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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...
COMMENTARY
Dec 19, 2012

Supply surge jolts 'peak oil' theory

The entrenched notion that the world will soon start running short of oil was jolted earlier this year when an expert study concluded that, contrary to what most people believe, oil-supply capacity is expanding so fast that it will outpace consumption by a wide margin in the next few years.
EDITORIALS
Dec 18, 2012

Avoiding disaster in Doha

Our planet continues to warm. A recent series of reports anticipates a 4-degree (Celsius) rise in global temperatures by 2100 — twice the target that nations adopted in 2010 as the maximum allowable range for avoiding dangerous changes that will include the loss of coastal communities, the spread of...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ELECTION 2012
Dec 18, 2012

Torrent of support for LDP clears pipes for fiscal spigot

The magnitude of the Liberal Democratic Party's win in Sunday's general election smooths the path for fiscal stimulus in early 2013 as incoming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to end the economy's contraction.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Dec 17, 2012

LDP aware voters just punished DPJ

The Liberal Democratic Party's overwhelming victory Sunday means hawkish Shinzo Abe is going to be prime minister again.
EDITORIALS
Dec 17, 2012

LDP back in the saddle again

The Liberal Democratic Party, which was badly defeated in the Lower House election in August 2009 and had to give up power to the Democratic Party of Japan after ruling the nation almost without interruption since 1955, made a comeback in Sunday's general election. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2012

New regional leaders face myriad challenges

What Japan needs the most as it emerges from the Lower House election is a more stable political leadership, after having six prime ministers in as many years, so that it can tackle mounting domestic challenges and manage its shaky ties with neighboring countries.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 16, 2012

Report slams Pakistani leaders as tax dodgers

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, presumed to be one of the nation's richest men, did not file tax returns last year, a new report contends. Neither did Interior Minister Rehman Malik. And nearly 70 percent of the members of Parliament failed to pay taxes, according to what may be the first comprehensive,...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 15, 2012

World's health taking on an American look

The health of most of the planet's population is rapidly coming to resemble that of the United States, where death in childhood is rare, too much food is a bigger problem than too little, and life is long and often darkened by disability.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ELECTION 2012
Dec 15, 2012

JGB market braces for Abe's return

The worst prime minister for Japanese government bonds in almost two decades is poised to return, ousting the best since 2006.
BUSINESS
Dec 14, 2012

Teijin to boost carbon fiber in U.S. for gas, auto needs

Teijin Ltd., a supplier of carbon fiber used in the Airbus SAS superjumbo jet, is considering plans to expand output in the United States to meet demand for the lightweight material in cars and storage tanks for natural gas.
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2012

China deserting Japanese brand cars

Three months after the Senkakus dispute led rioters to vandalize Japanese cars in China, Japan's leading automakers are luring back buyers with discounts and guarantees — but some dealers may take more persuasion to keep investing in their brands.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2012

Sony to boost capital ratio to 40%

Sony Corp., whose credit was downgraded to junk by Fitch Ratings last month, plans to boost its capital ratio to at least 40 percent by reviving its business and converting bonds to equity.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2012

Japan's 'no' pressures U.S., China

Japan's rejection of an international treaty on reducing pollution after 2012 is a tactic to put pressure on China and the United States to sign onto a new climate pact, according to Masahiko Horie, the country's ambassador for global environmental affairs.
EDITORIALS
Dec 3, 2012

Extending the Kyoto Protocol

More than 190 countries on Nov. 26 started a new round of talks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Doha, Qatar, to discuss global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions believed to cause global warming.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Dec 2, 2012

Michael Woodford: Japan's whistle-blower supreme speaks out

Michael Woodford glances out of the floor-to-ceiling window of his multimillion-pound loft apartment, which looks out across the River Thames toward the City of London, the so-called Square Mile that is among the world's leading financial and commercial centers.
COMMENTARY
Nov 28, 2012

As the world grows warmer, concern cools down

A recent report on the humdrum subject of plans to build new coal-burning plants to generate electricity helps to explain why Asia — led by China and India — is now at the epicenter of concern about global warming and climate change.
EDITORIALS
Nov 25, 2012

More platform barriers

Progress on installing protective barriers on Japan's train station platforms have stalled, according to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry. Railway companies have installed platform barriers on only 34, or 14 percent, of the 235 stations (with 100,000 or more passengers per day)...
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2012

World Economic Forum task force to tackle Japan's financial gender gap

The World Economic Forum has announced the launch of a task force to close Japan's economic gender gaps by 10 percent by 2015.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2012

Subaru's lack of China plant pays off

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. President Yasuyuki Yoshinaga has become a market darling for something he failed to do: build a factory in China.
EDITORIALS
Nov 15, 2012

Closer to Lower House dissolution

The political situation appears to be moving out of deadlock. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda reportedly has made up his mind to dissolve the Lower House for a December general election as two of the three conditions that he set for dissolving the Lower House are likely to be met.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?