Search - 2012

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2014

'Solar girl' sheds reliance on Tepco for spartan life on the edge of the grid

It was August 2012 when Chikako Fujii had one of the most memorable conversations of her life. That moment came when a bill collector from Tokyo Electric Power Co. rang her doorbell in the west Tokyo suburb of Kunitachi and told her with finality that she had an important choice to make.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2014

Chinese gaming mecca attempts to shed its gaudy image

Walk into a casino in China's gambling mecca of Macau, and the first thing that strikes you is the silence. There's no blaring music, no sharp cries of victory; all you hear is the rustle of clothing, a hushed conversation, the occasional thump on a table — subtle signs of fortunes being made and lost....
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jan 4, 2014

Kenya Hara: the future of design

Sitting at a plain white table in a meeting room high up on the 12th floor of a narrow building in central Tokyo, product designer Kenya Hara asks me to picture a shallow plate in my mind. "Now imagine a slightly deeper plate," Hara says, "that gets deeper and deeper and eventually becomes a bowl."
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Jan 3, 2014

Suzuki, Murakami exemplify power, passion that make skating magnetic

It has been almost two weeks now, but the emotions aroused by the recent Japan national championships in Saitama remain vivid.
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.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 2, 2014

Part-timers skewing employment statistics

More restaurants and retailers are hiring short-hour employees to save money.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2013

Five lessons of 2013, guaranteed to be forgotten

One important lesson from 2013 is that we should beware political pronouncements posing as economic forecasts. The U.S. economy had its biggest increase in quarterly GDP in nearly two years despite the government 'shutdown effect.'
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 31, 2013

Failed predictions: President Romney, Pope Dolores

Humanity's faith in predictions was tested around this time a year ago when the floods, famines and other disasters predicted by the end of the ancient Maya calendar failed to materialize.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 30, 2013

In Fukushima, abandoned pets are multiplying

'Sterilization is the most practical and humane way to curb the growing population of feral animals, and research backs this up,' says Hiro Yamasaki of the Animal Rescue System in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture. 'Unfortunately, our clinic is the only one providing this kind of service. The local vets and bureaucrats have not responded adequately to the situation. Something had to be done.'
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Dec 29, 2013

South Korea's house of cards

Except for Samsung Electronics, South Korea's manufacturing industry appears to be on the verge of a big stall. How long Samsung will be able to maintain its market dominance is an open question.
EDITORIALS
Dec 28, 2013

Year of ups and downs for Japan

Japan in 2013 was besieged by problems in politics, business and society even while several key events helped to rekindle a sense of confidence in Japan.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 28, 2013

After Abe Yasukuni jaunt, all eyes on Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping's reaction to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Yasukuni Shrine will determine whether Asia's top two economies come closer to a hostile incident.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 25, 2013

Top billings of 2013

Although all Japan's 50 reactors have been shut down since September, cleaning up in the wake of the March 2011 meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is making very slow progress and tens of thousands of people still live in temporary accommodation or are internally displaced. In addition,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2013

First lady scrutinizes blackballing of beauty queen

Ikumi Yoshimatsu's pursuit of stalking charges against powerful talent agency executives Genichi Taniguchi draws the attention of first lady Akie Abe.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 25, 2013

Snowden declares his mission accomplished

In a candid interview, NSA leaker Edward Snowden breaks his silence on surveillance, democracy and the meaning of the top-secret documents he exposed, and says his mission is 'already accomplished.'
EDITORIALS
Dec 23, 2013

Federal Reserve's taper begins

Although last week's long-awaited decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve Board to begin tapering off its bond-buying program proved to be a surprise, it was still the right move.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 22, 2013

Osaka joins rush to attract foreign tourists

If you asked many Kansai-area foreigners, and not a few Tokyoites, to come up with a slogan to promote Osaka internationally, you might get a response along the lines of: "Osaka: When You Can't Get a Hotel in Kyoto."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2013

Mitsubishi Estate to hike office rent in Marunouchi

Mitsubishi Estate Co. plans to increase office rents for the first time in about five years in 2014 as the supply of new buildings slows.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 19, 2013

Inose calling it quits over money scandal

Scandal-ridden Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose announced his resignation Thursday for taking money from a hospital operator mired in allegations of election law violations involving a Diet member.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 18, 2013

AIJ's Asakawa gets 15 years for huge pension fund fraud

Kau00adzuu00adhiu00adko Asau00adkau00adwa, former president of AIJ Investment Advisors Co., is sentenced 15 years in prison for orchestrating a high-profile fraud case that cost his pension fund clients some u00a524.8 billion.
BASEBALL
Dec 16, 2013

Oka looking to rein in knuckleball

The last few years have seen a small group of pitchers trying to master the knuckleball in an attempt to revive or extend their careers.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 13, 2013

Cameron eats humble pie in China

British Prime Minister David Cameron was feted by China's leaders during his recent three-day trip to the country, but much of his diet consisted of humble pie.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2013

Doctor helps his grandma die to avoid feeding tube

Kojiro Tokutake wanted to be a doctor since he was a teenager. His grandmother bought him his first stethoscope when he was in medical school. A decade later, he helped her die.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2013

Nuke 'black box' needed: investigator

The global nuclear power industry needs to share cross-border information to prevent accidents, replicating the transparency of international air traffic control, according to the head of an investigation into the disaster at Fukushima No. 1.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 9, 2013

Korean volunteers put the K into kizuna

One volunteer group, based at Tokyo's Meiji University, is called Kizuna International; the other, at Kyoto University, is Kizuna From Kyoto. The coincidences do not end there: Both groups' leaders share the same surname and both are ethnic Koreans.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake