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Jan 16, 2020

The "5 Million Yen Crab," a Tottori Prefecture Specially Selected Matsuba Itsuki-boshi Crab, has been Certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Expensive Crab Sold at Auction!

Tottori Prefecture, known as Japan's No. 1 crabbing prefecture, recorded a bid in the first auction on November 7 this year for a crab at a record-high amount of 5 million yen.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2020

Japanese response to alleged global Chinese assault on rights 'lukewarm,' rights group says

Human Rights Watch released a scathing report Wednesday slamming the Chinese government for crafting an "Orwellian high-tech surveillance state" at home and deploying its growing economic clout to silence its critics overseas, while an official with the group criticized Japan's response to alleged rights...
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 15, 2020

Iran social media posts call for more protests after plane disaster

Iranian social media posts urged citizens to take to the streets for a fifth day on Wednesday, after public anger erupted following the belated admission by the authorities that they had shot down a passenger plane in error last week.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 14, 2020

Goldman readies hiring spree and capital to meet China ambitions

The news swept through Goldman's offices around China, changing everything.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 13, 2020

White House reaches out to North Korea in bid to resume nuke talks

White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien has said the United States attempted to contact North Korea in a bid to restart deadlocked nuclear talks, according to an interview published Sunday by news website Axios.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 13, 2020

Steve Mnuchin says Boeing woes could lop a half-point from U.S. GDP

Troubles at aircraft maker Boeing Co. could trim about half a point from U.S. GDP in 2020 but economic growth should still come in at about 2.5 percent, said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2020

Facebook's 'deepfake' ban doesn't go far enough

The company's new safety filter to reduce high-tech doctored media is has big holes
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 10, 2020

New Japan Post chief vows to probe leak from ministry on insurance scandal

Hiroya Masuda, the new president at Japan Post Holdings Co., vowed Thursday to investigate a leak to the group of information about administrative punishments that were under consideration in relation to its improper sales of insurance products.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 9, 2020

U.S. and Iran draw back from brink but new threats show crisis not over

Iran spurned U.S. President Donald Trump's call for a new nuclear pact and a commander threatened more attacks after both sides appeared to back off from intensified conflict following the U.S. killing of an Iranian general and Tehran's retaliatory missile strikes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 9, 2020

Ghosn blames France's Macron for turning Nissan against him before arrest

Carlos Ghosn says it was French President Emmanuel Macron who set in motion the train of events that led to his downfall. The former CEO of Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. pointed the finger at Macron, blaming the French leader for angering executives and officials in Japan by trying to lock Nissan into...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 9, 2020

Turkish jet operator meets with Japan envoy to offer help after Ghosn escape

The Turkish operator of private jets that ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn used to escape Japan said on Wednesday it met with the Japanese ambassador to Turkey and offered to collaborate with the authorities in that country over the incident.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 9, 2020

Fugitive ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn hits out at carmaker, names names, says Japanese prosecutors treated him 'brutally'

Carlos Ghosn, speaking publicly for the first time since his dramatic escape from Japanese justice, said on Wednesday he had been treated "brutally" by Tokyo prosecutors and was the victim of an inside job to oust him from the helm of automaker Nissan.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 8, 2020

As leaders avoid TikTok out of security concerns, their impersonators roam free

As TikTok catches fire among the younger set, world leaders and politicians have kept their distance amid national security concerns about the Chinese-owned app.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 8, 2020

Carrie Lam vows to work closely with Beijing's new envoy to get Hong Kong on 'right path'

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she would work closely with Beijing's top official in the Asian financial hub to get it back on "the right path" after more than six months of pro-democracy protests.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 7, 2020

How the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general rekindled Kim Jong Un's worst fears

With the order to kill a top Iranian general last week, U.S. President Donald Trump may have rekindled Kim Jong Un's worst fears while simultaneously cementing the North Korean leader's belief that relinquishing his nuclear arsenal would be tantamount to suicide.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 7, 2020

After Carlos Ghosn's dramatic escape, former minister says Japan should overhaul bail system

Japan should introduce a more relaxed bail system but step up its surveillance of defendants in criminal cases to prevent a repeat of the dramatic escape by fallen auto titan Carlos Ghosn, a former Cabinet minister and Tokyo governor said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2020

Kyoto mayor says city will require barrier-free rooms at all new hotels and lodging facilities

In order to improve the accommodation experience for people with disabilities and elderly guests, the city of Kyoto plans to require all rooms in newly built lodging facilities to be barrier-free in principle, Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa said Monday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 7, 2020

Harvey Weinstein charged with sex crime in Los Angeles as trial on separate charges starts in New York

Los Angeles prosecutors indicted Harvey Weinstein on Monday on sex crime charges just hours after the former film producer appeared in a New York court for the start of his rape trial, which has become a focal point for the #MeToo movement.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2020

2019's best movies (for lessons in behavioral economics)

The annual Becons single out 'Luce,' a perfect example of 'motivated reasoning.'
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 3, 2020

Australian navy races to rescue thousands as new wildfire threat looms

The Australian navy was racing on Friday to rescue thousands of people stranded on the east coast of the fire-ravaged country as a searing weather front was set to whip up more blazes across the states of Victoria and New South Wales (NSW).
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Outlook 2020
Jan 2, 2020

What will Abe do to cement his legacy?

If you look at Japan's 2020 political calendar now, it will look like it is going to be a relatively quiet one.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 1, 2020

North Korea's Kim warns of 'new strategic weapon' as nuclear freeze falters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that his country is no longer bound by its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, while also warning of a "new strategic weapon" that he vowed to soon reveal to the world, state-run media reported Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 1, 2020

Dining out in 2019: The world came to Tokyo, and the city answered

Before we leave 2019 behind, there's just time to look back on the past 12 months of dining out in Tokyo. And to wish all The Japan Times' readers good luck, good health and good eating in the year ahead.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 31, 2019

How Abe works, or doesn't work, with the media

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe answers questions in brief, on-the-spot interviews with beat reporters far less frequently than before, according to journalists who have intensively covered the country's longest-serving prime minister.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2019

What's in store for China's economy in 2020?

The year, and the decade, will be fraught with difficulties for the economic powerhouse.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Dec 31, 2019

Cleaning house (and head) at the end of the year

In the tradition of year-end cleaning, writer Daniel Morales takes a look at his Japanese study notes and tidies up some loose ends.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 30, 2019

How socialism and the left wing failed in Japan

Three decades ago, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Malta Summit signified the end of the Cold War and the defeat of left-wing forces, including the socialists and communists.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?