Sunday, 18 May 2014

Japan’s working poor left behind by ‘Abenomics’

Last Christmas Eve, Ririko Saito and her 11-year-old daughter gathered some plastic bottles, pots and a kettle and made several trips to a nearby park ...

Two-thirds of Japanese fear going bust in retirement

Around two-thirds of Japanese aged 35 to 64 are concerned they will not have enough money to last through retirement, a survey reveals.

APEC pushes road map by yearend for new Asia-Pacific free trade zone

Asia-Pacific trade ministers agree to promote regional integration and draft a road map for setting up a new free trade area this year.

Success of ‘Abenomics’ hinges on immigration policy

Foreign investment funds generally shun countries with shrinking populations, and this means “Abenomics” can’t succeed unless Japan opens its door to more foreigners, an immigration ...

Shikoku whirlpool study of Naruto Strait shows atomic potential

The tidal energy created by the whirlpool-dotted Naruto Strait off Shikoku is equivalent to the power generated by four nuclear reactors, a study finds.

Icho’s ethnic vitality poses future model for Japan

If Japan throws its doors open to immigrants it might start looking like a certain neighborhood in Yokohama with multilingual street signs, ethnic eateries, and ...

Boosting the female workforce

The Abe administration is pushing for a review of household tax and social security benefits under the belief that current rules discourage many women from ...

Class of 2014: Thank you for not disinviting me

Are today's graduating college students too eager to ban commencement speakers whose views they reject?

Protecting the water cycle

The Diet has enacted a basic law on the water cycle, but the law falls short of meeting local governments' demand to legally define underground ...

China plays down GDP size

China's government does not sound comfortable with new World Bank figures indicating that China will overtake the U.S. this year and become the No. 1 ...

Translating movie titles into Japanese can get a bit wairudo

For one of my classes recently, I needed to get the Japanese movie version of Harper Lee’s classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” When I ...

Swedish tradition of outdoor activities

Children living in the city were able to enjoy nature’s wonders during a Sunday event earlier this month at Arisugawa-no-miya Memorial Park in the Hiroo ...

Kurarinetto-toka furūto-toka naratte-mitai-to omotte-iru-n-da

Today, we will introduce some usages of とか, which lists examples. XとかYとか is used to show similar examples, and is almost the same in the ...

Silk mill endorsed for World Heritage site

A UNESCO advisory panel has recommended giving World Heritage status to the Tomioka Silk Mill, a historic factory building in Gunma Prefecture symbolizing Japan's industrialization ...

Oya: The town that turned to stone

It’s always good to know something about the ground under your feet when you visit a new destination. Geology, in a very real sense, is ...

Stone, sweat and stamps: chasing Jizos in Kamakura

Amy Chavez gets to know Jizo Bosatsu — the Buddhist deity who looks after travelers and children — a little better, by embarking on a ...

World Cup 2014 views from Ishikawa: USA and Australia

A Team USA fan and a Socceroo follower in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, discuss their teams' prospects in next month's FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

McCartney, hit by virus, cancels second Tokyo show

Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney canceled a second concert in Tokyo Sunday after contracting a virus and said he was sorry for letting fans down. The 71-year-old ...

Carp crush Giants to send interleague warning

If Brad Eldred and the Hiroshima Carp keep playing like this, the six Pacific League clubs aren’t going to enjoy facing them any more than ...

Hakuho takes unbeaten run into second week of summer basho

Undefeated yokozuna Hakuho outmaneuvered would-be challenger Yoshikaze in a sumo clinic to win his eighth match at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday. Hakuho ...

Dominant Miyako leads Rise past Lions

Nojima and Japan running back Takashi Miyako rushed for 166 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Nojima Sagamihara Rise to a 62-21 victory over ...

Okubo falls flat as Frontale lose to Marinos

Japan striker Yoshito Okubo fired blanks in his final J. League game before the World Cup as Kawasaki Frontale were soundly beaten 3-0 by Yokohama ...

Hiroshima’s Maru has learned a walk is as good as a hit

Yoshihiro Maru is getting on base more by swinging his bat less. The Hiroshima Carp outfielder is still pretty good at the plate, but after ...

Djokovic battles past Raonic, to meet Nadal in Rome final

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Novak Djokovic will renew their rivalry in the Rome Masters final on Sunday. Having been stretched to three sets ...