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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 12, 2018

Japan's toothless FANG trio don't deserve a nibble

Line, Yahoo Japan and Rakuten are out of favor for a reason.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 12, 2018

China's master plan: a global military threat

From the East China Sea to Africa, Beijing is flexing its muscles.
EDITORIALS
Jun 11, 2018

A Group of Seven fiasco in Canada

U.S. President Donald Trump's actions are working at cross purposes to his goal of making America great again.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2018

China's long game for the Singapore summit

While Trump and Kim play checkers, Xi has the go board out.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 6, 2018

Fans of Japan and East Asia are reinventing Orientalism with a friendlier face

The Western entertainment industry presents a distorted image of Asia. But it also inspires hordes of fans to learn more.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 6, 2018

State Department defends U.S. envoy's 'empower' conservatives remarks after outcry in Germany

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday defended remarks by the new U.S. ambassador to Germany that drew condemnation from across that country's political spectrum, saying that U.S. envoys "have a right to express their opinions."
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 6, 2018

Spat over White House's 'disinvite' of Philadelphia Eagles rages into second day

A second statement released by the White House and media coverage of the war of words with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles propelled the feud into another round through the news cycle Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 5, 2018

About that tritiated water: Who will decide and when?

Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant's storage tanks already hold 850,000 tons of contaminated water, the amount is rising daily and space is running out.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 5, 2018

Moot dispute: U.S. top court dumps ruling allowing teen in immigration custody to get abortion in 2017

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday threw out a lower court ruling that let a pregnant illegal immigrant minor held in federal immigration custody obtain an abortion last year at age 17 over the objections of President Donald Trump's administration.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 3, 2018

I want a divorce in Japan, but what about child custody and my mortgage?

A reader writes in with a query about the all-too-familiar subject of divorce, along with a related question about his mortgage.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2018

Breaking down the Kake Gakuen scandal: Who's lying, Abe or his political opponents?

Opposition camp lawmakers roared in anger. Stenographers were ordered to stop transcribing. The prime minister accused an opposition leader of lying.
COMMENTARY / World
May 30, 2018

The Spider-Man of Paris is just one of many

Countries can benefit by accepting hard-working migrants who have shown their mettle by surviving their perilous journeys.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 29, 2018

How scientists succumb to corruption and cook results

It starts with a dash of temptation. Stir in some rationalization and deception. The final and key ingredient is: stupid systems with perverse incentives.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 28, 2018

May refuses to relax Northern Ireland abortion curbs despite its southern neighbor's historic vote to liberalize

British Prime Minister Theresa May faces a showdown with ministers and lawmakers in her Conservative party after refusing to back reform of Northern Ireland's highly restrictive abortion rules after neighboring Ireland's vote to liberalize its laws.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 26, 2018

Commenting on the debate over hate speech on government websites

On May 2, the Cabinet Office removed the posts on its Government Monitor System (GMS) website, a place where citizens offered comments on government policy. The system was established in 1962 to solicit opinions from the public about government policy, but until 2012 it was a snail mail operation. Thereafter,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 26, 2018

Barbecue in Japan: What's a devotee of low and slow to do?

In conversation with Bashamichi Taproom, Smokehouse and Hatos Bar, three of the OGs of Japan's barbecue scene.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2018

Catching a killer in the family tree

Through DNA samples in online genealogy databases, police have a powerful tool to find the guilty — and exonerate the innocent.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 25, 2018

U.S. conservationists sue Trump administration over migratory bird policy

A coalition of conservation groups sued the Trump administration on Thursday, accusing the government of slashing protections for migratory birds.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2018

Sony's new PlayStation chief hints at return to portable gaming

Sony Corp.'s new PlayStation chief John Kodera said he sees a future in portable gaming, departing from his predecessor's view that there's a limited market for handheld games.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 24, 2018

North Korea issues most direct threat yet to pull out of summit with U.S.

In North Korea’s most direct comment yet that the planned summit with the U.S. may be in jeopardy, a top official from the nuclear-armed country said Thursday that it will reconsider the meeting if Washington continues with “unlawful and outrageous acts” — a reference to a “Libya-style” coerced...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 23, 2018

Zen and the art of Premier League dominance: Buddhist philosophy links Manchester United, Arsenal and Japan

Can the success of Alex Ferguson's 'kids' and Arsene Wenger's 'Invincibles' be linked to Buddhist philosophy? It's worth a try.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 23, 2018

'Give me back my life': Victims of Japan's forced sterilizations demand justice after decades of silence

One day when Saburo Kita was 14, he was taken from an institution for troubled children to see a doctor. Despite protesting that his health was fine, he was ordered to strip, lie down on a table, and was given a local anaesthetic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2018

#MeToo: A cultural workaround to a legal failure

For the most part, #MeToo targets who stand accused in the court of public opinion for criminal acts will never face them in a court of law.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2018

Russia sets out to sanction Western sanctions

Just as investment banks are cutting their growth forecasts for Russia because of a growing likelihood of new U.S. sanctions, Russian legislators are looking for a strong response.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 19, 2018

Trump nominates Pacific Command chief Harry Harris to be South Korean ambassador

The White House formally nominated Pacific Command chief Adm. Harry Harris on Friday to fill the long-vacant post of ambassador to South Korea, as the U.S. gears up for the planned first-ever talks between a sitting American president and a North Korean leader on June 12 in Singapore.
Reader Mail
May 18, 2018

Rethink Indian bullet train project

The opinion piece in the April 26 edition headlined "Is the Indo-Japan rail project a boondoggle?" was correct and timely.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2018

America's needless collision course with China

The world's most important bilateral relationship is also one of its most inscrutable.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2018

Inspiring terms are simple but 'climate change' isn't

The doubters and believers aren't even talking about the same thing.
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2018

Open skies can clear Beijing's 'Orwellian nonsense'

An agreement to expand market access in China would be the best way to Chinese government avoid censorship.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years