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BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2015

Abe honors firms that promote women on heels of gender target cut

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday presided over a ceremony to celebrate companies that have made progress in promoting women, just weeks after the government scaled back ambitious targets for increasing the number of female managers.
SOCCER / CLUB WORLD CUP
Dec 21, 2015

Barcelona as good as advertised in Club World Cup final

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi paid tribute to strike partners Luis Suarez and Neymar after the trio combined to deliver Barcelona a record third Club World Cup title on Sunday — and warned the rest of the world they are not finished yet.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 21, 2015

China landslide leaves 91 missing; authorities blame construction debris

At least 91 people were missing after a giant mound of mud and construction waste spewed out of an overfull dump site in a southern China boomtown and buried 33 buildings in the country's latest industrial disaster.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 20, 2015

Young music fans found their voices in 2015

The music industry in Japan has long been seen as lagging behind the times. Once every six months there is an article that marvels at the supremacy of CDs, and new albums from acts that were big in the 1990s tend to dominate charts alongside idol-pop groups that few would label "musically progressive."...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2015

Thailand in 2015: a year of spinning its wheels

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha's promises to launch a number of projects to put Thailand back on the track toward democracy have proven empty.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 19, 2015

Growing old, gracefully: senior citizens in the workplace

For Eiji and Kumiko Ishikawa, the working day starts as early as 5 a.m. Having loaded the requisite equipment into their van, they set off for their first job of the day, a 14-story high-rise in western Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 19, 2015

Bask in the warmth of Iheya Island

I thought I recognized the owner of the Iheya Kanko Hotel, her face fleetingly recalled as it passed over the screen at a Shinjuku showing of the 2012 film "Karakara."
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Dec 19, 2015

Japan's 'Christian century' failed to blossom

Christmas approaches. Christian or not, the mind turns to Christian themes.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Dec 19, 2015

Curtain finally falls on the 'Toru Hashimoto Show'

"Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."
Japan Times
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Dec 18, 2015

Mourinho's legacy threatened by his own volatility

So where does the manager formerly known as the Special One go from here?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Dec 18, 2015

Vienna's chocolate cake gets the McDonald's treatment

One wouldn't normally turn to the Golden Arches for decadent desserts, but sometimes life surprises you. McCafe, McDonald's upscale chain of coffee spots, rolled out their winter collection recently, and the highlight is their take on the Austria's chocolate cake, the Sachertorte.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 17, 2015

Two generations of 'Star Wars' heroes come together in 'The Force Awakens'

It all started a long time ago (1977 to be precise) in a galaxy far, far away — er, Hollywood. Six films and billions of dollars in merchandising later, the world awaits the arrival of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 17, 2015

Why SoftBank matters a great deal to Japan Inc.

SoftBank maverick CEO Masayoshi Son stands out in a country where corporate conservatism reigns.
WORLD
Dec 17, 2015

1 in 8 babies were born in conflict zones in 2015: UNICEF

The number of babies born in conflict zones increased by more than 125,000 this year to 16.6 million compared with last year, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 17, 2015

U.S. oil export deal delivers gains for environmental lobby

The spending deal that is set to hand the oil industry a major victory by allowing unfettered exports of U.S. crude for the first time in 40 years also is delivering some major wins for environmentalists who fought that policy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 16, 2015

Airbnb: Will Japan kill the golden goose?

Time will tell whether new legislation kills or culls the golden-egg-laying goose that Airbnb has become for hosts and travelers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 16, 2015

'Heaven Knows What' paints a grim picture of drug addiction

"You just gotta see that junk is just another nine-to-five gig in the end," wrote Jim Carroll in "The Basketball Diaries" way back in 1978. Perhaps no film about heroin has captured that grinding routine of score-shoot-nod-hustle-score as well as "Heaven Knows What" — and it's easy to see why. The...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 16, 2015

Derrick Woollacott: Lost postwar memories find the light of day

In 1942, Derrick Woollacott entered the military and ended up kickstarting his career as a photographer at age 19. Lacking formal education after 14 and the financial means to own a camera, this was his best shot.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 15, 2015

Thai activists urge release of man, allegedly detained by force at hospital, over Facebook post

Thai activists on Monday demanded the release of a man arrested for sharing an infographic on Facebook detailing alleged graft in an army-built park, saying plainclothes security officers had taken him by force.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 15, 2015

Spouses await court ruling on retaining maiden name in marriage

Tears welled up in Kaori Oguni's eyes as she recalled the heartache she felt at what was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of her life — that is, when she and her husband registered their marriage at a Tokyo ward office in 2006.
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2015

Tightest job market since 1992 may weigh on Japan bonds

The nation's most severe labor shortage in almost quarter of a century will support the central bank's inflation target and weaken appetite for already low-yielding bonds.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 15, 2015

Italian man sets himself on fire near Berlusconi's villa: media

An Italian man with financial difficulties doused his clothes with petrol and set himself on fire on Monday in front of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's home near the city of Milan, Italian media reported.
Japan Times
JAPAN / INVEST IN ITALY 2015
Dec 15, 2015

Promoting Japanese direct investment in Italy

The Italian Trade Agency held a symposium in Tokyo on Nov. 18 to promote Japanese companies' direct investment in Italy, with businesses from Italy and Japan, as well as diplomats and politicians from Italy, discussing opportunities in the country.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past