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Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / HOOP SCOOP
Dec 12, 2014

Casey has fueled rise by Raptors

The Toronto Raptors' climb hasn't been an overnight miracle. But it's been a memorable climb under the steady leadership of head coach Dwane Casey.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Dec 12, 2014

Brightening your holiday mood

It's the most wonderful time of the year — well, that's what the song says, anyway. For many, December is a flurry of tinsel, wrapping paper and anxiety, while for others it as a time to reflect on the year ahead.
COMMENTARY
Dec 11, 2014

The devil lies in the details of Sino-Russian relations

Despite the much publicized energy transactions, a deep gulf remains between China and Russia. The moment of truth in their relations will come once the U.S. has pulled its troops out of Afghanistan and the rest of Central Asia.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 11, 2014

South Korean wealthy no longer above law

The uproar that forced a Korean Air Lines executive to resign after delaying a flight because she was unhappy with the way nuts were served points to growing intolerance of corporate bad behavior in a country dominated by family conglomerates.
Reader Mail
Dec 10, 2014

Advances without atonement

I read with interest William Pesek's Dec. 6 opinion piece, "Japan's media needs to act as a watchdog, not a lapdog."
Reader Mail
Dec 10, 2014

Students take on nuclear debate

The Dec. 4 editorial, "Debating nuclear energy," raises many issues on which high school students have been focusing — in English — for much of this year. The proposition for the Ninth Annual All Japan High School English Debate Tournament is that "The government should abolish nuclear power plants."...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2014

Aging brings gray hair ... and greater happiness

In our mind's eye, old age is to be endured as much as enjoyed, since people fear declining health, growing dependence and increasing social isolation. Then why do public opinion surveys show that, on average, people count themselves happier after age 65?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 9, 2014

Yen slide is unchecked by government ahead of election

Japanese officials have signaled their blessing of a weaker yen as polls show Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's coalition may expand its Lower House majority in this weekend's election.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Dec 8, 2014

Foreign student's account of treatment in rape case points to gaps in Japan's safety myth

Never did I expect that I would get raped in Japan. The story I am about to tell belies the image of the 'world's safest country' that often gets trotted out when people enthuse about Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 7, 2014

Evidence suggests Keynesianism boosts GDP in recessions, but good luck explaining why

Casual evidence indicates that government spending during recessions (a pillar of Keynesianism) boosts GDP. But we don't have a satisfying macroeconomic model that explains why.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Dec 5, 2014

Toyota lessons lost on Takata as it resists U.S. recall order

Takata Corp.'s resistance to a U.S. order to expand the recall of its air bag inflators is likely driven by a need to protect itself from legal liability, but it risks longer-term business damage by alienating the public, experts say.
WORLD
Dec 4, 2014

Britain to cut unpopular property levy for nearly all home buyers

British finance minister George Osborne said he will cut a tax on nearly all property purchases from midnight, removing a long-standing grievance of home buyers five months before an election.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 3, 2014

LDP campaign message diverges in urban, rural areas

Voters in parts of the country where the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a particularly sensitive issue are hearing a message from local LDP chapters that differs from the party's national campaign platform.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Dec 3, 2014

Kick out the touts who rule Roppongi

if you are touted in Roppongi, do not waste your time reporting it to the police. You will be in for a very humiliating experience, as I discovered recently.
EDITORIALS
Dec 3, 2014

Debating nuclear energy

Lawmakers and parties need to lay out energy plans that include measures to reduce emissions that don't rely on nuclear power.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 3, 2014

Abe shouldn't make his mentor's mistakes

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should keep in mind why voters backed him to begin with: his apparent decisiveness and determination to challenge old ways of doing things.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 3, 2014

Campaigning for election kicks off as Abe's approval rating dips

Official campaigning for the Dec. 14 Lower House election kicked off Tuesday, with 1,191 candidates across the country angling for one of the chamber's 475 seats.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2014

U.K.'s immigration distraction

If the British public truly opposes immigration, they are probably referring to non-EU immigration.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2014

Ferguson protesters put cause at risk

By escalating their tactics, Ferguson protestors risk changing the public mood from one of apathy to opposition to their cause.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 2, 2014

Russia can play good cop too, in its fight for regional influence

There were 76, but they were dubbed the 'Russian 100' —lifesavers flown in from Moscow within hours of an appeal for help from Serbia as the heaviest rainfall in more than a century inundated the Balkans in May.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2014

Is the European Union too rigid to survive?

Uncompromising attempts to bind Europe together may instead hasten its abrupt and unmanageable dissolution, with unknown consequences.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 1, 2014

Party chiefs spar at press club debate

Leaders of the ruling and opposition parties squared off during a debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Monday, a day before official campaigning got underway for the Dec. 14 Lower House election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 29, 2014

Newspapers take sides on 'Abenomics'

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's dissolution of the Diet has become another point of contention between right- and left-leaning entities in Japan. One of the more revealing responses involved a website set up by a member of a nonprofit organization called Bokura no Ippo ga Nihon wo Kaeru (Our One Step Will...
EDITORIALS
Nov 28, 2014

Foot-dragging on vote-disparity fix

The parties and lawmakers need to set aside their own interests and bring the gap in the value of votes within constitutionally acceptable levels.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 27, 2014

Shadowy Chinese agency woos Taiwanese to win island back

Ever since a civil war split the two sides more than 60 years ago, China has viewed Taiwan as a renegade province that needs to be absorbed into the mainland. To that end, the Taiwanese businessmen working in China form a beachhead in a war of hearts and minds.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 27, 2014

Merkel hits diplomatic dead end with Putin

After nine months of non-stop German diplomacy to defuse the crisis in Ukraine, Chancellor Angela Merkel decided in mid-November that a change of tack was needed.

Longform

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