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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2019

World's richest gain $1.2 trillion in 2019 as Jeff Bezos retains crown

The leveraging of a giant social-media presence, a song about sharks and a collection of junkyards are just a few of the curious ways that helped make 2019 a fertile year for fortunes to blossom around the world.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / 2010S: DECADE IN REVIEW
Dec 29, 2019

Looking back at the most influential Japanese songs of the 2010s

Given how Japanese music takes time to receive widespread recognition, what gems would the kids of the 2040s unearth from the decade that just passed?
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 29, 2019

China's Xi turns to financial experts to tame economic risks

As China struggles to deal with the slowdown of the world's second-largest economy, it has embarked on a new strategy of placing financial experts in provinces to manage risks and rebuild regional economies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Help Wanted?
Dec 29, 2019

Student's death reveals dark side of Bhutan-Japan exchange program

A year has passed since the lifeless body of a Bhutanese exchange student was discovered hanging from a tree in a public park in Fukuoka.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 29, 2019

Biden says he would testify at impeachment trial if subpoenaed

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden clarified his position on a suggestion he wouldn't comply with a potential subpoena to testify at President Donald Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NATURE'S PANTRY
Dec 28, 2019

Why is vegan shōjin ryōri cuisine so deeply compelling?

Japan's vegan temple food, shu014djin ryu014dri, is rooted in hundreds of years of tradition. What keeps the practice alive and relevant today?
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 28, 2019

Tetsu Nakamura's death in Afghanistan exposes a gap of perception in Japan

Following the assassination of Dr. Tetsu Nakamura in Afghanistan earlier this month, the government of Afghanistan held a memorial ceremony for him as his body was delivered to the airplane that would take it out of the country. President Ashraf Ghani was one of the pallbearers. When Nakamura's coffin...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Dec 28, 2019

Soramaru Takayama: There's much poetry in Vegan Pudding & Co.

After four years of traveling the world, poet Soramaru Takayama finds Vancouver a welcoming place for creativity and veganism.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Dec 28, 2019

A toast to mingei: Living with the rustic beauty of Japanese folk crafts

Jeffrey Montgomery began collecting mange (Japanese folk crafts) about 40 years ago and has now accumulated more than 800 pieces. He believes mingei is an important part of humanity's shared heritage.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 28, 2019

At least 90 people killed in Mogadishu checkpoint blast after rush-hour truck bomb explodes

In one of the most deadly recent attacks, at least 90 people were killed and dozens were wounded when a bomb-laden vehicle exploded at a bustling checkpoint in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Saturday, an international organization working in the country said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 28, 2019

Evolving debate over cultural differences worldwide leads to greater social media insight

Almost everyone who voluntarily relocates to a country besides the one they grew up in enjoys some kind of honeymoon phase in their new surroundings. Everything about their adopted home feels shiny and praiseworthy, with all of the memories of one’s past suddenly looking far rustier than it ever did...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 28, 2019

Childhood in Japan is certainly not getting any easier

The girl was 15, the teacher in his early 30s. He recognized her ability, encouraged her, befriended her, seduced her. He took her to a love hotel and said, "This is what grown-ups do."
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Dec 28, 2019

Ohka Gakuen holds off Gifu Girls' late rally to capture Winter Cup title

Ohka Gakuen survived reigning champion Gifu Girls' late surge and recaptured the Winter Cup title with a 72-67 victory on Saturday at Musashino Forest Sports Plaza.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 28, 2019

New CFL-X League alliance spans the Pacific

Since becoming the Canadian Football League's 14th commissioner in 2017, Randy Ambrosie has set a new goal for the nation's domestic pro league: globalization of the CFL and football.
EDITORIALS
Dec 28, 2019

Eliminate casino corruption

The arrest of a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker this early in the creation of a casino industry in Japan shows that much more is needed to prevent gambling-related graft.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 28, 2019

Worst case for climate change isn't realistic

In recent years, much of the commentary about climate change has gone from sternly serious to wildly despairing.
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2019

Ex-USTR official Wendy Cutler calls on Japan to lead WTO reform

Wendy Cutler, who served as the acting deputy U.S. trade representative under President Barack Obama, called on Japan to lead the reform of the World Trade Organization in a recent interview.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 28, 2019

Chilean President Pinera claims videos of police abuse of demonstrators are fake

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, whose government has been rocked by riots over inequality, ignited a fresh wave of anger after claiming that "many" videos on social media of police abuse of demonstrators were "fake news" and that unrest is being fomented by foreign governments.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 28, 2019

FBI investigates socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and others who 'facilitated' Jeffrey Epstein

The FBI is investigating British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and several other people linked to U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 28, 2019

Hatsuhinode: Where to see the first sunrise of the decade

There's never a better time to catch sunrise in Japan than at new year. From Tokyo Tower to the coast of Chiba Prefecture, here are 10 of the best places to see the first sunrise of the year near Tokyo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2019

China prodding state firms to invest and take more control in Hong Kong

China has called on its biggest state firms to take a more active role in Hong Kong, including stepping up investment and asserting more control over companies in the financial hub, executives familiar with the matter said as Beijing attempts to calm months of unrest in the city.
Japan Times
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Dec 27, 2019

Matching magic moments to karaoke classics in a historic year for Japan rugby

With the bōnenkai (year-end party) season in full swing, it is time to look back at a special year of rugby in Japan while also trying to predict what the future holds.
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2019

Japan’s Cabinet adopts plan to send SDF to Mideast amid Iran tensions

The “investigation and research” mission will send the destroyer Takanami into an area where tensions over Iran's nuclear program are high and an attack could drag Japan into war.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Dec 27, 2019

Ep. 27 'I Can't Be Here'

Last episode, we were bombarded with new roommates joining the house, and now it's time to see how Vivi, Tupas and Kai are settling in. It's clear that everyone loves Vivi, and who can blame them? Well, everyone but Hana, probably, because that ray of sunshine is after her man.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Dec 27, 2019

Critics assail secrecy over unexploded chemical weapons left by Imperial Japanese Army

At the end of World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army left a number of unexploded shells filled with poison gas used as munitions. In the 2000s, when such artillery shells were discovered and retrieved from the seabed off the coastal town of Kanda, Fukuoka Prefecture, the central government issued an...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2019

What happens when the internet gets less American?

The popularity of Chinese-owned TikTok raises concerns about security and values.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 27, 2019

Drones need tracking network for expanded flights, U.S. agency says

All but the smallest civilian drones would have to broadcast radio tracking data to ensure greater safety and prevent terrorism under a sweeping proposal unveiled by U.S. regulators on Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Dec 27, 2019

VR builds bridge between staff and young detainees with developmental disorders in Japan

One day in mid-November, instructors at the Miyagawa medical reformatory, which treats delinquent teenage boys with developmental disorders, in Ise, Mie Prefecture, experienced how people with the disabilities perceive the world by wearing virtual reality goggles and watching a video.

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