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BUSINESS
Aug 5, 2013

Price of wheat to rise for third time under Abe

Wheat prices are poised to increase for the third time in a year, adding to inflation as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic stimulus weakens the yen and boosts costs.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 3, 2013

China, U.S. at odds over human rights

U.S. officials said Friday that human rights abuses in China are worsening and that their latest talks with China on the issue "fell short of expectations."
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2013

Nation's troops long way from hitting the beaches: experts

Japan has taken an increasingly proactive role in defending its territory since the end of the Cold War allowed it to shift its defensive posture to address threats from North Korea and China as public memories of the war begin to fade.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2013

Deficit cut mulled as sales tax debate intensifies

The Abe administration is considering an ¥8 trillion target for budget-deficit cuts over the next two years as officials debate how to proceed with the planned consumption tax increases that threaten to take the wind out of the economic rebound.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2013

China should return to the natural birth model

China has one of the highest Ceasarian birthrates in the world. The consequences should make Chinese women think twice before requesting this procedure.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 29, 2013

Japan could soften U.S. cuts

Settling Japan's right to a 'collective self-defense' is destined to become of vital interest to the United States as it carries out mandatory defense budget cuts.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 27, 2013

Yasukuni Shrine: ground zero for unrepentant wartime remembrance

There is considerable speculation about whether Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intends to visit Yasukuni Shrine in mid-August. This is an especially sensitive time of the year as it coincides both with the annual Bon festival, when people honor their ancestors, and the anniversary of Japan's surrender in...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2013

Japan Inc. backs Olympics bid: Cho

Corporate Japan is an active promoter of sports and is completely behind the effort to secure the 2020 Olympic Games for Tokyo, Toyota Motor Corp. Honorary Chairman Fujio Cho said Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jul 19, 2013

That's me in the picture: how 'selfies' became a global craze

It starts with a certain angle: A smartphone tilted at 45 degrees just above your eyeline is generally deemed the most forgiving. Then a light source: the flattering beam of a backlit window or a bursting supernova of flash reflected in a bathroom mirror, as preparations are under way for a night out....
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 18, 2013

Yokohama's title defense already in serious trouble

It's been nearly two months since the Yokohama B-Corsairs were crowned champions in their second season. It was a marvelous achievement.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jul 18, 2013

Germans direct NSA ire at Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel grew up in a society where the government kept a Big Brother eye on its citizens. Now, critics say, she has assented to similar practices — this time coming from the U.S., not East Germany's fearsome secret police.
EDITORIALS
Jul 13, 2013

More people studying Japanese

The number of students learning Japanese worldwide rose 9 percent inn 2012 from 2009, indicating an underlying interest in a country that some call listless.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2013

Is Obama rolling the dice too fast on Myanmar?

Has U.S. President Barack Obama's administration been too quick to embrace Myanmar's democratic path, or is such support essential to the fledgling reform process?
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2013

4 million studying Japanese abroad

4 million studying Japanese abroad: A record 3.98 million people were studying Japanese abroad in 2012 amid widespread interest in the country, the Japan Foundation announces.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jul 8, 2013

Lobbyists keep SEC's executive-pay ratio rule in limbo

Soon after Congress approved the largest overhaul of financial regulation in generations, the Securities and Exchange Commission moved to enforce what it considered one of the simpler parts of a mammoth and complicated law.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 3, 2013

U.S. makes key climate moves, but more needed

President Barack Obama's executive actions to cut carbon pollution in the U.S. have injected a new sense of hope in the global fight against climate change.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 25, 2013

Unpaid overtime excesses hit young

Some companies are compelling their younger employees to work more than 100 hours of uncompensated overtime a month to maximize their profits.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2013

Top students shunning Japan

Making English the standard language at graduate schools in Japan won't be enough to attract more of the 'outstanding' students from abroad.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2013

Asia's developing frontier with Latin America

As the U.S. economy struggles, trade within the Forum for East Asia and Latin American Cooperation has grown 20% on average in a decade.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 23, 2013

Jellyfish carry the sting of human overcrowding

It may not be immediately apparent what jellyfish, human population growth and our protein diet have in common. Take a closer look, though, and all three offer warning signs that dramatic changes are on the horizon for us and our planet.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2013

A pork sale wrapped in a thin skin

America's reaction to the advance by corporate China, including the buyout of Smithfield Foods, is reminiscent of its reactions to the Japanese 20 years ago.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2013

Surveillance controversy illuminated by history

The American public at large is more accepting of the government's involvement in their lives than a 29-year-old former NSA contractor appears to believe.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan