archive

 
 
January 2020
SMTWTFS
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
« DecFeb »

JAPAN

JAPAN
Jan 7, 2020
Japan's average temperature in 2019 hits record high, up nearly a degree from normal
The average temperature in Japan in 2019 hit the highest level since records began in 1898 and was nearly a degree warmer than in a typical year, according to the Meteorological Agency.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 7, 2020
First female on century-old Komatsu's board calls on women in Japan to lean in
Kuniko Urano is the first, yes, the very first woman board member of Komatsu Ltd., a 98-year-old company that is the world's No. 2 construction and mining equipment maker.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Jan 7, 2020
YouTuber reporter targets Japan's tech-savvy youth as print media withers
It's a quarter past 11 p.m. and Mainichi Shimbun political reporter Kenta Miyahara, having just wrapped up his nightly informal chat with a politician he covers closely, begins to set up his smartphone, tripod and lighting in a cluttered office devoid of any of his colleagues.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 7, 2020
After Carlos Ghosn's dramatic escape, former minister says Japan should overhaul bail system
Japan should introduce a more relaxed bail system but step up its surveillance of defendants in criminal cases to prevent a repeat of the dramatic escape by fallen auto titan Carlos Ghosn, a former Cabinet minister and Tokyo governor said Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 7, 2020
Possible snap election Japan's top political issue in 2020
Whether Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will call a snap election is expected to be the biggest issue in Japanese politics in 2020.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2020
Kyoto mayor says city will require barrier-free rooms at all new hotels and lodging facilities
In order to improve the accommodation experience for people with disabilities and elderly guests, the city of Kyoto plans to require all rooms in newly built lodging facilities to be barrier-free in principle, Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa said Monday.

ASIA PACIFIC

Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 7, 2020
How the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general rekindled Kim Jong Un's worst fears
With the order to kill a top Iranian general last week, U.S. President Donald Trump may have rekindled Kim Jong Un's worst fears while simultaneously cementing the North Korean leader's belief that relinquishing his nuclear arsenal would be tantamount to suicide.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 7, 2020
Indonesia mobilizes fishermen to join warships in territorial standoff with China
Indonesia will mobilize fishermen to join warships in the South China Sea and help defend against Chinese vessels, the government in Jakarta said on Monday, as the biggest standoff for years between Southeast Asia's largest country and China escalated off the coast.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 7, 2020
Why China won't join an Iran-Russia coalition against Trump
Beijing's muted response to the U.S. killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani suggests China still isn't ready to join Russia in taking a more direct role in the Middle East's entrenched conflicts.

WORLD

Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 7, 2020
'We're going to war, bro': Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne deploys to the Middle East
For many of the soldiers, it would be their first mission. They packed up ammunition and rifles, placed last-minute calls to loved ones, then turned in their cell phones. Some gave blood.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 7, 2020
John Bolton roils Trump impeachment trial, saying he’d speak if subpoenaed
Former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said Monday he would testify if subpoenaed during President Donald Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate, complicating Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's plan for swift proceedings with no witnesses.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jan 7, 2020
Between U.S. and Iran, EU powers try mediation and pressure to ease crisis
Germany, Britain and France are scrambling to keep talks with Iran over its 2015 nuclear agreement alive despite Tehran having all but torn up the deal after the United States killed its top military commander.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 7, 2020
Peru highway crash involving bus kills at least 16, including two Germans
At least 16 people, including two Germans, died in a crash in southern Peru on Monday after a bus collided with other vehicles and rolled over, local police said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 7, 2020
Republican leader McConnell urges lawmakers to wait for facts on Soleimani killing
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday U.S. lawmakers should wait for the facts before criticizing President Donald Trump's decision to kill top Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad last week.
WORLD
Jan 7, 2020
Argentina boosts security at airports and U.S. Embassy over Iran tensions
Argentina's government boosted security at its airports, borders and the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires as tensions simmer between the United States and Iran, the South American country's defense minister told local media on Monday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 7, 2020
Kept in the dark, U.S. Democrats have little recourse over Trump's Iran actions
U.S. lawmakers have few options for tamping down any escalation by President Donald Trump of tensions with Iran, despite Democrats' outrage over his failure to inform Congress in advance about a strike against a top Iranian military commander.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 7, 2020
Britain jails Indonesian who became U.K.'s 'most prolific rapist'
A student from Indonesia was identified as Britain's most prolific rapist on Monday after being convicted of more than 150 offenses, including 136 rapes.

BUSINESS

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2020
Nissan bolsters task force to prepare for onslaught of criticism from Carlos Ghosn: sources
Nissan Motor Co. has strengthened a task force of senior officials ahead of an expected onslaught of criticism from former Chairman Carlos Ghosn following his dramatic escape from house arrest in Japan, three sources familiar with the matter said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 7, 2020
Japan's services sector shrinks at fastest pace in over three years, PMI shows
The services sector saw its deepest contraction in more than three years in December as business activity took a hit from weak demand at home and abroad, a private survey showed Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2020
New Mizuho investment fund targets life sciences startups
Mizuho Financial Group Inc. has established an investment fund for life sciences startups.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2020
Japanese firms set to outspend Chinese rivals in Asia amid favorable landscape
Japanese firms outspent their Chinese rivals for the second year in a row to be the biggest deal-making force in Asia in 2019, aided by favorable financing and reduced competition in the face of U.S.-China tensions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2020
Switzerland's Julius Baer among banks linked to Carlos Ghosn, report says
Carlos Ghosn has banked with Switzerland's Julius Baer Group Ltd. for years and the private lender must make a decision on whether to report the link to authorities, according to Inside Paradeplatz.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2020
Rakuten to launch full-scale mobile phone services in Japan in April
Rakuten Inc. aims to launch full mobile phone carrier services in April, according to Hiroshi Mikitani, the head of the major cybermall operator.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2020
Increase in environmentally friendly debt may limit slowdown of corporate bond sales in Japan
Japan's record corporate bond issuance will likely slow down, but a boom in environmentally friendly debt could limit the downside.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2020
American Airlines reaches settlement with Boeing for 737 Max compensation in 2019
American Airlines Group Inc. said on Monday it had reached a confidential agreement with Boeing Co, to address damages the airline incurred in 2019 due to the ongoing grounding of its fleet of Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2020
JetBlue takes steps to become carbon-neutral airline
JetBlue Airways Corp. said it will become the first large U.S. airline to offset emissions from all of its domestic flights, aiming to become carbon neutral by July as pressure grows on the industry from climate change activists.

Opinion

Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2020
The real China challenge
Japan has long struggled to find balance in its relations with Beijing; that effort continues.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 7, 2020
Ghosn attacks the very system that crowned him
The former Nissan CEO was Japan Inc.'s favorite rebel before it turned on him. What does he have left to say?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2020
Iran is not the country most people think it is
No other people in the world are more temperamentally similar to Americans than Iranians, but thanks to Trump the religious government will probably remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2020
Trump tries his protection racket on South Korea
Allies must pay their fair share, but the U.S. president ignores the many benefits of stationing troops abroad.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2020
The post-Soleimani view from Iran
One hopes that Tehran and Washington will act with prudence, otherwise we could end up with a war that no one wants.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2020
Time to brace for the unintended consequences of killing Soleimani
A feel-good moment will complicate U.S. strategy from Israel to Africa to Latin America.

Sports

Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jan 7, 2020
Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa announces he's entering 2020 NFL Draft
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa put an end to the initial question about his future, announcing Monday that he is entering the NFL Draft and closing the book on a college career that began with a splash and ended with a devastating injury.

LIFE

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 7, 2020
Rakushin: A flavorful harmony of Japanese-Flemish cuisine
It's Belgian-meets-Japanese for this collaborative four-hands meal organized by Arts Flanders Japan at Osaka's Rakushin.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 7, 2020
Divining fortunes and reading blood types in the Year of the Rat
It's the Year of the Rat and writer Haruka Murayama dips into the language of the zodiac.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jan 7, 2020
Despite the fact 'noni' is difficult for some, it's still a particle you should learn early
Whether it's used to connect sentences or simply to add emphasis, 'noni' is important to convey the idea of 'even though.'
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Jan 7, 2020
Father of 2011 tsunami victim to carry Olympic torch
A Kyodo article delves into Olympics-related vocabulary and tells a heartwarming story in the process.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 7, 2020
Let's discuss Amazon and its taxes
A Kyodo article on Amazon provides a hefty dose of business English to start the 2020s.

CULTURE

Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 7, 2020
Harvey Weinstein charged with sex crime in Los Angeles as trial on separate charges starts in New York
Los Angeles prosecutors indicted Harvey Weinstein on Monday on sex crime charges just hours after the former film producer appeared in a New York court for the start of his rape trial, which has become a focal point for the #MeToo movement.

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