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JAPAN / Politics
Oct 11, 2018

Japan's top government spokesman denies Trump asked Abe to 'strongly consider' giving casino license to one of his benefactors

Yoshihide Suga responded tersely to an investigative report during a regular press briefing, referring to Abe's past denial in the Diet of the allegation.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 10, 2018

No rest for Nikki Haley? Resignation fuels speculation about her political future

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley exits President Donald Trump's Cabinet as the most high-profile female member, potentially putting her back into play as a candidate for a Republican Party struggling to gain traction with female voters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2018

Why Banksy's art stunt is economic genius

His shredding trick demonstrates the street artist's talent for exploring the ways in which people value art.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 7, 2018

Brazilians begin voting in tense presidential race led by right-winger Jair Bolsonaro

Brazilians began voting Sunday in a polarized presidential race that could result in the election of a far-right former army captain, whose praise of past dictatorships enrages critics but whose promise of a brutal crackdown on crime and corruption has electrified his supporters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2018

Fugitive from the thought police

There is no such thing as a thought crime — or is there?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 6, 2018

Five Indian states to go to polls at year-end in test for Narendra Modi

Five Indian states will go to the polls later this year, the country's election commissioner said Saturday, in a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity ahead of his re-election bid in May.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 6, 2018

Juncker says Brexit accord with EU may come this month or in November

The European Union will reach a deal with Britain on Brexit in November if it does not do so this month, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Austrian newspapers.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 6, 2018

As northwestern region takes center stage, Nigerian opposition to pick presidential candidate

Nigeria's main opposition party, which this weekend selects its candidate to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari in an election in February, is aiming to make his northwestern power base a main battleground in the contest.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2018

History, ideology are back in polarized U.K.

The antagonistic visions of Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn indicate a great disruption in the politics of the world.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 6, 2018

Kavanaugh on U.S. Supreme Court: Sparks or harmony?

When Clarence Thomas took a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991, he had only barely survived a series of bitter Senate hearings on allegations of sexual harassment that divided the country.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Malaysia special
Oct 5, 2018

Advancing economic growth via cooperation

I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Malaysia on its 61st anniversary of independence. Japan and Malaysia opened diplomatic relations on Aug. 31, 1957. Since then, the two countries have deepened their relationship in all aspects, including politics, economy, culture and education.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Oct 3, 2018

'Dare to Stop Us': Japanese cinema's bad boy as seen by one of the women who worked with him

In the 1960s Koji Wakamatsu was Japanese cinema's enfant terrible: A real-life outlaw — he once joined a yakuza gang and served time in prison — he made pioneering "pink" (softcore porn) films such as "The Embryo Hunts in Secret" (1966) and "Go, Go, Second Time Virgin" (1969), whose extreme sex and...
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 2, 2018

Factions loom large in Abe reshuffle, with the 'Cabinet post waiting list' coming into play

The so-called list is a remnant from the 1970s, when the ruling LDP arbitrarily distributed Cabinet positions among members of influential intraparty factions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 1, 2018

President Moon Jae-in is driving the Korea peace train

Moon's dogged optimism and Trump's unconventional diplomacy might be just the synergetic mix required to shake things up.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 28, 2018

Meet the new breed of Japanese entrepreneurs who are venturing into frontier markets

Even as Japan Inc.'s influence has diminished under a series of internal scandals and international competition, the prevailing image of Japanese business remains tied to massive corporate conglomerates rather than innovative startups.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2018

'Summer Davos' in China casts spotlight on technological advances beyond Silicon Valley

The award-winning virtual reality film "Tree" offers a rare multisensory experience of becoming a rainforest tree from a seedling in just 15 minutes. Reading a short speech into a microphone analyzes your voice and tells who you are — your sex, height, skull type, personality and emotional state. A...
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 26, 2018

Takanohana's departure marks end of era for sumo

Takanohana's retirement, announced on Tuesday, brings to an end the Hanada dynasty's 72-year-long involvement in sumo.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2018

Marshall Islands marches toward zero greenhouse emissions by 2050

The Marshall Islands, an atoll-nation vulnerable to sea level rise from climate change, announced steps on Monday toward an ambitious plan to cut its greenhouse emissions to zero by 2050.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2018

How Tokyo can deal with Trump unilateralism

Abe needs to highlight how Japan can help the U.S. resolve the region's most pressing issues.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2018

Is constitutional reform the key to securing the Indo-Pacific?

How interrelated are the issues of Japan's constitutional reform debate and ongoing questions about preserving Asia's status quo?
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 23, 2018

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says party backs new election to solve Brexit issue

Britain's opposition Labour Party prefers a new election to a second referendum on Brexit, its leader said Sunday, heaping pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May whose plans for a divorce deal with the European Union have hit an impasse.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 23, 2018

Need to back up sinking Kansai airport stymies region ahead of G20, elections

When Kansai airport in Osaka Prefecture was shut down earlier this month after Typhoon Jebi flooded the main runway and terminal building — and caused a tanker to break loose and crash into the only bridge to the mainland — there were fears the damage meant the region's largest and only international...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 23, 2018

Japan urged to up ranks of female politicians to reach U.N. sustainable development goals

To help meet the United Nations' 2030 sustainable development goal for gender equality and empowering all women and girls, Japan needs more female politicians, especially at the local level.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 21, 2018

LDP election exposes huge gap between Diet members, frustrated rank and file

Despite a convincing win among Diet members, the prime minister barely beat rival Shigeru Ishiba in votes distributed to the party's regional members.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Sep 21, 2018

China tightens embrace of Hong Kong with bullet train and other giant projects

Hong Kong's first bullet train will glide out of a sleek harbor-front railway station bound for mainland China on Saturday, launching a new era of integration — and raising fears among some for the territory's cherished freedoms.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2018

Has Putin's popularity bubble burst?

The strongman's approval rating is dropping as Russians worry more about their futures.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 17, 2018

Global warming's paper trail

Despite findings linking fossil fuels to ecological damage and global warming, big oil companies kept their data secret, and then lied about it, potentially dooming the rest of us as a result.

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