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JAPAN / Politics
Jul 14, 2014

LDP candidate flounders in Shiga governor race

In a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the ruling coalition, Shiga voters chose as their next governor Taizo Mikazuki, the designated successor to Yukiko Kada, over a candidate heavily backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Jul 14, 2014

In Japan, the 'collapse of the family' is old news

One of the things the Japanese media love to discuss is kazoku no hōkai (家族の崩壊, collapse of the family) — an evergreen topic that's been around since the late 1960s, a time when most urban Japanese families could first afford a television. Academics and tarento (TV personality) commentators...
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 13, 2014

Russia threatens Ukraine after man dies in cross-border shelling

Russia on Sunday threatened Ukraine with "irreversible consequences" after a man was killed by a shell fired across the border from Ukraine, describing the incident in warlike terms as aggression that must be met with a response.
WORLD
Jul 13, 2014

Shiite group hands back army camp to Yemeni government

Shiite Muslim tribesmen handed back an army camp to the Yemeni government on Saturday, a spokesman for the group said, to try to defuse tensions caused by the capture of a provincial capital north of Sanaa earlier in the week.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN WEB WATCH
Jul 12, 2014

The pros and cons of kids owning smartphones

Smartphones are everywhere now, and their diffusion has spread from adults to students in high school, then junior high and now even elementary school. The trend has led to the question: When and how should kids use smartphones?
Reader Mail
Jul 12, 2014

Japan can deal with birth dearth

Every day, those who follow Japanese news are bombarded with stories of its increasingly severe demographic situation: Japanese are getting older and there are too few youth to replace retirees from the workforce. Make no mistake, the negative side of this situation that we've heard about is real. However,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 11, 2014

Uniqlo parent cuts forecast again after U.S. denim fails to take off

Fast Retailing Co., Asia's biggest clothing retailer, cut its annual profit forecast for a second time this fiscal year after suffering losses at its J Brand premium denim unit in the United States.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 11, 2014

The silver fox of dictatorship and democracy

The reality of the times was that Eduard Shevardnadze was both a democrat and a despot. His death brings closer to the end the Gorbachev generation of reform communists who presented a stark contrast to the dour Brezhnev-era hard-liners, spurring (mostly inadvertently) the collapse of the Soviet empire and the long transition to democracy.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 11, 2014

Mississippi girl believed cured of HIV no longer in remission

A toddler thought to have been cured of HIV now has detectable levels of the virus in her blood, the child's doctors and U.S. health officials said Thursday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 10, 2014

Britain unveils emergency laws to keep email, phone data for security

Britain said on Thursday it would rush through emergency legislation to force telecoms firms to retain customer data for a year, calling the move vital for national security following a decision by Europe's top court.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 10, 2014

Kyoto brings back All-Star forward Warren

With a veteran-dominated roster responding to the arrival of a new head coach, the Rizing Fukuoka found a way to salvage their topsy-turvy 2013-14 season after the All-Star break and earn a trip to the playoffs.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 10, 2014

North Korean nuclear and missile expert dies; more missiles fired

A former North Korean missile expert who was placed under sanctions by the United Nations for his role in the country's nuclear and missile weapons program has died, state media said on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2014

Suga denies report that Pyongyang provided list of Japanese living in North

The government denies a newspaper report that said it has received a list of about 30 Japanese living in North Korea, including abductees, from Pyongyang.
WORLD
Jul 10, 2014

China plans steps to promote judicial independence, Xinhua says

China will act to promote judicial independence over the next five years with measures including specialized tribunals for environment and intellectual property cases, state media reported Wednesday.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jul 9, 2014

FIBA outlines big ambitions for 3x3 basketball

Formerly recognized as more of a fun, casual sport played on the streets, FIBA, basketball's world governing body, is now trying to develop 3x3 into another legitimate form of basketball.
EDITORIALS
Jul 9, 2014

Abe pushing Beijing, Seoul together

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should realize that his historical revisionism and his new initiative in defense policy are further straining Japan's ties with its two closest neighbors.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Jul 8, 2014

Sotnikova to headline field at NHK Trophy

The epic 2013-14 season is behind us and it is onward to a new campaign, and in many ways a new era.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 8, 2014

Islamists show online savvy in displaying menace, soft side

Tweets and online videos are emerging as weapons of war in the Islamic State's campaign to seize a swath of Iraq, with the al-Qaida offshoot's use of social media dwarfing efforts by other militant groups.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 8, 2014

Abe declares war on quasi-legal 'dappo' drugs

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declares war against quasi-legal highs known as “dappo” drugs, pledging to adopt a speedier process by which regulators can identify and outlaw products with dangerous narcotic or hallucinogenic ingredients.
EDITORIALS
Jul 8, 2014

Safety in off-label use of drugs

The revelation that a university hospital in Tokyo habitually has administered the powerful sedative propofol to children placed on ventilators raises safety questions about doctors' discretionary off-label use of drugs on patients.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jul 8, 2014

What to drink when you're eating oysters

Shucking an oyster is harder than it sounds. A fair amount of dexterity is required to pry open the mollusk's tight-lipped shell and liberate the flesh. The one time I tried to open an oyster with a shucking knife, I ended up smashing it with a hammer instead.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 8, 2014

Kurds dream of independence amid Iraq chaos

A grave, freshly dug and adorned with pebbles, is the modest tribute to one more sacrifice in the long history of struggle for an independent Kurdish state.
WORLD
Jul 8, 2014

Israel readying for possible escalation after Gaza rocket barrage

Gaza Strip militants bombarded southern Israel with dozens of rockets, sending Israel closer to escalating its battle against them as it stepped up air strikes and mobilized reserves.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 2014

At some point, U.S. progressives must stand

You would think that, at a certain point, liberals in the U.S. with any dignity would get sick of being used and abused by Democratic Party candidates. Don't expect the dysfunctional relationship between liberals and Democrats to get any better for 2017.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 6, 2014

Abe may use Australia speech to push expanded defense vision

Prime minister expected to use Canberra address to outline, guage reaction to plans for a more robust military role in self-defense missions.

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