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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 6, 2018

Growing split in Seoul over North Korea threatens detente and nuclear talks

When Seoul was preparing to open a liaison office in the North Korean city of Kaesong this summer after a decade of virtually no contact with its longtime enemy, South Korean officials had heated debates over whether they should seek approval from Washington.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 4, 2018

Britain can end Brexit unilaterally, EU court adviser says

The European Court of Justice's advocate general said on Tuesday Britain has the right to withdraw its Brexit notice from the European Union unilaterally.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Dec 3, 2018

Tokyo 2020 organizers discuss 6 a.m. start for marathons

Tokyo's summers are hot. That means upcoming Olympic events may need to start earlier in the morning.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 3, 2018

China partly censors U.S. Embassy statement on trade truce

A social media post by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing about the trade agreement between the two nations was being partially censored Monday, with the WeChat article visible but blocked from forwarding or sharing.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Dec 3, 2018

Iga, known for its ninja, looks to draw foreign tourists by turning castle town into a hotel site

The Mie Prefecture city of Iga, the origin of one of Japan's most famous ninja clans, plans to open the growing number of vacant homes in its castle town to tourists.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 1, 2018

Magazines explore the inevitability of death and taxes

From this week, beneath the glitter of tinsel and glimmer of outdoor seasonal illumination, the bonenkai (year-end party) season begins in earnest.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 1, 2018

Netflix hopes to attract new anime fans with old favorites

After launching in Japan in September 2015, Netflix has aggressively gone after the nation’s streaming market with an array of content. Original programming such as “Aggretsuko,” “Terrace House” and a reboot of “Ainori” have helped capture the attention of many cordcutters who want the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Dec 1, 2018

Carlos Ghosn's arrest is more about Japanese criminal justice than corporate governance

A 'hostage-based' criminal justice system, second arrests and trial by public all play a part in a case that the world is watching.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 29, 2018

'An Enemy of the People': The not-so-silent majority speaks out again

In one bound, the rising English director Jonathan Munby found himself in the spotlight of Britain's theater scene in 2017 when his smash-hit production of "King Lear," with Sir Ian McKellen in the title role, transferred straight from the rural Chichester Festival Theatre to the West End.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 28, 2018

Wall Street Journal says Carlos Ghosn enduring 'bizarre inquisition' in Japan

Ousted Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn is enduring a "bizarre inquisition" in Japan, a Wall Street Journal editorial said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 27, 2018

Ned Rothenberg: Crossing the Pacific with bamboo flute in hand

Composer and performer Ned Rothenberg has spent his career traversing different musical worlds.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 26, 2018

The Protestant ethic and Carlos Ghosn

For many in Tokyo, the news about Carlos Ghosn was a shock but not a surprise.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Nov 26, 2018

JAL and ANA file reports after pilot drinking scandal

Japan Airlines (JAL) submitted an investigative report to the transport ministry on Nov. 16 concerning the arrest of one of its copilots by British police due to his heavy drinking before a London to Haneda flight.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Nov 26, 2018

Japan's ancient castle walls drawing tourists but not enough masons to keep them up

Castle walls have recently become popular with tourists, especially rekijo (female history buffs) who like to view them even when the castle itself is no longer there.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 24, 2018

Variety show's fabrication scandal offers a glimpse into the nature of TV content

Earlier this month, weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun ran several articles on Nippon Television Network Corp.'s Sunday night variety show, "Sekai no Hate Made Itte Q," claiming that the program had fabricated "festivals" in foreign countries and presented them in one of its semiregular segments as real...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Nov 24, 2018

Can greed be good? Carlos Ghosn, CEO compensation and a skeptical Japanese public

After Carlos Ghosn's shocking arrest Monday, many of his most ardent supporters were left to reconcile their positive image of the man said to have saved Nissan Motor Co. against the possibility he may have committed numerous crimes.
Reader Mail
Nov 22, 2018

Take next step on reducing plastic waste

Regarding the Nov. 3 editorial "Cut back on disposable plastic," I admired the thinking of The Japan Times' editorial team that Japan should be a proactive party in the global movement to reduce plastic waste. In short, the intention of the Japanese government to cut down on plastic waste, including...
Reader Mail
Nov 22, 2018

Kennedy's welcome return

Former U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy's two-week tour of Japan starting Oct. 25 is a welcome visit ("Japan ties still strong: Caroline Kennedy," in the Nov. 9 edition).
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2018

3,000 foreign employees join ramen noodle shop's workers union

Ramen noodle restaurant operator Hiday Co. says its workers formed a labor union, with some 3,000 foreign employees — mostly part-timers — joining the union's ranks.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Nov 19, 2018

Government to urge companies to curb use of microplastics

New measures are being taken to help clean our seas, but are they too little too late?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Nov 19, 2018

Don't eat Jiro persimmons, drink them, town in Mie urges

Members of the Nippon Bartenders Association's branch in Mie Prefecture have created original cocktails that make use of typhoon-damaged Jiro persimmons — a local specialty of the town of Taki that is now in harvest — that cannot be shipped for sale.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Nov 18, 2018

Exports of Fukushima-brand alcohol hit record in fiscal 2017

Exports of sake, liquor and other alcoholic beverages produced in Fukushima Prefecture reached a record high of about 296,000 liters in fiscal 2017.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 18, 2018

May sees 'no alternative' to her Brexit plan

British Prime Minister Theresa May says she sees no alternative to the Brexit deal she presented earlier this week, amid reports that some of her senior ministers want her to renegotiate the draft agreement before meeting EU leaders next weekend.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Nov 17, 2018

Live-action Pokemon trailer reaffirms Pikachu's enduring popularity

Ever since the original release of the “Pokemon” games for the Nintendo Game Boy back in 1996, the series’ central character — the electric, yellow rodent Pikachu — has found a permanent place in the world’s pop-culture zeitgeist. Pikachu has since shown up everywhere, including on countless...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 13, 2018

Women, foreign workers or robots?

As its population declines, Japan must make the right policy choices to ensure it has a sufficent labor force.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Nov 12, 2018

Japan launches first survey on 'overtourism'

There's a tourism boom in Japan, but it isn't all good news.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Nov 12, 2018

From Yukio Mishima with love: Former lighthouse keeper reminisces about correspondence with novelist

Michio Suzuki, 87, of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, met renowned novelist Yukio Mishima (1925-70) in March 1953 when he was working at Kamishima Lighthouse in Toba, Mie Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 10, 2018

Japan's news outlets weigh in on Jumpei Yasuda's culpability in Syria kidnapping

Freelance reporter Jumpei Yasuda gave a three-hour news conference at the Japan National Press Club on Nov. 2 about his hostage ordeal, describing in detail how he was kidnapped after entering Syria in 2015 and then held for more than three years. He also discussed the situation in the Middle East and...

Longform

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