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Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2017

Confidant says Emperor told him he wants abdication option codified for future monarchs

Mototsugu Akashi, an 83-year-old retiree in Tokyo, received a call at around 10 p.m. on July 21 at home from the most unexpected, unlikely caller: Emperor Akihito.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / DAVOS SPECIAL 2017
Jan 17, 2017

Home to cutting-edge technology and innovation

Saitama City, a major bedroom community of Tokyo, is home to many leading technology companies that Japan can be proud to showcase to the world.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 16, 2017

Japanese law for endangered wildlife set for what critics call toothless revamp

The Law on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is set to be revised once again to further improve government measures to prevent vulnerable animal and plant species from becoming extinct.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 14, 2017

Trump's nominees stray from his path on Russia, torture

In two days of Senate confirmation hearings, Donald Trump's national security nominees have shown they aren't afraid of disagreeing with their boss, even on matters at the heart of his campaign promises.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2017

Syria and the Hippocratic principle: first do no harm

Western interference has caused far more problems than it has solved across the region from Afghanistan to North Africa.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2017

China shouldn't burn its 40-ton ivory stockpile

Despite the visceral appeal, 30 years of burning hasn't appreciably reduced elephant kills or ivory consumption. In fact, it likely raises its value on the black market.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2017

The importance of cutting Islamic State's lifeline

To defeat Islamic State once and for all, we need to recognize — and eliminate — its many sources of sustenance.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 9, 2017

Founder of Italy's 5-Star proposes divorce with anti-EU party in European Parliament

Italy's maverick 5-Star Movement should cut ties with the anti-European Union U.K. Independence Party (UKIP) and consider hooking up with the Liberals in the European Parliament, 5-Star founder Beppe Grillo said on Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 8, 2017

Japan's human rights issues fared better in 2016

Welcome back to JBC's annual countdown of the top issues as they affected Non-Japanese (NJ) residents of Japan. We had some brighter spots this year than in previous years, because Japan's government has been so embarrassed by hate speech toward Japan's minorities that they did something about it. Read...
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Jan 7, 2017

Missing a trick

'So long 2016! You won't be missed!'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 4, 2017

From Japanese horror to American intrigue

As a second-generation Japanese-American working in Hollywood, Shintaro Shimosawa stands out. Take his name for example, he prefers Shintaro over his given "American name," Edward.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 4, 2017

Senator gets ball rolling on killing Obamacare, Ryan returned as Trump-era Congress kicks off, trips

Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi introduced on Tuesday a resolution allowing for the repeal of President Barack Obama's signature health insurance program, which provides coverage to millions of Americans, Enzi's office said in a statement.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2017

Will Washington and Beijing's cool war heat up?

The big question for 2017 is whether the U.S. and China will let their troubled relationship unravel further.
JAPAN / GEARING UP FOR THE GAMES
Jan 2, 2017

Tokyo 2020 Olympics will come and quickly go, but the legacy is all-important

The eyes of the world will be on Tokyo for more than just the 16 days that it hosts the 2020 Olympics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 29, 2016

Japan's students face uncertain future under cloud of debt

Kengo Kyogoku borrows about ¥122,000 ($1,035) per month in addition to a scholarship and a part-time job, because his mother can't afford to pay his college fees at the prestigious Waseda University in Tokyo.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 28, 2016

Crisis of democratic politics

The Abe administration is also riding on the wave of anti-establishment politics that's sweeping the world.
Japan Times
SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Dec 27, 2016

A wish list of sports resolutions for the coming year

Some New Year's Sports Resolutions MAS would love to see made for 2017 — and, more importantly, KEPT.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 25, 2016

Love 'em or hate 'em, the end of SMAP marks the end of an era

The Olympics have always been popular in Japan, and this year's games in Rio de Janeiro were no exception. While NHK was broadcasting the games in the early hours of Aug. 14, a breaking news message flashed across the screen: "SMAP to disband Dec. 31."
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2016

Advancing sustainability in the Trump era

Donald Trump's America can depart the environmental protection train, but it cannot stop it.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 17, 2016

Trump builds team of bosses and big egos to shake up Washington

With more than 20 nominees now selected, Donald Trump's Cabinet appears much like the president-elect himself: mostly older, white males, many of them wealthy, who see themselves as risk-takers and deal-makers and prize action over deliberation.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 17, 2016

Peru rejects new request to pardon imprisoned Fujimori

The centrist government of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said Friday that it has rejected a new request to free imprisoned former authoritarian leader Alberto Fujimori filed by a supporter because it did not meet basic requirements.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2016

Proceeds from The Japan Times Readers' Fund go to four worthy causes

Every yen counts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 14, 2016

'The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio': Digging deep into the yakuza

Since his start as a director in 1991, Takashi Miike has accumulated nearly 100 credits, including his output for television broadcast and straight-to-video release. Far from being the faceless journeyman this number suggests, Miike is a genre auteur who has put his individual stamp on his films, with...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2016

Thanks to Trump, no more 'Ameri-splaining'

The U.S. has always been corrupt, savage and brutal. President Trump suits us fine.
EDITORIALS
Dec 7, 2016

Abe's tribute at Pearl Harbor

If Shinzo Abe's visit to Pearl Harbor matters as a symbolic gesture of reconciliation with the U.S., he should consider similar steps with Japan's Asian neighbors.
EDITORIALS
Dec 6, 2016

Europe shaken by Italian vote

Matteo Renzi's decision to resign ushers in a political and economic crisis for Italy — and for Europe.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2016

Palestinian body politic is rotten to the core

No self-respecting Palestinian should be applauding the empty rhetoric of Mahmoud Abbas.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2016

The first U.S. presidency of the post-literate age

In the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the media has worked itself into a panic about the rise of fake news on social media.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami