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EDITORIALS
Dec 4, 2014

Weighing Abe's Asian diplomacy

Japanese voters should consider the results of the Abe adminisration's diplomatic moves with regard to South Korea and China, when they cast their votes Dec. 14.
EDITORIALS
Dec 2, 2014

Weighing the impact of 'Abenomics'

To present voters with a genuine choice at the polls, the opposition parties need to flesh out their own economic policy proposals.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 1, 2014

Reality took the shine off Abe's hopes for women in 2014

So this is what I heard: This past year, women were supposedly kagaiteiru (輝いている, shining) in Japan — and their sheen is part of a national policy to value and honor the Japanese female. Excuse me for saying so, but "Usssooo! (うっそおお!, That's a lie!)" As my friend Naoko likes to...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 1, 2014

Campaigns under way but outcome no surprise

Two weeks after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision to dissolve the Lower House and call a snap election, campaigning has officially kicked off with more than 1,000 candidates vying for the 475 seats in the Diet's lower chamber.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 1, 2014

Attitudes about money continue to affect marriage prospects

Unmarried men still don't expect their future spouses to contribute much financially to a household.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 1, 2014

Failing oil prices force rethink of 2015 budget, Iraq says

Falling oil prices have forced Iraq to scrap the draft 2015 budget it planned to present to parliament on Sunday, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi told lawmakers.
EDITORIALS
Nov 30, 2014

Sudden departure at the Pentagon

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has resigned. Many observers were surprised by the sudden departure, even though President Barack Obama had indicated that he would be shaking up his foreign policy team in the wake of the disastrous midterm elections held last month. Officially Hagel is leaving...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 29, 2014

Abe seeks mandate for floundering 'Abenomics'

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's call for snap elections, implausibly pitched as a referendum on "Abenomics," is a waste of time and money, and a stunning 63 percent of the public remains unconvinced there is any good reason to hold it.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2014

ASDF on mission to deliver Ebola suits to West Africa

The government decided on Friday to deliver 20,000 protective suits to West Africa via the Air Self-Defense Force next week, part of a donation of 700,000 suits to help Ebola-hit countries in the region.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 28, 2014

Voting disparity to help LDP stay in charge amid Supreme Court inaction

In Japanese elections, it can take five city dwellers to match the voting power of a single farmer.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 27, 2014

Reduced tax rate, security legislation top priorities for Komeito

The government must apply a reduced rate to certain daily necessities to soften the impact of the second stage of the consumption tax hike in April 2017, even if it means collecting less revenue and creating extra work for some people, Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi said Thursday.
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 26, 2014

'Mr. Yen' sees drop in exchange rate he forecast coming to an end

The 14 percent plunge in the yen since mid-year has about run its course, according to the former Finance Ministry official known as "Mr. Yen."
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2014

Landmark Tunisian presidential election seen heading for runoff

Tunisians have voted to pick their first directly elected president, with the two major parties expecting a run-off as the final step in the North African state's transition to full democracy following a 2011 revolution that ousted longtime ruler Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 22, 2014

Okinawans reject Abe's base deal, but he won't listen

On Nov. 16, Okinawan voters sent Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a clear message: Close the U.S. marine air base in Futenma and locate the replacement somewhere outside our prefecture.
EDITORIALS
Nov 22, 2014

Tough penalties on sex crimes

A Justice Ministry panel's discussions on ways to toughen penalties for sex crimes are extremely important to help reduce sexual assaults and other sex-related crimes in Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 21, 2014

Tokyo voters scratch heads over poll call

Voters on the streets of Tokyo were baffled Friday after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved the Lower House for a snap election that a recent poll said more than 60 percent of the nation does not support.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 20, 2014

Komeito's 50 years of losing its religion

Back in 1964, when the lay Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai founded Komeito, many people looked on warily: They believed it violated the Constitution's separation of religion and politics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 18, 2014

Abe is banking on getting a new voter mandate

It's finally official. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday he will dissolve the Lower House and call a snap election next month, after his administration decided to delay the next hike in the consumption tax until April 2017.

Longform

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