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Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 5, 2016

Japan, U.S. agree to narrow definition of 'civilian component' protected by SOFA

The Japanese and U.S. governments limit the extent to which U.S. military workers are protected under the Status of Forces Agreement in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 4, 2016

Gifu town looks to share-house initiative to meet depopulation challenge

A small village in central Japan facing depopulation has renovated an empty home into a share house in a bid to attract young women who want to experience life in the countryside.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN,HOME TRUTHS
Jul 2, 2016

Japan's new retro

This month we look at quintessentially Japanese objects re-invented as modern-retro designs.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2016

Top official denies claim that Chinese fighter was close to firing on ASDF jet

A senior government official on Wednesday flatly denied allegations written on a news website claiming that a Chinese fighter was close to firing on an Air Self-Defense Force jet that had been scrambled over the East China Sea.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jun 26, 2016

Wrapping up a musical trip across Japan

When I first embarked on my attempt to visit every prefecture in Japan and learn about the local indie music scene in each one, the idea that I would be able to draw any meaningful generalizations from the adventure seemed ludicrous. The music scene of Tokyo alone is an incomprehensible mess, so how...
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jun 22, 2016

Japan's koseki system: dull, uncaring but terribly efficient

Family registry system can seem schizophrenic but its authority keeps citizens out of the courts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 16, 2016

Airbnb's 'master of disaster' comes to Tokyo as regulations loom

Airbnb Inc. has gone on a charm offensive in Japan, hoping to drum up support as regulators debate whether to clamp down on the startup's rapidly expanding operations.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jun 10, 2016

Distilling the mysteries of shōchū

From my seat on the second floor of Shochu Zanmai, a bar specializing in Japan's indigenous distilled liquor, I can see directly into the building across the street. The bar is located down a narrow alley a 10-minute walk from Tokyo's Ikebukuro Station, and the close proximity of the surrounding buildings...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 2, 2016

Good morning, North Korea! Defector preaches dangers of cult worship over the radio

For an hour each day, Kim Chung-seong, a defector from North Korea and a Christian missionary, takes to the microphone in a small Seoul studio.
EDITORIALS
Jun 1, 2016

Problematic criminal justice reforms

Revisions to three laws are ostensibly aimed at reducing the prevalence of false charges in criminal cases but they could have the opposite effect.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 30, 2016

How breaking news bulletins in Japan evolved from lights to bytes

From news tickers to TV alerts, a look at the ways breaking news was disseminated in the days before the internet and social media.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
May 26, 2016

New restaurant opens in Ise-Shima; Ritz-Carlton offers mango buffet; New Japanese suite Sakura opens

New restaurant opens in Ise-Shima
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 25, 2016

U.S. Marines briefing links crimes to 'gaijin power'; for Okinawans, 'it pays to complain'

Internal U.S. Marine Corps documents reveal that lectures supposed to improve marines' understanding of Okinawa instead downplay military crimes and disparage local residents.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 25, 2016

Daughter of Hong Kong bookseller detained by China makes appeal to U.S. for help

The daughter of a Hong Kong-based bookseller detained in China on Tuesday appealed for U.S. help in pressing China for information about his status and securing his release.
Japan Times
JAPAN / G7 ISE-SHIMA SUMMIT SPECIAL
May 25, 2016

Leaders expected to focus on economy, refugee crisis

When the Group of Seven leaders meet in Ise-Shima, Mie Prefecture, on Thursday for the two-day summit meeting, the global leaders will spend much of their time discussing wide-ranging issues from terrorism and the refugee crisis to China, which has been asserting its military power in the South China...
JAPAN
May 24, 2016

Diet passes legislation to revamp Japan's criminal justice system

New legislation increases video recording of interrogations, expands the reach of the wiretap law and introduces plea bargains.
JAPAN / Politics
May 24, 2016

Citizens' summit ponders whether Obama should apologize over Okinawa slaying

Questions about whether U.S. President Barack Obama should apologize over the alleged brutal murder of an Okinawa woman by an American base worker were raised Tuesday on the final day of the Citizens' Ise Shima Summit in Mie Prefecture.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2016

Why are some politicians impervious to facts?

Many politicians make innaccurate statements, and most people can't be bothered to question them.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2016

Cyberthieves exploit banks' faith in SWIFT transfer network

On Jan. 12, 2015, a message from a secure computer terminal at Banco del Austro (BDA) in Ecuador instructed San Francisco-based Wells Fargo to transfer money to bank accounts in Hong Kong.
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
May 19, 2016

Get a primer on Japanese culture; discover the joy of a soak in Hakone; experience a taste of Spain in Tokyo

Get a primer on Japanese culture
BUSINESS / Economy
May 19, 2016

G-7 unlikely to agree on coordinated stimulus at Sendai meeting

Room for maneuver on fiscal policy seems limited when Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank chiefs meet in Sendai.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 13, 2016

Privacy Visor thwarts facial-recognition tech

With improvements in facial-recognition technology and the increasing popularity of smartphones, the threat to one's privacy unexpectedly posed by random Internet photos posted by strangers is growing day by day.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2016

Hitachi to invest ¥300 billion in Internet-connected projects

Hitachi Ltd. plans to invest about ¥300 billion ($2.8 billion) over the next three years in its "Internet of things" platform as the maker of power plants, bullet trains and elevators bets the technology will drive sales.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2016

FBI to soon interview Clinton over emails, already quizzed aides, CNN says

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is likely to interview Hillary Clinton in the next few weeks about her use of a private email server while she was U.S. secretary of state and have already interviewed some of her aides, CNN reported on Thursday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 5, 2016

Seeking clues to early stage of life, scientists grow human embryos in lab just shy of 14-day limit

Scientists have for the first time grown human embryos outside of the mother for almost two full weeks into development, giving unique insight into what they say is the most mysterious stage of early human life.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’