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COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2014

A right-wing shock for Europe?

A new European Parliament will be elected this weekend on the heels of French poll that says fewer than 40 percent of France's citizens think the European Union is a good thing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
May 22, 2014

North Korean nuclear missiles 'imminent,' some experts fear

North Korea, which this month threatened to carry out a fourth nuclear test, may be closer than previously thought to mounting a nuclear warhead on a missile, some experts say, making a mockery of years of U.N. sanctions aimed at curbing its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
May 19, 2014

Shocking baths of Japan

Dear Alice,
EDITORIALS
Apr 8, 2014

Avoid voting age disparity

The question of whether the minimum voting age for participating in Japan's referendums should be lower than the voting age for other elections remains unsettled.
EDITORIALS
Apr 3, 2014

STAP cell scandal still unsettled

An investigative committee of the government-backed Riken research institute puts Dr. Haruko Obokata on the defensive, accusing her of data fabrication and manipuation in writing two papers in which she claimed to have discovered a groundbreaking method to create pluripotent stem cells.
Reader Mail
Feb 8, 2014

What's eating the protesters?

My question is why not [kill whales off Antarctica]? I ask the question respectfully because I do not yet have an answer. In an otherwise nicely balanced article with quite interesting historical background and devoid of the emotional hysteria that usually accompanies articles on this subject, C.W. Nicol...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2014

Francois Hollande: What became of dull Mr. Normal?

However indignant French President Francois Hollande might have been about a glossy celebrity magazine revealing the details of his affair with a French actress, the idea of sitting down and drafting his resignation was almost certainly not among them.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jan 9, 2014

Will Cool Japan finally heat up in 2014?

After years of talk, 2013 marked a watershed moment in the government's Cool Japan campaign. Which begs the question: Is Japan cool?
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Jan 5, 2014

Rebuilding hope, one stitch at a time

Most of the 19 women from the tsunami-hit city of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, who work for Tamako Mitarai's knitwear company had no professional experience as knitters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jan 4, 2014

Kenya Hara: the future of design

Sitting at a plain white table in a meeting room high up on the 12th floor of a narrow building in central Tokyo, product designer Kenya Hara asks me to picture a shallow plate in my mind. "Now imagine a slightly deeper plate," Hara says, "that gets deeper and deeper and eventually becomes a bowl."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 25, 2013

Top billings of 2013

Although all Japan's 50 reactors have been shut down since September, cleaning up in the wake of the March 2011 meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is making very slow progress and tens of thousands of people still live in temporary accommodation or are internally displaced. In addition,...
WORLD
Nov 30, 2013

Key officials back splitting NSA, Cyber Command

Key senior administration officials have advocated splitting the leadership of the largest U.S. spy agency from that of the military's cyberwarfare command as a final White House decision nears, according to individuals briefed on the discussions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 26, 2013

If your baby needs a name, let the Internet decide

There's little doubt that Mei Xiang is a thoroughly modern mother, what with the fertility treatments and 24/7 video baby monitor and all. But if you need one more piece of evidence that the giant panda of the National Zoo in Washington is perfectly on trend, consider the process for naming her new cub:...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 25, 2013

China's Xi is no Gorbachev

Trying to censor reality will only further undermine China's governing narrative, not strengthen its authority.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Nov 20, 2013

For 'no war' Article 9, any reinterpretation will do

Since the conclusion of the Article 9 debate — that it permits Japan to participate in collective security efforts — is already known, all that is really called for is some kind of excuse that the public can give the nod to before returning to their smartphones.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2013

NSA spying accomplishes little beyond alienating allies

The U.S. National Security Agency's spying accomplishes little beyond alienating America's allies.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 5, 2013

Hostess exists rather happily on the edge

With international repertoire's share of the music market down to about 15 percent, it has never been harder to break foreign acts in Japan. And given the shrinking market for non-Japanese music, it seems quixotic to set up a company specializing in bringing foreign repertoire into the country — especially...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 31, 2013

Festival/Tokyo pushes a return to storytelling

In 2009, when Festival/Tokyo took over from the annual Tokyo International Arts Festival, it burst forth with the slogan "Towards a New Real" and the resolve to stamp the city's name on the global arts map.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2013

Japan can learn from British experience on reform

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe can learn from Britain's experience of economic reform in order to ensure Abenomics takes Japan on a course to long-term growth, four journalists from British media organizations said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Oct 21, 2013

Elevation signs

Dear Alice,
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 13, 2013

Keep the government out of the Redskins' name

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office should get out of the business of determining what is and isn't offensive. There is no hope of settling on a precise standard.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 6, 2013

Ginsburg's tough decision: to stay or go?

Who dreamed up this bit of kismet? How did the stars align to make this spot of New Mexico desert the best place in the world on a late summer evening to be Ruth Bader Ginsburg?
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2013

The good side of Singapore icon Lee Kuan Yew

Singapore icon Lee Kuan Yew, who just turned 90, is known to have despised Western journalists. One American, however, has never been denied an interview if Lee was available.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2013

Silver linings for a golden age

Despite the massive challenges that countries like Syria, Somalia, Egypt, and Afghanistan currently face, and global challenges like food security and climate change, the world has reason to be hopeful about the future.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2013

If U.S. comes calling, will Abe back Syria strike?

With a comprehensive attempt under way to find a diplomatic solution in Syria, punitive U.S. military strikes planned for its alleged use of chemical weapons last month have been postponed after appearing imminent just a few days ago.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 3, 2013

Google crunches data on munching snacks in the office

Last year Google had an M&M problem. So, as it does with most dilemmas, the Internet giant put its data wizards into action.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 3, 2013

Obama shows flexibility on Syrian strike proposal

As the Obama administration launches what it describes as a 'flood the zone' campaign to persuade Congress to authorize military action against Syria, officials say they are willing to rewrite the proposed resolution to clarify that any operation would be limited in scope and duration.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2013

Inside the mind of Deng's intellectual successor

A new book at last puts Zhu Rongji, Shanghai's former mayor and the economic intellectual successor to the late Deng Xiaoping, into the pantheon of Chinese giants.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?