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BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 20, 2014

Benesse to buy Minerva, forecasting rising demand for English learning

Education services provider Benesse Holdings says it will acquire Minerva Intelligence with the aim of strengthening its English-education businesses.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2014

China need not dominate new bank for Asia

If America's allies — and even the U.S. itself — would join China's initiative for an Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Beijing could not dominate it as some fear.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2014

Casino legalization delay likely, Komeito official says

The plan to legalize casino gambling has likely been delayed again, a senior Komeito official said Monday, dealing a further political blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 20, 2014

Subtle humor of haiku's cousin senryū is on a roll

"Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit," philosophizes the long-winded Polonius in Shakespeare's "Hamlet." That's also a fitting description of senryū — a form of short poetry defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as "a three-line unrhymed Japanese poem structurally similar to haiku, but...
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Oct 19, 2014

Abe's shift to regional woes fails to erase mistrust in LDP

Local experts and ex-bureaucrats pan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plans to rejuvenate stalled local economies, saying the idea is another half-baked initiative from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Oct 19, 2014

Abe's inner circle sprouting horns over next tax bump

A major battle appears to be brewing between the office of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Finance Ministry — the most powerful bureaucracy in Japan — over whether to raise the consumption tax from the current 8 percent to 10 percent next fall.
EDITORIALS
Oct 17, 2014

Promoting women at work

Draft legislation prepared by the Abe administration would require large companies as well as the national and local governments to set targets for promoting women in their organizations, beginning in fiscal 2016.
Reader Mail
Oct 15, 2014

Official ways for spreading Ebola

With fears about the spread of the Ebola virus in the headlines, I feel that it's important to point out that both the Japanese and U.S. governments have installed an excellent infection-spreading system at their borders.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 15, 2014

Serbia walks an East-West tightrope highlighted by upcoming special parade for Putin

In his 1949 memoir "Eastern Approaches," British officer Fitzroy Maclean wrote of standing on top of Belgrade's fortress and watching the Nazis retreat across the Sava River, leaving the capital to the Red Army and Yugoslav partisan guerrillas.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 14, 2014

As nuclear waste piles up, South Korea faces storage crisis

Among the usual commercials for beer, noodles and cars on South Korean TV, one item stands in marked contrast.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 14, 2014

Is sodium the future of nuclear or an element of doubt?

Behind thick glass in a laboratory nestled in French woodland, a silvery molten metal swirls like a liquid mirror. But the material is no mere novelty; as dangerous as it is captivating, it could offer a solution to the nuclear power debate.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2014

Tokyo stays fourth in global city ranking

Tokyo remained fourth out of 40 major cities in an annual global city ranking released Thursday, trailing London, New York and Paris.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 9, 2014

Daihatsu buys Tokyo office building in minicar expansion push

Daihatsu Motor Co., the maker of minicars that is majority-owned by Toyota Motor Corp., bought an office building in Tokyo to strengthen its business in the nation's largest metropolitan area.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 8, 2014

Aeon starts large-scale rice production as companies replace farmers

Aeon Co., the nation's largest supermarket chain, now plans to become the nation's largest rice grower.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / SEEN AT CEATEC
Oct 7, 2014

Toshiba unveils a humanoid robot that could be a sign of the times

If you visit the Toshiba booth at CEATEC this week you’ll be greeted by ChihiraAico, who can communicate in sign language . . . and who just happens to be an android.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Oct 7, 2014

Awomb: Make your own sushi at Kyoto's experimental dining destination

Before getting into Awomb, a few observations on queues and queuing. Or, in American parlance, standing in line (or on line). 1. Nothing turns me off queuing like seeing a queue. 2. Besides staging a crash outside your new shop or restaurant, nothing generates interest quite like a queue. 3. The Japanese...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 7, 2014

Tragic wake-up call as Abe pushes reactor restarts

The tragic eruption at Mount Ontake is a timely reminder that Japan is more blessed than cursed when it comes to natural resources. It possesses an enviable mix of water, wind and, most importantly, geothermal resources to fulfill its energy needs. It still has a chance to change course from the risky nuclear-energy road.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Oct 6, 2014

Foreign tourists expected to take up (some of) the slack in consumption

Food and beverages have been added to the duty-free list.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Oct 5, 2014

Families run into twin 'walls' as they seek after-school care

The gulf between day care for preschoolers and after-school care for elementary school students can come as a major shock to the system for parents and children alike.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 5, 2014

Lack of compromise delays trans-Pacific trade

American and Japanese officials should take a look at the clock ticking in their Trans-Pacific Partnership talks. Their failure to compromise thus far on key points is affecting the whole region.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 4, 2014

Tourists may not warm to Japan's welcome

A former colleague of mine always made it a point to tell people coming to Japan for a visit to bring lots of handkerchiefs because the public restrooms didn't have towel dispensers. I always took a more positive view and emphasized that public restrooms in Japan were everywhere and open to everyone,...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 4, 2014

Chinese premier to attend Europe summit, sign Russia rail deal

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will attend a summit of European and Asian leaders on a trip starting this week that will also include a visit to Germany and the signing of energy and high-speed rail deals with Russia, the Chinese government said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2014

Shibuya-Roppongi late-night bus service to halt over low ridership

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will terminate Friday's late-night bus service between Shibuya and Roppongi on Oct. 31 due to slumping passenger numbers.

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