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JAPAN

Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2018
'Sodanē': Japan uses top buzzword of 2018 to end year on a high note
After months of scandals in sports, politics — and society as a whole — the top buzzword of 2018, announced Monday, struck a strikingly positive tone as the year winds down.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 3, 2018
Japan hesitantly moves toward a cashless society
Taking out a wallet loaded with cash, receipts and loyalty cards and searching for coins in front of a cashier is a familiar scene at stores in Japan.
Japan Times
Iga, known for its ninja, looks to draw foreign tourists by turning castle town into a hotel site
The Mie Prefecture city of Iga, the origin of one of Japan's most famous ninja clans, plans to open the growing number of vacant homes in its castle town to tourists.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 3, 2018
Japanese volunteers spring to action after fatal child abuse case
Five-year old Yua Funato was found unconscious at a Tokyo apartment in March, her feet severely frostbitten and her face and body covered with bruises that were inflicted by her 33-year-old stepfather. She was later pronounced dead at a hospital from pneumonia-induced sepsis caused by malnutrition.

ASIA PACIFIC

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 3, 2018
India throws book at schools making young pupils carry heavy bags
Concerned about producing a generation of children with hunched backs and other spine problems, India has denounced schools for making students carry heavy school bags and giving young children homework.

WORLD

Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 3, 2018
Far-right party wins seats in Andalusia, marking a first in Spain
Spain's far-right Vox party won 12 seats in an election in Andalusia on Sunday and could end up a kingmaker in the region, chalking up the first electoral success for the far right since the country's return to democracy in the late 1970s.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Dec 3, 2018
Trump-Xi truce does little to bridge vast U.S.-China divide
For most of the past year, the U.S. and China have failed to make significant headway in resolving issues at the heart of an escalating trade war. Another 90 days is unlikely to change much.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 3, 2018
U.N. condemns 'brutal' sexual attacks on 125 women and girls in state-controlled area of South Sudan
The United Nations condemned on Sunday a wave of "brutal" sexual attacks on women and girls in the northern town of Bentiu in South Sudan that took place in what it described as a government controlled area of the region.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 3, 2018
Emphasis on urgency as climate talks begin in fossil fuel-hooked Poland's coal city Katowice
Delegates from nearly 200 nations on Sunday began two weeks of talks to tackle deep political divisions at the most important U.N. meeting on global warming since the landmark 2015 Paris deal to shift away from fossil fuels.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 3, 2018
Macron mulls state of emergency after worst unrest in decades, Arc de Triomphe vandalism
President Emmanuel Macron considered declaring a state of emergency as he met security chiefs on Sunday seeking a way out of nationwide protests after rioters turned central Paris into a battle zone and vandalized the Arc de Triomphe monument.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 3, 2018
Sanaa water supplies sterilized as world's worst cholera outbreak surges
Authorities in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital Sanaa are sterilizing water supplies at wells, distribution networks and houses to help stem the world's worst outbreak of cholera.

BUSINESS

Japan Times
BUSINESS / INSIDER REPORT
Dec 3, 2018
Adapting to new industries, bolstering world's infrastructure
The ability of the sōgō shōsha to survive through all the changes and transformations that have taken place over the years can, in many ways, be attributed to their adeptness in recognizing the rise of new industries early on and creating new businesses in the process, or in applying new technologies...
Tokyo stocks up for seventh session on U.S.-China trade truce
Stocks continued their bull run for the seventh consecutive session Monday after the United States and China struck a temporary truce Saturday in their trade dispute.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 3, 2018
China partly censors U.S. Embassy statement on trade truce
A social media post by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing about the trade agreement between the two nations was being partially censored Monday, with the WeChat article visible but blocked from forwarding or sharing.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Dec 3, 2018
Nissan 'CEO whisperer' Greg Kelly ponders fate from Tokyo jail
Inside Nissan Motor Co. he was known as the "CEO whisperer": The chief of staff who would deliver the most delicate messages to Carlos Ghosn, and the man Ghosn would count on to enforce his directives.
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2018
Rare Christian painting from late 16th century on display in Yokohama
A Christian painting at a museum in eastern Japan is highly likely to have been created in the late 16th century, when persecution of Christians in Japan was on the rise, a study by a research institute has shown.
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2018
Pot so hot in Canada that firms are importing workers
It was midsummer, less than three months before Canada legalized recreational marijuana, and Vic Neufeld had a problem.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2018
Democratic senators blame Trump's tariffs and corporate greed for GM job and plant cuts
Donald Trump's trade war and corporate greed contributed to General Motors Co. cutting jobs and closing plants, Democratic senators in states affected by the decisions said ahead of an expected meeting this week with lawmakers and Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra. But they differed on what weighed...

Opinion

EDITORIALS
Dec 3, 2018
G20 summit succeeds, barely
Now it is up to Japan to take up the reins as chair and begin the process of reinvigorating the G20.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2018
The last president from good old America
The loss of President George H.W. Bush symbolizes the end to the era of elite U.S. statesmanship.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 3, 2018
The United States, China and the preferred superpower
For Japan, the U.S. has traditionally held the role — but that was before the Trump administration.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 3, 2018
Womenomics: Mend the gap
More Japanese women are working, but many still professionally underachieve.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2018
G20 gives markets a short-term win
China and the U.S. agree to freeze tariffs for three months, but that's about it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2018
Trump deserves some credit for a truce with China
At least the two sides are talking instead of sweeping everything under the rug.

Sports

BASKETBALL
Dec 3, 2018
Akatsuki Five extend winning streak to six after downing Kazakhstan
Nick Fazekas has said he would welcome one of his Japan teammates stepping into the limelight.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / SPORTS SCOPE
Dec 3, 2018
IOC continues to review esports
Is there a future for esports in the Olympics?

LIFE

Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Dec 3, 2018
A dash of hiragana in the 'foreign' soup
Japanese words you'd think should be written in katakana will sometimes show up in hiragana. There's a cultural reason behind these rare switches.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Dec 3, 2018
Coming up with exceptions in Japanese can be tricky, but helpful
The word 'tada' and it's rarer counterpart 'mottomo' help link sentences in conversational and written Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Dec 3, 2018
Tokyo 2020 organizers discuss 6 a.m. start for marathons
Tokyo's summers are hot. That means upcoming Olympic events may need to start earlier in the morning.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 3, 2018
Let's discuss the arrest of Carlos Ghosn
The arrest of Carlos Ghosn made headlines around the world. Check out some of the vocabulary used when discussing this kind of case.

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