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JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 15, 2014

DPJ President Kaieda loses Diet seat, set to quit as leader

In a stunning development early Monday morning, Banri Kaieda, president of the Democratic Party of Japan learned he lost his Diet seat in Sunday's Lower House election and is now set to quit as leader of the nation's largest opposition force.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 14, 2014

Proportional representation gamble stems Ishin no To losses

A last-minute appeal by Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) for proportional representation votes appears to have prevented larger-than-predicted losses in Sunday's Lower House election.
Japan Times
JAPAN / DECISION 2014
Dec 14, 2014

LDP clinches hollow victory as opposition options elude

The Liberal Democratic Party handily wrapped up the Lower House election Sunday even as many voters said they were driven by lack of choice rather than enthusiasm for the conservative party headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 14, 2014

In Modi's India, green shoots of reform from a desert state

The reformist government that many Indians and free-market flag-bearers had hoped would emerge after this year's election isn't in New Delhi — at least not yet. It's a dusty day's drive to the southwest.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 14, 2014

Time to stop viewing torture as a policy option

President Barack Obama's refusal to enforce an unequivocal prohibition against unauthorized interrogation techniques means that torture effectively remains a U.S. policy option rather than a criminal offense.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 14, 2014

Two security firms launch rival automatic password changers

A French-American startup has launched an automatic password changer, leading a rival U.S. software firm to launch a similar service.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Dec 13, 2014

Photographer strives to preserve the memory of capital's hub for eternity

There is only one person in the country who has "Tokyo Station photographer" printed on a business card — Naoki Sasaki.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 13, 2014

From a hostess club to a mountain village: Five notable Japanese photo books of 2014

While selecting some of the best photography books released in 2014, I was struck by the range of specific places that Japanese photographers captured — from a pleasure district to a mountain village and an old rooftop. Photo books with such a geographic focus might be a good way to store up energies...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 13, 2014

Amid lack of alternatives, Abe looks to win big by default

The focus of the House of Representatives election is not on how close it will be, but on how strong Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition will become.
EDITORIALS
Dec 13, 2014

Outer space belongs to science

Unfortunately a recently disclosed draft of Japan's new basic plan for space projects gives top priority to use of outer space for national security purposes.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 13, 2014

China likely to covertly muzzle Hong Kong to prevent new protests

As the dust settles on Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, China is likely to embark on a sweeping but covert campaign across the territory's judiciary, media and universities to ensure there is no recurrence, activists and politicians say.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2014

Ahead of near-certain election win, Abe pivots away from painful reforms

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is signaling that retooling Japan's economy with painful structural reforms must take a back seat to reviving growth, even though he is poised to win a big "referendum" on his economic policies in an election Sunday that might set a new record for low turnout.
WORLD
Dec 13, 2014

Canadian Navy bans most drinking at sea

The Royal Canadian Navy on Friday imposed an almost total ban on sailors drinking at sea, after a warship had to be recalled from an international exercise because inebriated crew members got into trouble.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 13, 2014

Storm brings floods, mudslides, tornado to California; tens of thousands lose power

A Pacific storm pounded Southern California with heavy rain and high winds on Friday, triggering flash floods, a small tornado and mudslides that prompted the evacuation of hundreds of homes, damaged dozens of others and disrupted passenger rail service along the coast.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 12, 2014

Ice Bucks strive to build brand, promote league

"Hard work, every day."
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 12, 2014

Shonan complex offers a curated lifestyle

A discreet black sign, concrete floors, industrial-style ceilings, wooden shelves filled with design toys and gourmet treats. This may sound like the minimal interior of an urban lifestyle store in some hip corner of Tokyo, but the reality is more surprising. It is, in fact, a new branch of one of Japan's...
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.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2014

'Perseverance' repeats as word of the year in Aeon poll

Foreign teachers working for English language school chain Aeon Corp. have chosen "perseverance" as the word of the year to describe Japan for the second consecutive year, the company said Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 12, 2014

CIA torture: time to move on?

Even Sen. John McCain, who knows more about the subject of 'torture' than any other American politician since he was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, confines himself to saying that torture is not a useful instrument for yielding credible information. He avoids mentioning it is also a grave crime under international law.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 12, 2014

West versus Islamic State: the ransom dilemma

The refusal to pay ransoms to terrorists can seem callous, but in truth it is the only ethical policy. Governments that pay ransoms to save some of their citizens' lives put the remainder of their citizens — and others — at greater risk.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 12, 2014

A rude awakening for America

The American pivot to Asia was the product of people in Washington who only think in terms of military power — as in trying to annex Ukraine and Georgia to NATO and the EU. There are new ways of thinking in China and even Russia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 12, 2014

Takayama mobilizes to protect voters from bear attacks

Polling stations in one mountain city are bracing for an unusual kind of disruption on election day: bear attacks.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 12, 2014

With vice-presidential pick, Mugabe charts nationalist course

When veteran Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe sacked his vice-president in front of 12,000 baying party members last week, Emmerson Mnangagwa sat quietly in the crowd, a green baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Dec 12, 2014

Hunting for pictures, and crocodiles, in remote Aboriginal country

We are deep in a forest crowded by Australian paperback trees, the air thick with humidity but eerily silent save for the screeching of tropical birds, when Marcus shouts: "Look, crocodiles!"
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2014

Sony PlayStation to make China debut next month as ban ends

Sony Corp. will release its PlayStation 4 console in China next month, following Microsoft Corp. into the world's biggest game market after the government eased restrictions.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 11, 2014

On the campaign trail, ex-minister Obuchi says sorry for scandal

An apologetic Yuko Obuchi reels in her stumping for the Lower House election after being stung by a fundraising scandal that abruptly ended her stint as trade minister.

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