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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 13, 2019

Acting Pentagon chief makes surprise Iraq visit to reassure Baghdad after latest Trump remarks

Acting U.S. defense chief Patrick Shanahan told Iraqi leaders that Washington understood its forces were in Iraq at Baghdad's invitation, aiming to steady relations after President Donald Trump said U.S. troops were needed to keep an eye on Iran.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2019

'Artisan' miners seen helping Maduro turn Venezuela's useless currency into gold he trades with Turkey

Venezuela's most successful financial operations in recent years have not taken place on Wall Street, but in primitive gold-mining camps in the nation's southern reaches.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2019

The best diet for the planet isn't the best for humans

If you listened to Mother Earth, you'd probably eat more corn and soy than nutritionists suggest.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 8, 2019

Virginia Democrats hunker down amid blackface and sex assault scandals involving top trio

Virginia's highest-ranking Republican said on Thursday that he had never worn blackface, as the state's Democratic governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general grappled with career-threatening race or sexual assault scandals.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2019

Nissan blow leads to regret and defiance in a Brexit heartland

Lisa Roley has worked at Nissan Motor Co.'s car plant in Sunderland, U.K., for the past two decades. Like the majority of people in the city, she also voted to leave the European Union in 2016.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 7, 2019

On abortion, Trump agenda likely leads to Supreme Court, not Congress

President Donald Trump urged lawmakers in his State of the Union address to put new limits on abortion, but partisan division in the U.S. Congress means the Supreme Court likely will set the agenda on the divisive issue, as it has for decades.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2019

House panel to probe Trump financial 'entanglement' with foreign governments

Vowing not to be "intimidated" by Donald Trump, the new Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said the panel will probe whether foreign governments had improper leverage over the president or his business interests.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 6, 2019

Lessons of the Japan-South Korea maritime spat

The confrontation has implications for the rest of Asia, and the United States.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 6, 2019

From coup-maker to candidate? Thailand junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha considers election run

Thai junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha is known for losing his temper in public, but recently he has displayed a softer side amid speculation he may run for office in the first elections since the army seized power in 2014.
Japan Times
PRESS / Corporate Trends
Feb 6, 2019

The Japan Times to Participate as a Media Partner at the 16th Malaysia International Halal Showcase

Tokyo, Feb. 6, 2019 - The Japan Times, Ltd. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Representative: Takeharu Tsutsumi) will participate as a media partner at the 16th Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), the worldfs largest halal-focused trade show. The trade show is planned to be held in Malaysia from April...
Japan Times
Feb 6, 2019

The Japan Times to Participate as a Media Partner at the 16th Malaysia International Halal Showcase

The Japan Times, Ltd. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Representative: Takeharu Tsutsumi) will participate as a media partner at the 16th Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), the world’s largest halal-focused trade show. The trade show is planned to be held in Malaysia from April 3 to 6, organized by...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 5, 2019

Brexit Britain is left choking on Nissan's exhaust fumes

Nissan's decision to back out of a big U.K. investment may not be the last of its type.
CULTURE
Feb 5, 2019

Game for a laugh: Learning to become a manzai comedian

As I stand in the cramped wooden gangway at the side of the stage, going over my lines in a frantic whisper, I am reminded of something that American comedian Patrick Harlan had told me when we first met four months ago.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 4, 2019

Venezuela's Juan Guaido says he wants Italy's backing, report says

Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido said in a newspaper interview published on Monday he would do all he could to secure Italy's backing after the government split on whether to recognize him as interim president.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 4, 2019

Rewriting the future of work

Three common assumptions skew economists' forecasts of automation's impact on employment.
JAPAN / History / Heisei Icons
Feb 3, 2019

Takafumi Horie: Bane of the old guard

In many ways, Heisei has been an era of reform, peppered with tales of mavericks who challenged those at the helm of an entrenched business and political system they viewed as opaque and rife with vested interests.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 2, 2019

How Japan unleashed Lu Xun's ferocious literary passion

Although he was poised to be a doctor, Lu Xun, the most celebrated of all modern Chinese authors, abandoned medicine for something he felt would truly enlighten and modernize his nation: literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jan 31, 2019

'Bohemian Rhapsody': Queen film won't bite the dust just yet

The Queen biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" is still doing big business in Japan, long after its November release. The movie recently crossed the ¥10 billion mark here, and its impact stretches well beyond box-office stats. Songs from the British band have taken up residence on streaming charts, while affection...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 30, 2019

Fathers remain missing in the educational puzzle

Japan continues to expect mothers to be the primary caregiver and educator within the family.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 30, 2019

In era of Trump, U.S. intelligence report warns of weakening alliances as Sino-Russian ties grows stronger

The top U.S. intelligence official warned Tuesday that the United States is facing strengthening ties and a convergence of interests between China and Russia, just as policy changes on trade and defense by the Trump administration could cause allies to look beyond Washington — a stark admission amid...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 29, 2019

Risks and chances for Japan's economy

2019 is a year in which Japan needs to be closely watched both politically and economically.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 29, 2019

Arashi's hiatus spurs heartbreak, but hopes for a 2020 Olympic farewell

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics creep ever closer and one of the biggest arguments that remains is which musical performers will feature in the event's opening ceremony. Up until now, debate over who should represent Japan on the international stage has been raging.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 29, 2019

With raft of challenges but no serious challenger, Abe remains popular by default

About six months after facing calls to resign, the prime minister finds himself in a relatively strong position ahead of a year with key hurdles to overcome.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 28, 2019

Wanted: a strategic dialogue with Pacific island countries

Japan needs to build a deeper relation of trust with Pacific island countries if it wants them to support its regional strategy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 24, 2019

How populism drives Seoul's ties with Tokyo

South Korean state-sponsored education and censorship help fuel biased views of Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 24, 2019

Popular Zimbabwean musician Oliver 'Tuku' Mtukudzi dies at 66

Zimbabwe's most successful and internationally renowned musician Oliver Mtukudzi died on Wednesday after suffering from diabetes, ending a career that spanned four decades and 67 albums.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 24, 2019

Anti-immigrant AfD lawmakers walk out on Holocaust survivor's speech in Bavaria legislature

Lawmakers from the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) walked out of the Bavarian parliament on Wednesday after a Jewish community leader accused the party during a speech to commemorate the Holocaust of playing down Nazi crimes.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 22, 2019

Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn pushes for Parliament vote on new Brexit referendum

British opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn moved a step closer to paving the way for another referendum on European Union membership by trying to use Parliament to grab control of Brexit from Prime Minister Theresa May.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2019

Where is the European Union's Brexit policy?

The U.K. has set a new standard for political paralysis — but the EU has little to boast about.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 22, 2019

The 'King' returns and theaters look to Russia for 2019

Whether it's regular theater that gets you going these days — or you're skipping along more to musicals — as 2019's curtains rise, variety will be the spice of live stages this coming year.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo