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JAPAN

Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2020
Lebanon receives Interpol arrest warrant for Carlos Ghosn, judicial source says
In past cases, where Lebanon has received red notices for citizens resident in the country, the suspects have not been detained, the source said.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2020
Trial delay contributed to Ghosn's decision to flee Japan, sources say
Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn decided to flee Japan after learning that his trial had been delayed until April 2021 and also because he had not been allowed to speak to his wife, sources close to Ghosn said Thursday.
JAPAN / Outlook 2020
Jan 2, 2020
Japan's pressing regional affairs to unfold quietly in shadow of Olympics
This year, all attention will turn to the 2020 Olympics, with politicians, business leaders and the media talking about how to ensure its success, what it means for Japan domestically and internationally and how to avert a post-Olympic economic slump.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2020
Tolerant shrine-temple-church trio's rare red stamps draw collectors to UNESCO site
Goshuin stamps made by three different places of worship — a shrine, a temple and a church — at an obscure fishing community within a UNESCO World Heritage site in Kumamoto Prefecture is generating a buzz with tourists.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Outlook 2020
Jan 2, 2020
What will Abe do to cement his legacy?
If you look at Japan's 2020 political calendar now, it will look like it is going to be a relatively quiet one.
JAPAN / Politics / Outlook 2020
Jan 2, 2020
Japan faces a diplomatic balancing act in 2020 as it seeks to manage ties with the U.S. and China
In the spring, President Xi Jinping is set to come to Japan, the first visit by a Chinese president in nine years.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2020
Japan-U.S. pact takes effect to promote goods, digital trade
Japan lowered its import duty on U.S. beef from 38.5 percent to 26.6 percent and will cut it down to 9 percent in fiscal 2033.
JAPAN / New Year's Special
Jan 2, 2020
Can Tokyo's soft power push ensure a positive Olympic legacy?
When the capital hosted the Olympic Games over half a century ago, it was heralded as a symbol of Japan's postwar recovery. This time around, Tokyo appears keen on trading brick and mortar for hearts and minds.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 2, 2020
Carlos Ghosn met Lebanese president after fleeing Japan, sources say
Fugitive former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn met Lebanon's president after his escape from Japan, where he was smuggled out of house arrest by a private security company, two sources close to Ghosn said on Wednesday.

ASIA PACIFIC

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 2, 2020
North Korean missiles again flying over Japan 'only a matter of time,' experts say
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's declaration that his country is no longer bound by its self-imposed nuclear and missile moratorium drastically raises the chances of longer-range weapons overflying Japan once again, experts say.
Japan Times
Thailand bans single-use plastic bags at major stores
Thailand began the year with a ban on single-use plastic bags at major stores, continuing a campaign launched by the government and retailers toward a complete ban in 2021 to reduce waste and debris in the sea.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 2, 2020
3 in 5 Hong Kongers support protesters' demands, survey shows
Hong Kong's protest movement is supported by 59 percent of city residents polled in a survey conducted for Reuters by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, with more than a third of respondents saying they had attended an anti-government demonstration.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 2, 2020
U.N. secretary-general 'deeply concerned' after North Korea said it could resume weapons tests
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply concerned" that North Korea has indicated it could resume nuclear and missile tests, a U.N. spokesman said on Wednesday.

WORLD

WORLD
Jan 2, 2020
Tayyip Erdogan says up to 250,000 Syrians flee toward Turkey as crisis worsens
President Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday up to 250,000 migrants were fleeing toward Turkey from Syria's northwest Idlib region after weeks of renewed bombardment by Russian and Syrian government forces.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 2, 2020
German zoo blaze caused by New Year's gesture gone wrong, say police
A Chinese lantern, launched by a 60-year-old mother and her two adult daughters in a New Year's Eve celebration, caused a fire at a German zoo in which dozens of animals were killed, including eight great apes, authorities said.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 2, 2020
Indian coal-fired plants miss emissions deadline but still running
Coal-fired utilities around New Delhi were still operating on Wednesday despite threats from the Indian authorities to close them down if they had not installed equipment to cut emissions of sulfur oxides by the end of the year.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 2, 2020
India to take another shot at moon landing after crash last year
India will attempt a second moon landing, after a previous try last year failed just minutes before a scheduled touchdown on the lunar surface, in a bid to restore its credentials as an ambitious space power.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 2, 2020
Austrian conservative Sebastian Kurz and Greens strike coalition deal
Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz struck a coalition deal on Wednesday with the Greens to ensure his return to power and bring the left-wing party into government for the first time, three months after Kurz won a parliamentary election.
WORLD
Jan 2, 2020
Iran-backed paramilitary forces in Iraq under focus after U.S. strikes
The most powerful paramilitary groups in Iraq:
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 2, 2020
Rock-throwing Iraqi militias end protest at U.S. Embassy
Supporters of Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary groups who stormed the U.S. Embassy's perimeter and hurled rocks in two days of protests withdrew on Wednesday after Washington dispatched extra troops and threatened reprisals against Tehran.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 2, 2020
Lopez Obrador says drug lord 'El Chapo' had same power as president
Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador closed out 2019 with a parting shot at his predecessors, saying imprisoned drug kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera had had the same power as the country's president.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 2, 2020
Africa starts 2020 battling extremism, Ebola and hunger
A tragic airline crash with far-reaching consequences, cataclysmic cyclones that may be a harbinger of the future, the death of an African icon and a new leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize. These African stories captured the world's attention in 2019 — and look to influence events on the continent...
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jan 2, 2020
Pope apologizes for 'bad example' of slapping arm of pilgrim who tugged him, after homily denouncing violence against women
Pope Francis apologized on Wednesday for having angrily slapped a woman's arm when she had grabbed hold of his hand and yanked him toward her, saying he had lost his patience and set a "bad example.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 2, 2020
U.S. chief justice who will preside over Trump's trial prefers to fly under the radar
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts will be a central figure in the ongoing drama of the Donald Trump presidency in the coming months. He is due to preside over a Senate impeachment trial, while the Supreme Court he leads will rule on a titanic clash over the president's attempts to keep his financial records...

BUSINESS

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 2, 2020
Study finds Google system could improve breast cancer detection
A Google artificial intelligence system has proved as good as expert radiologists at predicting which women would develop breast cancer based on screening mammograms and also showed promise at reducing errors, researchers in the United States and Britain reported.
BUSINESS
Jan 2, 2020
Bird flu found on turkey farms in Poland, Europe's largest poultry producer
Bird flu has been detected in turkeys in eastern Poland, authorities said on Wednesday, and local media reported that the outbreak could require up to 40,000 birds to be slaughtered.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 2, 2020
Sony cranking out image sensors round the clock to meet smartphone-fueled demand
Sony Corp. is working around the clock to manufacture its in-demand image sensors, but even a 24-hour operation hasn't been enough.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 2, 2020
With coal under fire, 2020 could be a big year for wind power in Japan
One day, resource-deprived Japan may no longer have to import its energy, nor rely on nuclear power or coal, thanks to a renewable source with vast potential: offshore wind power.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 2, 2020
U.K.'s Lloyds Banking Group reports disruption to online services
Britain's Lloyds Banking Group suffered an outage on Wednesday that left customers of its Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland operations unable to access their accounts online.

Opinion

Japan Times
EDITORIALS
Jan 2, 2020
Imagine 2030's world to generate innovative ideas
Visualizing the kind of world we want to live in 10 years from now can spur creativity and innovation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 2, 2020
A Masayoshi Son shopping list for 2020
Softbank's chief could do worse than to take this advice.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 2, 2020
Photos of black holes will blow our minds again in 2020
The most awe-inspiring scientific discovery of 2019 is just the beginning.

Sports

Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jan 2, 2020
Justin Burrell says Diamond Dolphins must step up their game
The Nagoya Diamond Dolphins endured a difficult December, winning just two of 10 games. They have lost six consecutive games, and veteran forward Justin Burrell challenged his team to improve its level of play when it returns to action against the visiting Kyoto Hannaryz on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 2, 2020
Aoyama Gakuin moves out to big lead
Aoyama Gakuin University got off to a good start toward recapturing the Hakone ekiden title as it finished first on the opening day of the New Year's traditional event on Thursday.

LIFE

Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jan 2, 2020
Strawberry desserts bursting with flair
Japan's love affair with strawberries remains unabated at ANA InterContinental Tokyo, with the Strawberry Sensation 2020 extravaganza, using approximately 7,000 kilograms of strawberries, scheduled to run from Jan. 15 until May 31.

CULTURE

Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 2, 2020
Art from the silver lining of life's dark clouds
Threatening the precarious peace of everyday life are unforeseen incidents, disease and emotional turbulence. Such are the narrative threads running through 'Song to Life, Struggles of the Soul' at Wacoal Studyhall Kyoto.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 2, 2020
An invisible baseball curves through Japanese literature
There's a long history of pivotal baseball anecdotes in Japanese literature, with well-known writers such as Yukio Mishima and Haruki Murakami incorporating their love of the game into their work.

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