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Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2021

The Black reporter who exposed a lie about the atom bomb

Charles Loeb defied the American military's denials and propaganda to show how deadly radiation from the strike on Hiroshima sickened and killed.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 17, 2019

#StandUpJapan and other hashtags allow for new voices to be heard

On the morning of Jan. 14, 20-year-old women decked out in brightly colored kimono scrambled to catch trains to take them to ceremonies across the country to mark Coming of Age Day.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jan 7, 2018

More readers' responses to Japan Times Community articles from 2017

A selection of unpublished letters about Community stories from the second half of last year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Decision 2017
Oct 19, 2017

'Manifesto' era may be over but election campaigns still rife with rosy pledges and vague bottom lines

Eight years is a long time in Japanese politics and people are quick to forget, but things were vastly different then.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 11, 2016

Abe's constitutional revision hopes ride on July election, right-leaning opposition cooperation

Japan's postwar pacifism will face a critical challenge this year that could drastically change the course of this country forever: the July Upper House election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 29, 2015

Former Asahi Shimbun reporter says threats against him are getting worse

A former Asahi Shimbun reporter who has sustained a spate of personal attacks relating to his coverage of so-called "comfort women" years ago says the threats against him are growing worse.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jun 25, 2014

Is Japan a haven for expats with psychological problems? Readers discuss

Readers clash on the merits of William Bradbury's recent Foreign Agenda article, 'Japan: a haven for the psychologically troubled.'
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jan 22, 2013

Fixing the much-admired, reviled Constitution — by breaking it

With Shinzo Abe having called Japan's current Constitution "pathetic" (mittomonai) just a few days before taking charge of a government established under it, constitutional amendment seems likely to be on the agenda of his second go as prime minister. This should not surprise anyone, since "fixing" the...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Mar 27, 2012

JET teacher outfoxes board, Dr. Savoie's Hague prescription: readers' responses

Some responses to Patrick Budmar's Feb. 28 Light Gist column, "Teacher outfoxes board, exposes bid to fleece JETs":
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Sep 13, 2011

The loneliness — or otherwise — of the long-distance foreigner

The Japan Times received a large number of readers' emails in response to Debito Arudou's Just Be Cause column published Aug. 2, headlined "The loneliness of the long-distance foreigner." Here, belatedly, are a selection.
EDITORIALS
May 4, 2011

Triple disaster and the Constitution

Japan on Tuesday marked the 64th anniversary of the enforcement of the postwar Constitution just as the entire nation, including its people, private enterprises, and the central and local governments, is struggling to overcome the consequences of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
May 19, 2008

Does Emperor pose hurdle to forming a common Asia market?

The slowing United States and its subprime-mortgage woes are promoting the need for economic interdependency in Asia, but various hurdles must be overcome before the widely diverse economies can further solidify regional ties.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 19, 2007

Collective defense: What it means for Japan

Under the initiative of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a new government panel held its first meeting Friday to discuss whether Japan can legally exercise the right to participate in "collective self-defense.''
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2001

Japanese merit peace prize: scholar

A U.S. scholar engaged in spreading the spirit of the Japanese Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9 will propose Thursday in New York that the article and the Japanese people be awarded a special Nobel Peace Prize, his supporters in Japan said.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 1998

Supreme court issues protest on story of Kobe boy's confession

In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court sent a protest letter Tuesday to the publisher of a monthly magazine that printed confidential prosecution documents on the Kobe boy who last year killed and beheaded an 11-year-old boy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / EXPLAINER
Jun 29, 2022

Unpacking Japan's latest ruling on same-sex marriage

While the Osaka and Sapporo courts agreed on one key point, they diverged on whether the lack of same-sex marriage violates the Constitution's equality principle.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 4, 2019

Campaign kicks off for Japan Upper House poll, a litmus test for constitutional reform and tax hike

The focus will be on whether the LDP and other forces in favor of constitutional amendment will be able to retain their current two-thirds supermajority.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 20, 2018

Constitutional revision, fraught with risk, tops agenda for Abe's next term

As was widely expected, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won Thursday's presidential election to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, allowing him to continue as prime minister for up to three more years if all goes according to the party's plans.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 3, 2018

In Trump-esque fashion, Abe on offensive against Japan's established media

Harsh media coverage has left a lasting impression on Abe. Perhaps so it doesn't happen again, his administration is now considering amending Japan's laws to fundamentally change the industry.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jan 7, 2018

Much for Japan Times Community readers to crow and squawk about in year of the rooster

A selection of unpublished letters about Community stories from the first half of 2017.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Decision 2017
Oct 22, 2017

Abe emerges stronger with win, but faces nation still divided over constitutional revision

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe might have emerged from the Lower House snap election with a stronger power base — but he faces a sharply divided nation.
EDITORIALS
Oct 3, 2017

Constitutional amendment as a campaign issue

Voters should scrutinize the positions of each party on the issue of constitutional amendment as they weigh their judgment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 22, 2016

Overwork sanctioned by both firms and unions, with dim prospects for state intervention: expert

When the suicide of a female worker at ad giant Dentsu Inc. was recognized as karoshi, or death from overwork, many blamed a corporate culture that glorifies the "warrior" workers who sacrifice themselves for the good of the firm.
A scientist looks at brain scans of a patient suffering from Alzheimer's disease in Geneva in 2023.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 21, 2024

Revolution or mirage? Controversy surrounds new Alzheimer's drugs

For defenders, the drugs represent a real chance to fight the disease. For detractors, they are a disappointment after a long line of costly failures.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, awards Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh (left), the commander of the Aerospace Force, with the Fath badge in Tehran on Sunday for the missile attack on Israel. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 10, 2024

Today's Tehran looks a lot like the Tokyo of the 1930s

Current tensions between Iran and Israel have parallels to historical events in 1930s Japan.
Teruo Naka (right) and Hironori Kondoh, both lawyers for a plaintiff stating the nationality law is unconstitutional, speak to reporters on Thursday at the Tokyo District Court.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 17, 2024

Tokyo court upholds dual nationality ban, rejecting teen's citizenship case

The lawsuit centered on whether the parents' decision to acquire British citizenship for the child could be regarded as a decision made by the plaintiff.
In the past three reports in 2003, 2009 and 2016, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women recommended a revision to Article 750 of the country's Civil Code, which mandates the same surname for married couples.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 18, 2024

U.N. panel reviews Japan's women policies, including on surnames

It was the U.N. committee's first review of Japan in eight years.
Groove Armada’s Andy Cato at his farm in Oxfordshire, U.K.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Oct 28, 2024

How a DJ became an unlikely champion for green farming

Over the past six years, Andy Cato has built a network of more than 100 farmers in the U.K. and France to grow wheat using regenerative farming methods.
Plaintiffs seeking the right for same-sex couples to marry react Wednesday to the Tokyo High Court's ruling that Japan's ban on such marriages is unconstitutional.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 30, 2024

Tokyo High Court rules same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional

It is the second high-court ruling in Japan to describe the ban on same-sex marriage in those terms.

Longform

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