Search - special-issue

 
 
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 21, 2014

In bid to keep control over messages, interviews, Modi retains state media

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has anointed India's state-backed broadcaster as his media brand of choice, helping to shield his government from tough questions and prompting private news outlets to complain that they are being kept out of the loop.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2014

China need not dominate new bank for Asia

If America's allies — and even the U.S. itself — would join China's initiative for an Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Beijing could not dominate it as some fear.
EDITORIALS
Oct 14, 2014

A shift in defense posture

A Japan-U.S. interim report proposes that geographical restrictions on the activities of the Self-Defense Forces in support of U.S. military operations be removed as part of a tremendous shift in Japan's defense posture.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 8, 2014

Australian PM orders crackdown on visas for radical Islamist preachers

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday that he was ordering a crackdown to prevent radical Islamist preachers entering the country, amidst rising tension with the Muslim community following a series of security-related raids.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2014

Is the Asahi a scapegoat of nationalist media or victim of own missteps?

One of the nation's leading newspapers has been in crisis mode of late — a situation that may bode ill for liberal journalism at a time when nationalism appears to be making public inroads.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 28, 2014

Abe to shift gears as Diet session kicks off

After drawing a storm of criticism and causing controversy with his Cabinet's reinterpretation of the Constitution earlier this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party now look ready to avoid contentious security issues and refocus on revitalizing rural economies during the extraordinary...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 25, 2014

China's anti-graft drive puts the squeeze on Macau's casino junkets

Macau's casino junket operators are feeling the squeeze as China's anti-corruption drive has blown a hole in the world's biggest gambling hub. Some are shifting players elsewhere, like the Philippines and Vietnam; others are quitting the business.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Sep 21, 2014

Rather than boon for Japan, U.S. shale oil is still rip-off

Japan's national wealth is draining away as its trading companies keeping paying premium prices for the oil on offer from the U.S. and the Middle East.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 21, 2014

After Scottish vote, U.K. faces monumental shift in governance — and all that comes with it

When 3.6 million Scots voted Thursday on whether to leave or stay within the United Kingdom, they were answering one simple question: Should Scotland be an independent country?
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 12, 2014

Wildlife activists say new U.S. lynx protections fall short

The federal government will extend protections to all imperiled Canada lynx in the lower 48 U.S. states, but wildlife advocates said on Thursday it was ignoring important parts of the rare cats' range and they vowed to challenge the move in court.
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Sep 6, 2014

Automakers may miss boat on modularization

Toyota successfully defended its status as the world's largest automaker in the first half of 2014. However, Volkswagen has gotten very close and is widely expected to overtake Toyota either by the end of the year or in 2015 at latest.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Sep 5, 2014

Can Japan level its problem with vacant buildings?

On July 29, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released the results of its latest survey on Japanese housing, which it completed last fall and conducts every five years. The statistic that caught the media's attention was the one for akiya, or vacant homes. As of the end of October 2013,...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 1, 2014

Disruptive Hong Kong protests loom after China rules out democracy

Hong Kong police used pepper spray to disperse prodemocracy activists on Monday as the Asian financial center braces for a wave of disruptive protests against China's decision to rule out full democracy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 1, 2014

Abe, India's Modi agree to boost security, economic ties amid China's increasing territorial ambitions

The leaders of Japan and India agree to boost security and economic ties amid China's increasing territorial ambitions and military strength.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 29, 2014

Macau panel set to 're-elect' leader

Macau Chief Executive Fernando Chui is widely expected to be "re-elected" on Sunday after the pro-China government stifled an unofficial referendum on democracy, taking a much harder line on the gambling hub than leaders have in neighboring Hong Kong.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2014

Two-headed Russian eagle mulls moves at crossroads

The bicontinental nature of Russia is reflected in its national symbol, a double-headed eagle looking in two directions. That eagle finds itself in a precarious spot now that it must look around for as many non-Western partners and openings for business as possible.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Aug 27, 2014

Tipping points: Japan, North America and the limits of performance pay

Many in Japan believe that performance pay equals the American way, full stop. But the U.S. custom of tipping even for mediocre service suggests things are not so clear-cut.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 23, 2014

Criminal notoriety for the sake of fame

Hirofumi Watanabe, the man convicted Thursday of threatening publishers, stores, universities and basically anyone or anything that had something to do with the popular manga "Kuroko no Basuke (Kuroko's Basketball)," has enjoyed a peculiar sort of celebrity since he was arrested in December. Prior to...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Aug 17, 2014

Could the lingua franca approach to learning break Japan's English curse?

Learning English as a lingua franca (ELF) involves approaching the language as a tongue shared by non-native speakers around the world rather than as a lingo that must be mastered to native-speaker level.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Aug 15, 2014

Developing countries get lesson in basic health from Japanese schools

Developing countries are studying health measures used in Japanese schools, such as regular body measurements, lunch distribution and the use of school infirmaries, to promote the health of their own schoolchildren.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 9, 2014

Okinawa: pocket of resistance

The battle over Henoko Bay looks set to challenge the power of the archipelago's protest movement.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
Aug 9, 2014

Legacy of 1984 Olympics still growing strong

What will be the legacy of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics?
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 8, 2014

U.S. Army ends questioning of ex-POW Bergdahl on capture by Taliban

The military completed its questioning of freed U.S. prisoner of war Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on Thursday and a U.S. Army general must now recommend whether he should face charges over the circumstances that led to his capture by the Taliban.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 5, 2014

Putin's friends want to build fortress Russia

If anyone expected Western sanctions against Russia to give President Vladimir Putin pause or to damp his imperialist fervor, they hadn't counted on Russian elites acting like a hedgehog when threatened: roll into a ball and stick out quills.

Longform

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