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Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2019

Tokyo restaurateur develops spore sheet to speed up aging of meat — and fish

Mikio Atobe carefully peels a layer of rayon netting from a chunk of farmed bluefin tuna, revealing a secondary sheet of cloth clinging to its exposed flesh, partially yellowed by the mold coating it.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 27, 2019

Train swapping: North Korea's Kim Jong Un reliant on Chinese for summit transport

When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rolled into the Vietnamese border station of Dong Dang early on Tuesday, his vaunted specialized train was pulled by a red-and-yellow locomotive emblazoned with China's national railway logo.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 26, 2019

Public deserves 'robust' release of Robert Mueller probe findings, says ex-FBI chief Andrew McCabe

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe called on the Justice Department to make public special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report but said some classified materials and investigative methods need to be protected.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2019

With Ghosn still under lock and key in Tokyo, foreign execs are getting spooked about taking jobs in Japan

The stunning arrest, indictments and long incarceration of former Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn have given pause to foreign executives considering taking on senior jobs at Japanese companies.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 24, 2019

Trump's North Korea envoy Stephen Biegun: A capable man in an impossible job?

Days before a second U.S.-North Korea summit, much rests on the shoulders of a former auto executive trying to find common ground between an American president seeking a big foreign policy win and a North Korean leader who seems unlikely to hand him one.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 16, 2019

U.S. general recommends arming and aiding Syrian fighters after pullout

The United States should keep arming and aiding the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) following the planned U.S. withdrawal from Syria, provided the group keeps up the pressure on Islamic State, a senior U.S. general said Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 14, 2019

In a first, LGBT couples sue Japan over constitutionality of not recognizing same-sex marriage

“We're not demanding anything special; we just want to have a chance to stand at the same starting line in our lives,” said one plaintiff.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2019

Europe and the new nuclear arms race

With the likely demise of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Europe is entering a potentially dangerous period.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 6, 2019

In State of the Union, Trump cites 'moral duty' to build wall and blasts 'partisan' probes

President Donald Trump cast his fight against illegal migration to the U.S. as a moral struggle, and charged in his second State of the Union address that "partisan investigations" threaten economic progress under his administration.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2019

Feud between major U.S. allies Japan and South Korea deepens as Trump sits it out

Donald Trump's desire to put "America First" has fostered new disputes between the United States and its allies. In Asia, old rivalries are also roaring back.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 5, 2019

U.S. and South Korea agree 'in principle' on sharing troop costs, State Department says

The United States and South Korea have reached an agreement "in principle" on sharing the cost of stationing U.S. troops in the Asian country, the State Department said Monday, in a move likely to have implications for Japan.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 4, 2019

Ahead of Lunar New Year, Chinese advised to stop pigging out to help save the planet

As Chinese people celebrate the new Year of the Pig this week, environmental campaigners are urging them to eat less pork and help save the planet.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 4, 2019

Russia objects as Trump calls U.S. military intervention in Venezuela 'an option'

U.S. President Donald Trump said military intervention in Venezuela was "an option" as Western nations boost pressure on socialist leader Nicolas Maduro to step down, while the troubled OPEC nation's ally Russia warned against "destructive meddling."
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 31, 2019

Fallout from Japan-South Korea tensions

If left unattended, the strained bilateral relationship has the potential to fundamentally undermine the U.S. alliance system on which Tokyo and Seoul depend for their security and prosperity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 28, 2019

In annual policy speech, Abe omits passage on ties with South Korea

Seoul gets only a passing mention amid the currently tumultuous relationship.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 27, 2019

Foreign troops would exit Afghanistan in 18 months under draft deal, Taliban sources say

Taliban officials said U.S. negotiators on Saturday agreed on a draft peace deal setting out the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan within 18 months, potentially ending the United States' longest war.
WORLD
Jan 26, 2019

Taliban's new political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar expected to join peace talks with U.S. in Qatar

The Taliban's new political leader is expected to join meetings with U.S. officials in Qatar imminently, Taliban sources said Saturday as the latest round of talks to find ways to end the 17-year Afghan war entered a sixth day.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 23, 2019

Germany's Merkel and France's Macron seek to unite European defense industry as U.S. support wanes

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are pushing for a more united defense industry, citing renewed ties between the two nations as a way to bolster the safety of the European Union in the face of flagging American support.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 21, 2019

From pariah to demi-god: Transgender leader becomes a star at India's massive Kumbh Mela festival

In a desert tent guarded by armed police and a well-built bouncer, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is blessing a constant stream of pilgrims, who garland her with marigolds and kneel to touch her feet.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2019

Fourth-quarter figures drag China's 2018 growth to a 28-year low of 6.6%

China's economy cooled in the fourth quarter under pressure from faltering domestic demand and bruising U.S. tariffs, dragging growth in 2018 to its lowest level in nearly three decades and pressuring Beijing to roll out more stimulus to avert a sharper slowdown.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2019

U.S.-China trade talks making scant progress on make-or-break intellectual property problem

Ever since negotiators from the United States and China sat down in Beijing after a Christmas meltdown in global markets, Donald Trump has sought to calm investors and claim his trade talks are making great strides. But that glosses over a more uncomfortable reality.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 16, 2019

Trash talk: Tokyo city opens bar in waste-management facility to spark environment debate

Like many Tokyoites, Miki Takara, 53, was sipping beer and indulging in specially prepared delicacies at a bar on a recent Friday evening. But something made this scene in Tokyo's western city of Musashino a bit different: At this bar, the only thing separating her from a concrete waste pit was a single...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 12, 2019

Perceived dearth of freedom in Japan's schools reflects wider woes

What a strange place a school is — a world within a world, a society within a society. Kids grow up in it asking themselves, "Is the real world like this?"
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2019

Why people fall for fake news isn't simple

Scientists are weirdly divided over what seems like common sense.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 31, 2018

Former NTV producer Nobuhisa Sakata looks back on pioneering live television coverage of ekiden

As a former director and producer for the Nippon Television Network Corporation, Nobuhisa Sakata has participated in live broadcasts of many different major professional sporting events, such as Yomiuri Giants games and the world track and field championships.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Dec 24, 2018

Going back and forth with the language of giving and receiving in Japanese

It's that time of year when thoughts turn to プレゼント (purezento, presents) — 何をあげるか (nani o ageru ka, what to give), いつあげるか (itsu ageru ka, when to give it), and how will it affect the relationship between giver and receiver?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2018

The Trump that might have been

The strangest and most revealing week of the Trump presidency just took place.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 21, 2018

Trump mulls major Afghanistan troop withdrawal, seen growing impatient with interventions

President Donald Trump is considering significantly drawing down troops from Afghanistan, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday, in the latest sign his patience is thinning both with America's longest war and overseas military interventions, generally.

Longform

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How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan