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Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 6, 2020

Mike Pompeo defends U.S. killing of Iranian general as Democrats ask 'Why now?'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday defended President Donald Trump's decision to kill Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, as Democratic lawmakers questioned whether the action was justified and the United States braced for retaliation.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jan 6, 2020

Children's death toll at government hospital in north India rises amid nationwide outcry

Some 109 children have so far died at a government hospital in northern India since the beginning of December, said a hospital official on Sunday, even as local authorities scrambled to bring in additional staff and equipment amid a rising outcry over poor health care facilities in the country.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jan 5, 2020

Jets pull away from Alvark in second half for series sweep

The Chiba Jets led by the slimmest of margins at halftime on Sunday afternoon.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Jan 5, 2020

Asset management in an age of long life expectancy

Come matsuri festival time, when the temple elders in well-heeled Hamamatsucho are looking for help carrying the omikoshi portable shrine, they know who to turn to.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2020

The half-century miracle of Asian resurgence

To turn optimistic long-term forecasts into reality, Asian states will have to overcome the major challenges of mass poverty, jobless growth, rising inequality and the middle-income trap.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2020

For the 2020s, it's time to go back to the drawing board

Like W.H. Auden in 1939, we must accept the possibility that things could become far worse than they already are.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jan 5, 2020

Milestones in play for many in 2020 season

With the NPB season set to begin on March 21, it won't be long before players are back in uniform and training with their teams in preparation for 2020.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2020

2020 Olympics fuel race to monetize autonomous driving

One day in December, a self-driving bus in Gunma completed an 18-km run from Maebashi to Shibukawa and back, dropping fare-paying passengers off at designated stops and navigating public roads.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 5, 2020

Robot-maker ZMP targets tractors, taxis and carts for elderly

Robot-maker ZMP Inc. is aiming to launch the first commercial level 3 automated bus operation in Japan at an airport in 2020.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 5, 2020

Signaling frustration with protests, China appoints new Hong Kong liaison head

China has replaced its top liaison official for Hong Kong, signaling Beijing's growing frustration with prodemocracy protests that have dragged on for months.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 5, 2020

New fire flares in southeast Australia; other areas start assessing damage

A dangerous fire flared up in southeastern Australia on Sunday even as cooler conditions elsewhere allowed authorities to begin assessing the damage from blazes that swept through two states on Saturday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 5, 2020

Carlos Ghosn's companions on escape included a Green Beret with a rap sheet

Carlos Ghosn shared his escape flight from Japan with two Americans, one of whom was a former Green Beret who went to jail for fraud.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 5, 2020

Heli-skiing in Japan: The joys of big-mountain powder

From December to March, Hokkaido Backcountry Club runs heli-skiing tours to Mount Shiribetsu near the Niseko and Rusutsu ski resorts. Clip in for the ride.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 5, 2020

Get ready for Japan's backcountry with an avalanche safety course

Black Diamond Tours has been offering Avalanche Skills Training courses in English since 2009 to educate skiers and snowboarders on the risks when riding in Japan's backcountry.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 4, 2020

Japan's bureaucrats take top news honors in 2019

A year ago, the big news story in Japan was former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn languishing in a jail cell while the media discussed whether he should be there, thus sparking an overdue discussion about the country's so-called hostage justice system. It was a nice discussion while it lasted. 
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 4, 2020

From hangover cures to prairie dogs, tabloids end 2019 with a bang

For their final issues of December, the weeklies — their covers trimmed in gold color (except for the Sunday Mainichi, which came out in yellow-orange) — typically publish two-week bumper issues with extra pages. This gives many of them leeway to write about lots of timely topics. For instance, journalist...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jan 4, 2020

Motoki Hirai: Spreading the power of music

As an 'artistic emissary for the Japanese government, pianist and composer Motoki Hirai travels the world to promote Japanese culture and heal hearts with music.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 4, 2020

The rapidly maturing market for Japan's artisanal cheeses

Few people associate Japan with artisanal cheese. But since the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement came into effect last year, Japanese cheese is gaining a global reputation for quality and innovative use of terroir.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 4, 2020

Predicting Japan's digital trends of the next decade

Last year was all about looking back. Between the end of the Heisei Era (1989-2019) and the decade coming to a close, people appeared to go to extra lengths to reflect on the recent and not-so-recent past (this column included). Now that we’ve entered 2020, though, it’s time to leave the highlights...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Jan 4, 2020

A toast to mingei: 'The finest assemblage of Japanese folk crafts outside Japan'

Today, Jeffrey Montgomery's mingei (folk crafts) collection is well-known among international dealers and many of his pieces are of a quality rarely seen today, even in Japan; some are unique.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Jan 4, 2020

More than 1,000 traumatized Australian bush fire evacuees transfered to safety of Melbourne

Over 1,000 residents and vacationers who had been stranded on a beach by bushfires in southeastern Australia landed near Melbourne on Saturday after a 20-hour journey on two ships, relieved to escape terrifying smoke and fire.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 4, 2020

Mo'mugi: A Canadian take on Japan's barley tea

In Japan, mugicha (barley tea) is a ubiquitous and generally unremarkable drink. But for Janice Ishizaka, CEO and cofounder of The Canadian Barley Tea Company, the drink's lack of appreciation represents an opportunity to create a new, healthy, made-in-Canada beverage.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jan 4, 2020

Krispy Kreme's new Year of the Rat doughnuts are cuter than you might think

How do you make Year of the Rat-themed sweets adorable? Look to the mouse, of course.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 4, 2020

Books to get you in the mood for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

In this grand year of Olympic celebration, here are the books that view sport authentically, acknowledging both the very best and worst of humanity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Jan 4, 2020

Japan Times 1995: Powerful earthquake kills hundreds in Kansai

More than 1,600 people were confirmed killed and some 1,000 others listed as missing in the most catastrophic earthquake to hit the Kansai region in nearly 50 years.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jan 4, 2020

The importance of defining organized crime in Japan

The definition of a crime is a critical part of law enforcement. After all, what constitutes a crime such as theft is fundamental to working out whether or not someone is ultimately guilty of committing the offense.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 4, 2020

How Iran's Soleimani plotted to attack U.S. forces in Iraq

In October, Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani met with his Iraqi Shiite militia allies at a villa on the banks of the Tigris River, looking across at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2020

2019's best movies (for lessons in behavioral economics)

The annual Becons single out 'Luce,' a perfect example of 'motivated reasoning.'

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past