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ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 24, 2016

'Plane wreckage' found in Thailand fuels talk of missing Malaysian jet

A piece of suspected plane wreckage has been found off the coast of southern Thailand, a local official said on Saturday, prompting speculation it might belong to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished nearly two years ago.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 23, 2016

Hiroko Kuniya's ouster deals another blow to quality journalism in Japan

Hiroko Kuniya, the widely respected anchor for NHK's stellar "Close-up Gendai" news analysis program, has been ousted from her position after 23 years with the show. She now joins a growing list of prominent news presenters and commentators who have discovered the apparent perils of not kowtowing to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 23, 2016

Insect Literature

The Berlin-based author Yoko Tawada recently remarked that one of the difficulties she faced when translating Kafka's short story "Metamorphosis" into Japanese was that the associations Japanese people had with insects — even presumably giant beetles — were different to those of Europeans. Tawada...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jan 23, 2016

Barefoot Gen

With the recent announcement by North Korean authorities that they had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, Keiji Nakazawa's classic anti-nuclear manga, "Barefoot Gen," once again deserves a full reading — both for newcomers or for those revisiting its brilliance.
Reader Mail
Jan 23, 2016

Keene dives into Japanese hearts

The article "A life found in translation" in the Jan. 3 edition reminds us of our deep respect for Dr. Donald Keene.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 23, 2016

Trump retweets neo-Nazi account, drawing outrage

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump retweeted an account called "@WhiteGenocideTM" on Friday, prompting a backlash on social media over the real estate billionaire's sharing of an apparent neo-Nazi's depiction of rival candidate Jeb Bush.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 23, 2016

Amazon founder Bezos' space company launches, lands rocket for second time

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' space transportation company, Blue Origin, has successfully launched and landed a suborbital rocket for a second time, a key step in its quest to develop reusable boosters, the company said on Friday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 23, 2016

China drops online notice of oil rig location after Vietnam complaint

Chinese maritime officials on Friday removed an online notice giving the location of a $1 billion deepwater oil rig in the South China Sea two days after issuing it, following a warning from Vietnam about drilling in disputed waters.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2016

Abe indicates pivot toward reduction of wage disparities in policy speech

In a key policy speech for 2016, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledges to promote measures to reduce wage disparities.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2016

Sander's rise fueled by the failure of propaganda

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' growing support reflects public contempt for everyone in charge.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 22, 2016

Otako: A 93-year-old 'oden' joint that still keeps its hot pot simmering

On a bitterly cold winter evening few sights are more welcoming than the cheerful glow of the large red lanterns that hang outside traditional restaurants. They promise noodles, eel or yakitori chicken, or advertize an all-purpose izakaya tavern. But the underlying message is the same: Here you will...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE UNRELIABLE FOOD CRITIC
Jan 22, 2016

Downtown Osaka's faded replica of Korea's kaleidoscopic markets

There's something suspicious about the way Japan and Korea differ so much in the taste and presentation of their foods, as if a kind of sibling rivalry were going on, some struggle for distinction and specialization.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2016

Davos forum kicks off with dour mood amid tough global conditions

The mood was glum as the World Economic Forum's annual meeting of academics and leaders from business and politics kicked off Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland, with worries ranging from energy to geopolitics and China's slowdown causing widespread unease.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 21, 2016

Japan Post Bank unfazed by global stocks turmoil

The worst-ever start to a year for stock markets and oil's historic slump have not deterred Japan's postal savings bank, which is preparing to shift more of its $1.8 trillion portfolio into equities and alternative assets.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 21, 2016

Unidentified paralysis afflicts 66 across Japan over four months in '15, some with Enterovirus

A recent survey by National Institute of Infectious Diseases shows that a total of 66 people suffered from an unidentified paralysis between Aug. 1 and Dec. 3 last year, Asahi Shimbun daily said on Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 20, 2016

Fatal bus crash raises alarm bells

The Karuizawa bus crash should prompt the industry and authorities to reconsider whether current safety regulations are adequate and being properly followed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 20, 2016

'American Ultra' is a half-baked stoner comedy, possibly written by robots

One of the most underrated films of the past decade has got to be "Adventureland," the 2009 coming-of-age comedy by Greg Mottola ("Superbad"). It mined its setting — a rundown 1980s amusement park — for plenty of jokes, but it had a fantastic bittersweet feel to it as well, capturing that moment...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2016

BuzzFeed brings its brand of online news to Japan

Online news source BuzzFeed has brought its blend of the novel, quirky and trivial to Japan, launching a Japanese-language service that targets a nation addicted to smartphones.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 20, 2016

China jails former party chief of Xinjiang's capital for graft

A court in Beijing on Wednesday sentenced a former Chinese Communist Party chief of Urumqi, the capital of the violence-prone far-western region of Xinjiang, to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of corruption.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji