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Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 16, 2020

WHO regrets Trump funding halt as global coronavirus cases top 2 million

The head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday he regrets U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to pull funding for the agency, but that now is the time for the world unite in its fight against the new coronavirus.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 15, 2020

America’s empty roads: Fewer deaths but a blow to state budgets

Motorists on a typical weekday log roughly 200,000 trips on North Carolina’s Triangle Expressway in the Raleigh-Durham region, many of them commuters headed to the state’s Research Triangle Park.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 15, 2020

China ship back in waters off Vietnam; U.S. says Beijing exploiting pandemic

A Chinese ship embroiled in a standoff with Vietnamese vessels last year has returned to waters near Vietnam as the United States accused China of pushing its presence in the South China Sea while other claimants are pre-occupied with the coronavirus.
Reader Mail
Apr 15, 2020

The government's questionable priorities

Regarding the April 9 story "Tokyo and central governments clash over what should shut in emergency," I find it absolutely amazing that the economic revitalization minister, Yasutoshi Nishimura, said during a videoconference that barbershops and beauty salons are "vital in maintaining lives."
Reader Mail
Apr 15, 2020

After the pandemic, what?

Things have changed so much in a month. I taught at a university until March, whereas today I stayed home all day struggling to take a video for the next class. It feels like I am suddenly forced to became a full-time YouTuber.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Apr 15, 2020

Asanoyama strong favorite to become sumo's next hot star

With the sport mostly at a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic, the upcoming NFL Draft inspires Japan Times sumo columnist John Gunning to again consider his top rikishi selections.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2020

Japan to cut lawmakers' pay by 20 percent amid virus crisis

Senior Japanese ruling party and opposition officials agreed Tuesday to reduce lawmakers' salaries by 20 percent for a year as part of efforts to overcome the novel coronavirus crisis.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2020

The other contagion: Political and religious fanaticism

The only way to contain the threat from extremists during the pandemic is to discredit their insidious ideologies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 14, 2020

Japan carmakers will recover fast with Honda buy rating, Goldman says

The coronavirus outbreak will reduce Japanese automakers’ combined operating profit by 38 percent this business year, but the manufacturers may rebound faster than they did after the global financial crisis more than a decade ago, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs Group.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Apr 14, 2020

Expressing a sense of degree with 'kurai'

The particle 'kurai' is very helpful in trying to illustrate the degree of something happening, though translating it isn't as straightforward as you'd think.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2020

For filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi, freedom was the most important thing of all

Director Nobuhiko Obayashi, who died on April 10 at the age of 82, was incredibly prolific during his six-decade career. A pioneering experimental filmmaker in the 1960s, he went on to direct 2,000 television commercials (by his own estimate; no exact count exists) and 43 theatrical features.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 14, 2020

Let's discuss memes

This Japan Times article looks at a recent meme spawned by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent mask policy, but what's a meme?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 14, 2020

Chinese dams held back Mekong waters during drought, study finds

China's Mekong River dams held back large amounts of water during a damaging drought in downstream countries last year despite China having higher-than-average water levels upstream, a U.S. research company said in a study.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 14, 2020

Fire raging near Ukraine's Chernobyl poses radiation risk, say activists

A huge forest fire in Ukraine that has been raging for more than a week is now just one kilometer from the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant and poses a radiation risk, Greenpeace Russia warned on Monday, citing satellite images.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 14, 2020

Paris accord under threat if virus trumps climate change, Koizumi says

Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi warned Monday that the Paris climate accord could face "death" if steps to fight global warming are put on the back burner to facilitate the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 14, 2020

Election win for South Korea’s Moon could revive goal to reshape economy

If South Korea’s president can leverage his success fighting the coronavirus to help his party win Wednesday’s elections, it could give him fresh momentum to reshape an economy reeling from the pandemic.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 13, 2020

World's biggest water fight canceled as Thailand combats virus

Thais will have to find another way to cool off this year after the government called off the annual water festival that celebrates the Buddhist New Year to curb the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 13, 2020

South Korea to ship 600,000 coronavirus test kits to U.S. Tuesday

South Korea plans to send 600,000 coronavirus testing kits to the United States on Tuesday in the first such shipment following a request from U.S. President Donald Trump, a Seoul official told Reuters on Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 13, 2020

OPEC and Russia approve biggest-ever oil cut amid pandemic

After four days of talks, the group known as OPEC Plus has agreed to reduce output by 9.7 million barrels per day for May and June.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 11, 2020

Counting the cost of postponing the Tokyo Olympics

Nearly a month before the decision was announced to postpone the 2020 Olympics, the media was already speculating over their fate. On Feb. 24, the headline in Nikkan Gendai read, “Relinquishing of the Tokyo Olympics would mean ¥20 trillion in economic losses.”
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2020

Japan YouTubers focus on youth to raise awareness of social distancing

More and more YouTubers in Japan are using their fame to raise awareness of social distancing and the hashtag #stayhome to help officials drive home the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic to its youth, a demographic seen as prone to complacency.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 11, 2020

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike scores win against Abe over business closures

The closure of businesses under the capital's own emergency virus measures represents a partial victory after the central government sought to put off such a move.

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