Search - 2013

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Nov 28, 2014

Cool Japan sets its sights on Southeast Asia

A full year and a half has passed since the Japanese government gave its final approval for the Cool Japan Fund — a 20-year, public-private entity aimed at spreading Japan's cultural appeal overseas — the official soft-power push that some bureaucrats and academics had been advocating for at least...
BASKETBALL
Nov 27, 2014

Veteran star Parker to leave Wakayama, join Toyota

The NBL's Wakayama Trians have gone from title contender to near-the-basement dweller in less than a year.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Nov 27, 2014

Former Arizona State coach Evans provided enduring lessons for Oketani, Hamaguchi

What do the Iwate Big Bulls and Kyoto Hannaryz have in common besides being first-place teams?
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 27, 2014

Vote-value disparity ensures rural few maintain clout over urban masses

In the nation's elections, it can take five city dwellers to match the voting power of a single farmer.
WORLD
Nov 27, 2014

More than 400 arrested as Ferguson protests spread to other U.S. cities

National Guard troops and police aimed to head off a third night of violence on Wednesday in Ferguson, Missouri, as more than 400 people have been arrested in the St. Louis suburb and around the United States in unrest after a white policeman was cleared in the killing of an unarmed black teenager.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Nov 26, 2014

FIBA bans Japan from international competition

Although nearly a month passed since FIBA's Oct. 31 deadline for the Japan Basketball Association to present a merger plan for the bj-league and the NBL, among other demands, basketball's world governing body delivered the expected news.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 26, 2014

Jigoku de Naze Warui (Why Don't You Play in Hell?)

Director: Sion Sono Language: Japanese (subtitled in English)
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 26, 2014

Kaneko, Sugano claim MVP awards

Chihiro Kaneko put up big numbers last season, but was largely out of the spotlight when it was time to give out awards. This time around, the Orix Buffaloes ace was one of the main attractions.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 26, 2014

Takata air-bag rupture in Japan signals more automaker recalls

The transport ministry said Wednesday a Takata Corp. air bag ruptured in a model not covered by existing recalls, suggesting automakers may have to expand safety campaigns to replace the devices linked to five deaths.
EDITORIALS
Nov 26, 2014

Probing Gunma patient deaths

Gunma University Hospital's investigative committee as well as the health ministry should carry out a thorough probe to find out what led to the deaths of eight patients who underwent liver surgery.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 26, 2014

Life's the star in new 'Constellations'

As the third play in its series titled Drama for Two — The Power of Dialogue, the New National Theatre, Tokyo, is set to stage acclaimed English playwright Nick Payne's two-hander quantum love story "Constellations" for a three-week run from Dec. 3.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 26, 2014

Court rejects Osaka mayor's bid to ban unions from using school buildings

The Osaka District Court ruled Wednesday that a city ordinance banning labor unions from using public facilities such as school buildings for meetings was illegal and unconstitutional, ordering the city to pay a union around ¥417,000 in compensation.
BUSINESS
Nov 26, 2014

Abe will have chance to name more women to BOJ board

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has a chance to appoint a second female to the Bank of Japan's Policy Board next year, which would mark a first in the institution's 132-year history, said one of his advisers, Etsuro Honda.
BUSINESS
Nov 26, 2014

Salaries of BOJ governor, other execs rise for first time in nine years

The Bank of Japan gave the first pay raise in nine years to its Policy Board and other executives, backing Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda's efforts to reflate the world's third-biggest economy.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Nov 25, 2014

Grand Prix Final places on line at NHK Trophy

Yuzuru Hanyu's expected return to the ice won't be the only drama unfolding this week in the NHK Trophy at Osaka's Namihaya Dome, where spots in the Grand Prix Final will also be on the line.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 25, 2014

Nuclear power's dark future

Nuclear power constitutes the world's most subsidized energy industry yet it faces an increasingly uncertain future.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 25, 2014

Abe consumption tax backfiring with more debt, not less

What started as a plan to reduce the national debt is turning into a reason to issue more bonds.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 24, 2014

Swiss museum to accept art trove, return Nazi-looted works

A museum in the Swiss capital has agreed to accept an art trove bequeathed to it this year by German collector Cornelius Gurlitt, and vowed to return any works in the horde seized by the Nazis.
BUSINESS
Nov 24, 2014

China ready to cut rates again on fears of deflation: sources

China's leadership and central bank are ready to cut interest rates again and also loosen lending restrictions, concerned that falling prices could trigger a surge in debt defaults, business failures and job losses, according to sources involved in policymaking.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 24, 2014

Local governments finally getting around to public toilets

There will soon be many more Western-style toilets in Chiba Prefecture's public rest rooms
BASKETBALL
Nov 23, 2014

Big Bulls beat B-Corsairs to stretch win streak to 14

What has defined the Iwate Big Bulls' performance this season?
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Nov 23, 2014

Kepco weighs new lease of life for geriatric reactors

In a decision that will set a precedent for Japan's rapidly aging nuclear reactors, Kansai Electric Power Co. must soon choose whether to restart reactors 1 and 2 at its Takahama plant in Fukui Prefecture and operate them beyond the 40-year threshold, the first time a Japanese utility has faced such...

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