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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 18, 2014

Gadget maker wants everyday items to have online access

A sleek, ¥10,246 leather-clad padlock being marketed by Tokyo-based startup DentsuBlue might look like another extravagant toy for the wealthy — but this one can be used in many different ways and even link itself to the Internet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 18, 2014

Palau President Remengesau seeks visit by Emperor, Empress in 2015

Palauan President Tommy Remengesau said Thursday his nation would welcome a possible visit by the Emperor and Empress next year in honor of the more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers who died there during World War II. The South Pacific island nation was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific...
WORLD
Dec 18, 2014

Cuba detente a smokin' deal? Close, but no cigar

American cigar smokers anxiously flicked their lacquered lighters this morning when news broke that President Barack Obama would be easing the decades-old restrictions on Cuban travel and goods. Since 1962, Cuba's legendary cigars have been banned from the shelves of American tobacconists and many travelers...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 18, 2014

Xi visit to Macau deals cold deck to high-rolling VIP gamblers

As Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Macau this weekend for his first official visit in five years, the message from Beijing is clear: the world's biggest gambling center cannot remain a one-industry town.
WORLD
Dec 18, 2014

Historic phone call sealed Cuba deal spurred by pope Francis

President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro sealed their landmark deal Tuesday in an almost hour-long phone call, capping 18 months of secret diplomacy spurred on by a personal appeal from Pope Francis to end Cuba's isolation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 17, 2014

Disney's 'Big Hero 6' reassembles Japan without the 'cultural cringe'

So we've all heard that it's hard to be a woman in Japan, but being a Japanese geek comes with its own troubles. For some, it's a life lived in front of glowing screens, a dateless existence spent in a six-mat tatami room with posters of idol group AKB48 plastered on the walls. But here's Disney's "Big...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 17, 2014

Gordon stars on big stage

In a marquee matchup of American quarterbacks, which likely led fans to expect an aerial game, running back Gino Gordon stole the show with his stellar performance on the ground.
EDITORIALS
Dec 17, 2014

The skewed value of votes

Lawmakers must set aside their partisan interests and act fast to narrow the wide gap in the value of votes between rural and urban constituencies.
Reader Mail
Dec 17, 2014

Opposition's pain, LDP's gain

Regarding the Dec. 14 article "Abe tightens grip on power as ruling coalition wins 325 seats in Lower House election": Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is the main and possibly only beneficiary of this exercise in expensive futility. He can spend Christmas and New Year's knowing that he has already spent his...
Reader Mail
Dec 17, 2014

Move toward a sustainable life

Consideration of Michael J. Boskin's Nov. 22 article, "The next trade breakthroughs," encourages my opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Keizai, the Japanese counterpart for the word "economy," originally meant managing the state and supporting people's lives — not making money.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Dec 17, 2014

For TV celeb LiLiCo, success flows from adversity and preparation

Famous for her regular Saturday morning TV appearances as a film commentator on popular TBS show "King's Brunch," half-Swedish entertainer LiLiCo says her work is such fun it is the fundamental driving force in her life.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 17, 2014

Former Sony employees sue studio over 'nightmare' data breach

The massive hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. computers has spurred two lawsuits by former employees accusing the company of failing to protect the personal information of thousands of workers.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Dec 16, 2014

Hanyu reasserts dominance with Grand Prix Final win

Olympic and world champion Yuzuru Hanyu showed he has regained both his form and confidence with his dominating victory at the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 16, 2014

Rock, J-pop and dance: Albums we liked in 2014

The year-end album charts in Japan have a tendency to prop up the same acts year after year: Exile, anything that ends in a "48," and almost every group from the Johnny & Associates stable of boy bands. Writers at The Japan Times, however, spent the year looking past the charts to find a few gems lurking...
Japan Times
JAPAN / DECISION 2014
Dec 16, 2014

Novelty party in Hokkaido shows that 105,000 voters want 'none of the above'

While many voters struggled to find a party that matched their hopes for the nation's future, voters in Hokkaido had an easy way out: a box marked "No party to support" on the proportional representation section of the ballot.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 16, 2014

Controversial to the end, Shintaro Ishihara bows out of politics

Hawkish former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara officially puts an end to his nearly 50-year political career after losing his Diet seat in Sunday's Lower House election.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 16, 2014

Ring in the new year with refinement

The quintessential washoku, or traditional Japanese cuisine dish, is nimono — vegetables and other ingredients simmered in a broth of dashi stock, sake, mirin, sugar and soy sauce or miso. Nimono can be made in advance and served warm or cold, saving the cook some effort.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 16, 2014

Sony warned of network breaches a year ago

Sony Corp. was warned about a year ago that hackers had infiltrated its network and were stealing gigabytes of data several times a week, underscoring a pattern of lapses predating the recent attack that has spilled Sony Pictures' secrets onto the Internet.
WORLD
Dec 16, 2014

Psychologist admits he waterboarded al-Qaida suspects

One of the chief architects of the CIA's harsh Bush-era interrogation program has admitted in a media interview for the first time that he waterboarded terrorism suspects, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 15, 2014

Ozawa keeps hope for regime change alive

Diet heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa, leader of Seikatsu no To (People's Life Party), admitted Monday that the opposition camp failed to give voters an alternative to the ruling bloc in the Lower House election but stressed that change is still possible if they join hands.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2014

Taiwan's voters say 'hands off'

Taiwanese voters late last month sent an important message to their government and to Big Brother China watching from across the narrow strait — hands off our democracy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 15, 2014

Sony says news outlets should stop using hacked documents

Sony Pictures Entertainment lawyers have sent a letter asking news organizations to stop writing articles based on stolen documents released by hackers.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 15, 2014

How China spies on Hong Kong's democrats

James To was growing uneasy. When the veteran Hong Kong Democratic Party lawmaker looked in his rearview mirror, two silver Mercedes Benz saloons kept appearing behind his gray Volvo sedan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / DECISION 2014
Dec 14, 2014

LDP clinches hollow victory as opposition options elude

The Liberal Democratic Party handily wrapped up the Lower House election Sunday even as many voters said they were driven by lack of choice rather than enthusiasm for the conservative party headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers