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JAPAN / Politics
Apr 5, 2019

Deputy land minister quits after using graft buzzword sontaku to describe his decision to fund project for Abe

The deputy land minister boasted that he helped get funds for a highway project without Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and deputy Taro Aso having to tell him to.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Apr 5, 2019

Yuki Kawauchi now focused full time on marathoning

During the past decade, Yuki Kawauchi has been perhaps Japan's most famous marathon runner. He's been known as the "Citizen Runner" or the "Civil Service Runner."
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2019

China's doghouse is smaller than it looks

But countries that anger China are learning that once in, it's hard to get out.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2019

European utilities contemplating a future in which oil has gone the way of the dinosaurs

European oil companies have started to address what they worry may one day be an existential threat to their business — the end of a century of oil demand growth in a low carbon world.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 5, 2019

In snub, U.S. won't send warships or senior officials to Chinese Navy's 70th anniversary celebrations

The United States has decided not to send warships or senior military officers to celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of China's People's Liberation Army Navy later this month, a snub by Washington even as U.S. allies Japan and South Korea are expected to send their own vessels...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 5, 2019

U.S. trains with ASDF in Western Pacific as area sees ramped-up military drills by China

B-52 bombers from Guam have trained with Air Self-Defense Force and Okinawa-based U.S. fighter jets in the Western Pacific, just days after China sent a total of six bombers and other aircraft through a key entryway into the Pacific for their own military exercises.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 5, 2019

Guaido says imprisoning him could be Maduro's final move, and he has contingency plan

Juan Guaido, newly vulnerable to arrest, says he is prepared to be imprisoned by the autocratic regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and has a contingency plan for allies to continue the protest movement he leads.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 4, 2019

A look at some of Japan's lesser-known idol-pop players

I made my first trip to Japan just over 10 years ago to see concerts by Morning Musume and AKB48, two of the country's biggest idol-pop groups this century. What struck me most about the experience was the camaraderie among the fans, it was a closeness that was unlike anything I'd seen with Western pop...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 4, 2019

Shinshu can win title, but not promotion

The Shinshu Brave Warriors have excelled this season under the steady leadership of head coach Michael Katsuhisa.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 4, 2019

SoftBank to seek $15 billion more for huge Saudi-backed Vision Fund

For SoftBank Group Corp., $100 billion (¥11 trillion) isn't enough. The conglomerate, which has reshaped the technology startup landscape with its Saudi-backed Vision Fund, is in talks with investors to add as much as $15 billion more to its already massive fund, according to people familiar with the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 4, 2019

Actress Felicity Huffman arrives at Boston court to face college admissions bribe charges

Felicity Huffman arrived at the federal court in Boston on Wednesday, where she and fellow actress Lori Loughlin will appear to face charges tied to what prosecutors call the largest college admissions scam uncovered in U.S. history.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 3, 2019

Hanami a reminder of life's fleeting nature

As cherry blossoms remind us each year, life is too short to waste.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2019

No silver bullet for China's plastics problem

The country could make biodegradable products mainstream, but that won't stop its trash from choking the oceans.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 3, 2019

From casinos to nuclear power, local issues with national significance to play out at polls across Japan

Municipal mergers, integrated casino resorts, bullet trains and the future of nuclear power plants — local issues with national political repercussions — are expected to be taken up by candidates from Hokkaido to Kyushu in the coming weeks as the country prepares for a series of elections on April...
Japan Times
Apr 3, 2019

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Delivers its First LRI Product/Chemical Tanker Built at its Shipyard in China

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd. (HQ: 1083 Tsuneishi, Numakuma-cho, Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan; President: Kenji Kawano) delivered its first LRI (77,000 DWT) Product/Chemical Tanker on March 29, 2019. This first ship was constructed at TSUNEISHI GROUP (ZHOUSHAN) SHIPBUILDING, Inc. (Location: Xiushan...
WORLD
Apr 3, 2019

Wary of nuclear arms quest, U.S. senators seek details of secret reactor cooperation with Saudis

U.S. senators from both parties on Tuesday asked Energy Secretary Rick Perry for details about recent approvals for companies to share nuclear energy information with Saudi Arabia, with the lawmakers expressing concern about possible development of atomic weapons.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 2, 2019

In war-weary Afghanistan, fighters swap Kalashnikovs for cricket bats and pads

During a lull in Afghanistan's never-ending war, before the fighting season resumes once again in the spring, Taliban fighters recall laying down their Kalashnikovs and, for a brief moment, enjoying a game of cricket.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 2, 2019

Japan government bonds have a cute sales mascot, but there's only one buyer that matters

In the land that gave us Hello Kitty, it's no surprise the government employs an endearing mascot to sell its bonds. His name is Kokusai-sensei. A pint-size rendition of him welcomes visitors to the investor relations office at the Finance Ministry. Pudgy and professorial, he's got his own Twitter account...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2019

BMW and Peugeot go ahead with temporary U.K. plant shutdowns despite Brexit delay

BMW's Mini plant in Britain closes for four weeks from Monday and Peugeot's Vauxhall car factory shuts for two weeks in moves planned months ago to help the firms deal with any disruption resulting from Brexit, which has since been delayed.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2019

U.S. airlines back up after second system glitch in a week

Major U.S. airlines were back up and running on Monday after a system-wide outage delayed hundreds of flights and fired-up customer complaints on social media, the second such disruption in a week.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 1, 2019

Turkish leader Erdogan's ruling AK Party loses control of Ankara; Istanbul results disputed

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered a severe setback as his ruling AK Party lost control of the capital, Ankara, for the first time in a local election and he appeared to concede defeat in the country's largest city, Istanbul.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 1, 2019

Thai king's rebuke of Thaksin points to junta-backed regime taking office

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn issued a rare rebuke of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra about a week after an inconclusive national election, making it more likely that a pro-military party would form a government.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Apr 1, 2019

Border row pitches noninterventionist Mexican president into deep water with Trump

Donald Trump's threat to shut the U.S. border if Mexico does not halt all illegal immigration has exposed the limitations of the new Mexican government's strategy of trying to appease the U.S. president as he gears up for re-election.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 1, 2019

Murdered South Carolina student may have thought car was her Uber ride, say police

A South Carolina man has been charged in the murder of a University of South Carolina student who may have gotten into her killer's car mistakenly believing that it was her Uber ride, police said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 1, 2019

Trump's sale of F-16 fighters to Taiwan seen making China nervous politically

The U.S. may finally sell Taiwan the warplanes it has sought for more than a decade to defend against China. Their arrival would deal more of a political shock than a military blow to Beijing.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan