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August 15, 2024
 

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EXPLAINER

Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 13, 2008
Striving to mold definition of convenience
Whether searching for a lunch or quick snack, withdrawing cash or paying a utility bill, the nation's "konbini" convenience stores offer a range of services.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 6, 2008
Finance Ministry losing its luster
The Finance Ministry has long been known as the most powerful and elitist of Japan's bureaucracy. When Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda repeatedly tried in March to appoint a former vice finance minister as the new Bank of Japan governor — only to be rejected by the opposition-controlled Upper House —...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 29, 2008
Pension system obligations and benefits
As the social welfare system grows in complexity, non-Japanese in particular are likely feeling a sense of frustration at the lack of information available in their native language.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 22, 2008
Yellow dust storms getting worse
Each year, most of Japan's prefectures are affected by what is known as yellow dust, which appears as a yellow fog in the atmosphere for a few days, often in late winter and early spring. A mixture of des ert sand, arid topsoil and man-made pollutants from Central Asia, China and Mongolia, the annual...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 15, 2008
TSE shrugs off pitfalls in quest to be a hit
It was reported earlier this month that Tata Motors Ltd., India's largest automobile company, plans to debut on the Tokyo Stock Exchange this year.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 8, 2008
National holidays trace roots to China, ancients, harvests
Golden Week is approaching, covering four national holidays from late April to early May.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 8, 2008
Japan's holidays and their meaning
Following are Japan's national holidays and what they recognize under the Law Concerning National Holidays:
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 1, 2008
BOJ finds itself in 'unpresidented' state
The divided Diet has left the Bank of Japan with a vacant seat at the top for the first time since the war. This came about after Toshihiko Fukui's five-year term ended in mid-March and the government's nominees to succeed him were vetoed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 25, 2008
Basics of the U.S. military presence
The issue of U.S. military forces in Japan has come to the fore again following the alleged rape of a 14-year-old Okinawan girl by a U.S. Marine. Although the girl has withdrawn the accusation, locals and politicians have seized on the incident — a reminder of the 1995 gang rape of a 12-year-old girl...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 18, 2008
Scales of justice: Legal system looks for right balance of lawyers
Judicial reform is having a quick and dramatic impact on the legal profession, not least on the number of lawyers. In March 2002, the government decided to increase the number of those who pass the bar exam to 3,000 a year by 2010. Only 1,000 were passed in 1999.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 11, 2008
Solar power shines through as energy option
Solar power is in the spotlight as concerns over global warming mount. Many European countries, especially Germany, as well as Japan and others have embraced solar technologies as a green alternative to fossil fuels.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 4, 2008
Politics in game of never-ending musical chairs
A nearly unbroken line of Liberal Democratic Party politicians has headed the government since the party's 1955 formation. This dominance, however, was shaken by the stunning victory of the Democratic Party of Japan in the July 2007 House of Councilors election. In this reshaped political landscape,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 26, 2008
Japan needs imports to keep itself fed
After a spate of food mislabeling frauds and the recent scare over pesticide-laced "gyoza" dumplings imported from China, consumers are perhaps more conscious than ever of the origin of what they eat. Many routinely check the origins of the foods they buy, especially imported products, which Japan relies...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 19, 2008
CO2 trading mirrors, but still smoke?
Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, the world has been spewing out greenhouse gases that now threaten the global ecosystem. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 379.1 parts per million in 2005, or 35 percent higher than the estimated level before...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 13, 2008
Pollen set to come out of hibernation
For sufferers of "kafunsho" (pollen allergy), it's hay fever season again.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 5, 2008
WiMAX set to alter wireless landscape
Now that the government has licensed use of the 2.5-gigahertz bandwidth, Japan will soon be joining South Korea, Taiwan and others in offering next-generation wireless services for users of mobile phones and computers.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 29, 2008
G8: Meaningful or anachronistic forum?
Over the next six months, Japan will host a series of meetings of the Group of Eight countries, culminating in the Leaders' Summit at Lake Toya, Hokkaido, in July. Along with leaders of the G8 — Japan, the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Russia — the European Commission...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 22, 2008
Japan's hot springs part of social, geologic, historic fabric
Japan is dotted with mineral-rich natural "onsen" hot springs, both indoors and outside, many offering a warming dip amid a frozen setting.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 15, 2008
Japan, Brazil mark a century of settlement, family ties
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of a Japanese migration to Brazil. In 1908, hundreds of farmers moved to the South American country, dreaming of making their fortunes there before returning to their hometowns.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 8, 2008
An up-close view of Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji is the most beloved mountain in Japan — an honor it has held since the dawn of history.
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
Ice bandanas, convenience store breaks: Running under Japan’s summer sun
Blistering heat is becoming a fixture of summer in Japan, but a few tweaks to your routine can make your outdoor runs bearable — if not enjoyable — until cooler temperatures return.
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
France brings down the curtain on its Olympic party with Tom Cruise and Leon Marchand
Fireworks are set off during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
Japan fuels U.S. LNG boom even as climate targets and impacts loom
Flaring at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. Flaring, a common sight at LNG plants, is a controlled burning of gas for reasons ranging from depressurizing equipment to disposing of gas that can’t be used. The practice is a "waste of money" and negatively impacts climate change and human health, says the International Energy Agency.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’
By Thu-Huong Ha

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mission sustainability vol.8: Omron Corp.Omron helping firms achieve carbon neutrality

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