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Atsushi Kodera
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2014
Tourism authorities eye travelers' tweets to fine-tune promotions
Japan is thinking of using Twitter, cellphone and GPS data to scope out tourists' wants and needs ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 8, 2014
BOJ stays policy course, aware of sales tax hike hit
The Bank of Japan on Tuesday left its ultra-loose monetary policy unchanged, while acknowledging the consumption tax hike introduced this month will have a negative impact on the economy.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2014
Standardized English for road signs to help foreign tourists
Foreign tourists in Japan will have a less confusing time trying to identify roads and landmarks thanks to the introduction of standardized English words and eradication of "Romanized" Japanese words on public signs, transport ministry officials said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 28, 2014
Hidden tax hike surprises await unwary consumers
Tuesday's consumption tax hike will in principle affect all domestic purchases of goods or services, but there are still gray areas where consumers may get surprised by unexpected levies, government officials warn.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 25, 2014
Health officials issue advice on getting right amount of sleep
Children until their midteens need more than eight hours of sleep a night, according to new guidelines for healthy sleep released by a health ministry study group.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 24, 2014
Selective consumption tax breaks inch closer
The consumption tax is going up to 8 percent next Tuesday, but consumers also have to brace for a another hike in October 2015, when the Abe administration plans to raise it all the way to 10 percent — double what it has been since 1997.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Mar 19, 2014
Exports resist jump-start of weakened yen through 'Abenomics'
According to orthodoxy, taking some starch out of the yen — an unofficial, yet unmistakable, goal of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's signature monetary policy — is manna to exporters, but recent figures throw into question this traditional success strategy.
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2014
Child smartphone users disturbingly open to strangers
One in four surveyed mobile phone users in their early teens with Internet access were found to be interested in meeting strangers they get to know in cyberspace or they have already done so, according to an online survey released this week by the Web filtering software maker Digital Arts Inc.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Mar 2, 2014
Composer Shibuya tests limits of music
One November evening in Paris, Theatre du Chatelet was packed with people who came to see the French premiere of a new opera by a Japanese composer.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2014
Forum offers chance to learn about working for NPO
People who want to work for a nonprofit organization will have a chance Saturday to learn firsthand what the job entails at the NPO Shigoto Forum 2014 in Tokyo, a job fair focusing on nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Feb 16, 2014
Son's rags-to-riches career impresses by the numbers
Although alive and well, Masayoshi Son has already attained legendary status in Japan for rising from his poverty-stricken childhood to become the chief SoftBank.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2014
Press freedom ranking falters due to secrecy law
Freedom of the press in Japan deteriorated further this year thanks to the enactment of the controversial state secrets bill, Reporters Without Borders says.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2014
New boss to steer Keidanren back to politics?
Sadayuki Sakakibara, the incoming chairman of Keidanren, says his priority in leading the nation's top business lobby is to help get Japan back on a growth track, but observers say he may also try to re-establish the organization's influence in politics.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2014
Hay fever season hits Kanto earlier than usual
Hay fever season has arrived in the Kanto region to the dismay of people who every year suffer sneezing, runny noses and itchy eyes from "sugi" cedar or "hinoki" cypress pollen.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2014
Tokyo voters unhappy with nuclear focus
Campaigning for the Tokyo gubernatorial race starts and voters express bewilderment over how fast the focus seems to have turned to nuclear energy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / DAVOS SPECIAL 2014
Jan 23, 2014
YGL program inspires, educates
Oisix Inc. President Kohey Takashima's ambition has transformed his online food retail startup into the leading player in the industry in just over a decade, but his nomination as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum has awoken in him another mission: to contribute to society.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2014
Internet wiz courts offbeat vote
A Tokyo gubernatorial candidate with an offbeat platform surfaced Wednesday, just one day before applications to run in the Feb. 9 election have to be filed.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2014
Is English Tamogami's weak suit?
As Toshio Tamogami's candidacy in the Tokyo gubernatorial race raises concerns that his nationalistic views could worsen already strained ties with China and South Korea, Internet users were quick to question if his English skills were up to snuff.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2014
New Tokyo travel agency to market ¥25 million tickets for space tours
Booking a tour in space is now possible in Japan thanks to the establishment of a Tokyo travel agency that deals exclusively with the above and beyond — for those who can pay the ¥25 million fare.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Jan 5, 2014
Rebuilding hope, one stitch at a time
Most of the 19 women from the tsunami-hit city of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, who work for Tamako Mitarai's knitwear company had no professional experience as knitters.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?