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Japan Times
COMMENTARY
May 20, 2020

Sharpening the knives for Huawei

A thoughtful discussion about the risks and the opportunities created by the 5G world should be the cornerstone of the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 15, 2020

Shibuya's Club Asia stays steady and looks ahead to post-coronavirus clubbing

As some of Tokyo's clubs face permanent closure as a result of COVID-19, others look to the future and ways of ensuring they survive the pandemic.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
May 3, 2020

Necessary or not? The LDP's proposed emergency powers clause for the Constitution

73 years since the Constitution took effect, arguments on revising it have focused on the war-renouncing Article 9. But the coronavirus has prompted a different proposal.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 28, 2020

Dead, incapacitated or healthy, Kim Jong Un speculation serves as useful thought exercise

Whatever Kim Jong Un's fate, speculation over his condition brings into focus important considerations for Asia, including how it might grapple with a scenario involving his death.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 22, 2020

Fearing big election loss, China goes on offensive in Hong Kong

On the surface, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam appears to have had a few pretty good months: Her government has managed to contain the coronavirus outbreak, during which street protests have mostly disappeared.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 20, 2020

North Korea's foreign ministry denies letter was sent to Trump

North Korea on Sunday denied a letter was sent to U.S. President Donald Trump, North Korean state news agency KCNA said, citing a Foreign Ministry press chief.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2020

Make-or-break moment in coronavirus fight could happen this week

The world’s ability to check the coronavirus contagion and fully recover from the worst peacetime recession since the Great Depression may depend on what international economic policy makers decide this week.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 9, 2020

Japan’s film and TV industries soldier on despite coronavirus

The death of comedian Ken Shimura on March 29 due to pneumonia caused by COVID-19 sent a shock wave throughout the country. A star on Japanese TV for decades, he was the first major celebrity here to pass away after contracting the virus.
SOCCER / J. League / From the Spot
Apr 8, 2020

J. League clubs feeling financial crunch from pandemic

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Tuesday night announcement of a state of emergency marked the latest and most dramatic step in Japan’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 7, 2020

Trump eases U.S. coronavirus export ban after global backlash

U.S President Donald Trump eased restrictions on exports of masks and other protective equipment needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic just days after their introduction as he confronted a backlash from allies around the world. Faced with domestic criticism of his administration’s handling of the COVID-19...
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2020

Japan state of emergency to cover Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures

After weekslong pressure from public health officials and lawmakers, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday the government would declare a state of emergency as soon as Tuesday covering Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures amid the growing outbreak of COVID-19, in a step that will empower prefectures...
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2020

Japanese news conferences illustrate government's struggle to grasp social distancing

With the pandemic showing no signs of abating, government and ministry officials are scrambling to rectify the high-risk nature of their news conferences.
Japan Times
SPORTS
Mar 31, 2020

North American teams face long struggle to draw fans when outbreak subsides

When North American sports leagues return to action after the coronavirus crisis, questions are sure to linger over whether the fans will be willing, or have the resources, to pack stadiums as they once did, sports analysts have said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / FOREIGN AGENDA
Mar 30, 2020

Facing the COVID-19 crisis in Japan with a disability

One thing that's clear about the coronavirus pandemic is that if even one person is left behind, it could prove disastrous to us all.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2020

Flying low: The battle over Tokyo’s airspace

Haneda Airport's new flight paths commence despite concerns from aviation experts and public opposition.
JAPAN / History
Mar 14, 2020

The 1970 Osaka Expo: Looking back at the past to gauge where Japan sits in the present

The 1970 Osaka Expo laid down a bold statement about Japan's future. Fifty years later, has the country been able to live up to its promises?
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2020

Japan tightens border controls over COVID-19, but power to quarantine limited

A health ministry official confirms that under current law, the government can only request that people submit to a quarantine voluntarily.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 8, 2020

Mayor of coronavirus-hit South Korean city says outbreak may be slowing

The mayor of the South Korean city hardest hit by that country's coronavirus outbreak expressed cautious hope on Sunday that the numbers of new cases may be dropping, after the rate of increase slowed to its lowest in 10 days.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 6, 2020

Toshiba Machine girds for tough battle with investor Yoshiaki Murakami

Toshiba Machine Co. is bracing for "a very tough battle" with controversial activist investor Yoshiaki Murakami on March 27, when shareholders will meet to decide the outcome of one of the nation's highest-profile takeover battles in recent years.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2020

Abe to hasten legal preparations for declaring state of emergency over COVID-19

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed Monday to expedite the enactment of legislation needed to declare a state of emergency, in order to "minimize the impact on Japanese citizens' livelihood" from the rapid spread of COVID-19.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2020

An end in sight to 'the forever war'?

The U.S. and its partners have invested too much in Afghanistan to walk away without a stable and peaceful future for the country.
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2020

How far can Japan go to curb the coronavirus outbreak? Not as far as you may think

What some critics slam as Japan's lax initial response has highlighted the more draconian steps countries other than China are taking to contain the crisis.
JAPAN / Society / the argument: Fukushima water crisis
Feb 25, 2020

Releasing radioactive water would further damage Fukushima's reputation

The Argument is a feature dedicated to promoting dialogue and deeper understanding of contentious issues by introducing various viewpoints.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2020

Germany's mighty carmakers watch with fear as 'golden age' fades

When Kristin and Thomas Schmitt took out a mortgage and bought a house last summer, the German couple's dream looked as if it was coming true. Two months later, they learned that the tire factory where both work would be shut down early next year.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 17, 2020

Osaka referendum: Merger gets second chance, but are voters on board?

Five years after voters in the city of Osaka narrowly voted down a referendum on consolidating its 24 wards into five with more autonomy and eliminating the municipal assembly and mayor, another referendum is set for later this year.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Feb 17, 2020

Bureaucrats are to blame for copy-happy hotel clerks

With data privacy being a huge issue, you may feel uneasy about hotels photocopying your passport. However, Colin P.A. Jones says the rule is more about bureaucratic culture than privacy.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 13, 2020

Taiwan says U.S. flies B-52 bombers near island after Chinese drills

The U.S. military flew three Air Force planes — including two B-52 bombers — near Taiwan on Wednesday morning, the country's Defense Ministry and the U.S. Pacific Air Forces said, after China sent its own bombers and fighter jets for exercises near the island on Sunday and Monday.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell