archive

 
 
September 2019
SMTWTFS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930 
« AugOct »

JAPAN

Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 13, 2019
New Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi vows Japan will take lead role on plastic waste
Koizumi said he wants to make Japan a leader in environmental issues and speak with Fukushima's fishermen about what to do with Tepco's radiation-tainted water.
Japan Times
Plan to cut down ginkgo trees in Fukuoka to improve wheelchair access sparks backlash
An ongoing redevelopment project in the city of Fukuoka has sparked outrage among some local residents and calls for the authorities to reconsider their decision to cut down fully grown ginkgo trees along Fukudai-dori avenue, one of the city's main roads.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 13, 2019
Gifu washi apprentice publishes book of 'insanely difficult' origami animals
Yuga Arisawa, 21, who has loved making complex artworks using origami since he was a child, traveled throughout Japan as a high school student looking for the best paper — fine but able to endure nearly 100 folds.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2019
Website of Japan's new 78-year-old IT minister offline for months, raising questions over his tech acumen
The official website of new Japanese information technology minister Naokazu Takemoto has been unviewable for the past few months, raising concerns among social media users over his ability to handle the portfolio, it was learned Friday.

ASIA PACIFIC

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 13, 2019
As unrest deepens, Hong Kongers keep eyes on real estate from Canada to Australia
As protests in Hong Kong stretch from summer into autumn with little sign of resolution, a surge in migration applications suggests more locals are making plans to leave the special administrative region.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 13, 2019
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to prioritize housing and livelihoods to appease protesters
Embattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has promised to prioritize housing and people's livelihoods to appease deep-rooted discontent about the way the Asian financial hub has been governed.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Sep 13, 2019
Six months after Christchurch attacks, New Zealand bill would tighten gun laws further
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern introduced a new bill to Parliament on Friday that aims to further tighten gun laws, and the country marked six months since a mass shooting in Christchurch that killed 51 Muslim worshippers.

WORLD

Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 13, 2019
Scientists say newly discovered comet is likely to be an 'interstellar visitor'
A newly discovered comet hurtling toward the orbit of Mars has scientists scurrying to confirm whether it came from outside the solar system, a likely prospect that would make it the second such interstellar object observed in our planetary neighborhood.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 13, 2019
Taliban car bomb blast kills four Afghan special forces members in Kabul
A suicide bomber targeted an Afghan Special Forces base in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least four commandos, officials said, as violence continued to escalate following the collapse of peace talks between the United States and Taliban insurgents.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 13, 2019
Grand jury indicts man accused of gunning down 22 people at El Paso Walmart
A Texas grand jury on Thursday indicted a man accused of killing 22 people and wounding 26 others in an August shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, who had told authorities he was targeting Mexicans, a local prosecutor said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 13, 2019
California dive boat crew were all sleeping when fatal fire broke out, with no one on watch
All six crew members on a California dive boat that erupted in flames on Labor Day, killing 34 people, were sleeping when the fire broke out, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Sep 13, 2019
Thousands rally to demand justice for protesters killed in Sudan during crackdown
Thousands of Sudanese protested outside the presidential palace in Khartoum on Thursday, calling for the appointment of senior judicial officials and justice for demonstrators killed since December.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 13, 2019
Warplanes strike Syria's Idlib despite latest cease-fire, say monitors
Airstrikes pounded the south of Syria's Idlib region on Thursday, a rebel official and residents said, despite a cease-fire that had halted a fierce army offensive against the rebel stronghold two weeks ago.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 13, 2019
Israel denies report it planted cellphone eavesdropping devices near White House and other key Washington sites
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz denied a media report that Israel had planted listening devices in Washington D.C.

BUSINESS

Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2019
China to exempt U.S. pork and soybeans from additional tariffs: Xinhua
China will exempt some agricultural products from additional tariffs on U.S. goods, China's official Xinhua News Agency said Friday, in the latest sign of easing Sino-U.S. tensions before a new rounds of talks aimed at curbing a bruising trade war.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2019
NHTSA probing reports of sudden unintended braking in Nissan's Rogue SUV
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Nissan Motor Co.'s top-selling model after hundreds of drivers complained a safety system is prone to suddenly triggering the brakes for no apparent reason.
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2019
Trump advisers considering interim China deal ahead of talks, sources disclose
Trump administration officials have discussed offering a limited trade agreement to China that would delay and even roll back some U.S. tariffs for the first time in exchange for Chinese commitments on agricultural purchases and intellectual property, or IP, according to five people familiar with the...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 13, 2019
Many Japanese firms pushing back capital investment plans due to growing trade risks
In a potential blow for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic agenda, most Japanese companies have put capital investment plans on hold as a result of the U.S.-China trade war and other global risks, a survey has found.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 13, 2019
Free bank accounts may become a thing of the past in Japan
Japan's long-suffering savers have put up with virtually zero interest for years, but at least their bank accounts have remained free.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2019
German auto lobby chief suddenly quits in midst of Frankfurt show
Bernhard Mattes, the head of Germany's auto lobby group VDA, resigned unexpectedly this week in the middle of the Frankfurt motor show, the showcase event the group hosts every two years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 13, 2019
Economist expects limited impact from Japan's October tax hike
The impact of the Oct. 1 consumption tax hike from the current 8 percent to 10 percent will be limited as mitigating measures are already in place, according to the chief economist at the Daiwa Institute of Research.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2019
Japan Post Bank broke rules with sales of investment trust products to thousands of seniors
Japan Post Bank improperly sold investment trust products to elderly customers in violation of its rules in a total of some 20,000 cases, sources have revealed.
Fukushima Prefecture sets sights on flying cars to boost recovery and local industry
The Fukushima Prefectural Government is leading a collaborative effort involving companies from different industries and a robotics testing field to invent a flying car.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2019
American Airlines mechanic stripped of FAA certificate and ordered held in sabotage case
An American Airlines mechanic charged with purposely damaging an aircraft in July during a dispute between the airline and its mechanics union involving stalled contract negotiations will remain behind bars until at least Sept. 20, according to a court filing on Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 13, 2019
U.S. flags Huawei 5G network security concerns to Gulf allies
The United States has raised its concerns with Gulf allies over a possible security risk in using Huawei's technology for their 5G mobile infrastructure, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

ENVIRONMENT

Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 13, 2019
Debate over Japan's extinct wolf grows
An unidentified animal howl recorded in the Okuchichibu mountains bears a strong resemblance to a wolf howl, according to an analysis of audio samples provided by Hiroshi Yagi, an independent researcher who has been working to prove the existence of the officially extinct Japanese wolf.

Opinion

EDITORIALS
Sep 13, 2019
John Bolton, the hawk, takes flight
Japan must be ready for more aggressive U.S. attempts to strike a deal with North Korea before the November 2020 ballot, and be prepared for an even more ad hoc decision-making process in Washington.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2019
Abe's lesson in stability and pragmatism
Team Abe is not afraid to use power and has an agenda that is pro-growth and pro-business.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2019
Young people are right about climate change: It's time to listen to them
The world is on an unsustainable path, and as climate impacts increase the opportunities for today's youth will diminish.

Sports

SUMO
Sep 13, 2019
Sumo 101: Kaobure
Every day of a sumo tournament contains hundreds of bouts.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Sep 13, 2019
Marathon Grand Championship offers path to 2020 Games
The inaugural Marathon Grand Championship gets underway with tickets to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on the line.

LIFE

Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 13, 2019
Luxury on the Nakasendo with a dash of adventure
In Nagano Prefecture's idyllic Kiso Valley, near the post town of Tsumago on the rugged Nakasendo trail, the new 'expedition hotel' Zenagi offers guests the best of the region's food and culture — with an adventurous twist.

CULTURE

Japan Times
Ep. 15 'A Man's Worth is Determined by His Job'
Now that we have said arrivederci to Kenny and Risako, it's time to say buongiorno to two new members of "Terrace House," an Italian manga artist and a young romantic with a leather cap.

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