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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Nov 4, 2013

Warming up for the winter chill

In 2000 we moved into an apartment in Tokyo run by the semi-public housing corporation UR. It was new and had a natural-gas heating system. Unlike other gas systems we'd used in the past, however, this one heated water that was then circulated to outlets in different rooms in the apartment. Direct gas...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 28, 2013

India designs low-cost computer to prep poor

The Indian government has designed a 7-inch Android-powered computer tablet called 'Aakash' that American educators are introducing in class to prep poor kids for today's jobs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / EVERYMAN EATS
Oct 24, 2013

A gourmet tour of Japan in one spot

If you were visiting Japan and wanted to experience the best of the country's dining scene, your itinerary might look something like this:
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 23, 2013

U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan sees world's biggest garage sale

The armored trucks, televisions, ice cream scoops and nearly everything else shipped to Afghanistan for the U.S. war against the Taliban are now part of the world's biggest garage sale: Every week, as the American troop drawdown accelerates, the U.S. is selling 5.4 million to 6.4 million kg of its equipment...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 22, 2013

Brain drain taking toll on India, China

Disillusionment with India's seemingly ineradicable corruption and inefficiency has resulted in a brain drain abroad. A similar quest for more congenial climes affects China's privileged classes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 15, 2013

Tax-free account seeks to spur investment

Starting in January, individuals who invest in stocks and investment trusts in a Nippon Individual Savings Account will be eligible for tax exemptions of up to five years on their financial gains. The new instrument is aimed at getting people used to accumulating financial assets via small-scale investments....
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 10, 2013

Office vacancies in Tokyo at lowest rate since 2009

The office vacancy rate in Tokyo fell in September to its lowest level in four years as the amount of space taken up in the month more than doubled, according to broker Miki Shoji Co.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2013

Angela Merkel's pyrrhic victory

Converting all outstanding European government bonds — with the exception of Greece's — into Eurobonds would be by far the best remedy for resolving the euro crisis.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2013

Nairobi shows jihadist terror still poses a threat

We cannot defend every shopping mall in the world against terrorist attack. We are just going to have to live with the threat, and for some considerable time to come.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 6, 2013

World's biggest pension fund readies powder for new Japan growth stock index

Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund plans to boost investment in growth stocks to increase returns and may eventually allocate several trillion yen to such equities, the Nikkei newspaper said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2013

Abe betting this tax hike will be different

It's different this time. The four most dangerous words in markets, according to former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Sep 30, 2013

The build-up to get that housing loan

Several years ago, we went to a bank in Tokyo that was advertising housing loans with easy terms. Though we weren't shopping for a loan at the time we wanted to see what was needed in order to apply for one. The bank's approval criteria seemed simple enough: If you made at least ¥3 million a year, you...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 23, 2013

Tokyo hopes to recover its luster with special zones for foreign businesses

To bolster Tokyo's dwindling profile in Asia, the metropolitan government has launched the Special Zone for Asian Headquarters project to persuade more than 500 foreign companies to set up shop here by 2016.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Sep 22, 2013

Busting a myth: Lehman wasn't too big to fail and didn't cause recession

To many people, the 2008-09 financial crisis was a complex, fast-moving news story and an anagram-laden, horrifying collapse. Such events often give rise to false histories, myths and ideologically driven narratives.
EDITORIALS
Sep 18, 2013

Economic reforms in China

The Chinese leadership should make strenuous efforts to achieve balanced economic growth that can raise the living standards of the hundreds of millions of Chinese who remain mired in poverty.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 17, 2013

After decades of growth, South Korea is now a land full of apartments

South Korea is a nation covered by apartments, so much so that from above, it resembles a coast-to-coast game of dominoes. Apartment buildings snake around mountains and form jarring clusters in the countryside. In cities, they align in grids that stretch for several kilometers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 6, 2013

With too many titles to list on 'meishi,' Amari is linchpin of 'Abenomics'

Akira Amari, minister for economic and fiscal policy, has so much on his plate that all of his titles don't fit on his business card. He's also the minister in charge of economic revitalization and reforming social security and taxes, and the head negotiator for the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2013

Sweden offers a model for economic recovery

Sweden is enjoying steady growth thanks to an economic model that combines a social welfare society with a free-market economy and a high degree of government efficiency.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2013

Obama's great Asian dawdle

The U.S. has sent out a contradictory message: It takes a hands-off approach to the Senkaku territorial dispute yet it scowls at Japan's interest in acquiring offensive capability to deter aggression.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 26, 2013

U.S. government not shrinking fast

After 2½ years of budget battles, the U.S. federal government is on pace this year to spend $3.455 trillion.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2013

FDIC races against time to prosecute bank debacle suspects

As the clock runs out on a three-year statute of limitations, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has filed a flurry of lawsuits to recoup losses tied to the largest wave of bank failures during the financial crisis.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 8, 2013

'Homesick'

I once had a promising career as a teacher at a city day-care center in Hollywood (yes, that Hollywood). For one thing, I enjoyed interacting (translation: playing) with my charges, mostly African-American kids aged 9 to 12. For another, I liked making stuff with and for them, including a multi-story...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 8, 2013

Eat yourself broke at Grand Front Osaka

You've gotta love a city whose primary motivation is to accumulate wealth then promptly squander it through the time-honored pursuit of kuidaore (eating oneself to bankruptcy). Now, with the opening of the massive Grand Front Osaka commercial, residential and entertainment complex on the north side of...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / NOTEBOOK
Jul 30, 2013

Seibu's Prince Hotels ventures into China ski resort; new Haneda special souvenir

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