Search - 2015

 
 
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 31, 2015

U.S. downplayed evidence of abuses in Chinese detention camps

After China abolished a notorious penal system based on forced labor in December 2013, the United States rewarded Beijing by removing the world's most populous country from a global blacklist of countries that are failing to combat modern-day slavery.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Dec 31, 2015

[VIDEO] The maid, the stormtrooper and the painter: Best interviews of 2015

Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 30, 2015

'Timbuktu' reflects on Malian lives touched by radical Islam

It's common for local distributors to resort to some dubious tactics when promoting foreign films in Japan: Worthy arthouse flicks are routinely saddled with tawdry Japanese titles, or slushy trailers more befitting of a Nicholas Sparks adaptation. Yet there's something particularly unfortunate about...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2015

New year's resolutions for the global economy

Global growth doesn't promise to be much better in 2016 than it was this year, but policy changes could boost incomes and expand opportunities for people everywhere.
WORLD / Society
Dec 30, 2015

U.S. forces reveal Islamic State fatwa detailing when 'owners' can rape enslaved female captives

Islamic State theologians have issued an extremely detailed ruling on when "owners" of women enslaved by the extremist group can have sex with them, in an apparent bid to curb what they called violations in the treatment of captured females.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2015

New members named to Japan Times Media Advisory Board

The Japan Times on Tuesday announced the appointments of four distinguished individuals to The Japan Times Media Advisory Board, a committee of Japan-based experts tasked with advising the newspaper on its content.
Japan Times
JAPAN / OBITUARY
Dec 29, 2015

Eiji Kimizuka, former GSDF Chief of Staff, dies at 63

Friends of the Ground Self-Defense Force throughout Japan and the world were saddened to learn about the passing of Eiji Kimizuka, a retired four-star general who served as the Chief of Staff of the GSDF from 2011 to 2013 but perhaps was best known for leading the bilateral response to the March 2011...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Dec 29, 2015

Criteria for College Football Playoff too convoluted

The more things change in the chase for the U.S. collegiate football title, the more they stay the same.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2015

Test astronaut hopefuls flood Japan's space agency in search of big payday

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's pitch to find male volunteers for a two-week stress test in return for nearly double the monthly salary of a new university graduate draws more interest than expected.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2015

A Trump nomination win could spell the end of the conservative party

If the Republican Party doesn't get its act together, it will lose more than the 2016 presidential election.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2015

Germany is right to flout Russia sanctions

Germany has rallied Europe in support of Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia, but has been less diligent in their implementation.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2015

Solving America's stubborn poverty problem

To succeed, any new war on poverty in America must reverse several socially corrosive trends.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2015

An education antidote to Islamic radicalization

The way to counter Islamic extremism is to increase educational and employment opportunities for young Muslims.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 29, 2015

Switzerland has kept records for 150 years and this December clocks in as the warmest

Switzerland will mark its warmest December since the country that founded winter tourism began keeping records 150 years ago.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Dec 28, 2015

Gifu Girls dethrone Oka Gakuen

Gifu Girls High School exhibited produced impressive second-half comeback to end Oka Gakuen High School's dominance with a 54-49 win in the girl's championship game at the All-Japan High School Basketball Tournament at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Monday.
BASKETBALL
Dec 28, 2015

Crews dazzles in Grouses' victory over HeatDevils

Seven days after making 11 of 11 shots from the field in a game against the Kanazawa Samuraiz, forward Duke Crews delivered another jaw-dropping offensive performance for the Toyama Grouses.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 28, 2015

Bad year for Asian democracy

Malaysia and Thailand are just two reasons to doubt Asia's commitment to openness and accountability.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 28, 2015

China faces twin challenges to maintain growth

China needs to transition away from unsustainable investment-led growth and move toward a more sustainable consumption-led growth model.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 28, 2015

Crucial week for the yen: A fourth annual loss or world's top currency

Events this week will determine whether the yen has a record fourth annual decline in 2015, or is the year's best-performing major currency.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 28, 2015

Aichi printing company publishes calendar produced by man with no arms

A printing company has produced a calendar bearing kanji characters written by a staffer who has no arms.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2015

Decade-high 36 aviation accidents, mishaps logged in '15: NHK

The number of aviation accidents and serious mishaps in Japan reached 36 this year, marking a record-high in the past decade, NHK reported Monday, citing data compiled by the Japan Transport Safety Board.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 27, 2015

Does the future of Japanese music depend on streaming services?

When music consultant Mikiro Enomoto asked a class of Kyoto Seika University students how they listened to new music last year, he reckons 80 percent of them mentioned YouTube or YouTube-linked sites. When he asked the same question to this year's class, almost all of them said they don't bother looking...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 27, 2015

Stranglehold on music copyrights is loosening in Japan

Pop music agency Avex Group Holdings, known for managing artists such as Exile, Namie Amuro and Tokyo Girls' Style, announced in October that they plan to transfer the copyright administration of up to 100,000 songs from the current holder, JASRAC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and...
WORLD / Politics
Dec 27, 2015

Political ads for 2016 campaign termed positive so far, with caveats

Although the Republican front-runner in the 2016 presidential election has taunted his opponents as "disgusting," "dumb," and "losers," the campaign has, by at least one measure, proven to be astonishingly positive.

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