Cracks forming in Japan's premium-based universal health care system

One of the issues U.S. voters say they care the most about right now is health care. America is almost alone in the developed world in not providing its ci | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

SoftBank Group net profit up to ¥1.41T in 2018, Vision Fund bet paid off

The fund has invested in 69 companies, including U.S. ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc. and Indian hotel operator Oyo Hotels & Homes. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Toyota boosts eco-friendly car and engine output in China investing $2.2B

Toyota Motor Corp. will invest over $2.2 billion (¥242 billion) in China to boost eco-friendly vehicle and engine production with a local partner to meet g | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Unique genetic adaptation lets deep-sea fish see color in darkness

While people and other vertebrates are color blind in dim light, some deep-sea fish may possess keen color vision to thrive in the near total darkness of t | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Toyota and Panasonic to merge housing units and team up on 'smart town' business

The move by the leading carmaker and electronics manufacturer comes amid shrinking demand in the domestic housing market due to Japan’s declining population. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

In graying Japan, pet hoarding proving to be a pesky problem

Japan's graying population has caused local governments to struggle to cope with the burgeoning problem of animal hoarding among seniors who are suffering | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Japan's CD album output fell below 100M for first time in 2018

The annual output of CD albums in Japan sank below 100 million in 2018 for the first time on record, an industry group said Wednesday, as more people liste | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Japan Supports Taiwan's Inclusion at World Health Assembly, Could Anger China

Foreign Minister Taro Kono expressed support on Wednesday for Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly in a move that could anger China. It mark | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Younger animators still struggling amid anime boom

By all outward appearances, Japan's animation industry is thriving. A recent report by The Association for Japanese Animations indicates the industry's wor | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Japan kicks off Reiwa Era's first energy-saving Cool Biz casual wear campaign

The government began the annual Cool Biz campaign on Tuesday to promote workplace energy conservation by dressing more casually. After the 10-day holiday p | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

The Power of Generation Reiwa

The Reiwa generation of university and high school graduates will enjoy a natural tailwind propelling them toward economic prosperity. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Number of children in Japan declined by a third during Heisei Era

The number of kids under 15 was estimated at 15.33 million as of April 1, down 180,000 from a year before and the lowest since 1950. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Support act: Behind every Japanese prime minister is a fascinating first lady

When Chizuko Obuchi's husband, Keizo, became prime minister of Japan in July 1998 and the couple moved into the official residence, she was taken aback by | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

South Korea's booming 'webtoons' put Japan's print manga on notice

Japan has long prided itself on being a manga powerhouse, but intense competition from overseas has left the industry at a crossroads. Emerging as a threat | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Japan’s private sector has first successful launch

About 1,000 people gathered to watch the liftoff. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Talking trash: The sport of collecting as much waste as possible

Thanks to Netflix, many are familiar with Japanese clutter-buster Marie Kondo and her soothing remedies for the melancholy brought on by conspicuous consum | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Social media fails traditional news outlets' approach to portrait rights

A man in Chiba Prefecture became irritated last month at how long it was taking for a barrier at a rail crossing to open. Losing patience, he fetched a han | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

In first, Japan to develop computer virus to defend against cyberattacks

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@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Examining Carlos Ghosn and Japan's System of 'Hostage Justice'

As the Carlos Ghosn saga continues to unfold, domestic and international attention continues to mount on what many are calling a "hostage justice" system. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

In first, Japan to develop computer virus to defend against cyberattacks

Japan will develop its first-ever computer virus by next March as a defense measure against cyberattacks, sources have said. The Defense Ministry is consid | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Number of abandoned homes in Japan edges up to record high of nearly 8.5M

Empty homes now account for 13.6 percent of Japan’s housing stock, with the bulk of them concentrated in Yamanashi and Wakayama prefectures, government data show. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Police can use wiretapping devices, decrypt, record at prefectural HQs in Japan

The National Police Agency revised wiretapping regulations Thursday, enabling investigators from June 1 to listen in on phone conversations while at headqu | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Japan to shut down nuclear plants if counterterror steps not taken in time

The nation’s nuclear regulator decided Wednesday not to let power companies operate reactors if they fail to install sufficient counterterrorism measures by specified deadlines. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

SoftBank and Alphabet tie up on flying 5G stations using balloons and drones

Mobile phone carrier SoftBank Corp. and Google LLC parent Alphabet Inc. said Thursday they will jointly set up airborne mobile phone base stations, using b | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Japan's info protection panel considers protections for internet users' data

Japan is considering strengthening regulations against corporate IT giants like Amazon.com and Google LLC. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Japanese doctor's work with iPS cells puts macular degeneration on notice

Science has Dr. Masayo Takahashi's mother to thank, in a way, for some of the most notable developments in regenerative medicine using stem cells. More tha | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Why are Chinese tourists so badly behaved?

Narratives of exceptionalism and nationalism are crucial ingredients in making an "ugly Chinese" tourist. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Tepco transfers first nuclear fuel out of No. 3 reactor building at Fukushima

The operator of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant said Tuesday it has transferred some nuclear fuel from one of the reactor buildings damage | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Downsized dwellings: Inside Tokyo's tiny living spaces

Twenty-five-year-old Sotaro Ito lives in a 9.46-square-meter apartment with a loft in the capital's retro-hip Koenji district. His apartment looks more lik | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Singapore talking with more electric car companies after Dyson, but not Tesla

Following Dyson Ltd.'s plans late last year to manufacture its first electric car in Singapore, the city-state is now in talks with other makers of green v | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Lesson from student-led trash pick-up is that everyone needs to do their part

It's April on Shiraishi Island in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. The nights are still crisp, dipping to 4 degrees Celsius, but the sky is clear and the stars arc | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Aging Japan to see 25% of breadwinners turn 75 or older by 2040: report

Japan's rapidly-aging society will see a quarter of its breadwinners turn 75 or older by 2040, the Nikkei daily has reported, citing a study from the Natio | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Seychelles president makes pleas for protection of oceans in underwater speech

In a striking speech delivered from deep below the ocean's surface, the Seychelles president is making a global plea for stronger protection of the "beatin | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Tepco begins removing fuel rods from Unit 3 reactor pool at Fukushima

The operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant starts removing nuclear fuel from the Unit 3 storage pool. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Japan college adopts facial recognition-based attendance system

The Hyogo College of Medicine has introduced a facial recognition technology-based system to check student attendance. It is the first university in Japan | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Himawari Life Insurance Won't Hire Graduates Who Smoke

Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Himawari Life Insurance Inc. said it will refuse to employ graduates who smoke when it recruits new hires in April next year. It is u | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Bridgestone to join Toyota and JAXA in rover mission to moon

Bridgestone Corp. said Wednesday it would tie up with Toyota Motor Corp. and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on a joint mission to send a rover to the m | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Seibu Railway's train etiquette posters in ukiyo-e style are a hit

Posters that use traditional kimono-wearing characters portrayed in the style of Edo Period ukiyo-e to educate train passengers on proper etiquette have ga | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Japanese study uncovers protein that keeps skin youthful

Beauty might only be skin deep, but for those wondering how to keep that skin young, Japanese scientists may have found an answer in the form of a protein | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Tokyo 16-year-old bought uranium and produced yellowcake to sell online

Tokyo police are investigating the suspected online trade of uranium by a 16-year-old high schooler in the nation's capital, investigative sources have sai | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Singapore's 'fake news' laws upset tech giants and stoke censorship fears | The Japan Times

Tech giants have reacted with horror after Singapore proposed laws against "fake news" allowing authorities to order the removal of content and impose heft | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

South Korea gets head start with launch of first national 5G networks

South Korea launches the world's first fully fledged 5G mobile networks Friday, a transformational leap that already has superpowers sparring for control o | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Microsoft to provide automatic updates to handle Japan era name change to Reiwa

Microsoft Japan Co. said Tuesday that it will send out automatic updates for individual users of its Windows operating system and Office software to handle | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Toyota to allow free access to 24,000 hybrid and electric vehicle tech patents

It remains uncertain whether the use of Toyota patents will be as widespread as the carmaker hopes, observers said. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Japan partially lifts evacuation order for town hosting Fukushima nuclear plant

Japan will for the first time next month partially lift an evacuation order for one of the two towns where the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is located, | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Born to be airborne: Japanese firm aims to sell flying motorbikes by 2022

Tokyo-based venture company A.L.I. Technologies Inc. aims to release a mass-market flying motorcycle by 2022, Chief Executive Officer Shuhei Komatsu said. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Suicide now leading cause of death among children aged 10 to 14 in Japan

Suicide is down overall, but government statistics show it is now deadlier than cancer for that age group and the leading cause of death for people 10 to 39. | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago

Yamanote Line train driver fulfills life's dream, down to the exact second

Ask any group of children in Japan what they want to be when they grow up and one answer in particular is sure to feature. "The first time I thought about | Continue reading


@japantimes.co.jp | 5 years ago