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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jan 15, 2017

Examining a year in the life of the country's Diet

When not trying to get elected, Japan's 700-plus Diet members (475 in the House of Representatives, 242 in the House of Councilors) conduct the weighty business of the nation. With the 193rd session of the national legislature under the current Constitution scheduled to commence on Jan. 20, let's look...
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 15, 2017

Twenty years after Diana campaign, new land-mine crisis plagues Iraq and Syria

Twenty years after Princess Diana's iconic visit to a minefield in Angola, the world faces a new land-mine crisis in Syria and Iraq on a scale not seen for decades, campaigners said on Sunday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2017

Takata to plead guilty, pay $1 billion U.S. penalty over air bag defects

Takata Corp. on Friday agreed to plead guilty to criminal wrongdoing and to pay $1 billion to resolve a U.S. Justice Department investigation into ruptures of its air bag inflators linked to at least 16 deaths worldwide.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 12, 2017

Japanese city to use vein data to identify lost dementia sufferers

In a possible first for Japan, the city of Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, will start an experiment to register the vein data of elderly residents with dementia so they can be instantly identified if they wander off and are found without an ID.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 11, 2017

Analyst who got 2016 rate right now sees yen weakening to 125

The strategist who defied Japan's biggest investors to correctly predict the yen's weakness in 2016 is forecasting more losses for the currency in the new year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2017

Number of foreign visitors to Japan tops 20 million mark for first time

The number of foreign visitors to Japan hit a whopping 24.03 million last year, but the growth rate has started to slow down.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2017

Learning to bow: Japan reluctantly opens door to foreign housemaids

In a Japanese-style apartment, Maria Del Bago learns how to properly bow, clean traditional tatami floor-matting and decipher instructions for a high-tech toilet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 9, 2017

Nonfatal Osprey crash in Okinawa brings safety fears to fore

The MV-22 Osprey accident last month in Okinawa rekindled concerns about the tilt-rotor aircraft, which was once known as the "widow maker" for those killed during its development.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2017

The importance of cutting Islamic State's lifeline

To defeat Islamic State once and for all, we need to recognize — and eliminate — its many sources of sustenance.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 9, 2017

Trump's defense pick Mattis to forfeit unvested options if confirmed

Retired U.S. Marine Gen. James Mattis will step down from his board position at General Dynamics Corp. and give up unvested equity awards if confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump's defense secretary, according to a letter submitted to the Defense Department's ethics lawyer.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Jan 7, 2017

Inada's Yasukuni visit sinks Pearl Harbor gesture

If Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meant what he said about the "power of reconciliation" on his Dec. 27 visit to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, he should sack Defense Minister Tomomi Inada who visited Yasukuni Shrine two days later. If he does nothing, then his visit will be reduced to an empty public relations...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 7, 2017

Can the financial roadblock to marriage ever be dismantled?

On Dec. 20, an advisory panel assembled by the Prime Minister's Office drafted a final proposal for a bill that has a long-term goal of increasing the country's sagging birthrate.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2017

Agency seeks to deter nonemergency 119 calls

Some callers just want a ride. Others are lonely and simply want to chat. The problem? They've called 119.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GEARING UP FOR THE GAMES,GEARING UP FOR THE GAMES
Jan 4, 2017

Japan's rising sports stars look to raise the bar at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Setting new records, Japan's Olympians managed to haul in a very respectable 38 medals at the 2012 London Games and 41 last year in Rio de Janeiro. Their efforts are certainly something for the nation's up-and-coming young athletes to duplicate or even surpass, as there are many potential stars out there who could become household names by the time Tokyo hosts the Olympics about 3u00bd years from now.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2016

Political upheavals around world may herald trouble for mega-deals in 2017

As companies brace for the impact of 2016's political shocks and looming elections next year, global appetite for mega-mergers may slow amid the prospect of increased protectionism.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Dec 28, 2016

What's in a surname? It depends on who you ask

Some women want to keep their maiden names after marriage, yet many others choose not to.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 27, 2016

In visiting Pearl Harbor, Abe again shows his pragmatic side

Upon returning to power in 2012, Abe has demonstrated his pragmatism to governance numerous times by adopting positions that both appeal to, but also upset his conservative base.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2016

Japan's communications ministry finalizes plan for 30,000 Wi-Fi spots by 2020

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry announces its finalized plan to establish 30,000 free Wi-Fi access points nationwide in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Dec 25, 2016

Worrying times for job security in Japan

The year 2016 was no walk in the park for workers nationwide. At one extreme, we have Matsuri Takahashi, a 24-year-old worker who felt she had no other choice but to take her life as a result of overwork.
BUSINESS
Dec 24, 2016

FBI probing years-long security breach at FDIC linked to Chinese military

The FBI is investigating how hackers infiltrated computers at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for several years beginning in 2010 in a breach senior FDIC officials believe was sponsored by China's military, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Longform

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