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JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 26, 2018

Aum executions reignite debate over Japan's death penalty

Thursday's executions of six Aum Shinrikyo cultists — the second set of hangings this month following the executions of seven on July 6 — have reignited debate over the nation's death penalty system, marked by its opacity and the absence of prior notice to the public, while some continue to back...
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 26, 2018

Japan sends last six Aum death row inmates to the gallows

Some speculate the Justice Ministry wanted to draw a curtain on the shocking crimes before the end of the Heisei Era, set for next April.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 26, 2018

U.S. judge may consider gag order in case of accused Russian agent Maria Butina

A U.S. judge said on Wednesday she may consider imposing a gag order on lawyers for accused Russian agent Maria Butina after prosecutors complained about statements by her lead attorney to the news media and expressed concern about turning over evidence to the defense.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 25, 2018

Seoul in talks with 'related countries' to formally declare end to Korean War: report

South Korea's foreign minister said Sunday that the nation is in talks with "related countries" to formally end the Korean War, local media said Wednesday, after an earlier report suggested Seoul was seeking to declare an end to the conflict in late August.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 25, 2018

Mike Pompeo says South Pacific nations would choose U.S. over China

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday after meetings with his Australian counterpart that he was confident South Pacific nations would choose the United States as an ally over China, despite Beijing's growing clout in the region.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 25, 2018

Putin won't be invited to address U.S. Congress despite Trump invite: Paul Ryan

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be invited to address the U.S. Congress if he accepts President Donald Trump's invitation to visit Washington, a senior Republican lawmaker said on Tuesday, calling that a privilege reserved for allies.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 24, 2018

LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida says he won't run in party leadership election, leaving two-way race between Abe and Ishiba

Kishida said he made the decision because he believes it is better for Abe to handle a number of ongoing issues facing Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 24, 2018

LDP lawmaker Mio Sugita faces backlash after describing LGBT people as 'unproductive'

A ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker has drawn a fierce backlash after labeling the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community "unproductive" in terms of childbirth, and warning that a society that accepts same-sex relationships risks "increasing unhappy people."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jul 24, 2018

North Korea's apparent dismantling of key missile test site injects fresh momentum into denuclearization talks

Work by North Korea to dismantle a key testing facility for its missile engines and rocket launches could pave the way toward more intensive talks on a peace regime between Pyongyang and Washington, experts said after a new analysis of satellite imagery showed disassembly was underway.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jul 23, 2018

China vaccine scandal ripples through domestic market, threatening push for larger global role

A vaccine scandal in China, which has hit a nerve in the country and prompted quick reactions from leaders in Beijing, is sending ripples across the wider domestic drug market while threatening to dent Chinese ambitions to play a larger global role.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 23, 2018

Cambodian opposition figures say they have been silenced in lead-up to election

In June last year, Khoeun Virath was elected as a commune councilor in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, but months later his political party was banned and most of its leadership fled into exile — so now he works as a tuk-tuk driver to make ends meet.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 22, 2018

In Senegal, Xi pledges stronger Sino-African ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged during a visit to Senegal on Saturday to strengthen economic ties with Africa, a continent already awash with cheap Chinese loans in exchange for minerals and huge construction projects.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2018

Comcast concedes to Disney in bidding war for Fox assets but still vies to buy chunk of Sky

Comcast Corp. dropped its $66 billion bid for Twenty-First Century Fox Inc.'s entertainment assets on Thursday but said it would still try to expand its international footprint by acquiring 61 percent of European broadcaster Sky PLC, the remainder of which is owned by Fox.
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2018

The lessons of Trump's European trip

Tokyo must recognize the reality of Trump's approach to foreign policy and insulate the bilateral relationship and Japan's security from the vicissitudes he can create.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jul 19, 2018

NPB getting on board with boom in esports

Nippon Professional Baseball is ready to take a swing at esports.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 19, 2018

Day after acceptance, defiant Trump again claims Russia is not still targeting U.S.

President Donald Trump contradicted U.S. intelligence agencies again on Wednesday, saying that Russia was not still targeting the United States, and accused his critics of being deranged.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2018

Japan and the European Union complete trade deal accounting for 30 percent of world's GDP

Abe and top EU leaders signed an economic partnership agreement Tuesday in Tokyo in a bid to counter a rise in global protectionism.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2018

Putin and Trump couldn't make their relationship work

The Helsinki summit ended without agreements because there's nothing the two leaders can do for each other.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 17, 2018

GOP senators slam Trump backing of Putin on poll meddling while ex-CIA chief calls it 'treasonous'

U.S. President Donald Trump said after meeting Vladimir Putin on Monday he saw no reason to believe his own intelligence agencies rather than trust the Kremlin leader on the question of whether Russia interfered to help him win the 2016 election.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2018

In Mabicho, delays, lack of awareness raised death toll from floods

When Isao Akutagawa moved to the sleepy riverside community of Mabicho in Okayama Prefecture 45 years ago, it seemed like the perfect suburb to raise his children.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 16, 2018

North Korea says it will grant large-scale prisoner amnesty next month

North Korea is planning to grant a general amnesty next month in the run-up to the 70th anniversary of its foundation day in September, state media said Monday, in an echo of moves done before other key dates in the nuclear-armed country's history.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jul 15, 2018

What about we stop it with the 'whataboutism'?

These are troubling times for human rights activists.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 14, 2018

Dementia is pushing cancer out of the medical spotlight

 The media love cancer — what causes it, how to prevent it, who has it. Cancer is something that potentially touches everybody in a dramatic way, and therefore public interest is keen.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 14, 2018

Indictment of Russian officers puts pressure on Trump to raise issue of election meddling at summit with Putin

If U.S. President Donald Trump was inclined to be tentative when raising the issue of election meddling when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, the indictment Friday of 12 Russian intelligence officers over hacking in 2016 has made that approach a much harder sell.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 12, 2018

North Koreans fail to show up for talks on U.S. war dead: media reports

North Korean officials didn't show up Thursday for a planned meeting with U.S. counterparts to discuss returning the remains of American war dead, South Korean media reported, in the latest sign of tensions between the two sides.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
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