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SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
May 27, 2015

Terunofuji could be sumo's next yokozuna

On the back of his first ever Emperor's Cup victory on Sunday, Wednesday morning saw sekiwake Terunofuji promoted to sumo's second rank of ozeki.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 27, 2015

Shibuya Ward aims to launch same-sex partnership certificates in October

Tokyo's Shibuya Ward aims to begin issuing certificates recognizing same-sex partnerships by around the end of October, the ward's new mayor said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 27, 2015

At least 15 killed in Texas, Oklahoma storms; Houston flooded

Torrential rains have killed at least 15 people in Texas and Oklahoma, including three in Houston where floods turned streets into rivers and led to about 1,000 calls for help in the fourth-most populous U.S. city, officials said on Tuesday.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 27, 2015

Syria claims it killed 140 Islamic State fighters in air raid on jihadi stronghold of Raqqa

The Syrian air force hit an Islamic State-controlled air base in Raqqa province on Tuesday, killing more than 140 militants, state media said, striking the jihadi group in its Syrian stronghold a week after it seized Palmyra from the government.
JAPAN / History
May 26, 2015

Suspicion taints war dead from Philippines

The remains of some 15,000 Japanese soldiers who died in the Philippines during World War II continue to lie in undignified government storage after the media raised suspicions five years ago that the deceased include those of local residents obtained by profiteering grave robbers.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2015

Putting Maldives back on the democratic path

Putting the Maldives back on the path toward democracy requires that the world begin to pay attention.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 25, 2015

UNESCO faces Japan's legacy of forced labor in heritage bid

News earlier this month that a UNESCO advisory panel had recommended putting Japanese sites from the Meiji industrial revolution on the World Heritage list excited the public, especially residents near the sites who campaigned for the honor.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 25, 2015

Let's discuss Osaka referendum in the news

As the city of Osaka prepares for Sunday's unprecedented referendum on the merger plan being championed by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, most media polls show those opposed to the plan holding anywhere from a slim to a wide lead, though the margin is too close to call.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 25, 2015

Gifu lanterns get remake to showcase artisanal brands

Several cities in Gifu Prefecture are collaborating to create "Made in Gifu" andon lanterns that showcase special crafts dear to each one, from Mino's Honminoshi paper products to the Tono region's Minoyaki pottery, used to make the base.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 25, 2015

China launches crackdown on terrorist gangs in western Xinjiang province

China has cracked down on 181 "terror gangs" in its restive far western region of Xinjiang, which has suffered a string of violent attacks, state media reported Monday.
JAPAN
May 24, 2015

Curtain falls on atomic feud with Kepco

They're nothing but a bunch of overpaid, arrogant jerks who should have been fired long ago for their managerial incompetence, while he's a just another crude loudmouth who has no idea what he's talking about.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 23, 2015

Lowball nuclear pitch is fooling no one

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced the results of a review of energy production costs, which concluded that nuclear will remain the cheapest alternative for Japan over the next 15 years while pointing out that the calculations took into consideration the...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
May 23, 2015

Pacific forecasters agree El Nino has arrived

Three of the big meteorological agencies on the Pacific Rim now agree: El Nino has come.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 23, 2015

China calls U.S. actions in South China Sea 'irresponsible, dangerous'

China said on Friday it was "strongly dissatisfied" after a U.S. spy plane flew over part of the South China Sea this week near where China is building artificial islands, and called on the United States to stop such action or risk causing an accident.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2015

Suspect at large in slaying of Missouri woman kept in a box

A Missouri woman who escaped captivity from a wooden box three weeks ago was found dead in a home on Thursday, along with her teenage son, and police are searching for the man suspected both of locking her up and killing her.

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