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JAPAN

Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2019
Japan's government plans to test systems that detect dangerous objects on train passengers
Looking to improve security on public transportation, the government plans to conduct tests at a rail station by the end of March on an electronic system designed to detect dangerous objects on train passengers, a transport ministry official said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 7, 2019
Tabloid mag under fire for publishing list of Japanese colleges where girls are 'easily available' for sex at drinking parties
A tabloid magazine has ignited intense backlash on social media after it published a list of colleges whose students are "easily available" for sex after drinking, underscoring what critics described as the country's systematic objectification of women.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2019
Queen guitarist Brian May latest to sign anti-Henoko base petition as organizer readies for White House rally
Legendary Queen guitarist Brian May became the latest celebrity to weigh in Sunday on controversial construction work associated with the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture, a project that opponents say will endanger rare coral species.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2019
In a Tokyo neighborhood's last sushi restaurant, a sense of loss
"I'll have a draft," says Yasuo Fujinuma, heaving himself down at the sushi counter. He pulls a pack of cigarettes from a frayed pocket of his sweater. From the corner of the restaurant, a small TV hums the noon weather forecast. He never drinks at noon.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 7, 2019
Philippine court orders arrest of Japanese casino mogul Kazuo Okada on fraud charges
A Philippine court has ordered the arrest of Japanese casino mogul Kazuo Okada, about a month after the country's Department of Justice (DOJ) recommended filing charges against him on three counts of fraud.
Japan Times
Traffic safety-conscious group of bald men in Mie Prefecture breaks up due to aging
In 1985, about 30 bald men in their 30s who were running businesses in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, created a group called Hagetemo Katsura wo Kaburan Kai, which roughly translates to a group of men who won't wear wigs even if they go bald.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2019
Six months after heavy rains hit parts of western Japan, relatives and survivors mourn those who died in the disaster
Victims of last July's torrential rain that hit parts of western Japan were remembered Sunday, six months after the first special heavy rain warning during the disaster was issued.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2019
Ministry earmarks subsidies totaling ¥20 million to set up translation systems for foreign students at schools
The education ministry plans to set up a new subsidy system for prefectures and large cities that offer detailed support to foreign students attending public elementary and junior high schools and their parents through the use of multilingual translation systems.

ASIA PACIFIC

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 7, 2019
Thailand halts plan to expel Saudi teen barricaded in her hotel room
Thailand halted plans Monday to expel an 18-year-old Saudi woman fleeing her family after she barricaded herself inside an airport hotel to prevent immigration officials putting her on a flight to Kuwait.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 7, 2019
China says it welcomes U.N. to visit Xinjiang via proper procedures
China said on Monday it would welcome U.N. officials to its far western region of Xinjiang if they follow the proper procedures, amid global concern over Beijing's de-radicalization program there.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 7, 2019
Trump and Kim Jong Un likely to choose Hanoi for second summit, report says
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could meet in Vietnam's capital for their second summit on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, the South Korean newspaper Munhwa Ilbo said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 7, 2019
U.S. Navy ship sails in disputed South China Sea amid trade talks with Beijing
A U.S. guided-missile destroyer sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea claimed by China as U.S. officials meet their counterparts in Beijing for talks during a truce in a bitter trade war.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 7, 2019
Trump says North Korea sanctions to remain 'in full force and effect' until U.S. sees 'very positive' results
In comments ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's planned second meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump said Sunday that crippling sanctions imposed on nuclear-armed North Korea will remain "in full force and effect" until the United States sees "very positive" results.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 7, 2019
China says pace of Xinjiang 'education' will slow but defends camps amid highly chaperoned, staged tour
China will not back down on what it sees as a highly successful de-radicalization program in Xinjiang that has attracted global concern, but fewer people will be sent through, officials said last week in allowing rare media access there.

WORLD

Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 7, 2019
Gabon thwarts military coup attempt in president's absence
Gabon foiled an attempted military coup Monday, arresting several plotters just hours after they took over state radio in a bid to end 50 years of rule by President Ali Bongo's family.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 7, 2019
Saudi women to be told of divorce by text message under new law, are urged to check website
Women in Saudi Arabia will be notified by text message if they are divorced under a new law designed to protect them from having their marriage ended without their knowledge, the government said on Sunday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 7, 2019
New Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez says it's 'great' to be underestimated by critics, and calls Trump 'racist'
Freshman Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defended her ambitious, progressive policy proposals and sometimes combative presence on social media as risky but worth it, saying it is "great" to be underestimated by her opponents.
WORLD
Jan 7, 2019
WikiLeaks tells reporters 140 'false and defamatory' things not to say about Julian Assange
WikiLeaks on Sunday advised journalists not to report 140 different "false and defamatory" statements about its founder Julian Assange, who has been holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since June 2012.

BUSINESS

Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2019
With nearly $900 billion in cash at the ready, Japan's M&A spending spree likely to continue
Japan outmuscled China to dominate mergers and acquisitions in Asia last year, and with companies in possession of more than $890 billion in cash, the spending spree is likely to continue in 2019.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2019
Bailed out or not, Carlos Ghosn's role at Renault becomes more untenable
Carlos Ghosn will get a chance Tuesday to make his case to the Tokyo District Court that he should be released on bail from his 50-day detention. But 9,500 km away in Paris, his future as head of Renault SA is increasingly in doubt.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2019
France presses Renault over executive compensation paid via Dutch holding firm
The French government has told Renault to provide more details on compensation paid to senior executives via a Dutch holding company jointly owned with alliance partner Nissan, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2019
Southeast Asia wary of China's Belt and Road project, skeptical of U.S. commitment: survey
Southeast Asian countries should be cautious in negotiating with China on its flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to avoid being trapped in unsustainable debt, 70 percent of respondents said in a policy survey released on Monday.

Opinion

EDITORIALS
Jan 7, 2019
Macron continues to feel the sting of the 'yellow jackets'
In some ways, the 'yellow jacket' movement is a typically French protest, but it also reflects a deeper malaise that is increasingly found throughout the West.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2019
Is Trump suffering from the China syndrome?
U.S. State Department officials are changing the policy of the president.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2019
America's pullout from the Middle East is overdue
Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and reduce forces in Afghanistan has exposed the hollowness of arguments in favor of endless intervention.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2019
This is the year we must act
Without a new paradigm for managing globalization, fragmentation and political despair will become the new normal.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2019
Stop 2019 from being a year of increased state control
The predictions of democratic failure in the face of authoritarian power will come true only if publics allow it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2019
A thimbleful of optimism
Amid today's global conflicts, debasement of public debate, attacks on democratic institutions and escalating geopolitical tensions, it is hard to find much cause for hope. But it's still possible to restore faith in our shared humanity.

Sports

Japan Times
Yusei Kikuchi's move shows revised posting system not great for NPB clubs
Why would an NPB team post its best players now?

LIFE

Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Jan 7, 2019
Join in the chatter during film awards season
With the Golden Globes finished, the race to the Oscars is on. It's time to try out your Japanese on the topic of movies.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jan 7, 2019
Know the circumstances of using 'shidai'
Depending on whether it's used as a noun, an idomatic expression or as an adverb, 'shidai' can mean something entirely different.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Jan 7, 2019
'Tattoos OK' hot spring map released for Rugby World Cup
A hot spring map proves to be a hot topic in the news. Read about how the city of Beppu is making efforts to welcome tourists with tattoos.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 7, 2019
Let's discuss recycling our food waste
A Nagoya-based effort to recycle food waste gets an award — and we get a lesson on composting.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan