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Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Sep 3, 2016

Net TV in Japan: Full stream ahead?

As consumers move away from regular terrestrial TV toward online video content, it appears that the domestic TV industry itself needs to undergo its own paradigm shift.
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Sep 2, 2016

Sakamoto leads strong showing by juniors in France

Japanese skaters began the Junior Grand Prix season with encouraging results at the opening event last weekend in St. Gervais, France. Japan took home half of the six singles medals on offer, with Russia claiming the other three.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 1, 2016

American held in North Korea goes six months without consular access

An American man sentenced to 15 years hard labor in North Korea for attempting to steal a propaganda poster has not been permitted consular access in nearly six months, the U.S. State Department confirmed Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2016

Why Central Asia is less stable than it appears

Kept relatively peaceful by a handful of aging authoritarian leaders, the region is a ticking time bomb.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2016

The making of a Chinese consumer society

China's transformation into a consumer society is good news for the future of the global economy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2016

Google 'plans tie-up' with MUFG on Android Pay platform

Alphabet Inc. will tie up with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. on its Android Pay platform, a person with knowledge of the matter said, the latest move by a technology giant to tap Japan's rapidly growing digital payments market.
Rugby
Aug 29, 2016

Barrett commits to All Blacks until after 2019 World Cup

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen's hopes of winning a third successive World Cup have been boosted by flyhalf Beauden Barrett's decision to commit his immediate playing future to New Zealand Rugby until after the 2019 tournament in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 27, 2016

Japan zoos could be an endangered species

In terms of zoos per capita, Japan is No. 1 in the world, despite the fact that attendance has been dropping for more than two decades.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 27, 2016

Bears encroach on blurred human boundaries

It is puzzling that the black bears have become aggressive recently, given their previous inclination to retreat when confronted by humans. My theory is that winters are shorter and that means shorter hibernations and more active time spent consuming dwindling supplies of food. They love beech nuts but,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 26, 2016

With ¥130 billion war chest, Line hunts for acquisitions to jazz up content, technology

Line Corp. plans to use part of the ¥130 billion it garnered from last month's initial public offering to bankroll acquisitions of content and technology, transforming its messaging service into a one-stop shop for Asian social media users.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 25, 2016

Central Indiana twisters wreak havoc, flatten homes, Starbucks cafe

Thunderstorms and tornadoes plowed through central Indiana on Wednesday, demolishing numerous homes and a Starbucks cafe in Kokomo and cutting power to thousands of Indianapolis-area residents, but no serious injuries were immediately reported.
EDITORIALS
Aug 24, 2016

Rising tide of North Korean defections

A recent spate of defections suggests that some North Korean elites are losing faith in the country's future under Kim Jong Un.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Aug 24, 2016

China unveils Mars rover for 2020 mission

China has shown off the first images of the rover it plans to sent to Mars in mid-2020 to explore the surface for three months, the latest aim of its ambitious space program.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Aug 23, 2016

Spate of killings in Philippines rises to 1,900; not all drug-related, top cop says

The Philippines' national police chief said Tuesday that about 1,900 people had been killed during a crackdown on illegal drugs, which began seven weeks ago when President Rodrigo Duterte took power, but about 40 were not drug-related.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2016

Akie Abe prays at Pearl Harbor, fueling speculation Japan's prime minister will follow suit

Known for making free-thinking comments and actions that are politically awkward for her husband, Akie Abe has done it again.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2016

Seafloor gold rush could have alarming impact

The seafloor is home to priceless mineral deposits, but mining them could wreak havoc on the marine environment.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Aug 20, 2016

The gene that may benefit sumo giants

Samoa, with its string of beautiful islands and coral atolls in the South Pacific, is attracting more than just tourists these days. Scientists are heading there, too. The nation holds the uneviable position of being No. 1 in the world for obesity. Among Samoan men, 80 percent are either overweight or...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2016

The thrill of victory, the agony of another snub

The refusal of an Egyptian athlete to shake his Israeli counterpart's hand is symbolic of the Arab street's continuing rejection of the legitimacy of the Jewish state.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 17, 2016

Hefner, 90, gets to stay as his famed Playboy Mansion sells for $100 million

The famed Los Angeles Playboy mansion belonging to Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire, has been sold for $100 million, and Hefner, 90, will live in the mansion for the rest of his life, a representative for the buyer said in a news release on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 16, 2016

Fix campaign or step aside, Wall Street Journal tells Trump

Republican Donald Trump should fix his stumbling White House campaign in the next three weeks or step down, The Wall Street Journal said on Monday in a sharply worded warning from a leading conservative voice.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 15, 2016

Two South Koreans charged with attempting to help North Korean spy smuggle tires

South Korean prosecutors have charged two men with helping a North Korean spy attempt to smuggle used tires into the North that could be used by the military.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Aug 13, 2016

Expensive new drugs put strain on Japan's health system

Expensive drugs like Opdivo, a lung cancer treatment that costs a whopping ¥1.33 million a dose, are asking difficult questions of Japan's health insurance system.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2016

Shikoku MOX plant restarts amid outcry over fresh quake fears

Shikoku Electric restarts the Ikata No. 3 reactor on the narrow Sadamisaki Peninsula as protesters seek court injunctions over safety fears renewed by the quakes in Kyushu.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 12, 2016

Foreign workers: neither clowns nor terrorists

The Japanese attitude toward foreign employees must be improved if the nation is to reap the full benefits they offer.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 12, 2016

Blast at Chinese power plant kills at least 21 on eve of first Tianjin anniversary

A blast at a power plant in central China killed at least 21 people and injured five on Thursday, the eve of the first anniversary marking the massive Tianjin explosions, which have spurred government efforts to improve industrial safety.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2016

Emperor signals wish to abdicate in near future

Emperor Akihito expresses concern about how his advanced age is affecting the performance of his public duties.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 7, 2016

Yemen's Houthi-led bloc sets up governing council as U.N.-led peace talks fail

Two dominant political movements in Yemen on Saturday announced a 10-member governing council, against the wishes of the United Nations as U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait ended without an agreement.

Longform

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