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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 6, 2017

In China's rustbelt, displaced heavy industry workers lose hope in the wake of massive downsizing

After protests by unpaid coal miners made headlines around the world last year as China's parliament was meeting, a $15 billion assistance fund offered by the ruling Communist Party became a symbol of the government's need to ensure social stability.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 6, 2017

South Korea's Lotte Group says four retail stores in China have been closed amid political tension

South Korea's Lotte Group said Monday four of its retail stores in China were closed after inspections by authorities, as Seoul protests at discriminating action by China after Lotte agreed to provide land for a U.S. missile defense system.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2017

Innovation attractive to international tech firms

Saitama City, just 20 to 30 minutes by train to central Tokyo hubs such as Tokyo and Shinjuku stations, boasts many leading technology companies that produce key components and materials for high-technology machines.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 5, 2017

Rule change could see Abe become nation's longest-serving leader

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party rubber-stamps an internal rule change to extend the maximum tenure of its president from the current six years to nine.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 5, 2017

Actress Haruka Abe balances others' expectations and her own dreams

It can be tough to catch a break in the world of acting, but Haruka Abe got a boost when cellist Grace Chatto of British dance-pop act Clean Bandit sent her a message over Facebook.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Mar 5, 2017

Entrepreneur taps theatrical skills to coach Japanese leaders in the art of the speech

From John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in 1961 to Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" speech in 2008, history has been colored by powerful rhetoric that is never forgotten.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 4, 2017

Sawako Ariyoshi's 'The River Ki' explores characters who swim against life's current

When we read Japanese history it's easy to forget that the revolutionary changes that washed through the country from the 19th century into the 20th all took place within a single human life span.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 4, 2017

Yellen points to March rate hike as Fed signals end of easy money

The U.S. Federal Reserve's long-stalled "liftoff" of interest rates may finally get airborne this year as policymakers from Chair Janet Yellen on Friday to regional leaders across the United States signaled that the era of easy money is drawing to a close.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Mar 3, 2017

March 4, 2017

BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2017

RCEP envoys make progress on trade deal in Kobe but complexity threatens timeline

Negotiators from 16 nations accounting for half the world's population inched closer to drafting a multilateral trade treaty after five days of negotiations that went late into Friday evening.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 3, 2017

China's shadow looms large in Japan-Thailand relations

The need to protect its interests and to compete with China explains Japan's embrace of Thailand's military regime.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2017

Is Beijing outflanking U.S. in South China Sea?

Beijing's military buildup is part of its strategy to dominate many disputed territories in the South China Sea — and push America back.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 3, 2017

Ancient tree cultivation shaped Amazon landscape: researchers

Ancient indigenous peoples had a far more profound impact on the composition of the vast Amazon rain forest than previously known, according to a study showing how tree species domesticated by humans long ago still dominate big swaths of the wilderness.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 3, 2017

Disney to feature first gay scene in 'Beauty and the Beast'

Disney will feature its first gay scene when a character is seen struggling with his sexuality in the live-action remake of 'Beauty and the Beast', according to the film's director.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 2, 2017

Health ministry dilutes plan to ban indoor smoking as restaurant industry and LDP resist

Bowing to pressure from the restaurant industry and the Liberal Democratic Party, the health ministry waters down its indoor smoking ban proposal to exempt small bars.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 2, 2017

SoftBank Robotics plans app store for humanoid Pepper robot

The team behind Pepper, the humanoid robot from SoftBank Robotics, are planning a platform for the machine where developers create applications for everyday use, such as guarding your home or vacuuming the floor.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Mar 2, 2017

Celebrating 7 years with fine fare

From March 7 to April 2, the ANA InterContinental Tokyo hotel is inviting guests to celebrate the seven year anniversary of its 36th-floor Pierre Gagnaire restaurant with menu items created for the occasion.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2017

Life here, there and everywhere in the universe

Maybe only one planet in a million has intelligent life, you say? Okay, then there are at least 140 million planets with intelligent life in this galaxy alone.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2017

Confucius blocks change in South Korea

At the 'chaebol,' Confucian reverence for the 'emperor' translates into obedience to company founders and their families, who are treated like royalty.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 1, 2017

'Trainwreck': Amy Schumer crashes onto our screens

A little over two hours — that's how long the viewer must spend in the company of Amy Schumer as Amy in "Trainwreck," for which she also wrote the screenplay. That's a lot of Amy, as the "Amy, Amy, Amy!" of the Japanese title rightfully suggests. For Schumer fans, it's a real treat. For those with...

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past