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Reader Mail
Dec 17, 2014

Opposition's pain, LDP's gain

Regarding the Dec. 14 article "Abe tightens grip on power as ruling coalition wins 325 seats in Lower House election": Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is the main and possibly only beneficiary of this exercise in expensive futility. He can spend Christmas and New Year's knowing that he has already spent his...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 17, 2014

Japan recast as a konbini state

Following its May world premiere in Mannheim, Germany, and a summer spent gathering great reviews from its European tour, "Super Premium Soft Double Vanilla Rich" finally debuted in Japan last week at the Kanagawa Arts Theatre in Yokohama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 17, 2014

'Entrance/Exit' shows the way for new arts fest

Bulging like a half moon out into the Seto Inland Sea from Kyushu's northeast corner, the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita Prefecture may be remote and lack rail links to the rest of the country, but since time immemorial it has been a crossroads for travelers in both directions between Japan, the Korean Peninsula...
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2014

Ruble collapse could shake Putin's grip on power

Russia failed to halt the collapse of the ruble on Tuesday, leaving President Vladimir Putin facing a full-blown currency crisis that could weaken his iron grip on power.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2014

More than 20,000 bras recalled in Japan over injury fears

A defect can cause underwires to protrude from holes in the fabric while the undergarments are being worn, the Japanese division of lingerie-maker Triumph International says.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 17, 2014

Republicans tip hand on Obama lines of attack with nominees

Senate Republicans are previewing the lines of attack they'll pursue in 2015 against President Barack Obama's immigration, foreign policy and gun regulation policies during this week's debate on executive-branch nominees.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Dec 16, 2014

Hanyu reasserts dominance with Grand Prix Final win

Olympic and world champion Yuzuru Hanyu showed he has regained both his form and confidence with his dominating victory at the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2014

At least 84 children killed in Taliban school attack in Pakistan

At least 84 children were killed in Pakistan on Tuesday when Taliban gunmen stormed a military-run school in the city of Peshawar, taking hundreds of students and teachers hostage in the bloodiest insurgent attack in the country in years.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2014

'Lone wolf' Australian hostage-taker had violent, unsettled past

The self-styled sheik behind a siege at a Sydney cafe had been charged as an accessory to murder and with multiple sexual offenses. He also harbored deep grievances against the Australian government and had found little kinship in the city's large Muslim community, where he was seen as deeply troubled....
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2014

What economics can learn from human beings

Legend has it that it's hard even to get bank staff to read the 'World Development Report' published annually by the World Bank. The report for 2015 should prove to be an exception, though, as it appears to help policymakers understand deeply ingrained habits or cultural settings.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 16, 2014

North Korea wants U.N. Security Council to discuss CIA torture

North Korea on Monday asked the United Nations Security Council to add the issue of torture by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to its agenda as the council prepares to hold a meeting next week on alleged human rights abuses by the Asian state.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 16, 2014

Ancient DNA reveals history of horse domestication

Speed, smarts, and the heart of a champion: using genomic analysis, scientists have identified DNA changes that helped turn ancient horses such as those in prehistoric cave art into today's Secretariats and Black Beautys, researchers reported Monday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 16, 2014

'Yasukuni' director says 2007 film timelier than ever

With Angelina Jolie's film "Unbroken" about Japan's brutal treatment of prisoners during World War II being released this month, Chinese filmmaker Li Ying figures his 2007 anti-militarist documentary "Yasukuni" has only gained in relevance.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2014

Why CIA torturers won't be punished

U.S. Department of Justice memos gave CIA a free pass to torture without being punished. Serious crimes were committed, but interrogators will go unpunished.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 15, 2014

Time to take away the punch bowl in Japan

The BOJ's policies are allowing the government to sidestep its responsibility. That must stop if 'Abenomics' is to come off life support.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2014

Reducing the global threat posed by nuclear weapons

The best calculations show that even a limited nuclear warhead exchange between India and Pakistan would wreak havoc on food distribution networks, killing up to 1 billion people worldwide.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2014

NASA's Mars capsule will never land on Mars

Rather than admit the many shortcomings of the Orion space capsule, NASA has boldly promoted its development as the first step in America's journey to Mars. But it will not be going to Mars.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 15, 2014

Kaieda quits as DPJ chief after humiliating ejection from Diet

Humiliated by the loss of his seat in the Lower House election, Banri Kaieda resigns as president of the Democratic Party of Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2014

Amid reform talk, hopes grow for short-term home rental market

Japan seems to have the right mix for developing a vibrant short-term home rental market: a rapidly growing tourism industry, a cheap currency and — unlike many countries — 8 million vacant homes.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 15, 2014

Resurgent JCP has night to remember

While the leaders of most of the opposition parties were grim-faced Sunday night, the Japanese Communist Party was celebrating after it more than doubled its seats in the Lower House.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 15, 2014

Hong Kong police clear last prodemocracy protest site

Hong Kong authorities started to clear the last of three pro-democracy protest sites on Monday, marking the end of demonstration camps in the city that have blocked streets for more than two months.

Longform

The building of new high-rise residential buildings has some alarmed that they could empty and fall into disrepair as Japan's population shrinks.
The high cost of letting Japan's condos crumble