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COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Nov 14, 2014

Why Abe will likely opt to call a snap Lower House election

Successive resignations of two female Cabinet members dealt a blow to the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But should the opposition camp be credited for its attack that forced them to step down or did the administration manage to minimize the impact by counteracting quickly?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Nov 7, 2014

Readers' letters: carrying ID, subway 'saviors,' JA rackets, Taiji alternatives and goats

A selection of emails received in response to recent Community articles.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2014

Tepco may ask U.S. utility to inspect Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant

Tokyo Electric Power Co. is considering asking a U.S. utility to verify safety at its idled Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, a senior foreign adviser to the beleaguered utility has said.
EDITORIALS
Oct 9, 2014

Freezing assets with terror links

In response to repeated international calls, Japan's government is preparing pieces of legislation to restrict the financial transactions of people suspected of involvement in terrorist activities and to tighten 'due diligence' checks on customers.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 5, 2014

Anti-EU U.K. Independence Party on cusp of winning first parliament seat

As he walks through the southeastern English seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea with a large banner for the anti-EU U.K. Independence Party under his arm, there is no doubt who 47-year-old builder Phil Drew will vote for in an election this week.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2014

The reluctant warriors against Islamic State

The British appeared so hesitant in joining the fight against Islamic State because of, among other things, the widespread public feeling that Britain should never again become involved in a Mideast war involving differences between Muslim sects.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 27, 2014

Scotland's independence referendum inspires an Okinawan discussion

As sometimes happens when a news story that has nothing to do with Japan becomes topical worldwide, the Japanese media tried to find a local angle for the Sept. 18 Scottish referendum. The coverage fell into two categories: greater autonomy for Okinawa, and the use of referendums.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2014

U.K. Labour leader Miliband tacks left in bid to win national vote next May

Labour Party leader Ed Miliband cast himself as Britain's prime minister-in-waiting on Tuesday, eight months before an election, pledging to wring money from wealthy home owners, hedge funds and tobacco companies to fund better health care.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2014

Obama must get Congress to approve conflict

Today's issue for the U.S. is not whether the president should declare war but only whether he should even seek congressional authorization, for the protracted use of force against the Islamic State.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 19, 2014

Scots reject independence, vote to stay in the United Kingdom

Scotland has chosen to stay in the United Kingdom, spurning independence in a historic referendum that had worried allies and investors, results showed on Friday with more than two thirds of the vote declared.
JAPAN
Sep 18, 2014

Tokyo assemblyman leading gender equality panel apologizes for sexist remark

Only a few months after a Tokyo lawmaker was heckled by her sexist colleagues, the metropolitan assembly rekindles the controversy as another male politician steps in it.
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 15, 2014

Ocean algae can evolve fast to tackle climate change, study finds

Tiny marine algae can evolve fast enough to cope with climate change in a sign that some ocean life may be more resilient than thought to rising temperatures and acidification, a study showed.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2014

As the chances of a U.K. split grow, the true costs become more clear

Until last week, almost nobody outside Scotland took very seriously the possibility that Europe's most stable and durable nation — the only big country not to have suffered invasion, revolution or civil war at any time in the past 300 years — might soon be wiped off the map.
EDITORIALS
Sep 6, 2014

Social media damps debate

A new American study finds that regular users of social media sites are among the least likely to share opinions or start a political debate, either online or in person.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 1, 2014

Top Chinese university warns against criticizing Communist Party

One of China's top universities has urged students and teachers to "fight against" criticism of the ruling Communist Party, an influential party journal said, in the latest curbs on free expression.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Aug 30, 2014

Russia, European nations both have incentives to lie over Russian troops in Ukraine

The conflict in Ukraine has brought many echoes of the Cold War, including a loose attitude to the truth. Although Russia's denials of military involvement stretch credibility to the breaking point, for some they remain a convenient fiction.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2014

Gaza war may be a taste of the future

The latest war between Israel and Hamas is further testament to the historical fact that Israel's forefathers had to conquer the land that today's Israelis dwell in and ferociously defend. Is there hope of finding a lasting settlement with the Arabs?
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2014

Haiku with pacifist message sparks war of words in Saitama

An unpublished haiku about a group of women protesting against efforts to reinterpret war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution has triggered an outpouring of words in its defense.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jul 28, 2014

A trip around the Yushukan, Japan's font of discord

Often overlooked in discussions about Yasukuni is the divisive role played by the Yushukan, the war museum built within the shrine grounds to promote the 'Yasukuni doctrine.'
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 16, 2014

Hong Kong leader says city must abide by strict Chinese election rules

Hong Kong's leader told Beijing on Tuesday that the city's residents wanted a full election in 2017, but said the financial hub would have to abide by the restrictive framework set down by China's communist authorities.
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 5, 2014

Shinjuku self-immolation act protests Abe's democracy hijack

Last week a man set himself on fire next to Shinjuku Station to reportedly protest Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's bid to lift constitutional constraints on Japan's military forces. It was a gruesome spectacle captured on numerous smartphone videos and disseminated on social media. Good thing because the...
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 30, 2014

Tokyo: What can Japan learn from its dismal World Cup experience?

In the wake of Japan's early exit from the competition, Mark Buckton went looking for answers about what went wrong.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 29, 2014

Indonesia candidate battles puppet image

When one of Indonesia's most powerful politicians wanted to be part of a new government, he did not approach Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the front-runner in next week's presidential election.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2014

Shamelessness of neocons

How do we impress on U.S. neocons-cum-chickenhawks — and their Australian-British fellow-travelers — the enormous disparity between the vision dreamed for Iraq, the goals pursued, the means used and the results obtained?
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2014

Is a New York Times picture worth 1,000 polls?

New research suggests that positive images in The New York Times portend better poll numbers to come. If true, there's hope for President Barack Obama in light of the photo spread for a big story last week.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jun 27, 2014

U.S. Supreme Court curbs limits on abortion clinic protests

The U.S. Supreme Court handed a victory to anti-abortion activists on Thursday by making it harder for states to enact laws aimed at helping patients entering abortion clinics to avoid protesters, striking down a Massachusetts statute that had created a no-entry zone.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2014

U.S. Supreme Court ruling protects cellphone privacy

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that police officers usually need a warrant before they can search the cellphone of an arrested suspect, a major decision in favor of privacy rights at a time of increasing concern over government encroachment in digital communications.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 24, 2014

Sunni uprising in Iraq wins support in gulf

The Sunni uprising in Iraq has received enthusiastic support from many Persian Gulf Arabs, despite official unease over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, branded a terrorist group by governments in the region.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 23, 2014

Ironies of Iraq without end despite the best-laid plans

For President Barack Obama to stay true to his vision, judgment and instinct, he must ride out the extremely uncomfortable unpopularity of openly conceding that the Iraq war — of which he is now the prime custodian — never made sense.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 22, 2014

Naruhodo

Today, we will introduce some usages of u306au308bu307bu3069 and u305fu3057u304bu306b, which are used as u3042u3044u3065u3061.

Longform

Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.
Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly