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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 16, 2021

‘Things Remembered and Things Forgotten’: History, memory and cultural identity

Kyoko Nakajima's latest collection of translated short stories explores the ties connecting Japan's past to its present. Ghosts are involved in more ways than one.
CULTURE / Books / The World of Translators
May 16, 2021

Masatsugu Ono: ‘I always feel for those on the periphery of society’

Translator and Francophile Masatsugu Ono draws on stories of his hometown in Oita Prefecture to inform his writing.
SOCCER / J. League
May 15, 2021

Tokyo snaps five-game losing streak in rout of Kashiwa

With fans increasingly calling for change after five straight losses in the J. League’s first division, FC Tokyo manager Kenta Hasegawa went into Saturday’s game away at Kashiwa Reysol knowing that another loss would likely leave him in the hot seat.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
May 15, 2021

Shohei Ohtani unleashed

With the so-called Ohtani rules junked, the Angels' “super freak” is dominating as a hitter and a pitcher. “There are things that he can do on a baseball field that other people can't.”
JAPAN
May 15, 2021

Japan risks multiple new states of emergency with slow vaccine pace, study shows

Four more states of emergency are likely at a pace of 220,000 jabs per day, while only one would be needed if 880,000 shots are given daily, scientists project.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 15, 2021

More than 40% of Hong Kong expats may leave, survey shows

Singapore figured among the most popular potential destinations, while some mentioned Tokyo, Taipei and Thailand as alternatives, the lobby group said in a report.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2021

Beneath Biden’s folksy demeanor, a short fuse and an obsession with details

As Biden settles into the office he has chased for more than three decades, aides say he demands hours of debate from scores of policy experts.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 15, 2021

What would George Washington look like today? A pandemic creation draws attention.

A bored musician used Photoshop to depict a modern version of the first president. A Washington biographer and an impersonator had thoughts on its accuracy.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 15, 2021

Taiwan tightens curbs after surge in domestic COVID-19 cases

Taiwan raised its coronavirus alert level on Saturday in Taipei, bringing measures for two weeks that will shut many venues in the wake of 180 new domestic infections.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 15, 2021

Luxury jet-makers battle over lucrative spy plane niche

From the South China Sea to the Middle East, nations are eyeing 'special mission' business jets capable of looking or listening at potentially lower costs than converted military planes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2021

Alibaba vows to hike spending after first loss since 2012

Jack Ma's flagship e-commerce firm swung to a 5.5 billion yuan ($852 million) net loss after the company swallowed a $2.8 billion fine for monopolistic behavior imposed by Beijing.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
May 15, 2021

Boxing nurse Arisa Tsubata's Olympic dream crushed by COVID-19

In order to focus on her boxing, the 27-year old quit her job at a major hospital in January to take on a less demanding and lower-paid position at a smaller psychiatric clinic.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba instructs his government to develop a system to operate what are known as hospital ships by January 2026 at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 18, 2025

Japan to begin hospital ship operations by next January

The program calls for using existing private-sector ships to transport patients from disaster-affected areas and provide medical care.
Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts while playing against Russia's Mirra Andreeva during their women's singles semi-final tennis match at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 14.
TENNIS
Mar 18, 2025

Swiatek surprised at 'harsh judgments' after Indian Wells incident

The five-times Grand Slam champion was criticized heavily over the incident, where she nearly hit a ball boy after smashing a ball into the ground.
Shohei Ohtani gets a kiss from his dog Decoy at a game in August 2024. The Japanese slugger-pitcher’s return to his country to kick off the Major League Baseball season has sparked immense excitement, highlighting his unparalleled career and symbolic role as a national hero.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2025

Superstar Shohei Ohtani for prime minister

He’s unavoidable in Japan: His face adorns ads for cosmetics, mattresses, English conversation schools and, most recently, convenience store rice balls.
U.S. President Donald Trump reviews troops aboard the USS Wasp in Yokosuka, Japan, in May 2019. The shifting global security landscape has sparked discussions in many countries, including Japan, about developing nuclear weapons in response to changing U.S. commitments.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2025

Changing U.S. commitments spark nuclear armament debates, including in Japan

Given Japan's unique history in 1945, it will take more than fear or harsh rhetoric to push the country into considering the development of nuclear weapons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet in Pyongyang in June 2024. Moscow has ditched its historic hostility to North Korea's nuclear program, a clear sign of Russia's scramble for allies amid its international isolation.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2025

It’s time to flip Russia’s script on North Korean nukes

Countries who want deterrence and stability must stop Russia from influencing perceptions of North Korea's nuclear program — one that, in an about-face, Moscow now supports.
A crowd of tourists at Nishiki Market in the city of Kyoto. Gains in land prices have been helped by a surge in inbound tourism, which has boosted demand for hotels and shops.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 18, 2025

Japan's land prices rise at strongest pace in 34 years, government survey shows

Data shows recovery spreading to regional areas, thanks to sustained economic growth, in the latest sign of a pickup in the property market.
Shikoku Electric Power's Ikata nuclear plant in Ehime Prefecture. The Matsuyama District Court has rejected a petition filed by some 1,500 residents near the nuclear plant in the town of Ikata over safety concerns.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2025

District court rejects residents' petition to halt Ikata nuclear power plant

The petition was filed over safety concerns by some 1,500 residents living near the plant in Ehime Prefecture, which is operated by Shikoku Electric Power.
Shipping containers at a port in Long Beach, California. Higher tariffs will raise the cost of doing business in the U.S., raising the bar for Japanese companies to invest in America.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 18, 2025

Trump tariffs to raise bar to invest in the U.S., JETRO says

Higher tariffs will raise the cost of doing business in the U.S. with more expensive materials and products, said JETRO’s chair, Norihiko Ishiguro.
The Japanese postal mark displayed on a Japan Post post box in Tokyo
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2025

Number of Japan Post clients affected by misuse of information rises to 10 million

"We deeply apologize for causing anxiety and worry," Japan Post Holdings Managing Executive Officer Miho Ichiki told a news conference.
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Mar 18, 2025

Scam hubs on Thai-Myanmar border still have up to 100,000 people, Thai police says

The main focus of Thai authorities currently is to help coordinate the return of scam center victims to their home countries.
The buildings sector consumes 32% of the world's energy and contributes 34% of CO2 emissions.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Mar 18, 2025

'More and faster': U.N. calls to shrink buildings' carbon footprint

CO2 emissions from the building sector rose around 5% in the last decade when they should have fallen 28%, according to a new report.
Shohei Ohtani runs home to score during the Dodgers' win over the Cubs in the MLB season opener at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 18, 2025

Shohei Ohtani and Dodgers get title defense off to winning start against Cubs

The Dodgers started the MLB season strong, defeating the Cubs 4-1 in the first of two Tokyo Series games. The matchup also celebrated the Japanese stars on both teams.
Megan Garcia
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 18, 2025

Teen’s suicide turns mother against Google and AI chatbot startup

Megan Garcia says her son would still be alive today if it weren’t for a chatbot urging the 14-year-old to take his own life.
After U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin's phone call, talks aimed at advancing toward a broader peace plan will begin immediately, the White House, though it was unclear whether Ukraine will be involved.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 19, 2025

Putin spurns a Ukraine ceasefire but Trump calls talk a win

The Russian leader agreed only to limit attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with experts saying Moscow could be playing for time.
The Crew Dragon capsule containing Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams and two other astronauts descends by parachute before their splashdown off the coast of Florida, on March 18 in a still image from video.
WORLD
Mar 19, 2025

NASA astronauts 'Butch and Suni' return to Earth after drawn-out mission in space

Their return ends a mission fraught with uncertainty and technical troubles that turned into a global spectacle.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’