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Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 23, 2017

A ruff guide to Seeing Eye dogs in Japan

Ariel is a devoted labrador. Named after the title character in Disney's "The Little Mermaid," Ariel can’t get enough of her user, 37-year-old Kanako Suzuki. Ariel rolls on her back, begging to be petted, and when Suzuki joins her on the floor, the animal jumps onto her lap — all 24 kilograms of...
EDITORIALS
Sep 23, 2017

Folly of quake predictions

The government should not rely on planning, not predictions, when it comes to earthquake preparation.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 16, 2017

Ruling bloc says extraordinary Diet session to kick off Sept. 28

A package of bills related to work-life reforms, including one aimed at rectifying long working hours, are expected to be a key issue during the session.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 12, 2017

Trump advisers propose strategy to allow more aggressive U.S. response to Iran: sources

President Donald Trump is weighing a strategy that could allow more aggressive U.S. responses to Iran's forces, its Shiite Muslim proxies in Iraq and Syria, and its support for militant groups, according to six current and former U.S. officials.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Sep 9, 2017

Abe's extremism undermines Japan's interests

Alas, Japan's extremists have still not given up trying to find honor in the nation's 1945 wartime defeat and and the ideology that led to it.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 8, 2017

U.S. may need new law to address political advertising on social media sites: senator

U.S. legislation may be needed to require social media companies to disclose more about how their platforms are used for political advertising, a senior Democratic lawmaker said Thursday, after new signs of Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 7, 2017

Osaka hospital will review 300-hour monthly overtime limit after document's release

Doctors and nurses at a national hospital could theoretically rack up monthly overtime at three times higher than the government threshold, a labor-management agreement shows.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Sep 3, 2017

Some schools in Japan get air conditioning while others are left to nature's whim

Government data shows air conditioning is becoming standard in most Japanese public schools, but a handful of cities and prefectures are resisting the trend for questionable reasons.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2017

Why Donald Trump is doomed (and no it's not the Nazi thing)

Trump's defense of Nazis and Klansmen isn't a radical departure from the GOP political norm. Where he's gone off the rails by American standards is a question of style.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Aug 24, 2017

Teams continue outreach to fans in summer

This is an exciting, challenging era for Japan pro basketball.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 19, 2017

Facing up to the cold hard truth of war

Although Japan and South Korea reached a final settlement several years ago involving payments to Korean women who were forced to sexually service Japanese troops in the 1930s and '40s, the issue won't go away, and not just because the new South Korean president is questioning the settlement, which was...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 17, 2017

Japan's working cancer patients face pay cuts, mounting bills and lack of awareness, study shows

Medical advances are enabling more cancer patients to return to work after treatment, but not without difficulties. Many face pay cuts and struggle to cover medical bills or living costs, according to a recent survey of working cancer patients by Lifenet Insurance Co.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Aug 16, 2017

Dentsu may not escape with summary justice

Last month, a Tokyo summary court judge ruled that advertising giant Dentsu would not get away with just paying a fine for violating the Labor Standards Act attributable to a culture of excessive overtime blamed for the death of several employees. The company will have to endure scrutiny of its employment...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 15, 2017

Abe and his Cabinet steer clear of war-linked Yasukuni Shrine on anniversary of World War II surrender

Cabinet ministers' visits to the shrine, which honors war dead including convicted Class-A war criminals, have been strongly criticized by Japan's neighbors, causing ties to sour.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 13, 2017

Taking minimalism to the next level

Ever since the release of Marie Kondo's 2011 bible on the Japanese art of decluttering, much of the developed world has been somewhat fixated on tidying up.
EDITORIALS
Aug 13, 2017

Enhancing government accountability

A series of scandals has exposed the inadequacies of a guideline that governs the management of official documents by government ministries and agencies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 10, 2017

Toshiba ducks delisting by submitting long overdue financial report

Struggling Toshiba Corp. dodged delisting Thursday by submitting its annual business report for 2016 just before deadline, accompanied by a shaky sign-off from its auditor.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / CABINET INTERVIEW 2017
Aug 10, 2017

New education chief looks to repair ministry's tarnished image

The new education minister says he will decide on whether to approve scandal-tainted school operator Kake Gakuen's bid to open a new veterinary department after weighing the results of an ongoing screening by the ministry's panel of experts.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 8, 2017

A year on, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has more plans to reform the capital

A year since becoming Tokyo governor, Yuriko Koike is riding high.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 6, 2017

The policy that could ease Syria's suffering

A new strategy is required that recognizes a political resolution to the Syrian war is highly unlikely and focuses instead on freezing the conflict to bring relief to civilians.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 5, 2017

Beleaguered Abe on the ropes as support weakens

The public has seen the true face of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and doesn't like what it sees.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 29, 2017

Struggling to govern, Trump faces growing Republican unease

As fellow Republicans labored to repeal "Obamacare" this past week, U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly swerved off topic, escalating concerns in his party about his ability to govern the country six months after taking office.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 27, 2017

Russia unrivaled in nuclear power plant exports

Having gained a near monopoly in exporting nuclear power equipment, Russia is also expanding its diplomatic clout in the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 24, 2017

America's liberals want Republicans to not be Republicans

The U.S. left's criticism of GOP lawmakers for not breaking with Trump is hollow and self-serving.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 21, 2017

Inada resists calls to resign over alleged SDF activity log cover-up

Defense chief Tomomi Inada denies participating in the alleged GSDF log coverup, clinging to her position ahead of a Cabinet reshuffle in which she is widely expected to exit.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jul 16, 2017

When open minds fight closed courts in Japan

Pressure from academic Lawrence Repeta opened Japan's courts to scrutiny by journalists from outside the press clubs, as well as scholars and bloggers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jul 9, 2017

Tributes to Jean Pearce, who shaped the foreign community's experience of Japan

Jean Pearce, who for decades helped Japan's foreign community feel more at home in their adopted country through her columns in The Japan Times, passed away peacefully on June 14 at the age of 96 in Washington, D.C.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.