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Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
May 24, 2017

Experts say Japan should examine male infertility amid falling birthrate

In mid-December, when news emerged that the number of newborn babies in Japan in 2016 would likely fall below 1 million for the first time since the government started collecting data in 1899, it sparked a renewed debate on how to reverse the downtrend in the fertility rate.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 23, 2017

South Korea fires at suspected drone at border with North amid missile crisis

South Korea's military fired warning shots at a suspected drone from North Korea on Tuesday amid tension over Pyongyang's latest missile test which drew international condemnation and a warning from China.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 22, 2017

North Korea declares medium-range missile ready 'for action,' shows off apparent photos from space

North Korea said Monday that its test-firing a day earlier of a solid-fuel, medium-range missile capable of striking most of Japan was "perfect" and that the weapon was ready to be deployed "for action."
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
May 21, 2017

Kansai gropes for missile response as Korean war hype builds

With North Korea test-launching missiles on a regular basis toward Japan, towns, cities and prefectures are getting more serious about how best to respond if and when one approaches.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 19, 2017

Hachimura hopes to get game back for Under-19 World Cup

Just listening to how he talks and reacts, he just seems the same kid that we came to know from his high school days in Japan.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
May 18, 2017

Murata, N'Dam primed for middleweight title showdown

It's time. Well, almost.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2017

Threats to liberal democracy

Benjamin Franklin's declaration 'the price of liberty is eternal vigilance' matters now more than ever in the age of Donald Trump.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2017

Japan, U.S. agree to keep up pressure on Pyongyang, say dialogue off table for now

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also agreed to call on China to play a greater role in dealing with Pyongyang.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 13, 2017

Japan's fisheries still swimming upstream

In March, the internet news site Videonews.com posted a conversation between environmental journalist Tetsuji Ida and Waseda University researcher Yasuhiro Sanada, who writes about fisheries. During the talk, Sanada said that whaling is a "dead industry," and seemed to think that the ongoing controversy...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2017

Actress Melissa McCarthy motors through New York dressed as White House spokesman Sean Spicer

Actress Melissa McCarthy took her impersonation of White House press secretary Sean Spicer to the streets of New York City on Friday, rolling through midtown traffic on a motorized lectern in an apparent shoot for "Saturday Night Live."
Japan Times
WORLD
May 13, 2017

Hackers exploit stolen U.S. spy agency tool to launch global cyberattack

A global cyberattack leveraging hacking tools widely believed by researchers to have been developed by the U.S. National Security Agency hit international shipper FedEx, disrupted Britain's health system and infected computers in nearly 100 countries on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
May 12, 2017

For next FBI head, Trump weighs congressman who led Benghazi probe

At least four people with law enforcement experience are under consideration by President Donald Trump to replace James Comey at the helm of the FBI, according to a White House official, including the congressman who led a two-year investigation of Hillary Clinton.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 11, 2017

NPB begins promoting upcoming All-Star series

Nippon Professional Baseball officially kicked off the countdown to this year's All-Star series during a news conference on Thursday at a Tokyo Hotel.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 10, 2017

B. League unveils positive attendance figures from inaugural regular season

The first-division teams of the inaugural B. League season raised their average attendance numbers in the regular season by 32 percent from last year (based on figures from bj-league and NBL, which merged to form the B. League), the top men's basketball circuit revealed on Wednesday, a few days before...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 10, 2017

Amid soaring tensions, South Korea's new leader to navigate fine line between Beijing, Washington

Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated new South Korean leader Moon Jae-in on Wednesday amid soaring tensions on the Korean Peninsula, saying Beijing is willing to work with Seoul to "properly handle differences."
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 10, 2017

The firing line: Ouster of FBI's Comey tests new Justice appointee

The newly appointed second-in-command at the U.S. Justice Department faced a weighty task just two weeks after taking office — writing the rationale for firing FBI Director James Comey.
WORLD
May 9, 2017

Islamic State says it beheads Russian officer in Syria: SITE

The Islamic State group has issued a video showing the beheading of a man it described as a Russian intelligence officer captured in Syria, the U.S.-based SITE monitoring website reported on Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 9, 2017

Step aside, Siri: A new AI-powered assistant is in town, and she's kawaii

When Siri is asked whether she has a boyfriend, the iPhone's digital assistant is usually quick to deflect the question with a quip about drones always trying to pick her up.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 6, 2017

Japanese tradition denies surrogacy

Most major media covered the March 22 Tokyo news conference where Sachiko Kishimoto of the nonprofit organization Oocyte Donation Network (OD-Net) explained how a woman in her 40s had recently given birth to a daughter who had been conceived using the woman's husband's sperm and an egg from a third party....
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
May 6, 2017

Brazen heists suggest that crime syndicates may be back in business

Last month, three masked robbers grabbed a suitcase stuffed with cash from a businessman who had just withdrawn the money from a bank in Fukuoka. The businessman is believed to have been planning to use the ¥380 million ($3.5 million) to buy gold.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 6, 2017

North Korea accuses CIA and Seoul of plot to assassinate Kim Jong Un

North Korea on Friday accused the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and South Korea's intelligence service of a failed plot to assassinate its leader Kim Jong Un with a biochemical bomb at a military parade in Pyongyang.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 4, 2017

Louisiana officers who fatally shot Alton Sterling while he was subdued won't face federal charges

Two white officers will not face federal charges in the fatal shooting of a Louisiana black man, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 29, 2017

Strong earthquake hits off Philippines, no major impact seen

A strong earthquake measuring 7.2 struck off the coast of Mindanao island in the Philippines on Saturday, and the country's seismology agency advised people to stay away from coastal areas but expected no major damage.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 27, 2017

Mystery deepens over Moritomo land deal as recording with Finance Ministry emerges

The shadowy Moritomo Gakuen scandal takes a new twist after a recording of the land negotiations between its former chief and the Finance Ministry emerges.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2017

Japan stays 72nd on press freedom list but falls to last in G-7

Japan ranked 72nd on a 2017 list of press freedom around the world — its same overall position from a year earlier — but fell to last among its Group of Seven peers as Italy climbed to 52nd, according to the 180-nation World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday....

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?