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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....
EDITORIALS
Apr 26, 2017

The Democratic Party in disarray

The DP leadership needs to take the revolt and defection of its members seriously and rebuild the party before it's too late.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 24, 2017

Lawyer for Philippines hit man files complaint against Duterte in international court

A Philippine lawyer said he filed a complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte and senior officials at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday, accusing them of crimes against humanity in a nationwide anti-drugs crackdown.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 24, 2017

Abe, Trump reconfirm commitment on North Korea

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a 30-minute teleconference to discuss the North Korean situation.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2017

MSDF destroyers kick off drills with USS Carl Vinson strike group in Western Pacific

Two Maritime Self-Defense Force ships begin joint drills with the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its escort vessels in the Western Pacific as the strike group nears the Sea of Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 15, 2017

Creating a real ghost in the shell

Yasuo Kuniyoshi is a man with an extraordinary plan. Kuniyoshi, a professor at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, has been attempting to produce an utterly convincing artificial being for the past 30 years.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 15, 2017

North Korea shows off suspected ICBM during massive military parade

North Korea displayed what appeared to be new long-range and submarine-launched missiles Saturday as part of a massive military parade in Pyongyang to mark the 105th anniversary of the nuclear-armed country's founder.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Apr 13, 2017

Argentine Lamas hired as new Japan men's national team basketball coach

Julio Lamas has assumed the head coaching position for the Japan men's national squad, the Japan Basketball Association officially announced on Thursday.

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