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EDITORIALS
May 27, 2014

A coup by any other name

Last week's military coup in Thailand may have been a reluctant coup, but the inclination should have been resisted. The longer it takes Gen. Prayuth Chanchoa to produce a civilian government, the greater the risk that soldiers will turn their guns against the people.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 26, 2014

Journalist repeats assertion that Nanking Massacre didn't happen

A British journalist quoted rejecting historians' accounts about Japan's actions after occupying Nanking has restated that he believes the 1937 Nanking Massacre did not occur, after saying he was "shocked and horrified" by his Japanese book's conclusion, which said the Chinese government fabricated the...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
May 25, 2014

Murofushi urges Japanese athletes to expand horizons in preparation for 2020 Games

Former Olympic hammer champion Koji Murofushi has urged Japan's athletes to embrace the pressure of the 2020 Tokyo Games and end the country's track and field gold drought.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 24, 2014

U.K.'s anti-EU party makes big gains in local elections

Britain's Euroskeptic UKIP party has made its strongest ever gains in local elections, harnessing discontent with immigration and established politicians to grab support from Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives and the opposition Labour party.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 22, 2014

Study finds e-cigarettes help smokers to snuff the habit

Smokers trying to quit are 60 percent more likely to report success if they switch to e-cigarettes than if they use nicotine products like patches, gum, or just willpower, scientists said Tuesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 21, 2014

North Korea building disaster reveals regime vulnerability

It may have taken the collapse of an apartment block in an exclusive district of the North Korean capital to reveal the Achilles' heel of young leader Kim Jong Un's secretive regime.
Reader Mail
May 21, 2014

Abe makes old-timers bristle

At his recent press conference on the need for Japan to legalize its use of collective self-defense, how many times did Prime Minister Shinzo Abe say "... protecting the property and lives of the people and ensuring the security of the country as prime minister"? He occasionally mentioned the lives of...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2014

Kiev's election plans falter in east

From a cramped office in residential Donetsk, election officials Sunday frantically worked to prepare for next Sunday's Ukraine presidential poll, despite what they described as intimidation and threats from pro-Russian separatists.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
May 19, 2014

No time to rest as Cepeda hits ground running in Japan

Frederich Cepeda has had quite the week.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 19, 2014

Indonesia front-runner picks ex-VP

Indonesian presidential front-runner Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Monday named popular former Vice President Jusuf Kalla as his running mate in July's election, boosting his chances of becoming the next leader of the world's third-largest democracy.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
May 18, 2014

Questions arise in wake of NYT, Le Monde editorial housecleaning

Last Tuesday morning, two brilliant female journalists commanded two of the world's greatest newspapers. By Wednesday evening, they were both history. Natalie Nougayrede, overthrown by a senior staff revolt, left the editor's chair at Le Monde. And Jill Abramson, executive editor of The New York Times,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 18, 2014

Japan home electronics makers play dumb on smart TVs

One company dominates Japan's smart TV market, and it isn't Japanese.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 17, 2014

Tiananmen's silver year: from protest to massacre

Twenty-five years ago on June 4 the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) turned on Chinese citizens in a ruthless display of violence, not for the first time, slaughtering many in the streets of Beijing to crush a pro-democracy movement lead by university students.
Reader Mail
May 14, 2014

The overall desire to conform

Regarding Getironic's May 11 letter, "Ego therapy, collectivism or something else": It's equally as tempting to psychoanalyze the desire to conform, wear polo shirts and listen to Kenny G [as it is to psychoanalyze the desire for a tattoo].
JAPAN
May 12, 2014

Journalist now stands by Nanjing book

In a reversal, journalist Henry S. Stokes stands by the revisionist conclusion of his Japanese book that the Nanjing Massacre never occurred, after accusing his translator of right-wing sabotage.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / SYMPOSIUM ON SOUTH KOREA
May 11, 2014

S. Korea's economy and the elderly

The South Korean economy has shown positive signs recently, but prospects may not be so bright due to the increasing costs of handling an aging society, five South Korean think tank researchers met at a recent symposium in Tokyo to discuss issues facing South Korea.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 11, 2014

Kinō, Aria-to-iu resutoran-ni itta-n-da.

Today, we will introduce the proper use of Xu3068u3044u3046Y and Xu3068u304bu3044u3046Y. X(noun)u3068u3044u3046 Y (noun) means that Y is known as X, and is used when the speaker thinks that the listener doesn't know about X or when both the speaker and the listener don't know it very well. X is the topic word, and Y is the category of X.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 10, 2014

Convenience stores give our nation pride

Japan's prime minister is an unabashed patriot, as outspoken in his love for his country as in his desire to instill that love in his compatriots. Are his compatriots receptive? Opinion polls on attitudes toward pending revisions of long-standing interpretations of the pacifist Constitution, prologue...
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 9, 2014

Japan should treat test scores with discretion

Although the education ministry's decision to allow local boards of education in Japan to make public the results of achievement tests for individual schools appeals to those who are frustrated by what they perceive as a lowering of standards, the tests are far too unstable to be considered reliable or fair.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 9, 2014

Ukraine rebels ignore Putin call to delay self-rule vote

Pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine ignored a public call by Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone a referendum on self-rule, declaring they would go ahead on Sunday with a vote that could lead to war.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 8, 2014

'My Little Princess (Violetta)'

When we talk about revenge flicks, they're usually violent and involve someone like Charles Bronson, or Uma Thurman with a samurai sword. But there is another type of revenge flick: the autobiographical one, in which the whole raison d'etre of the film is the director's desire to settle an old score....
JAPAN / Politics
May 3, 2014

Constitution Day feted, fought over

Japan's pacifist Constitution is at a crossroads as the 67th anniversary of its taking effect is celebrated around the nation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
May 3, 2014

Empress-Dowager Shoken laid to rest; crackdown in Shanghai's foreign quarters; Olympic preparations; Lebanese businessman Japan's top tax-payer

One of the notable landmarks in the modern history of Japan was the funeral ceremony held Saturday night for Her Majesty, the late Empress-Dowager (Shoken, empress consort of Emperor Meiji), who passed away on April 9.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 30, 2014

In win for Obama, U.S. top court revives cross-state air pollution rule

The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Barack Obama a victory on Tuesday by upholding a federal environmental regulation requiring some states to limit pollution that contributes to unhealthy air in neighboring states.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2014

Security bid too drastic: Komeito chief

The leader of the ruling party's smaller coalition partner said Friday that he does not agree with the defense policy changes that would allow Japanese forces to fight overseas to help allies, despite U.S. support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's review of the stance.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Apr 23, 2014

In a world of pretense, are Japanese just more honest about lying?

The net sum of lying may be similar in Japan and America, but in their acceptance of life exigencies, the Japanese may be more realistic, more charitable and forgiving about the role that deception plays in our social relations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 22, 2014

'Jazz mecca' Osaka to host star-studded global concert

What comes to mind when you think of Osaka? Maybe takoyaki (octopus dumplings), the Hanshin Tigers, Universal Studios Japan, wacky comedy and down-to-earth, unpretentious people.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 22, 2014

Court orders U.S. to release memo on drones, killing of Americans

A federal appeals court ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to turn over key portions of a memorandum justifying the government's targeted killing of people linked to terrorism, including Americans.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat