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Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Dec 27, 2019

Tokyo Olympic torchbearers from Fukushima hope event showcases recovery

Applicants across Japan have begun receiving notification that they were selected to run in the Japan leg of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay that will kick off on March 26 at the J-Village soccer facility in Fukushima Prefecture, where efforts to recover from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and...
Reader Mail
Dec 27, 2019

Remembering a landmark and life-saving kidney transplant

The hospital information packet advised me to bring my own chopsticks, but I prefer a knife and fork. That was just the start of my experience as the first-ever Western woman to donate a kidney at Osaka University Hospital, in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 23, 2019

Lone Star-Unizo employees' offer raises bar in bidding war with Blackstone

Unizo Holdings Co.'s latest takeover offer is seen raising the bar for Blackstone Group Inc., which has been the most persistent bidder in the war for the Japanese real estate operator.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 22, 2019

North Korean threat looms as China, Japan and South Korea leaders meet

The possibility of a new confrontation between Pyongyang and Washington hangs over meetings involving China, Japan and South Korea as speculation grows North Korean actions could end an uneasy detente and upend recent diplomatic efforts.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 22, 2019

Massive bush fires send Australia's clean and green reputation up in smoke

Breathing masks are selling out in Sydney with the city enveloped in the smoke from bush fires sweeping across a large swath of Australia's east coast, damaging the country's clean and green reputation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Dec 21, 2019

Il Garage: Japanese ingredients get an Italian twist in Kyoto

Masato and Midori Shirakawa honed their culinary skills in Italy. Now they're back in Kyoto running the cozy, innovative Il Garage.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 20, 2019

Australian PM Scott Morrison apologizes for vacation during fatal fires

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a rare public apology on Friday and cut short a Hawaiian vacation in response to mounting public anger after two volunteer firefighters were killed battling bush fires sweeping the country's east coast.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Dec 19, 2019

Traditional New Year's fare for a family feast

The significance of a new decade cannot be understated, and the Royal Park Hotel is pulling out all the stops to ring in the New Year — and 2020s — with a series of events and meals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / 2019 in Review
Dec 19, 2019

2019 saw just a few glimmers of hope in an otherwise mediocre year for Japanese film

The year predictably saw new iterations of long-running anime favorites top the box office, but the year's truly interesting films lay much further down the financial rankings.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 19, 2019

Myanmar's Suu Kyi calls supporters a 'source of strength' during genocide hearings

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday thanked supporters who staged large rallies on her behalf as she defended the country against genocide charges at The Hague, speaking to the nation for the first time since she returned on Sunday.
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Dec 18, 2019

J. League season to include Olympic break

The J. League's season only wrapped up on Saturday, but it's already time to get out the calendars.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 18, 2019

Hopes low for Japan-Iran summit, with Tokyo hemmed in by competing interests

It's unlikely Japan will be able to bypass U.S.-imposed sanctions and resume importing crude oil from Iran in accordance with Tehran's apparent wishes, experts say.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 18, 2019

Myanmar seizes boat carrying 173 Rohingya Muslims apparently trying to flee persecution

Myanmar authorities detained 173 ethnic Rohingya aboard a boat off the southern coast, authorities said on Tuesday, amid signs that more members of the Muslim minority group are making perilous sea voyages to escape persecution.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Dec 17, 2019

What would a 'kanji of the decade' say about the state of Japan?

This year's kanji of the year is 'u4ee4,' but writer Paul Dargan posits a guess as to what the kanji of the decade might be while looking back on the annual tradition and what the top picks say about the state of the country.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2019

Germany to raise carbon emission price to €25 per metric ton in 2021 after pressure, sources say

Germany will raise the price for carbon dioxide emissions from transport and heating buildings to €25 ($27.56) per metric ton from 2021 after a proposed €10 price tag was criticized for being too low, government sources said on Monday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2019

Shareholder activism rises in Japan as firms go hostile and investors speak out

Record shareholder activism is combining with rare hostile takeover bids in Japan, in a trend that's seen as good news for investors in the country's ¥675 trillion stock market.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2019

Mexico will never accept 'disguised' labor inspectors under USMCA, says deputy foreign minister

Mexico's deputy foreign minister for North America, Jesus Seade, on Sunday attempted to rebut claims his country would be subject to labor enforcement inspectors from other countries as part of the new North American trade deal.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2019

French CGT union gives ultimatum to government to pull pension reform plan

France's CGT union threatened on Sunday to double its protests unless the government withdraws its pension reform proposal within the next week.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / Fiction
Dec 15, 2019

Christmas on Happy Road: Mystery Trains

Chapter 2
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 14, 2019

Winding back the years in Yokohama’s Yamate district

One of Japan's '100 Cityscapes,' Yokohama's Yamate district — also known as 'The Bluff' — preserves some of the city's elegant European structures and international heritage.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 14, 2019

U.S. envoy to visit Seoul and Tokyo as deadline looms for stalled North Korea talks

The U.S. special envoy for North Korea will arrive in South Korea on Sunday ahead of a year-end deadline set by Pyongyang for Washington to soften its approach to stalled denuclearization talks, Seoul and Washington said on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2019

Abe postpones talks with India's Modi due to unrest in Assam over citizenship law

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has postponed a three-day visit to India, the government said Friday, as violent protests continue over a controversial citizenship law in Gauhati, a northeastern Indian city in Assam state where Abe had planned to meet his counterpart, Narendra Modi.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 13, 2019

Japan's Hoya to launch $1.4 billion counterbid for Toshiba unit NuFlare

Hoya Corp. said Friday it would make a $1.4 billion counterbid for NuFlare Technology Inc. in what could become a hostile offer for the Toshiba Corp. unit the electronics conglomerate plans to buy out.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Dec 12, 2019

Welcome the new year with a bubbly toast

Are there any sights more welcoming than a freshly poured glass of Champagne? With occasions for celebration becoming more frequent up until the end of the year — and indeed, the decade — the answer is undoubtedly "No!"
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 10, 2019

Let's discuss Michelin restaurants

A quick English lesson that asks readers about their culinary experiences.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami