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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 26, 2012

Queen praises Olympians in 3-D Christmas message

London AFP-JIJI
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2012

A time to reflect on pressing economic challenges

Sir John Templeton was a legend in his own lifetime who made billions of dollars from the sensible and wise way he invested money. In these difficult times it is apposite to quote Rule No. 12 of Templeton's legendary golden rules for investment success: "Begin with a prayer," he advised.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2012

Corporate short-termism in the fiscal cliff's shadow

Economic trends are sometimes more closely related to one another than news reports make them seem. For example, one regularly encounters reports of governments' financial troubles, like the "fiscal cliff" in the United States and the debt crisis in Europe. And much attention has been devoted, often...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2012

Japan's role in U.S.' Asia pivot

Proponents of the Obama administration's "pivot," or rebalance of attention and resources, toward Asia should be heartened by the results of Japan's parliamentary election. The Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) landslide victory in the Lower House on Dec. 16 augurs well for a reinvigorated relationship...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 25, 2012

LDP returns with all its old baggage

They're baaaack. After warming the opposition bench for more than three years, the Liberal Democratic Party has returned to power, hungrier and more eager than ever to rule.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2012

To live with a nuclear Iran or to make war on it?

One of the greatest challenges that U.S. President Barack Obama will face in his second term is Iran's pursuit of advanced nuclear technologies.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Dec 23, 2012

Yokohama's Burns thrives as leader

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Draelon Burns of the Yokohama B-Corsairs is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 23, 2012

Popular slugger Ramirez, family opening Latin-style cafe in Tokyo

Most foreigners who come to Japan to play baseball do just that — and only that. Whether a career lasts a few games or several years, the guys go back to their home country to continue playing ball, stay in the game as coaches or managers or find another job outside the game. A few, however, have stayed...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 23, 2012

"Family History"; Top athletes in unimaginable contests; CM of the week: Sato Shokuhi

The portion of resident Korean nationals in the sports and show business worlds is higher than it is in the general population. Athletics and entertainment were and still are two traditional ways for non-Japanese to escape poverty.
Events / KANSAI: WHO & WHAT
Dec 22, 2012

Come laugh your heads off at Osaka shrine

Visitors to Hiraoka Jinja Shrine in Higashi-Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, can join in the laughing ceremony Tuesday to welcome a more joyous new year.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Dec 21, 2012

Aoki continues All-Star streak with seventh selection

Before the Ryukyu Golden Kings ever played a game and before Okinawa proved to be a terrific location for a Japanese professional basketball team, Cohey Aoki had already established himself as a fan favorite in the bj-league.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Dec 21, 2012

Kodo to spend Christmas Eve with drums and a crowd

Having performed all around the world, the taiko (drum) ensemble Kodo is back in Japan, ready to conclude its "One Earth Tour 2012: Legend" with a Christmas Eve show in Tokyo on Dec. 24.
Reader Mail
Dec 20, 2012

Monetary challenge for the LDP

As Japan awakes to a new government, the question of monetary easing is certain to take center stage in policy discussion.
EDITORIALS
Dec 20, 2012

Getting off the downward path

Reports from the government and the central bank show that the Japanese economy is on a downward path. Because of fund shortages, the size of the economic packages that the Democratic Party of Japan government decided on in October and November was too small to be effective.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2012

Toyota to pay record fine

Toyota Motor Corp., the company that has paid the most in fines to the U.S. auto safety regulator, agreed to pay a $17.4 million civil penalty for delaying reports of a vehicle defect.
EDITORIALS
Dec 20, 2012

Keep a close eye on Gov. Inose

Mr. Naoki Inose, who became vice governor of Tokyo in June 2007 under Gov. Shintaro Ishihara and served in that position until Nov. 29, 2012, won Tokyo's gubernatorial election Sunday by a landslide. He garnered a whopping 4,338,936 votes — the largest ever number of votes won by a candidate in the...
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Dec 19, 2012

2012 has been a big year on the Japanese social-media scene

Twitter continues to ride high. Facebook has grown a lot, but newcomer Line seems set to overtake it. Social game companies Gree and Mobage have shifted their overseas expansion into high gear. And Mixi finally admits that it needs to try harder to understand what its members want. In this month's column,...
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2012

Abe prepares ruling bloc, pressures BOJ

Liberal Democratic Party President Shinzo Abe, who will become prime minister on Dec. 26, and New Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi agreed Tuesday to compile a large-scale supplementary budget for fiscal 2012 as they kicked off talks to form a coalition government.
COMMENTARY
Dec 19, 2012

Will the second time be a charm for the Fed?

It was big news last week when the Federal Reserve announced that it wants to maintain its current low-interest rate policy until unemployment, now 7.7 percent, drops to at least 6.5 percent. The Fed was correctly portrayed as favoring job creation over fighting inflation, though it also set an inflation...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2012

U.S. school massacre won't change views on guns

We live in a society that makes it very, very easy to kill kids, though we want to pretend that isn't true.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / ICE TIME
Dec 19, 2012

Mao, Kim begin road to second Olympic showdown

Japan's strong showing at the recent Grand Prix Final in Sochi, Russia, set the table for what promises to be a fascinating 14 months leading up to the 2014 Olympic Games in the same city.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake