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Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 28, 2014

Abe to shift gears as Diet session kicks off

After drawing a storm of criticism and causing controversy with his Cabinet's reinterpretation of the Constitution earlier this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party now look ready to avoid contentious security issues and refocus on revitalizing rural economies during the extraordinary...
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 27, 2014

Shinkansen at 50: fast track to the future

On the 50th anniversary of the iconic bullet train's inaugural run, we examine how developers turned an ambitious dream into a high-tech reality
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Sep 27, 2014

Yumenoshima: Tokyo's past trash packed into pleasure

Yumenoshima (literally, "Dream Island") in Tokyo's Koto Ward is aptly named because as in real dreams, the island's narrative encompasses both bucolic and nightmarish elements.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 27, 2014

Scotland's independence referendum inspires an Okinawan discussion

As sometimes happens when a news story that has nothing to do with Japan becomes topical worldwide, the Japanese media tried to find a local angle for the Sept. 18 Scottish referendum. The coverage fell into two categories: greater autonomy for Okinawa, and the use of referendums.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 27, 2014

The tricky path abroad for Japanese games

On the website Change.org, there is a petition addressed to Bandai Namco Games signed by 711 people, as of Sept. 25, that reads simply, "Bring 'God Eater 2' to North America and EU."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 27, 2014

Read up on books about books about Japan

Revving up the metabolism of culture with the pulse of new artistic voices, a good literary journal doesn't usually have much to do with profit — it's all about circulation. Japanese literary journals enjoy a healthy transmission here, thanks to the financial backing of big publishing firms. How do...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2014

Catalan leader orders referendum on independence from Spain, buoyed by close vote in Scotland

The president of Spain's Catalonia region signed a decree on Saturday calling for a referendum on independence to be held on Nov. 9, putting the local government on a collision course with Madrid, which says such a vote is illegal.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Sep 27, 2014

Hard work pays off for gutsy Giants

The Yomiuri Giants made it three Central League pennants in three seasons on Friday night in Yokohama.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2014

'Bond king' Gross leaves Pimco

Bill Gross, the bond market's most renowned investor, quit Pimco for distant rival Janus Capital Group Inc. on Friday, the day before he was expected to be fired from the huge investment firm he co-founded more than 40 years ago.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 27, 2014

No breakthrough in Iran nuclear negotiations, but sides agree to keep talking

Iran and six world powers made little progress in overcoming significant disagreements in the most recent round of nuclear talks, including on uranium enrichment, Iranian and Western diplomats close to the negotiations said Friday.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Sep 26, 2014

Capital One Cup treated as nuisance by Premier League clubs

The League Cup is like a relative you do not get on with, but still have to ask to Christmas lunch. You would rather they were not there, but there is nothing you can do about it. And when they arrive you do little to make them feel wanted.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2014

China's navy seeks security in Strait of Hormuz

Bandar Abbas, home of Iran's navy and the main port in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, hosts two Chinese naval vessels on a five-day goodwill visit, underscoring the increasingly warm relationship between the two countries.
BUSINESS
Sep 26, 2014

Famed bedroom trader Takashi Kotegawa reveals his wealth secrets as he guns for $1 billion

It was six minutes after the opening bell on Feb. 4, and dozens of big-name stocks were still untraded in Tokyo. Telecommunications giant SoftBank Corp. was among those that hadn't budged. The offer price fell 5 percent, then more, and still there were no takers.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 26, 2014

North Korea's Kim absent from parliament meet, fueling health worries

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was absent from a gathering of top party and government officials on Thursday, state television showed, fueling speculation that health problems may be keeping the 31-year-old out of the public eye.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 26, 2014

Islamic State plotting to attack U.S. and Paris subways, Iraq premier claims

Iraq has "credible" intelligence that Islamic State militants plan to attack subway systems in Paris and the United States, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday, but American and French officials said they had no evidence to back up his claims.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 25, 2014

New right-wing Sunrise Party aims to 'rebuild Japan's pride'

Conservatives were promised right-wing policies, an army, a new Constitution and the confiscation of voting rights from non-ethnic Japanese people on Thursday as two prominent rightists launched a new political party.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 25, 2014

Maestro Taijiro Iimori will mark his NNTT debut with Wagner's 'Parsifal'

The New National Theatre, Tokyo, will open its 2014-15 season with "Parsifal," the last completed opera by German composer Richard Wagner (1813-83). While opera fans will no doubt be thrilled at the long-awaited performance of this piece at the theater, they can expect an additional treat as Taijiro...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2014

Why Ukraine's cease-fire will stick this time

The war in eastern Ukraine appears to be ending, as the cease-fire now in place no longer relies on good faith but rather on a convergence of interests.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 25, 2014

With canal and hut, India stands up to China on disputed frontier

Earlier this month, Indian troops on a remote Himalayan plateau built a small observation hut from where they could watch Chinese soldiers across the disputed border.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Sep 25, 2014

Al-Qaida's Khorasan unit targets disaffected Muslims in the West to carry out attacks in U.S., Europe

The Khorasan Group is attracting hundreds of new followers in Syria, where its recruiting of disaffected Muslims in the U.S. and Europe makes it one of the most dangerous terrorist groups to America and its allies.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 24, 2014

Himself He Cooks

'If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change" is one of Mahatma Ghandi's most famous maxims and in Punjab, India, there's a temple that's a living example of those words. A documentary about that temple, titled "Himself He Cooks," is both empowering and humbling, a paradisal...
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 24, 2014

Japan passes fresh round of sanctions against Russia over Ukraine

Japan unveiled new economic sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, its third round of penalties aimed at pressing the Kremlin to change course in Ukraine.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 24, 2014

String of torched vending machines prompt call for tougher anti-theft devices

A string of vending machines across Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, have been torched and robbed, authorities said Wednesday — a rare event in a country where the ubiquitous machines usually escape thieves' attention.

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