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JAPAN / Politics
Aug 20, 2015

Shiga residents slam lawmaker who resigned from LDP amid money scandal

Lower House member Takaya Muto, who quit the Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday over allegations of a financial scandal, has come under fire among his constituents in Shiga Prefecture for betraying their trust, and faces an uncertain future as an independent politician.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / 70 YEARS AFTER THE WAR'S END
Aug 14, 2015

Abe's nationalism reflected in conservative political movement, but polls show voter dissent

The hot political season is back as the nation observes Aug. 15, which is always an emotional date as it marks Japan's surrender in World War II — and this year is the 70th anniversary of that fateful event.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 8, 2015

Weeklies' summer specials feature sports, crimefighting, frozen treats and horror

The National High School Summer Baseball Tournament this year observes its 100th anniversary, and Asahi Geino (Aug. 13) recalls 10 hard-fought games at Koshien Stadium that fans still remember. In a short follow-up, the magazine introduces the "new monster," as he's being called, 16-year-old Kotaro Kiyomiya,...
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2015

WikiLeaks alleges widespread U.S. spying on Japanese government, major companies

Anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks releases a trove of documents titled “Target Tokyo” detailing alleged snooping by the U.S. National Security Agency on the Japanese government and businesses — just as negotiators from 12 nations, including Japan and the U.S., hope to wrap up the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 31, 2015

Motenashi Kuroki: Chilling with summer specials at one of Akihabara's best ramen shops

Any season is ramen season. But when the heat builds and energy levels start to sag, is it really worth trekking across town and waiting in line for noodles that will only make you sweat even more? In the case of Motenashi Kuroki, most definitely yes.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 25, 2015

After surprise FT sale, focus turns to The Economist

The Economist Group could become the latest British media business to undergo a change of ownership this year as its co-owner Pearson focuses on education, bankers and industry sources said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 21, 2015

Campaign group SEALDs hooking Japan's youth with jazzy placards, fliers

The sticky, humid night did not stop thousands of infuriated Japanese from gathering outside the Diet on July 15. Many held eye-catching placards that displayed messages such as, “Give peace a chance” and “Our future, our choice” to protest the approval of two security bills at the special committee...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 18, 2015

Despite what the media says about juvenile crime, the kids are alright

In an essay he wrote for Asahi Shimbun's Internet magazine Webronza in June, professor Mikio Kawai, a specialist in "serious crime," revealed the results of a survey he conducted last March among 1,456 "older" people. He asked the respondents if they thought juvenile crime was on the increase. Sixty-two...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Jul 5, 2015

Life's ups, downs lift manga artist Misako Rocks! to success

Manga artist Misako Rocks! is a challenger and a woman of passion.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 4, 2015

Will hot-selling book bring Kobe killer in from the cold?

'June 28, 1997. I ceased being me. It was the day I was expelled forever from the world of sunshine. Up to then, I had nonchalantly spent my days unaltruistically, each passing day framed by the next as in a film, until the day when, suddenly, I began to be stigmatized as an enigmatic being.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 28, 2015

Euro faces existential threat with Greece's membership in jeopardy

Three years after Mario Draghi pledged to do whatever it took, within his mandate, to save the euro, the breakdown in the Greek rescue talks is calling into question the integrity of the entire currency union.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 27, 2015

Humans may face a singular concern when it comes to robot employment

The trouble with machines is, they do things better than we do. "Give me a place to stand and I will move the Earth," said the third-century B.C. Greek inventor Archimedes, lever in hand. The Earth has been moving ever since, ever faster.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 26, 2015

One decapitated in suspected terrorist attack on U.S. factory in France

A decapitated body covered in Arabic writing was found at a U.S. gas company in southeast France on Friday, police sources and French media said, after an assailant rammed a car into the premises, triggering an explosion.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 24, 2015

Turkey's master of slow-boil cinema keeps his characters simmering with tension in 'Winter Sleep'

This may seem an odd form of praise, but Nuri Bilge Ceylan does boredom awfully well. The Turkish director's last film, "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia" (2011), was a police procedural that had been denuded of the drama you'd normally expect from the genre. Yet as its protagonists trudged fruitlessly from...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 23, 2015

A way of helping the poor that actually works

Ideas to help the world's poorest people should be funded based on evidence that they work — not hope.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
Jun 20, 2015

Clarke’s legendary records still resonate 50 years later

Nearly three weeks after American sprinter Henry Carr's passing, another iconic runner from the 1964 Tokyo Games has passed away.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Jun 17, 2015

In leaked draft encyclical, pope urges urgent action to thwart climate change

The world could see the destruction of entire ecosystems this century without urgent action on climate change, Pope Francis says in a draft of his keenly awaited encyclical on the environment.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 16, 2015

Hong Kong on high alert as new democracy showdown looms

Hong Kong's leader warned Tuesday that violence will not be tolerated, a day after authorities arrested 10 people and seized suspected explosives ahead of a crucial vote on a China-backed electoral reform package this week.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2015

New twist in Hong Kong's democracy movement

Not only do many young people in Hong Kong no longer care about building democracy in China, they don't even care about China.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 8, 2015

Imported food, limousines await as Chinese spare no expense when pampering their pooches

Shanghai bank employee Frances Chen spends about a fifth of her monthly salary on her poodle, Cookie, one of the millions of pet owners turning China's pet care industry into one of the fastest growing in the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 6, 2015

Blame batted about for stadium blunder

The media is still very positive about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but its ardor has cooled significantly with regard to the way the central government is holding up its end of the bargain.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jun 6, 2015

Law still a long way behind fertility boom

As the population declines, the number of domestic businesses involved in fertility is growing, giving birth to a slew of additional problems.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE HIGH GROUNDS
Jun 5, 2015

Zen and the delicate art of demitasse coffee

Shingo Naganuma isn't exaggerating when he compares the atmosphere of his coffee shop, Nejimakigumo, to a temple. Open the menu here and you'll find a list of rules, ranging from prohibitions (no smoking, no pets) to a requirement that laptop users buy extra drinks if they plan on occupying one of the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 30, 2015

Life inside a juvenile correction center

Young offenders are encouraged to acknowledge the crimes they have committed before learning how to survive in the outside world after their release.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NAGOYA RESTAURANTS
May 29, 2015

Om Nom Nom brings chili halal to Nagoya

If you're looking for a decent halal meal in Nagoya you'll be mostly restricted to curry or kebabs. But British expat Rajib Ali has added a little variety to the landscape by opening a 100 percent halal-chili restaurant.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 29, 2015

Success taking a toll on LDP

The quality of the LDP's Diet members is sorely lacking, and the cause comes from the top — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / TRAVEL INSIDER
May 26, 2015

More bags to bring; new routes to Taiwan; Hiroshima gains flights

More bags to bring
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 26, 2015

Southeast Asia accelerates its maritime buildup amid tensions with China

Southeast Asian nations are prioritizing spending on their navies and coast guards amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, but as their capabilities grow, so does the risk that any confrontation in the contested waterway will be harder to contain.

Longform

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