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December 2019
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JAPAN

JAPAN
Dec 12, 2019
Tourism's effect on historic cities and sites in focus as global conference kicks off in Kyoto
By Eric Johnston
Rising concerns worldwide about what an increase in tourism is doing to historic cities, cultural sites and the environment loomed over the start Thursday of a two-day gathering in Kyoto on tourism and culture organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization and UNESCO.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2019
Rei (令), first character of Reiwa era name, picked as Japan's kanji of the year
By Ryusei Takahashi
The character "rei" (令) — as used in the era name of Reiwa, which has been translated to mean "beautiful harmony" — was chosen as kanji of the year, the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation announced Thursday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 12, 2019
At Madrid climate talks, Japan's Shinjiro Koizumi confronts critics over coal
By Eric Johnston
Koizumi defended the government's policy by saying the country was not getting enough credit for its efforts to move to more environmentally friendly energy sources.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2019
Tokyo's Ginza Line to be partially suspended over New Year's due to work at Shibuya Station
By Ryusei Takahashi
Tokyo's busy Ginza Line, which runs from Shibuya to Asakusa on a route that connects two of the capital's top spots for tourists, will be partially suspended over the New Year's holiday due to construction of a new platform at Shibuya Station, operator Tokyo Metro Co. has said.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 12, 2019
With a population under a dozen, Okinawa dugongs labeled 'critically endangered' by IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has updated its Red List of Threatened Species, moving the dugong that dwell in waters off Okinawa Prefecture to the critically endangered category and putting it a step away from extinction.

ASIA PACIFIC

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 12, 2019
North Korea says U.S. criticism has helped it make decision on stalled nuclear talks
By Jesse Johnson
North Korea took aim at the United States on Thursday for convening a U.N. Security Council meeting, saying the "provocative act" had helped it decide which path to take in deadlocked nuclear talks.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 12, 2019
China aims to double water transfers from wet south to arid north
China aims to double the amount of water it transfers from the flood-prone south to arid northern regions, officials said Thursday, as the government prepares to launch the second phase of its controversial cross-country water diversion program.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 12, 2019
New Zealand police plan mission to recover bodies from volcano island
Police in New Zealand are planning a mission to volcanic White Island on Friday to retrieve bodies of people killed in this week's eruption, while the known death toll from the disaster climbed to eight, with two people dying in the hospital.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 12, 2019
Morrison calls Australian fires 'disaster' but denies link to climate change
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is defending his government's record on tackling climate change, rejecting claims that it is in any way exacerbating bush fires sweeping the continent.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 12, 2019
Disasters and downturn challenge New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern going into election year
By Praveen Menon and Jane Wardell
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern faces tough challenges as she heads into a general election campaign next year, with economic growth slowing, divisive referendums looming and a country reeling from disasters both natural and man-made.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 12, 2019
Dozens of fleeing Rohingya go on trial in Myanmar for 'illegal travel'
Dozens of Rohingya Muslims appeared in a Myanmar court on Wednesday to face charges of traveling illegally after they were arrested while fleeing apartheid-like conditions in the country's Rakhine state.

WORLD

Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 12, 2019
About 70 soldiers believed killed in attack on Niger military camp near area of Islamic State massacres
About 70 soldiers were killed in an attack on a military camp in Niger near the border with Mali on Tuesday evening, four security sources told Reuters, in the deadliest raid against the Nigerien military in living memory.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 12, 2019
Iran-backed attacks on bases hosting American forces in Iraq risk uncontrollable escalation, says U.S. official
A senior U.S. military official said on Wednesday attacks by Iranian-backed groups on bases hosting U.S. forces in Iraq were gathering pace and becoming more sophisticated, pushing all sides closer to an uncontrollable escalation.

BUSINESS

BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2019
Japan's extra budget for fiscal 2019 expected to reach ¥3.2 trillion
The government plans to earmark ¥3.2 trillion in spending under a planned supplementary budget for fiscal 2019, which ends in March, sources said Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 12, 2019
Japan's extended fall in machinery orders bodes ill for business spending
By Daniel Leussink
Machinery orders sank again in October in a fresh sign that business spending, previously one of the few points of strength in the world's third-largest economy, is stalling as slumping exports bruise investment appetite.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 12, 2019
Blow for AB InBev's $11 billion asset sale to Asahi as Australian regulators raise concerns
Australia's competition regulator has raised concerns over an $11 billion deal by Anheuser-Busch InBev to sell its local operations to Japan's Asahi Group Holdings Ltd., dealing a blow to the world's largest brewer's efforts to cut debt.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2019
Japan energy panel calls for national effort to secure oil and rare metal reserves
A government energy panel called on Wednesday for the strengthening of a national reserve plan that ensures the availability of oil and rare metals amid increased global competition.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 12, 2019
With Honda mired in crisis over quality lapses, CEO Takahiro Hachigo seizes the wheel
By Norihiko Shirouzu and Naomi Tajitsu
At a two-day gathering for Honda's suppliers in March, Chief Executive Takahiro Hachigo sounded the alarm.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2019
Short electric flight advances fossil fuel-free air travel
A five-minute test flight of an all-electric commercial aircraft by Vancouver-based Harbour Air has taken a significant step in the quest to replace aircraft powered by fossil fuels, a mode of transportation increasingly viewed through the prism of global warming.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2019
Japan's farm minister Taku Eto stresses safety of wagyu beef in effort to access Chinese market
Agriculture minister Taku Eto stressed the safety of wagyu beef during a visit with Beijing's top diplomat in Japan to a cutting-edge meat-processing plant with stringent hygiene controls on Wednesday, as Tokyo hopes to resume exports of the Japanese specialty to China at an early date.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 12, 2019
China's bitcoin miners scoop up two-thirds of crypto-network's processing power
China's bitcoin miners now control two-thirds of the crypto-network's processing power, research showed on Wednesday, a growing share that is likely to benefit the country's miners.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 12, 2019
North Korean hackers are working with Eastern European cybercriminals, report says
North Korean state-backed hackers appear to be cooperating with Eastern European cybercriminals, a report said on Wednesday, a finding that suggests digital gangsters and state-backed spies are finding common ground online.

Opinion

EDITORIALS
Dec 12, 2019
The nation's falling number of newborns
Fewer newborns means the nation's population will be aging and declining faster.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 12, 2019
Can old ideas in a new package deter China?
By Hal Brands
A fresh doctrine — 'pluralism' — aims to help allies and friends balance Beijing in the Indo-Pacific.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 12, 2019
Shifting into the era of the Indo-Pacific
By Stephen R. Nagy
The Indo-Pacific era should not and must not be defined by the U.S.-China strategic competition.

Sports

Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 12, 2019
Japan submits bid for 2023 Women's World Cup to FIFA
By Dan Orlowitz
Japan is considered a frontrunner in a field that may include a joint Australia-New Zealand bid, a rumored unified Korean bid, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Dec 12, 2019
Mathias Calfani helps Brave Thunders with solid play
By Ed Odeven
Mathias Calfani's passion for basketball is evident on every possession.

LIFE

Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Dec 12, 2019
Welcome the new year with a bubbly toast
Are there any sights more welcoming than a freshly poured glass of Champagne? With occasions for celebration becoming more frequent up until the end of the year — and indeed, the decade — the answer is undoubtedly "No!"

CULTURE

Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 12, 2019
Free jazz veteran Yosuke Yamashita marks 50 years of his trio's 'reckless' playing
By James Hadfield
The pianist brings together past members of his Yosuke Yamashita Trio for celebratory Tokyo show.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 12, 2019
'Tora-san, Wish You Were Here': A film favorite lovingly remembered
By Mark Schilling
With 48 feature installments from 1969 to 1995, the "Tora-san" series not only set a Guinness World Record, but kept its Shochiku production studio afloat for decades.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 12, 2019
'Lupin III: The First': A 3D animation with a nostalgic heart
By James Hadfield
Master thief Lupin III returns to steal treasure — and a few hearts — in Takashi Yamazaki's take on the loveable rogue.

COMMUNITY

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Dec 12, 2019
Working with the Japanese at a senior level when you're a non-Japanese woman
By Rochelle Kopp
While stories about mandatory heels and a ban on glasses are making the rounds in the media, the reality of working at a Japanese firm when you're a woman is not as bad as you may think.
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
Air India crash report to offer peek into last seconds
Members of the Indian Army's engineering arm prepare to remove the wreckage of an Air India aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 14.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.
NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya holds a board that reads "Japanese First" in Tokyo on July 2. In a joint statement on Tuesday, eight human rights nongovernmental organizations described the far-right party's stance as "hate speech."
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
“Giselle” lead Yuriko Kajiya (center), performing with Connor Walsh as Albrecht, is one of six Japanese dancers at Houston Ballet.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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