Search - 2015

 
 
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jan 23, 2016

Giants hurler Sugano aims for winning season

Tomoyuki Sugano returned to Japan recently after spending several days training in Hawaii. He told reporters at Narita Airport that his workouts yielded great results and allowed that "my condition is the best it's been in three years."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 23, 2016

Mounting student debt may cost society dearly

The education ministry conducted a survey in 2014 of institutes of higher learning and found that the average yearly tuition for private universities was ¥864,384. In addition, the average "entry fee" (nyūgakukin) was ¥261,089. Adding other expenses, the ministry estimated it cost a student ¥1.43...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jan 21, 2016

Chinese currency chaos

China's 'supply-side structural reform' to deal with production overcapacity includes the risky strategy of devaluing the yuan.
EDITORIALS
Jan 21, 2016

Uncertain annual wage talks

It remains to be seen whether workers at small and medium-size firms will benefit from raises in this year's annual wage negotiations.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Jan 20, 2016

Hatoyama dreams of a Japan anchored within a united Asia

Former leader apologizes for his failures as PM and shares his views on Fukushima, Tokyo 2020 and his hopes for Okinawa, Japan and the wider region.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 17, 2016

Rockers back number slide toward becoming the go-to band for TV drama theme tunes

back number "Chandelier" (Universal Music Japan)
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 17, 2016

Abenomics: state capitalism

Shinzo Abe's economic policies aren't really neoclassic or Keynesian. Rather they align more with the state capitalism practiced in China, Russia and Singapore.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jan 17, 2016

Time for fun and games about to end for new Giants skipper Takahashi

New Yomiuri Giants manager Yoshinobu Takahashi was all smiles at the Dome Kickoff party last week. He was introduced to a loud ovation, took part in a light-hearted talk show and got a kick out of seeing his batting form imitated by a couple of former NPB players. Current Giants star Shinnosuke Abe,...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2016

What happens after China's bubble goes pop?

Will China be a source of stability and strength for the world economy — or the opposite?
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 15, 2016

J. League teams gearing back up after short time off

The Jan. 1 Emperor's Cup final brought the curtain down on the 2015 Japanese soccer season, but already J. League clubs are gearing up for the new campaign ahead.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 14, 2016

Tao takes an innovative approach to drum shows

The slogan goes, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." Drum troupe Tao, however, thinks a successful show in Sin City could be the springboard to bigger things around the world.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2016

Can the Republican Party survive its civil war?

The clash of values and policies among Republicans goes beyond Donald Trump.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 11, 2016

Aichi Prefecture city rolls out new pay phones in disaster-prevention move

The city of Tahara in Aichi Prefecture is bringing back public pay phones in response to widespread mobile phone disruptions following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 10, 2016

Isao Tomita's journey from snowflakes to holograms

Composer Isao Tomita will turn 84 this year, but that won't stop him creating a synth soundtrack for a dancing hologram, to realize the dream of his ballet dancer (and rocket scientist) friend who passed away in 1999.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 9, 2016

Michael Leitch: 'If you want something, make a plan, work hard and go get it'

Japan's World Cup rugby captain tells us his secret to making the perfect tackle
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2016

Haneda, Itami airports top global punctuality list; JAL, ANA crack top five airlines

Two of Japan's airports were the world's most punctual in 2015, and two of its airlines were among the world's top five, OAG Aviation's annual report says.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jan 6, 2016

For Japan's English teachers, rays of hope amid the race to the bottom

The major economic engines of Japan Inc. — car manufacturers, appliance giants and the like — have often been caught price-fixing: colluding to keep an even market share, squeeze competitors out and maintain "harmony." Similarly, the commercial English-teaching business could be accused of wage-fixing:...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 5, 2016

The ghosts of North Korea

Will North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ever be able to act in his country's real interests, and not those of his fantasies?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 4, 2016

Foreign investors get it wrong on Japan stocks, ending 25-year run

For the first year since 1989, foreign investors sold Japanese stocks and missed a rally.
EDITORIALS
Jan 2, 2016

Education deserves more attention

The government's conservative agenda is exposed by the rise in defense spending while funding for education remains static.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Dec 31, 2015

Kawabuchi using strength to spark basketball revival

Japanese basketball marked an unprecedented dark year in 2015 as its national governing body was suspended by FIBA. It was a tough penalty handed down in November 2014.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 30, 2015

Fortuitous move to bullpen led Barnette to majors

The last game pitcher Tony Barnette ever started for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows came against the Chunichi Dragons on March 8, 2011, during spring training. Barnette had already had one life-altering moment that spring — he'd proposed to now-wife Hillary before leaving Arizona for Japan — and, though...
JAPAN / Media
Dec 29, 2015

Sales of Japanese print publications fall amid digital explosion

Sales of books and magazines in Japan this year posted a record decline, taking in ¥84 billion less in revenue compared with 2014 as more people turned to smartphones to get their information, according to figures released by a research institute on the publishing industry.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2015

China's planning addiction vs. a free market

As 2015 closes, China's leaders find themselves at a crossroads: They must decide whether to continue trying to control the economy or build a genuinely market-oriented system.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 26, 2015

'Ōsōji': ways to keep your home spick and span

Three experts discuss their philosophy on the New Year's chore that everybody loves — cleaning.
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2015

Budgeting ahead of an election

The Abe administration appears to be sacrificing budgetary discipline in favor of doling out pork ahead of the Upper House election.

Longform

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