bard's anniversary in style

Hot on the heels of Hideki Noda's radical adaptation of "Richard III" being staged by Singaporean director Ong Ken Seng at Shizuoka Performing Arts Center from April 29 to May 1, another intriguing transformation of Shakespeare's Machiavellian king will follow at Theatre Fuusikaden in Tokyo from May...
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 25, 2016

World powers keep leaning on economic sanctions that seldom work

To rein in countries from North Korea to Sudan, global powers are boosting their reliance on United Nations sanctions aimed at forcing recalcitrant governments to drop weapons programs, stop attacking their civilians or respect the results of elections. They usually fail.

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