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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 18, 2016

Promise of clever children in year of monkey may boost births in China

Those born in the year of the monkey are said to be crafty, clever and charming. That has spurred some couples in China to delay parenthood until the less-auspicious sheep year ends — a balm for companies offering fertility products and obstetric services.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 18, 2016

Vietnam to pick new leaders as nation balances ties with China, U.S.

When Vietnam starts the process of picking its new leadership this month, the Communist Party is set for a tense behind-the-scenes debate: Opt for officials who want to preserve ties with neighbor China, or for those who would steer the country closer to the United States.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2016

Clinton goes on offense against Sanders at Democratic debate

U.S. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton went on the offensive against top challenger Bernie Sanders at a debate on Sunday in reaction to his recent rise in opinion polls, saying he is soft on gun control and that his proposed health care overhaul is unrealistic.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2016

U.S. slaps new sanctions on Iran over ballistic missile test after delay to pave way for prisoner swap

The United States imposed sanctions on 11 companies and individuals for supplying Iran's ballistic missile program in a move delayed by over two weeks so as not to endanger this weekend's release of U.S. prisoners, sources familiar with the matter said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jan 17, 2016

Please cuddle: a cat named Rikka

This 8-year-old looker is stressed and yearning for a warm home of his own, especially one with people, but preferably not with too many cats.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 17, 2016

Inspiration that comes in dreams and rice balls

Ichiko Aoba takes her seat at an old-fashioned coffee house in Tokyo's Shibuya district, and places a sketchpad and a plump pouch of rolling tobacco on the table. During the hour-long conversation that follows, the tobacco goes untouched, but the sketchpad gets a thorough workout. As she talks, the 25-year-old...
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2016

Futenma, elections and autonomy

The upcoming elections in Okinawa, starting with the Ginowan mayoral race, will weigh heavily on the Futenma relocation issue.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 16, 2016

Murakami is right about jazz and the brain

"Music brings a warm glow to my vision, thawing mind and muscle from their endless wintering."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 16, 2016

The elephant in the room for Toshiba is nuclear

Japanese press outlets often cover scoops from competing outlets, but it's rare to build on a competitor's story with original reporting, especially when the scoop is a few years old. In December, the weekly magazine Aera, which is affiliated with the Asahi Shimbun, ran an article about a secret meeting...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 16, 2016

Asia is imperiled by COP21's climate cop-out

The nations of the world gathered at the Paris Climate Conference (COP21) last month to come to an agreement on the urgent mission of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, all they produced was an attractive vision statement that is more sham than solution.
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jan 16, 2016

Lost Japan

Originally published in Japanese in 1993 (with the English translation following in 1996), "Lost Japan," the first book by Alex Kerr, has recently been re-released by Penguin. A fascinating chronicle of Kerr's diverse interactions with the country, the book spans such subjects as restoring a traditional...
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jan 16, 2016

Osaka Ishin walks a tightrope under its big top

Does the fate of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts (at least in the Diet) to revise the Constitution lie in Osaka?
WORLD
Jan 15, 2016

French identify another Paris attacker via DNA from body parts

French investigators have confirmed that Belgian-Moroccan Chakib Akrouh, who blew himself up when trapped by police on Nov. 18, was the third member of the three-man unit that killed dozens of cafegoers during a multipronged Islamist attack on Paris days earlier.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2016

Osaka assembly passes nation's first ordinance against hate speech

The city of Osaka passed the nation's first ordinance by a major city against hate speech late Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 15, 2016

China's Xi to visit Saudi, Iran in new diplomacy push

Chinese President Xi Jinping will make an unusual visit next week to Saudi Arabia and Iran, who are locked in a bitter dispute, in what could be a bid by Beijing to act as an "honest broker" as it seeks a greater regional diplomatic role.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 15, 2016

China's Xinjiang region adopts nondiscrimination rules amid ethnic violence

China's western region of Xinjiang has set new rules to boost "ethnic solidarity," state media said on Friday, amid roiling violence between Muslim Uighurs and the majority Han Chinese that has left hundreds dead in recent years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 15, 2016

China's richest man eyes global film empire with purchase of Hollywood blockbuster studio

Flanked by models in white sequin dresses amid booming music and dazzling lights, China's richest man savored his latest entertainment triumph this week: the announcement of a $3.5 billion deal to take over a Hollywood blockbuster movie studio.
EDITORIALS
Jan 15, 2016

A call for civility and honest debate

In his final State of the Union address, President Barack Obama attempts to deflate the bubble of anger and fear animating U.S. politics, but it's probably a hopeless task.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 15, 2016

New centrist conservatism

To address the challenges confronting the nation, the LDP must move leftward and once again embrace center-right politics.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2016

What happens after China's bubble goes pop?

Will China be a source of stability and strength for the world economy — or the opposite?
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 15, 2016

Liverpool-Man United battle a difficult one to forecast

It remains the fiercest rivalry in English football, but when Liverpool plays Manchester United on Sunday the main interest is how boring or enjoyable the game will be. Not whether we shall see a blood and thunder clash or two managers who do not like each other (notably Rafa Benitez and Alex Ferguson)...
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League / J. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 15, 2016

J. League teams gearing back up after short time off

The Jan. 1 Emperor's Cup final brought the curtain down on the 2015 Japanese soccer season, but already J. League clubs are gearing up for the new campaign ahead.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jan 15, 2016

Sake workshops in Tokyo spotlight Japan's lesser known regional breweries

On a recent chilly evening, I found myself in the heart of Tokyo's touristy Asakusa district for the first time in many years. I came to visit Kurand Sake Market, a popular standing bar that specializes in the offerings of local brewers, where Chris Hughes, a U.K. sake expert who is helping Kurand reach...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 15, 2016

'Grandpa gang' guilty of London's biggest burglary

Three men were found guilty on Thursday in the largest burglary in English legal history, a daring multimillion pound raid on a safe-deposit business in London's jewelry district led by pensioners who had spent a life in crime.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2016

Cruz rips up truce with Trump in Republican presidential debate

The long and awkward truce between anti-establishment favorites Donald Trump and Ted Cruz blew apart at the Republican debate Thursday as the two men battling for first place in the Iowa caucuses tore into each other over Cruz's eligibility to be president.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 15, 2016

Public sends sex toys, glitter after Oregon occupiers ask for supplies

Gifts of sex toys, glitter and nail polish are not what the armed protesters who seized a U.S. wildlife refuge in Oregon were expecting when they put out a public call for supplies to help get them through the winter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 14, 2016

Tao takes an innovative approach to drum shows

The slogan goes, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." Drum troupe Tao, however, thinks a successful show in Sin City could be the springboard to bigger things around the world.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2016

Don't believe all the myths about North Korea

Before figuring out what can be done about North Korea and its seemingly crazy dictatorship, we mustn't fall prey to four common myths about the hermit kingdom.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2016

Has Taiwan's China gamble gone wrong?

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou made a critical mistake in 2008 when he hitched Taiwan's economy to China.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell