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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 24, 2016

After lifting arms ban, Obama pushes back on human rights in Vietnam

A day after saying Vietnam had made enough progress on human rights to merit lifting a decades-old U.S. ban on arms sales, President Barack Obama pushed back against his host country over that record.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 23, 2016

Anti-stalking law under fire after stabbing of Japanese idol singer

The attack on idol singer Mayu Tomita has sparked a discussion over the effectiveness of the anti-stalking law, which some experts say should include a clear statement on preventing online stalking.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 21, 2016

Wrath awaits Japanese women who shun their childbearing 'destiny'

Back in the 1990s, actor Tomoko Yamaguchi often appeared in trendy dramas — TV shows that portrayed the lives of middle-class people who, whether married or not, only worried about what to buy and who to love. Once she turned 35, Yamaguchi was no longer considered suitable for such roles, but trendy...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 21, 2016

G-7 finance leaders reject coordinated action to revitalize global economy

Japan was looking to hammer out a new fiscal package in the coming months, but its push for joint global fiscal action was rejected by its more cautious peers.
JAPAN / Politics
May 20, 2016

Masuzoe defiant on expenses furor

Embattled Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe said Friday his expense reports will from now on undergo scrutiny by third-party lawyers.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2016

Japan's Democratic Party reveals new logo to cries of plagiarism and indecency

The main opposition Democratic Party on Thursday unveiled what it calls a “vibrant” new logo that was then assailed by renewed claims of plagiarism and cries of obscenity.
BUSINESS
May 19, 2016

Trump talks tough on firms that outsource but also invested in them

Donald Trump has been tough on American companies that have moved jobs to other countries. That hasn't stopped the presumptive Republican presidential nominee from investing in them.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 16, 2016

Russian yacht and crew detained by North Korea arrives in Vladivostok

A Russian yacht detained and then released by North Korean authorities has arrived in the Russian Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok, the nation's Interfax news agency reported Monday.
JAPAN
May 11, 2016

Obama steps into regional spat over victimhood

A plan for the first-ever visit to Hiroshima by a sitting U.S. president was expected to draw a mixed reaction in the region, where China and South Korea have accused Japan of glossing over its actions in World War II and playing up its own victimhood.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 10, 2016

U.S. sails warship near Chinese-claimed reef in South China Sea

A U.S. navy warship sailed close to a disputed reef in the South China Sea on Tuesday, a U.S. Department of Defense official said, prompting anger in Beijing which denounced the patrol as illegal and a threat to peace and stability.
JAPAN / Politics
May 9, 2016

Constitutional scholar Kobayashi announces plan for anti-Abe party, Upper House bid

A constitutional scholar inspired by U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders jumps into the Upper House race to stop the 'uncontrollable' government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 9, 2016

North Korea detains, interrogates, then expels Tokyo-based BBC reporter

North Korea expelled a BBC journalist on Monday over his reporting, the broadcaster and a North Korean official said, as a large group of foreign media members visited the isolated country to cover a rare ruling party congress.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 6, 2016

Expert sees Japan's high level of digital rights offset by public disinclined to curb Big Brother

Japan's restrictions on freedom of expression are growing but its sleepy public might not wake up before it's too late, a U.N. special rapporteur warns.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2016

Managing debt in our overleveraged world

Since the 2008 global financial crisis, austerity and balance-sheet repair have been the watchwords of the global economy. And yet today, more than ever, debt is fueling concern about growth.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2016

Scandal-plagued Mitsubishi Motors reliant on ASEAN as redress claims brew

Mitsubishi Motors Corp., embroiled in a car-rigging scandal in Japan, may find that its future increasingly hinges on its performance in Thailand — the automaker's biggest overseas production base.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 27, 2016

The muzzling of Japan's media is hurting Abenomics

How can Japan's fossilized politics and business change if media shies away from asking tough questions?
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 26, 2016

Australian politics, Japan's lack of experience behind failed bid to build subs

In a stunning reversal of fortunes, Japan — the onetime front-runner in the multibillion-dollar tender to build Australia's next-generation submarine — fails in its bid to assemble the vessels.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2016

Ominous collapse casts a shadow over Brazil

The collapse of an elevated cycling path in Rio de Janeiro last Thursday is an ominous sign as the scandal-rocked nation prepares to host the Olympics.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 24, 2016

Beijing, four ASEAN nations reach 'consensus' that South China Sea shouldn't affect ties

China has reached an agreement with Brunei, Cambodia and Laos that the South China Sea dispute "should not affect relations" with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2016

'Vagina artist' Rokudenashiko to marry British rock musician Mike Scott

Megumi Igarashi, who calls herself Rokudenashiko (good-for-nothing girl), announced Tuesday online that she will wed vocalist and guitarist Mike Scott of The Waterboys, a British folk rock outfit.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 22, 2016

Lawyers say official misconduct may be hard to prove in Flint tainted water scandal

The lead criminal charge brought on Wednesday against two Michigan state officials in connection with the tainted water supply in Flint, Michigan, could be difficult to prove, lawyers familiar with the state's criminal law said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 20, 2016

'The 5th Wave': Not quite on the crest of YA action films

The good news is that since the "Hunger Games" series of films, the young-adult (YA) action film genre is officially not only a thing, but also a Hollywood force to be reckoned with. The bad news is that not all YA movies are made equal, but the duds are still likely to spawn sequels.
SOCCER
Apr 19, 2016

PSG mum on Mourinho reports

Paris St. Germain on Tuesday issued a terse "no comment" following reports in England that the French champions had approached Jose Mourinho to become their new manager.

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