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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Nov 27, 2016

'Five-year rule' triggers 'Tohoku college massacre' of jobs

I have discussed the "five-year rule" several times before in this column — the revision of the Labor Contract Law (Rodo Keiyaku Ho) enacted in 2013. Under the amendment, any worker employed on serial fixed-term contracts (yūki koyō) for more than five years can give themselves permanent status....
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 27, 2016

Trump's tough talk on Castro and Cuba shows big shift from Obama

Donald Trump started to put his stamp on a more muscular foreign policy Saturday with a toughly worded statement following the death of Cuba's Fidel Castro.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 26, 2016

Pondering Trump's future prospects of throwing out first pitches in MLB, NPB

What kind of president will Donald Trump be regarding sports?
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 25, 2016

Otani makes history with Best Nine selection at both pitcher and DH

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters star Shohei Otani made history when he was named to the Pacific League's Best Nine team as both pitcher and designated hitter when the awards were announced Friday afternoon.
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2016

World's biggest pension fund gains ¥2.4 trillion as stocks rally

The world's biggest pension fund posted its first profit in four quarters as stocks rebounded, providing some respite for the Japanese state money manager after critics lambasted it for taking on too much risk.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 25, 2016

Central Americans surge north, hoping to reach U.S. before Trump inauguration

Central American countries warned on Thursday that large numbers of migrants have fled their poor, violent homes since Donald Trump's surprise election win, hoping to reach the United States before he takes office next year.
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2016

Moscow says missile deployment on disputed isles should not hurt Russia-Japan relations

The deployment of Russian missile systems on the Kuril Islands should not influence efforts to settle a long-running territorial dispute between Moscow and Tokyo over the islands, the Kremlin said.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Nov 24, 2016

Sunrockers still a work in progress under new coach Toews

Naturally, a 60-game season, starting in September and ending in May, doesn't involve the same preparations as a five-day tournament.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Nov 23, 2016

Uchiyama seeks revenge, title in bout with Corrales

Top Japanese boxer Takashi Uchiyama is preparing to take the ring on New Year's Eve for the sixth consecutive year next month.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 23, 2016

South Korea, Japan ink intelligence-sharing pact on North Korea threat

The two U.S. allies formally sign an agreement to swap military intelligence amid Pyongyang's increasing belligerence.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 23, 2016

BRICS falls under China's sway

Just as China dominates the other new institutions of which it is a founding member — from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank — it is using BRICS to assertively push its own interests.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 23, 2016

Jailing of Khmer Rouge leaders sends message to North Korea: U.N. envoy

A Cambodian Supreme Court chamber on Wednesday upheld a life sentence for two top cadres of the 1970s Khmer Rouge found guilty of crimes against humanity, a decision a U.N. envoy said sent a message to leaders in North Korea and elsewhere.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 23, 2016

Campaign targets Japan's stray cat problem

Dogs are a man's best friend, and for many, cats are, too.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 23, 2016

Philippines, U.S. agree to reduce joint military drills, U.S. troop deployments, general says

Philippine and United States military officials have agreed to scale back joint exercises and reduce U.S. troop deployments, a Philippine general involved in the talks said on Tuesday, though a statement issued by the allies spoke of "close cooperation."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 22, 2016

Spirit of Ninagawa and Shakespeare strong in Takahiro Fujita's daring take on 'Romeo and Juliet'

Takahiro Fujita was really looking forward to the new year in 2016. He'd already been honored when dramatist supreme Yukio Ninagawa asked him to write a play for him to direct. Now, they were each set to stage separate versions of "Nina's Cotton," that new work inspired by the life of Japan's worldwide...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 22, 2016

South Korean Cabinet approves intelligence-sharing deal with Japan

The South Korean government has approved an intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan, moving the pact a step closer to fruition as North Korea continues to make progress in its nuclear weapons and missile programs, a report said Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Nov 22, 2016

The ICC: death by a thousand cuts

The International Criminal Court is not perfect but it has proven able to make a difference. It must not be allowed to fail.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 22, 2016

China likely to maintain climate goals

Beijing's air quality fell short of national standards on 179 days last year. That's one reason why the world's biggest coal consumer is likely to stick with its plan to clean up its energy supply — regardless of what President-elect Donald Trump does in the U.S.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 22, 2016

Subaru loses its cool over hot SUVs

Subaru, a tiny, conservative Japanese brand, is about to build a big, brash, American-style SUV. It's either an exercise in kaizen — slow, steady improvement — or a complete loss of cool.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Nov 21, 2016

Concerns grow after Trump ally cites Japanese-American internment as precedent for Muslim registry

One of the darkest periods in American history was thrown into stark relief in recent days after a surrogate to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said a proposal for a Muslim immigrant registry had precedent in the World War II internment of Japanese-Americans.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Nov 20, 2016

Believe it or not, virtual reality's takeover now underway

For game lovers, 2016 is likely to be remembered as the year when virtual reality technology, having become widely affordable, began to take over.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat