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JAPAN

JAPAN
Dec 18, 2018
Japan to boost aid to major cities except Tokyo as it looks to revitalize other regions
The government presented a proposal on Tuesday to revise its regional revitalization strategy, including strengthened support for major cities outside the Tokyo metropolitan area.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2018
Standing room only: JR East tells riders in Tokyo to stand on both sides of escalators to block pesky walkers
When a train is about to depart a station, passengers hear an announcement saying, "Please stand clear of the closing doors."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2018
Japan ranks second in new development index that puts quality and quantity of life before wealth
Japan is the second-best place in the world in terms of human development, with Hong Kong in first place and Iceland in third, according to a new index called the Human Life Indicator that is supposed to be simpler and more accurate than the U.N. Human Development Index.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 18, 2018
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urges Japan to accept outcome of WWII
On a local radio program Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed the need for Japan to accept the outcome of World War II in order to advance Tokyo-Moscow peace treaty talks.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2018
Russia plans to move troops into new barracks and build armored vehicle sites on disputed isles
Russia said Monday it had built new barracks for troops on a disputed chain of islands near Japan and would build more facilities for armored vehicles, a move likely to anger Tokyo after it urged Moscow to reduce its military activity there.

ASIA PACIFIC

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 18, 2018
Mobile phones spreading 'decadent and reactionary ideological culture,' North Korean media warns
North Korea's main state newspaper warned on Tuesday of the "negative impact" from mobile phones use around the world, as both legal and illicit communications devices proliferate in the isolated country.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 18, 2018
On anniversary of Deng reforms, defiant Xi says no one can tell China what to do
President Xi Jinping said China would stick to its policy agenda, despite pressure from the U.S. and others to allow more competition in its economic system.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 18, 2018
U.S. and North Korea in holding pattern ahead of Kim New Year's address and second leaders' summit
The United States and North Korea have reached a holding pattern in denuclearization talks as both sides seek the upper hand ahead of a key New Year's address by leader Kim Jong Un and a second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump next year. But criticism out of Pyongyang has been emerging...
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 18, 2018
U.N. Security Council considers move to push Myanmar on Rohingya crisis, but Russia and China boycott talks
The U.N. Security Council is considering action to push Myanmar to work with the United Nations to address the Rohingya refugee crisis, although China and Russia have so far boycotted talks on a British-drafted resolution, diplomats said Monday.

WORLD

WORLD
Dec 18, 2018
Sex workers say Tumblr's move to ban explicit images leaves them at risk
Sex workers said they would lose work or be forced to risk soliciting on the streets as Tumblr introduced curbs on sharing explicit imagery on Monday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 18, 2018
Two Scandinavian female tourists found slain in Morocco's Atlas mountains
Two female tourists from Norway and Denmark were found dead on Monday in the Atlas Mountains in central Morocco, with both having neck wounds caused by knives, the country's interior ministry said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 18, 2018
Wondrous extinct flying pterosaurs sported rudimentary feathers, China fossil study reveals
A microscopic examination of fossils from China has revealed that the fur-like body covering of pterosaurs, the remarkable flying reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs, was actually made up of rudimentary feathers.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 18, 2018
U.S. odd man out at U.N. over its opposition to abortions, refugee policy
The United States found itself isolated in the 193-member United Nations General Assembly on Monday over Washington's concerns about the promotion of abortion and a voluntary plan to address the global refugee crisis.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 18, 2018
Democrats jockeying over coming probes into Trump's finances, Russia ties
With less than three weeks to go before they take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats are jockeying to lead overlapping investigations into President Donald Trump in a scramble that could cause headaches for Nancy Pelosi, who is expected to be House speaker.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 18, 2018
France vows aid for Burkina Faso but no more troops to fight Islamists
France agreed on Monday to a new military framework with Burkina Faso that would speed engagement of its forces to fight Islamist militants in a northern border region of Burkina where there has been a spike in violence.

BUSINESS

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 18, 2018
Lovot, Japan's new touchy-feely family robot, aims to spread a little love
Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world, but it also might be the loneliest. So much so that its people may need to be taught how to love by a robot.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 18, 2018
Former central bank official blames Japan's low inflation on rising labor productivity
An increase in workforce participation and improvements in labor productivity are among key factors keeping inflation low, former Bank of Japan Deputy Gov. Hiroshi Nakaso said Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2018
T-Mobile wins U.S. security OK for sprint takeover: sources
T-Mobile US Inc. won U.S. national security approval for its takeover of Sprint Corp., according to two people familiar with the matter, one of the regulatory conditions needed before the two wireless carriers can combine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 18, 2018
Study finds antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Brazil pork, suggesting overuse of medicine on livestock
Pork products sold at retailers in Brazil contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a study funded by animal rights group World Animal Protection (WAP), providing potential evidence of overuse of the medicines in food livestock.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 18, 2018
Google to spend $1 billion on new campus in New York as it taps talent pool
Alphabet Inc.'s Google is investing more than $1 billion on a new campus in New York, becoming the second major technology company after Amazon to pick America's financial capital to expand and create thousands of jobs.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 18, 2018
Airbus to boost some pay as Macron urges French firms to ease cost of living crisis
Europe's Airbus is ready to pay a special bonus to its lowest-paid workers after French President Emmanuel Macron called on French companies to help tackle weeks of protests about the cost of living, according to a staff memo.

Opinion

EDITORIALS
Dec 18, 2018
Patchwork steps in government's 2019 tax reform
Heavy fiscal measures to ease the impact of raising the consumption tax on households could raise doubts over the very purpose of the increase.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2018
Beijing's South China Sea grab
In the last five years, China has turned its contrived historical claims to the South China Sea into reality and gained strategic depth.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2018
The U.S.-North Korea deadlock
Both Washington and Pyongyang are going to need to make concessions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2018
Lies, damned lies, and artificial intelligence
As algorithmic decision-making spreads, it is exposing social and economic inequities that were long hidden behind 'official' data.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 18, 2018
How Abe is changing Japan's foreign policy apparatus
The prime minister has seized the diplomacy initiative from the bureaucracy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2018
More people means more cars and more deaths
Traffic accidents are the leading killer of younger people worldwide, but there are signs that making our roads safer isn't impossible.

Sports

Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / HOOP SCOOP
Dec 18, 2018
Ehime's Andrew Fitzgerald looks back on record-setting scoring performance
Andrew Fitzgerald scored the Ehime Orange Vikings' first two points on an outside jumper on Sunday, and never stopped scoring.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 18, 2018
Confident kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa preparing for unique showdown with Floyd Mayweather
No matter how one of the all-time best boxers views his New Year's Eve showdown with Tenshin Nasukawa, the kickboxing phenom is planning to shock the world by putting on a competitive fight.

CULTURE

Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 18, 2018
Music in 2018: Saying goodbye to Heisei with 'U.S.A.'
The final full year of the Heisei Era was one of the most discombobulating for Japanese music this decade. Nostalgia for the soon-to-end era clashed with efforts to figure out where J-pop goes moving forward. Tunes covered in cobwebs suddenly became the soundtrack for viral dances on trendy video apps....
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 18, 2018
YouTube in 2018: Controversy, contributors and (allegedly) child-friendly content
YouTube in Japan had an identity crisis in 2018. The video-sharing site only grew in importance this year, as the top creators associated with the platform achieved acceptance by the country's mainstream media gatekeepers while famous names migrated over.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 18, 2018
Amy Schumer, Asley Judd join calls to free U.S. trafficking victim jailed for murder
Actors Amy Schumer and Ashley Judd have backed a campaign for an American woman convicted of killing a man who paid to have sex with her as a child to be given clemency.

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