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EXPLAINER

Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 5, 2017
Japan copyright body courts anger by casting a wider net
The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) sparked a public uproar in February when it announced it will start demanding that private music schools pay copyright fees.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 29, 2017
Brewing Kake Gakuen scandal points to alleged Abe favoritism
On Thursday a former top ministry official dropped a bombshell in a hastily held news conference in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 22, 2017
The art, and fallout, of the Japanese political gaffe
If there is one way you can count on Japanese politicians, it is their ability to make headlines by putting their foot in their mouth.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 15, 2017
Medical big data to be pooled for disease research and drug development in Japan
Last month a bill aimed at facilitating medical research through the use of patient records stored at medical institutions cleared the Diet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 1, 2017
Urban Japan trying its hand at bicycle-sharing
The so-called sharing economy has spread to a variety of fields such as cars and homes, and Japan has seen another rising trend in recent years — bicycles.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 24, 2017
Prewar bayonetting martial art makes return to schools
A little-known Japanese martial art called jukendo came under the spotlight recently after it was stipulated in the revised junior high school curriculum guidelines for the first time as one of nine martial arts schools can choose to teach students.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 17, 2017
Japan's private schools fill a niche but at a cost
The saga of scandal-plagued, Osaka-based Moritomo Gakuen, which advocated a nationalist education, has thrown the spotlight on private educational institutions in Japan and how they are operated.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 3, 2017
Judging Japan Inc.'s health through financial reporting
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Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 27, 2017
Japan's coveted cherry blossoms and other ecosystems threatened by alien species
Spring has come — the season when cherry blossoms bloom nationwide.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 20, 2017
What next for Japan's peacekeepers after withdrawal from South Sudan?
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe abruptly announced that Japan will end its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan in May and withdraw the Ground Self-Defense Force's engineering troops there. The troops have been deployed to the northeast African country for the last five years as part of...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 13, 2017
Abe stands his ground as Moritomo Gakuen scandal drags on
More than a month has passed since nationalistic school operator Moritomo Gakuen first made headlines over a controversial land deal for its next school.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 6, 2017
Revisions seek to bring Japan's archaic sex crime laws into modern era
For the first time since the Penal Code took effect in 1907, the Justice Ministry is compiling a package of amendments to Japan's sex crime statutes that, if passed, will be the first major shake-up of those laws in more than a century.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 27, 2017
Tax break for OTC drugs seeks to get Japanese managing their health, not swarming clinics
Buying medicine at a drugstore can now save you taxes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 20, 2017
Overworked Japan slowly adopting fixed rest hours to put an end to 'karoshi'
Amid intense pressure to reform the country's work culture, the government and businesses are looking at mandating a "rest" period between the end of one workday and the start of the next.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 6, 2017
State-backed scholarship program to open doors to university
The government will soon launch the first state-backed scholarships in an effort to make universities more accessible as more students face financial difficulties to pursue higher education.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 30, 2017
Japan breathes new life into regional, non-U.S. trade pact
With U.S. President Donald Trump's formal decision to withdraw from the long controversial American-led Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, attention in the Asia-Pacific region is turning toward making renewed efforts to complete a separate multilateral trade agreement that excludes the U.S. —...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 23, 2017
Conspiracy bill's fourth bid dressed in Olympic clothing
As the debate on counterterrorism heats up ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, some are pushing for stronger measures and others are warning against the potential for government overreach and the loss of constitutional rights.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 16, 2017
Japanese law for endangered wildlife set for what critics call toothless revamp
The Law on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is set to be revised once again to further improve government measures to prevent vulnerable animal and plant species from becoming extinct.
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 26, 2016
Abdication panel leans toward one-off deal after Emperor Akihito's rare video
A government panel appears ready to propose that a special temporary law be enacted to allow Emperor Akihito, 83, to abdicate, given his advanced age.

Longform

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