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Reader Mail
Jan 23, 2016

Abe must explain Futenma's value

During the Lower House Budget Committee's session Jan. 12, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated, as if to cut off Okinawa's wishes across the board, that security-related matters should be decided on by the state, not by a locality based on the outcome of an election.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 20, 2016

'The Walk' brings an infamous tightrope walker to life, in terrifying detail

If you could go back to one particular moment in history, what would it be? Someone (most likely the devil) must have asked Robert Zemeckis that question several times during his career and, in a way, many of his films could be described as different answers. In fact, the films Zemeckis is most well...
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 18, 2016

South China Sea? For Beijing, Taiwan is the No. 1 security issue

For China, whose President Xi Jinping is already taking an increasingly muscular approach to claims in the East and South China seas, the question of Taiwan trumps any other of its territorial assertions in terms of sensitivity and importance.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2016

What happens after China's bubble goes pop?

Will China be a source of stability and strength for the world economy — or the opposite?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2016

Can China avoid turning Japanese?

Beijing is acting like Tokyo, circa 1998, and courting Japanization instead of much needed reforms.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2016

Did Kim just provoke China?

President Xi Jinping should tighten the screws on China's recalcitrant ally after the rogue nation's latest nuclear test.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 9, 2016

Low wages at the heart of foreign labor shortage woes

There has been a lot of discussion recently about allowing more foreign workers into Japan to make up for severe labor shortages in some fields. As of the end of 2014, the labor ministry estimated there were 790,000 foreign nationals working in Japan legally, which is more than the number of national...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2016

Why North Korea's latest blast isn't a game-changer

Ultimately, North Korea's latest nuclear test is a status-quo event.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 7, 2016

North Korea bomb claim a new challenge for Clinton campaign

To Republican U.S. presidential contenders, North Korea's claim that it tested a hydrogen bomb may further make the 2016 race what they dearly want it to be: a referendum on President Barack Obama's foreign policy and, by extension, Hillary Clinton's.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 2, 2016

Still dreaming of an end to household drudgery

As amazing as technology's ability to solve our problems is its inability to solve our problems. (Its tendency to create new problems is a subject best left for another day.)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 30, 2015

Del Toro's 'Crimson Peak' alluring but far from scary

Real estate, sexual passion and family secrets are crammed into the atmospheric thriller "Crimson Peak," directed by Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth," "Pacific Rim"). I have an inkling Del Toro dislikes modern society and abhors modern notions of security. His films always unfold in lavish settings...
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 27, 2015

Hashimoto factor keeps political pundits on edge of their seats

Well, that didn't take long. Less than 24 hours after finishing as Osaka mayor, Toru Hashimoto met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Dec. 19.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2015

One God for Christians, Muslims and Jews?

If Christians and Muslims don't worship the same God, then neither do Christians and Jews.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 21, 2015

Japan's married-name law isn't just about names

The Supreme Court's ruling on surnames raises a fascinating question: How much should a constitution reflect the distinctive values of a society and how much should it express universal rights?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2015

Putin up close and personal: not a pretty picture

Vladimir Putin splits the world into friends and loyal allies on one side, and enemies and those who only deserve to be manipulated on the other.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2015

Why China, a geopolitical teenager, is now growing up

In taking small steps toward a less petulant, more inclusive foreign policy, China is showing that it just might be willing to make the compromises that will be necessary if it is ever to become a true great power.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 19, 2015

Iran may ease its opposition to Syrian President Assad stepping down

Iran has decided to unify its stance with Russia's in the push for a political deal to end Syria's civil war, Iranian officials said, in a sign it could ease its opposition to the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad as part of the agreement.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 18, 2015

Tokyo's best eating experiences in 2015

Another great year for dining out draws to a close. But before the bōnenkai (forget-the-year parties) erase the 2015 hard drives for good, let's take another look at some of the highlights of the past 12 months.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 17, 2015

Japan's quiet deterrence

The stakes are getting higher in the U.S. and Japan's 'game of deterrence' with China.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 17, 2015

Republican senator checking if Cruz unveiled classified info during candidate debate

A Republican senator is investigating whether Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz released classified information while discussing the National Security Agency during Tuesday night's debate.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 14, 2015

Putting a price tag on U.S. gun violence

Would the economic benefit of stricter gun control in the U.S. outweigh the economic cost?
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 5, 2015

FBI investigating California massacre as 'act of terrorism'

The FBI is investigating the fatal shooting of 14 people in California by a married couple as an "act of terrorism," officials said Friday, noting the wife was believed to have pledged allegiance to a leader of the militant Islamic State group.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 4, 2015

GOP rivals blast Obama, each other at Jewish donor forum; Christie calls California carnage terrorism

A gathering of GOP presidential candidates before major donors on Thursday prompted predictable condemnations of President Barack Obama's foreign policy and a surprise bill of attainder against the Republican Party.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 1, 2015

Otto Kunzli's real 'statement jewelry'

"Cozticteocuilatl is the Aztec term for gold and it literally translates into 'the yellow feces of the gods,' " says Swiss artist Otto Kunzli, who is standing before his work at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum. "It's the yellow poops of the gods," he emphasizes as he breaks into a broad smile....
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 30, 2015

Stress test to join annual health checks as mental problems rise in corporate Japan

In light of the nationwide rise in mental health problems, the Industrial Safety and Health Law was revised last year to oblige companies to offer annual "stress checks" to employees starting Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2015

Blowback for yet another unnecessary war

Terrorism is evil and awful. And the best tactic against it is to stay out of other people's conflicts.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 14, 2015

Chinese media crucial in public diplomacy effort

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently had a cameo in the animated adult cartoon "South Park." In the episode, Xi (not the real Xi) revealed that Japan decides "who is gay or not" in Asia. The character also said the Japanese "are dogs who refuse not apologize to the Chinese Republic" and then kissed...
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Nov 14, 2015

Will Tokyo become Hashimoto's Wonderland?

"It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then."

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.