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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 29, 2013

Education in 2013: an 'A' for ambition, but Japan will have to do better

Will 2014 be the year we start to see a genuinely forward-thinking, globalized outlook for education in Japan? The rapidly changing global economy, regional tensions and shrinking population suggest huge challenges await the country's youth on their emergence into the job market in the coming years.
EDITORIALS
Dec 28, 2013

Year of ups and downs for Japan

Japan in 2013 was besieged by problems in politics, business and society even while several key events helped to rekindle a sense of confidence in Japan.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 26, 2013

Budget limits trim NASA's plans for big projects

The Cassini spacecraft is in splendid shape as it circles Saturn. Conceived in the 1980s and launched in 1997, Cassini arrived at the gas-giant planet in 2004 and has continued to deliver stunning images of the jewel of the solar system.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Dec 24, 2013

Familiar obstacles stymie change in domestic music industry

While the Japanese music industry ended last year on a promise of change, 2013 has highlighted a few of the ingrained practices that are going to be a little bit more difficult to dislodge.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2013

Help Ukrainians stand up for Western values

Make no mistake, Ukraine's so-called oligarchs still support President Viktor Yanukovych, and they will be prime beneficiaries of the $15 billion in bailout loans and lower natural gas prices that he secured from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 22, 2013

This year's buzzwords show how Japanese is evolving

Last month I shelled out ¥2,980 for my 2014 edition of 現代用語の基礎知識 ("Gendai Yogo no Kiso Chishiki", "Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words"). It's a 1,660-page monster that's well worth the outlay, and this year publisher Jiyu Kokumin-sha, as an extra bonus, included a 74-page booklet that...
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Dec 14, 2013

Leaders from outside box could ignite Japan

On Nov. 30, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company shocked Japan Inc. by announcing that it plans to appoint Frenchman Christophe Weber as its next president by June 2014. Until then, Japanese companies with foreigners in the top spot had fallen into two categories: those that promote foreigners who have performed...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2013

UNESCO honor gives traditional fare boost

UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage designation of “washoku” has the government and food industry hoping for a boost in its appeal, both overseas and at home.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2013

Tokyo restaurants loses Michelin three-star ranking

The Michelin Guide has cut the number of Tokyo restaurants with its top rank by one, reducing the city's three-star winners for the second year in a row.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 19, 2013

Ruling bloc may yield a bit on state secrets bill

The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc is wooing the opposition camp this week to reach common ground on the contentious state secrets bill that the administration hopes the Lower House passed by Friday.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Nov 14, 2013

Funding gap puts NBL on unequal footing in drive to attract fans

This fall, the National Basketball League proudly launched as Japan's new top hoop circuit. But it has also been ridiculed by naysayers as simply a rebranding of its predecessor — the Japan Basketball League — with its content practically the same.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2013

Yamamoto gets Imperial ban for letter; Inoki faces discipline

The Upper House Steering Committee will no longer allow Taro Yamamoto, the anti-nuclear lawmaker who made a public stir by handing a letter to Emperor Akihito, to participate in any event hosted by the Imperial family.
EDITORIALS
Nov 6, 2013

Mr. Abe stacking the deck at NHK

Three of the five people named to fill vacancies on NHK's Board of Governors are close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, prompting concern that the public broadcaster's neutrality is at risk.
EDITORIALS
Nov 2, 2013

Washoku as a cultural heritage

Coming this December, traditional Japanese cuisine, 'washoku,' is likely to be designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage if the voting by UNESCO goes as expected.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2013

Japan's poor gender gap worsening, WEF survey finds

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may have set the empowerment of women as a major pillar to spur economic growth, but Japan's already poor gender gap has gotten even worse, according to a report by the World Economic Forum released Friday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 24, 2013

U.S. keeps Pakistani officials in loop on drone strikes

Despite repeatedly denouncing the CIA's drone campaign, top officials in Pakistan's government have for years secretly endorsed the program and routinely received classified briefings on strikes and casualty counts, according to top-secret CIA documents and Pakistani diplomatic memos obtained by The...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 20, 2013

House GOP has little to show while forcing one crisis after another

There was so much more they wanted to do.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 17, 2013

Defenders of Thai monarchy busy politicizing

You would think that Thailand's state agencies would be trying to de-politicize issues related to the monarchy in light of the country's deep polarization in recent years. You would be wrong.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Oct 16, 2013

Adoption and fostering, animal homes and a tribute: readers' mail

In response to a recent story about adoption and foster parenting in Japan, one woman recounts her life of doing both.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2013

The U.S. Civil War continues

A big hoax of American history is that the Civil War ended in 1865. Unfortunately it continues — as a battle over redistributing shares of economic power in the clothing of cultural values.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 10, 2013

TIFF is your chance to catch up with Japanese film

The Tokyo International Film Festival, now in its 26th edition, has had its share of detractors, dissing it for everything from competition lineups of major festival castoffs (no longer true since TIFF stopped insisting on world premieres) to a Special Screening section that is essentially a PR showcase...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2013

Does China's left turn indicate reforms ahead?

Some analysts believe that China's turn to the left and its crackdown on democratic ideas are tactical moves that foreshadow the launch of major reforms later this fall.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Oct 5, 2013

Online drug bazaar's alleged boss paired eBay-style site with heroin, murder plot

The Silk Road website, before being shut this week by the U.S., was a cyber-bazaar of the criminal underworld that connected buyers and sellers of heroin, cocaine and hacking services. It combined eBay-style customer reviews and shipping tips with an open disregard for the law.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 5, 2013

Mizuho admits four execs knew of yakuza loans

Mizuho Bank has admitted that at least four of its executives, including two former deputy presidents, knew that it was lending money to underworld and other "antisocial" groups and that it neither stopped nor sought to hold management responsible.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2013

Sony ex-boss seeks to boost start-ups

Nobuyuki Idei once embodied Japan's corporate establishment, the leader of technology giant Sony Corp. Now 75, he's aiming to reinvent himself as a cross between a Silicon Valley venture capitalist and Hollywood mogul.

Longform

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