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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 6, 2014

Tesla reportedly to unveil 'autopilot' cars this week

Tesla Motors Inc. will make its first foray toward automated driving, joining luxury rivals in offering high-tech features, including one that can keep the car in its lane, according to a source familiar with the carmaker's plans.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 5, 2014

Islamic State group continues to pound key Syrian border town

Islamic State forces shelled the Syrian border town of Kobani on Saturday and its Kurdish defenders said they were expecting a new assault to try to capture it.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 4, 2014

Manga, the Rising Sun and Abe's history problem

During his recent visit to the United Nations, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reasserted his eagerness to improve relations with Japan's East Asian neighbors, but the reaction from Beijing and Seoul was tepid.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 4, 2014

Chinese premier to attend Europe summit, sign Russia rail deal

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will attend a summit of European and Asian leaders on a trip starting this week that will also include a visit to Germany and the signing of energy and high-speed rail deals with Russia, the Chinese government said.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 4, 2014

Issues with weight followed 'Dokaben' Kagawa

Sad news came last week with the death of Nobuyuki "Dokaben" Kagawa, the roly-poly rotund catcher of the 1980s Nankai Hawks. He died of an apparent heart attack on Sept. 26 in Fukuoka at the age of 52.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 4, 2014

Japanese officials silent on drama unfolding in Hong Kong

'The future of Hong Kong is extremely important to the future of Japan,' but Tokyo is officially staying tight-lipped about the pro-democracy protests there.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 3, 2014

Could Obuchi become Japan's first female prime minister?

With a telegenic presence, powerful ruling party mentors and a talent for avoiding making political enemies, new trade and industry minister Yuko Obuchi may have what it takes to become the country's first female prime minister.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2014

Japan, South Korea can stop GMO testing, U.S. wheat official claims

Japan and South Korea are still testing the U.S. wheat they buy to make sure the grain is not contaminated with an experimental genetically modified version developed by Monsanto Co., but can stop the practice, the head of a U.S. wheat association said Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 3, 2014

BOJ struggling to meet inflation deadline, former vice governor says

The Bank of Japan may need more time to achieve its 2 percent inflation target and the country can't ignore harm caused by an abrupt weakening of the yen, said Toshiro Muto, a two-time contender to lead the central bank.
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2014

Exxon sees some disruption from Ebola outbreak

Exxon Mobil Corp has seen some of its oil and gas activities in West Africa disrupted by the Ebola outbreak, including plans to drill offshore Liberia, the company's chief executive officer said on Thursday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 2, 2014

In Hong Kong protests, China confronts limits of its power

In the heart of Mong Kok, one of the most densely populated districts on earth, an abandoned Hong Kong police van is enveloped in the student-led demonstrations paralyzing swaths of the city. Along with yellow ribbons and flowers, symbols of the city's pro-democracy movement, protesters have taped a...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 1, 2014

Divided Chinese eye Hong Kong protests with admiration, anger

For some mainland Chinese in Hong Kong, the sight of thousands of people on the streets protesting for greater democracy is an alien one that has prompted comparisons with the relative lack of political freedom back home.
WORLD
Oct 1, 2014

Leak may sideline New Mexico nuclear waste site for five years

It may be five years before a nuclear waste dump in New Mexico closed by a radiation leak is fully operational again, and the facility will need at least $240 million to pay for the initial recovery, a U.S. Energy Department official said on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 30, 2014

Kuwait revokes citizenship of leading opposition activist

Kuwait revoked the citizenship of a prominent opposition activist Monday, something he said was a political move by a government that has vowed to crack down on people deemed to be undermining state stability.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 30, 2014

China censors target Hong Kong protests, but don't always succeed

Chinese censors and opponents of the protests sweeping Hong Kong are engaging in a cat-and-mouse game with demonstrators and commentators in a bid to stop news of the unrest spreading online and, in particular, reaching the mainland.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 30, 2014

Rains complicating delivery of Ebola supplies in West Africa

The rainy season in West Africa is compounding difficulties in getting supplies delivered and new treatment centers built as donors rush to isolate people infected with the deadly Ebola virus and stop its rapid spread, U.S. officials said.
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2014

Is the Asahi a scapegoat of nationalist media or victim of own missteps?

One of the nation's leading newspapers has been in crisis mode of late — a situation that may bode ill for liberal journalism at a time when nationalism appears to be making public inroads.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Sep 29, 2014

As Indian orbiter reaches Mars, at home, red tape binds space firms

As India celebrated becoming the first Asian nation to reach Mars, S.M. Vaidya, head of business at conglomerate Godrej's aerospace division that made the spacecraft's engine and thruster components, sounded surprisingly downbeat.

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