Tag - explainer

 
 

EXPLAINER

JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 13, 2014
Novartis drug's data-tampering reflects unchecked collusion
Last week, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors against Novartis Pharma K.K., the Japanese subsidiary of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis, alleging the firm made exaggerated advertising claims for its blockbuster blood pressure drug Diovan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 30, 2013
Simple tests fill health-check gaps
Although health checkups are often mandatory for corporate or institutional employees, some segments of society, including housewives and the self-employed, may not have this option.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 23, 2013
Automated driving tech comes to the fore
In November, a prospective customer was at the wheel of Mazda Motor Corp.'s new sport utility vehicle during a demonstration in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture. With a sales rep in the passenger seat, the 38-year-old man drove the car toward a urethane mat hanging 7 meters ahead to test the collision avoidance...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 16, 2013
Radioactive waste: a now and forever threat?
In recent months, former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has rekindled the public debate on atomic power, drawing attention to perhaps the most critical question about its future: Is there a safe place and way to dispose of high-level radioactive waste?
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 2, 2013
Entrance exams get failing grade
National university exams are notorious for their emphasis on book learning.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 25, 2013
National Stadium plan hit as too grandiose
The new National Stadium planned for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has come under the spotlight due to its huge size and massive costs, and for a design critics say doesn't fit in with its surroundings.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 18, 2013
Japan's readers slower to make e-book leap
According to the media, the e-book era in Japan began in 2010, with the debut of Apple Inc.'s iPad, Sony Corp.'s Sony Reader and other e-book services.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 4, 2013
Diet reform paralyzed by hypocritical habits
Indecision is a much-criticized feature of Japanese politics. Diet sessions are rife with unproductive wrangling as the ruling and opposition camps dispute the timing of the submission of bills while avoiding constructive discussions on them.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 28, 2013
Online courses: Collegiate equalizer?
The latest trend in online education is taking the academic world by storm.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 21, 2013
Mercury still threat, Abe assurances or not
Earlier this month, delegates from over 130 nations gathered in Kumamoto to launch the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The U.N.-brokered treaty aims to limit mercury use and emissions. It comes at a time when the U.N. Environmental Program warns half of all global anthropogenic mercury emissions come...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 15, 2013
Tax-free account seeks to spur investment
Starting in January, individuals who invest in stocks and investment trusts in a Nippon Individual Savings Account will be eligible for tax exemptions of up to five years on their financial gains. The new instrument is aimed at getting people used to accumulating financial assets via small-scale investments....
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 7, 2013
Deliveries boost convenience stores' cachet
The nation's convenience stores have been in a constant state of evolution, starting by offering small snacks and drinks and basic daily goods like newspapers, magazines and toiletries.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 30, 2013
Maglev challenge both technical and financial
Central Japan Railway Co.'s project to build a magnetically levitated (maglev) train system re-entered the spotlight Sept. 18 when it unveiled the details of a route scheduled to open between Tokyo and Nagoya by 2027.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 23, 2013
Tokyo hopes to recover its luster with special zones for foreign businesses
To bolster Tokyo's dwindling profile in Asia, the metropolitan government has launched the Special Zone for Asian Headquarters project to persuade more than 500 foreign companies to set up shop here by 2016.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 16, 2013
TEAP stresses pragmatic approach
As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party forges ahead with its strategy of nurturing "internationally minded" talent to aid economic growth, the prospect that students' scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) will be used as criteria for entering university looms increasingly...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 9, 2013
Reactor makers look abroad as home market fizzles
The Fukushima meltdowns and the continuing radiation crisis may have turned the public off of atomic energy at home, but it's full steam ahead for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Japan's heavy industries when it comes to exporting that technology to power-hungry economies abroad.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 5, 2013
Data show twisters form over Kanto in September
Damage to people and property by tornadoes made headlines over the past week, with the latest in Tochigi Prefecture injuring three people while destroying houses and other buildings.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 2, 2013
Legislation bureau chief Abe's window to collective defense
The appointment of Ichiro Komatsu as director general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau is a step toward Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's goal of reinterpreting the Constitution so Japan can engage in collective self-defense.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 26, 2013
The age of 3-D printers has arrived, for better and worse
The 3-D printer boom in the United States is spreading to Japan as prices decline, but some fear the devices could break the mold, jobwise.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 19, 2013
Clearing way for wider military role
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is poised to achieve his long-held goal of reinterpreting Article 9 of the Constitution to allow Japan to exercise its right to engage in collective self-defense under the U.N. Charter.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji