Search - 2015

 
 
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 19, 2016

Saudi Arabia turns its oil weapon on Iran

For decades, Riyadh has insisted that it does not wield oil as a diplomatic weapon, but last weekend it did just that as part of an intensifying conflict with Iran.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 18, 2016

Sumitomo Mitsui hires banking veteran Gelber to lead U.S. push

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. has formed an investment-banking group in the United States, part of a push to expand its mergers advisory business even as competitors from Nomura Holdings Inc. to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. move to curtail costs.
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Apr 17, 2016

Day care crisis stuck in vicious cycle

The employee was in the throes of desperation as her maternity leave drew to a close in mid-March.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 15, 2016

Bluebook report paints better ties with Seoul after 'comfort women' pact

The Foreign Ministry's 2016 Diplomatic Bluebook released Friday calls South Korea the nation's most important neighboring country that shares strategic interests, an upgrade in phrasing from last year clearly based on December's historic agreement on the "comfort women" issue.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2016

Chinese economy posts weakest growth since 2009, but signs of recovery emerge

China's economy grew at its slowest pace in seven years in the first quarter, but indicators from the consumer, investment and factory sectors point to nascent signs that the slowdown in the world's second-largest economy may be bottoming out.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 14, 2016

Japan human rights improve but problems persist: U.S. State Department

Human rights in Japan have improved in some areas, the U.S. State Department said Thursday in an annual survey of nations worldwide, but it listed a slew of failings that remain unaddressed.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 13, 2016

No end in sight to once-booming Brazil's crises

No one knows where the Latin American nation's mix of economic disappointment and political disillusion is leading.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 12, 2016

English skills gap between jurisdictions not new

What is lost in the debate on English skills in both Japan and the U.S. are the reasons why scores progress, decline or remain flat.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 8, 2016

Disgraced Japanese badminton duo apologize for illegal gambling

Japan's top badminton players apologize after being caught up in a gambling scandal that threatens their chances of going to the Olympics.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Apr 8, 2016

Tigers rookie Takayama having early success in NPB

As Deanna Rubin, proprietor of the website Marinerds and an avid follower of high school and college baseball in Japan, pointed out Tuesday, Shun Takayama, the Hanshin Tigers' rookie outfielder, didn't just come out of nowhere.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 6, 2016

Amnesty slams Japan over death penalty as global executions soar

A human rights group says recorded executions worldwide surged by more than 50 percent last year to the highest level in a quarter-century.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2016

The makings of Syrian peace

When no decisive victory is possible for any side, it makes sense to stop as much of the shooting as possible.
WORLD
Apr 5, 2016

Just 10% of global military spending could make big impact on poverty: think tank

World military spending rose 1 percent in 2015, the first annual increase in four years, a Stockholm think tank said Tuesday as it estimated 10 percent of this could cover the costs of global goals aiming to end poverty and hunger in 15 years.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2016

Trade realities take a beating in U.S. politics

In this bitter U.S. presidential campaign, one area of agreement unites the major candidates: they're all against big trade deals.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Apr 4, 2016

For Hon Hai, turning around Sharp will be tougher than takeover

Terry Gou has pledged to keep Sharp intact, respect its independence and try to preserve jobs. He will have a hard time keeping those agreements.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 3, 2016

Death by overwork on rise among Japan's vulnerable workers

As the number of compensation claims related to death from 'karoshi' or overwork soars, more and more younger and female employees are being affected by the phenomenon.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 2, 2016

The scourge of binge drinking on youth

As the new academic year begins, Masami Ito looks at efforts that are being made to prevent young people from drinking heavily in group settings.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2016

Sorry Donald, America is not a poor country

Americans may feel poor, but that's only because the U.S.' stunted economic growth can't satisfy all their demands.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 25, 2016

Commodity rout cuts ¥970 billion from Japan's major trading houses

The nation's biggest trading companies, stalwarts of the economy, expect to book combined writedowns of at least ¥970 billion ($8.6 billion) as ill-timed investments in commodities ranging from shale gas to copper mines erode profitability.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 24, 2016

U.N. expects record first-day signatures for Paris climate deal

The United Nations expects the number of countries that will sign the Paris climate change agreement at an April 22 ceremony in New York to exceed the record for the number signing up to an international accord on the day it opens, a U.N. official said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2016

Rooftop solar booms in Japan as market moves beyond utilities

Japan's home rooftops are emerging as the next hot spot in what for years has been one of the biggest solar markets in the world, marking a move beyond the utility-scale projects in rich industrial nations that have fueled most of the industry's growth.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 22, 2016

Gomes expands horizons with Japan move

Yomiuri Giants reliever Tetsuya Yamaguchi, for some reason, thought he could get away with a first-pitch, 128-kph slider over the outside of the plate against Jonny Gomes.

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.