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Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 6, 2014

Orion, NASA's new unmanned spaceship, blasts off for trial run

A U.S. spaceship designed to one day fly astronauts to Mars blasted off Friday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for a 4½-hour unmanned trial run around Earth.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 5, 2014

Japan's media needs to act as a watchdog, not a lapdog

Cozy relationships between Japan's mainstream media and politicians have helped to enable much of the cronyism, irresponsible behavior and policy drift that the prime minister is supposedly trying to eradicate.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2014

America's problem? Too many laws

A Yale law professor tells his students that it is unavoidable that there will be situations where police err on the side of too much violence rather than too little. But fewer laws would mean fewer opportunities for official violence to get out of hand.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2014

Islamic State's siren call for Western Muslims

It is through increased confidence and conviction, rather than bland tolerance, that democratic societies can counter the appeal of fanatical causes like Islamic State and their charismatic leaders.
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.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 5, 2014

Shocking news: Electric eels exert remote control over prey

Electric eels, those perilous predators of South America, can unleash a potent electrical jolt to wallop their hapless prey. But this zap is not used merely to stun other fish.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 5, 2014

NASA scrubs Orion test flight; launch reset for Friday

The launch of NASA's deep-space Orion capsule for a test flight around Earth was delayed on Thursday after a last-minute technical problem with its rocket, NASA said.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2014

'Blackmail' economic model

Remember the 'Cry for Argentina' catch-call among rationalists decrying government intervention in the economy. Now it is 'Cry for Australia' and the dozens of other nations crucified on the cross of unrestricted free trade.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 4, 2014

Isn't it time to take art out of storage?

Tokyo's art scene has always comprised many hubs, and it's about to get a new one — one that promises to be among the most exciting.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Japan Pulse
Dec 4, 2014

#pulsepresents: gift idea grab bag

Gifts ideas for all stripes of Japanophiles.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 4, 2014

China's railway giant flexes muscles abroad

It will take more than the abrupt cancellation of a high-speed train deal with Mexico to derail China Railway Construction Corp.'s ambition to become a global force in transport projects and take on the likes of Siemens, Alstom and Bombardier.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 4, 2014

U.N. sets modest hopes for climate pledges at 2015 Paris summit

Government pledges due in 2015 to cut rising world greenhouse gases will be too weak to avert the worst of global warming will and merely be part of a process toward agreeing on far tougher curbs, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2014

Takata investigated defective air bag inflator as early as 2003

As early as 2003, Takata Corp ran an investigation into an air bag inflator that ruptured in a BMW vehicle, but concluded the problem was an anomaly, the company said on Tuesday, ahead of a second U.S. congressional hearing on dangerous air bags it supplied.
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 Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 3, 2014

Girls in the Psychic Club: Idols attempt ESP in odd sci-fi mockumentary

Nobuhiro Yamashita has never been one to do the obvious, which in his case would have meant churning out more charmingly offbeat teen comedies like his 2005 breakout "Linda Linda Linda." Instead Yamashita stretched himself with films like "Matsugane Ransha Jiken (The Matsugane Potshot Affair)" from 2006,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 3, 2014

Heaven is for Real: 'But why is it crazy-talk to say you've been there?'

The main point of "Heaven is for Real" is contained in its title, so you know where you're going with this one before you even buy the ticket. The film is based on the best-selling nonfiction book by Todd Burpo, a Nebraska pastor whose 4-year-old son, Colton, had a near-death experience during emergency...
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
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2014

Sony Pictures struggles to restore computers after cyberattack

Eight days after a massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Hollywood studio was still struggling to restore some systems Tuesday evening as investigators combed for evidence to identify the culprit.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 3, 2014

Zimbabwe's Mugabe, with total control over succession, grooms wife to succeed him

Ninety-year-old Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is literally paving the way for his wife's ascent to power.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2014

Immigrant detention centers under scrutiny in Japan after fourth death

Authorities are investigating the death of a Sri Lankan man at an immigration detention center in Tokyo, the fourth such case in just over a year, amid criticism the facilities are overcrowded and understaffed.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2014

The next phase of China's financial deepening

China's financial deepening is a market process. But it must be underpinned by a regulatory and policy framework that encourages risk-taking and innovation.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 2, 2014

Another low for Japan's gender gap, as only 15% of election candidates are female

So much for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's call to empower women.

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