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Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 12, 2014

Aichi primes hydrogen car launch with 11-station plan

Dozens of hydrogen stations are expected to be built across the country to pave the way for the advent of fuel cell vehicles, but many of the facilities planned are clustered around a few key cities.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 12, 2014

Ted Cruz booed for praising Israel at Christian gala

Sen. Ted Cruz abruptly walked off stage at a gala for Middle Eastern Christians after he was booed for urging the audience to stand behind Israel and Jews.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2014

Canberra buries its nuclear angst about Delhi

Australia and India bury a number of past differences by signing the long-awaited agreement on civil nuclear cooperation. It will entitle India to buy uranium from Australia.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 11, 2014

Scotch whisky makers say single malt is best in a single country

At the Kilchoman Distillery Co. Ltd. on Islay, a windswept island two hours by ferry from the west coast of Scotland, a banner nailed to a weathered barn proclaims "Better Together," the rallying cry of the group opposing Scottish independence.
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 7, 2014

Medical school in Sendai

The education ministry has given the go-ahead for Tohoku Pharmaceutical University in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, to open the first university medical school since 1979.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2014

Will China's tough stance backfire in Hong Kong?

The Beijing government may think that by blocking Hong Kong's progress toward the democratic election of a chief executive, it is safeguarding both the region's and the nation's economic interests. But it is quite likely to have the opposite effect.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 5, 2014

A Scottish 'yes' vote may not be such a big change for the queen

Scotland's vote on independence this month means Queen Elizabeth II faces a division in her kingdom not seen since the days of her namesake, Elizabeth I, at the start of the 17th century.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 3, 2014

Bourne's 'Swan Lake' puts a dance revolution on stage

To the delight of the nation's ballet fans, "Swan Lake" will shortly be gracing the Tokyo summer for two weeks — not in its traditional classical form, but in the new-classic guise of "Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake," a revolutionary twist on ballet's most tried-and-true tutu tale.
COMMENTARY / Japan / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 30, 2014

Richard Katz on the failures of 'Voodoo Abenomics'

Richard Katz, editor-in-chief at The Oriental Economist, is the author of "Voodoo Abenomics: Japan's Failed Comeback Plan," an article published in the July/August issue of Foreign Affairs magazine. Katz went into more detail about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" policy in a recent email interview...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2014

Corporate blowback builds from Minamata treaty

The Japanese government lobbied hard for a global pact that limits mercury use and to name the resulting treaty after Minamata, the site of a homegrown industrial disaster from the 1950s when the toxic metal poured into a river, poisoning thousands.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Aug 27, 2014

Tipping points: Japan, North America and the limits of performance pay

Many in Japan believe that performance pay equals the American way, full stop. But the U.S. custom of tipping even for mediocre service suggests things are not so clear-cut.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 27, 2014

Tepco to provide power to Yamada Denki's Kansai, Chubu stores: NHK

Tokyo Electric Power Co. will start providing electricity to Yamada Denki Co.'s stores in the Kansai and Chubu regions in October, NHK reported Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Aug 26, 2014

Opposition strength through unity

The current Japanese political landscape shows the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito alliance dwarfing all opposition forces in both chambers of the Diet. Could the merger of two opposition parties now in negotiations make a difference?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 26, 2014

Jakarta tiptoes around issue of gas-rich islets

The word "sleepy" could have been invented for Ranai, the largest town in Indonesia's remote and sparsely populated Natuna archipelago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 26, 2014

Younger Japanese staying away from stocks despite NISA tax lure

History is working against the Abe administration as it seeks to convince a new generation of investors that equities are the best bet for funding retirement.
BUSINESS
Aug 26, 2014

Boeing lands $8.8 billion BOC Aviation order on Asian demand

Boeing Co. won an order for $8.8 billion in jets from BOC Aviation Pte. as the aircraft lessor made its biggest-ever purchase to help meet surging travel demand in Asia.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 21, 2014

Ford said to plan new hybrid series to compete with Toyota Prius

Ford Motor Co. plans to introduce a new hybrid gasoline-electric car in late 2018 to compete against the best-selling Toyota Prius, two sources with knowledge of the company's plans said on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2014

Welcoming refugees to fill labor shortages

Why doesn't Japan, Canada and other governments admit more refugees for resettlement with a view toward addressing the governments' labor shortages?
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 17, 2014

Tokyo combats flood threats with second mammoth reservoir

Below the condos and boutiques of Tokyo's upscale Minato Ward — which includes Roppongi Hills, home to Goldman Sachs Group's Japan headquarters — a boring machine has carved out the city's newest defense against floods.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 13, 2014

Homebuyers in Japan seen at risk on floating-rate loan rush

Homebuyers are piling into floating-rate mortgages, stirring debate over whether they are too complacent as Bank of Japan stimulus revives inflation.
BUSINESS
Aug 13, 2014

Homebuyers in Japan seen at risk amid floating-rate loan rush

Japanese homebuyers are piling into floating-rate mortgages, stirring debate over whether they are too complacent as Bank of Japan stimulus revives inflation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 12, 2014

New Kyoto food complex aims to feed the mind and body

On a recent visit to Kyoca Food Laboratory on the edge of Umekoji Park, west of Kyoto Station, I waited more than half an hour for a friend who was "on her way." The mercury was tipping 37 degrees in the midday sun; even the cicadas had given up their racket.
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2014

Mori Building sells debt to fund projects in run-up to Olympics

Mori Building Co. sold its longest bond ever as Japan's biggest closely held developer plans ¥1 trillion ($9.8 billion) in projects in the decade that will include the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Longform

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