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Japan Times
WORLD
May 15, 2013

IRS conservative scandal snowballs

Internal Revenue Service officials in Washington and at least two other offices were involved in the targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, making clear that the effort reached well beyond the branch in Cincinnati that was initially blamed, according to documents obtained by The...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN WEB WATCH
May 15, 2013

Google Glass may shatter Japan's 'manner' mode

Google Glass is the latest mobile Internet gadget to grab headlines. Resembling a pair of glasses, the futuristic device enables wearers to access the Internet — in particular Google's search, maps and translation functions — as long as they have a Wifi or Bluetooth connection. The mini computer...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 15, 2013

Nash reflects on Toyama's success this season

Toyama Grouses coach Bob Nash guided his team to its first winning season, and that's something the franchise, which began play in the fall of 2006, can consider a major accomplishment.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 15, 2013

China's cyberspies outwit model for James Bond's Q

Among defense contractors, QinetiQ North America is known for spy-world connections and an eye-popping product line. Its contributions to national security include secret satellites, drones and software used by U.S. special forces in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2013

'The right path' for North Korea

In an interview, President Park Geun Hye says South Korea won't tolerate the North's nuclear weapons and provocations, but will keep the window open for dialogue.
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
May 14, 2013

Interleague schedule will pit PL hurlers against Blanco

On a bright day earlier this season, Tony Blanco wrapped up batting practice and headed back to the Yokohama BayStars clubhouse after sending a litany of balls all over — and a few out of — Yokohama Stadium.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 14, 2013

Turks in Kansai fear Inose gaffe indicative of wider ignorance about culture

'Stupid', 'shockingly provincial' and 'a sign of how little Japanese people really understand that part of the world' were among the reactions of Turkish residents in Kansai to Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose's comments about Turkey and the wider Muslim world.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 14, 2013

Inose's slurs anger, bemuse Turks in Tokyo but may boost Istanbul's Olympic bid

It's prayer time at Tokyo's biggest mosque and the congregation is pondering God, community and Naoki Inose, the city's governor, who many here say has revealed himself to be, well, a bit of a bigot.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
May 14, 2013

Czech promoter sings way to cultural identity

For singer Eva Miklas Takamine, who also has been head of the Czech Center in Tokyo since March, singing both Czech and Japanese songs is a way of expressing her identity.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 14, 2013

Secretive trade talks aren't in the public interest

Both Japan and Australia need to inform the public as to what agreement may or may not have been reached secretly during current trade negotiations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
May 12, 2013

Japan's Suzaku satellite shows how all bets are off around Cygnus X-1

This month, the Vermillion bird of the South — which is currently flying 550 km above Earth — meets an astronomical swan some 6,000 light-years away.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2013

Problems with figuring poor countries' GDP cloud judgments about which policies work

Since we can't be sure whether one poor country's GDP is higher than another's, we should not use GDP alone to determine which policies lead to growth.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 12, 2013

Death penalty: Systemic failings add to risk of wrongful executions

Japan's continued resort to the death penalty raises a number of troubling questions.
LIFE
May 12, 2013

Trendsetting U.S. craft beers pour into Germany

Almost 65 years after Allied planes flew Western supplies into blockaded Berlin, a new American import is arriving by air: craft beer.
Reader Mail
May 12, 2013

Greatest risk of human cruelty

Dipak Basu, in his May 2 letter, "Signs of 'Christian' Influence," offers nothing to dispute the argument that the area of the world where human rights are most entrenched mirrors the historic orbit of Judeo-Christian influence.
Reader Mail
May 12, 2013

Price of peace with North Korea

Regarding the May 8 front-page AFP article "N. Korea moves missiles from coast" and related stories: Is it better to rent or own? It's an age-old debate and one where the White House has drawn a line in the sand right along the 38th Parallel.
JAPAN / Politics
May 11, 2013

Suga: Abe not in denial over 'wars of aggression' stance

Facing criticism and questions both at home and abroad numerous times in recent weeks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga tried Friday to clarify, albeit indirectly, the government position that Japan waged wars of aggression in the 1930s and 1940s.
JAPAN
May 11, 2013

Case closed over Inose's Islamic slight: Tokyo Olympics bid exec

The president of Tokyo's 2020 Olympics bid committee Friday downplayed Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose's recent criticism of Islamic countries, saying the matter had effectively been resolved by the incumbent's apology.
JAPAN
May 11, 2013

Kagoshima temple fails in bid to get loan to buy Chongryon's Tokyo HQ

The chief priest of the Buddhist temple that won the bid to acquire the Tokyo headquarters of the pro-Pyongyang group Chongryon said Friday he has failed to gather enough funds for the purchase, suggesting financial institutions were pressured not to extend loans to his temple.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 11, 2013

Genesis of a brawl: Decades of Sherpa resentment fuel confrontation on Mount Everest

It's an irresistible contrast. On the one hand, modern mountaineering superstars with their blogs and sponsorship deals, scrapping with outraged Sherpas on the slopes of Everest. On the other, one of the defining images of the 20th century, the photograph of Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary standing...
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 11, 2013

Defending champion Ryukyu big favorite against Kyoto

The Ryukyu Golden Kings are one of three bj-league franchises with two or more championships. But the other two — the Osaka Evessa (three titles) and Hamamatsu Hiagshimikawa Phoenix (two) — are not playing in the conference semifinal round of the playoffs.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 11, 2013

There are plenty more fish jokes in the sea

The Go Fish! Foundation is an international organization for the protection of fish, their parents, family and friends. Go Fish! rescues, rehabilitates and gives sanctuary to fish in need.
EDITORIALS
May 11, 2013

The good and bad of a weaker yen

Corporate Japan in general is reporting good results for the business year ended March 31, but not all companies are expected to benefit from an excessively cheap yen.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 10, 2013

Nation fails to make most of refugees

Refugees in Japan are acutely underutilized and the nation should stop turning a blind eye to their skills and potential if it wants to generate economic growth, according to freelance journalist Kaoru Nemoto, who describes them as "professionals of survival."
Japan Times
WORLD / EU SPECIAL 2013
May 9, 2013

Japan, EU look to trade pact as way to lift up economies

Japan and the European Union have taken an important step toward deepening their relationship by starting formal negotiations on a free trade agreement in April, seeking to boost their faltering economies by creating one of the world's largest free-trade accords that will account for about 30 percent...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’