Search - 2014

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN / DAVOS SPECIAL 2014
Jan 23, 2014

Japan's economy strong enough to weather tax hike storm

Last year Japan's economy finally refound some backbone, with strong growth, better company earnings, falling unemployment and the key stock index soaring by a half to a six-year high, thanks mainly to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic measures, the so-called "Abenomics."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 21, 2014

Kobe's tofubeats moves from blogs to the big time

Like many kids growing up in the 1990s, Yusuke Kawai's initial brush with the World Wide Web happened in elementary school.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 18, 2014

Giants' Terauchi shows importance of putting smile on fans' faces

Professional athletes have been known to have different attitudes when dealing with fans. Autograph-seekers have been told, "Take a hike, son" by players in a bad mood or on a bad day.
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2014

Global economic prospects

As the world watches for signs of stable global economic growth this year, Japan should be ready to take remedial measures for its own economy if the consumption tax increase in April causes negative effects.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2014

Power without purpose in Moscow

By suppressing opposition in Moscow, Grozny and elsewhere, Putin has only put a lid on a boiling pot. Part of the Kremlin's difficulty stems from its remarkable lack of vision — a fundamental failure to understand what Russia is, will be, or can become.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jan 13, 2014

London sets out to be the capital of menswear

Bring on the boys. London Collections: Men autumn-winter 2014 brought with it a new message to promote and a new voice to shout about it.
LIFE
Jan 11, 2014

Everything you ever wanted to know about Godzilla but were afraid to ask

COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 10, 2014

Looming economic problems

The major uncertainty facing the world today, says George Soros, is not the euro but the future direction of China. The growth model that drove China's rapid rise appears to have run out of steam.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2014

Russian road to mediocrity

Only a few economists in Russia seem to stress the importance of understanding the impact of the current mass outflow of capital and the sharp deterioration of the situation in world commodity markets.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2014

Meet the emerging world's vaccine pioneers

More must be done to target the 22 million children, mainly in the poorest countries, who do not have access to lifesaving vaccines that protect against diseases such as measles, pneumonia and rotavirus, writes Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2014

Preparing for the age of disruption

By 2020, the quantity of stored data could be 50 times greater than it was in 2010. Many pundits regard this massive explosion of data as the new oil, even a new asset class.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 6, 2014

Abe squandering good will

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's weakening public standing doesn't bode well for the 'third arrow' of his economic plan — lower trade barriers, less regulation and a greater embrace of free-market principles.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 6, 2014

The empire strikes back: the top issues for non-Japanese in 2013

2013 saw the enfranchised elite consolidating their power further than has ever been seen in the postwar era, while Japan's disenfranchised peoples slipped ever lower down the totem pole, becoming targets of suspicion, fear and loathing.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jan 4, 2014

Warren ignites Fukuoka in triumph over Toyama

Reggie Warren, one of the elite forwards in bj-league history, delivered a gutsy performance in the Rizing Fukuoka's first game of 2014.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2014

Century engine starts now

The last two centuries (and possibly more) didn't 'start' with the turning of the calendar from 00 to 01. Each century began bending the arc of history, in essence, in its 14th year.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jan 3, 2014

It's the Year of the Horse, so bring on the feedbag

2014 is — according to the Chinese zodiac — the Year of the Horse. Born in a distant year of another cordial horse, we thus celebrate the spin of the 12-year cycle. This year is our year!
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 2, 2014

Abe's diplomatic overtures are likely to fall on deaf ears

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saw relatively smooth diplomatic sailing in 2013, but he flushed his year-long effort down the drain with his surprising visit to Yasukuni Shrine.
COMMENTARY
Dec 30, 2013

The distributional challenge

Assessing the recent past and looking forward to the near term may well be a necessary exercise when it comes to the global economy in 2013 and 2014.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2013

A pardon for war hero convicted of being gay

Queen Elizabeth II's long-overdue pardon of war hero Allen Turing should serve as opportunity for the world to reflect on discrimination against gays.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 28, 2013

Gamba wait for new site

Gamba Osaka, one of the original J. League members, will move into a brand-new stadium as early as 2016.
WORLD / Society
Dec 28, 2013

Legalizing pot could save California hundreds of millions every year

A proposed ballot measure that would legalize possession, use, growth and cultivation of marijuana would save the state of California hundreds of millions of dollars a year, according to a summary issued Thursday by the state attorney general's office.
EDITORIALS
Dec 27, 2013

Progress on Futenma relocation

The Okinawa governor's go-ahead for the start of landfill work in building an alternative U.S. military facility in the northern part of the island may mark a political breakthrough for Tokyo in its security alliance with Washington, but it hardly closes the divide with Okinawans.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 27, 2013

'Abenomics' turns Japanese hedge funds into world's best performers

Japanese hedge funds are heading for record returns this year as investors bet that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic policies will succeed in reviving the world's third-largest economy.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 22, 2013

This year's buzzwords show how Japanese is evolving

Last month I shelled out ¥2,980 for my 2014 edition of 現代用語の基礎知識 ("Gendai Yogo no Kiso Chishiki", "Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words"). It's a 1,660-page monster that's well worth the outlay, and this year publisher Jiyu Kokumin-sha, as an extra bonus, included a 74-page booklet that...

Longform

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