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WORLD
Jul 20, 2014

Ukraine, rebels argue over access to downed airliner site; Europeans give Putin 'last chance'

Ukraine on Saturday accused Russia and pro-Moscow rebels of destroying evidence to cover up their guilt in the shooting down of a Malaysian airliner that has accelerated a showdown between the Kremlin and Western powers.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 19, 2014

Politician Nonomura weeps and the world laughs

"Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone. For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth, but has trouble enough of its own."
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jul 19, 2014

Time for legislation to prevent spread of hate speech

On July 8, the Osaka High Court ruled that, yes, standing in front of a primary school while kids are in class, shouting through a megaphone that they and their parents are not human, and then vandalizing the school's property, is legal discrimination.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jul 17, 2014

Responsibility for reactor restarts a hot potato

Regulators, politicians and bureaucrats bob and weave as the public asks one question: Who will take responsibility for the decision to authorize reactor restarts?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2014

Sendai nuclear plant gets first restart OK

Japan is a step closer to resuming suspended nuclear power operations, after the Sendai plant in Kyushu becomes the first to meet strict new safety standards.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jul 14, 2014

LDP lawmaker apologizes for sexist jibe

A Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker apologized on June 23 for shouting a sexist remark at a female colleague from Your Party while she was asking questions about maternity support measures during a plenary session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 10, 2014

Angelina Jolie takes evil to new places in 'Maleficent'

Websites such as Buzzfeed have made an art of the "listicle," a news article that comprises a top 10 on a designated topic. Thanks to childhood nostalgia, Walt Disney characters often make their way onto such listicles, and a quick look at the Top 10 Disney villains of all time often ends with one woman...
JAPAN
Jul 9, 2014

North Korea test-fires more missiles, but abduction talks likely to continue

North Korea's launch Wednesday morning of what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles prompted a fresh protest from Tokyo, but appears unlikely to derail ongoing talks over the abduction of Japanese nationals.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 4, 2014

Japan hits back at Beijing-Seoul WWII commemoration proposal

Japan is up in arms after a report that China and South Korea may join hands in commemorating its defeat on the 70th anniversary of World War II.
WORLD
Jul 4, 2014

Saudis seen deploying 30,000 troops to Iraq border; Baghdad denies its forces pulled out

Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television said Saudi Arabia had deployed 30,000 soldiers to its border with Iraq on Thursday after Iraqi forces abandoned the area, but Baghdad denied pulling forces back and said it remained in full control of its frontier.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 3, 2014

Saudi Arabia reportedly deploys 30,000 soldiers to border with Iraq

Saudi Arabia deployed 30,000 soldiers to its border with Iraq after Iraqi soldiers abandoned the area, Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television said on Thursday. But Baghdad denied the report, saying the frontier remained under its full control.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2014

Japan outlines sanctions reward for N. Korea's action on abductions

Japan will lift some of its sanctions on North Korea to reward the progress it has made in setting up an “unprecedented” panel to reinvestigate the abduction issue.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2014

Yamanote Line trains to get revamp next year

East Japan Railway Co. is developing a new commuter train design that it wants to get rolling on Tokyo's Yamanote Line by fall 2015.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 2, 2014

Palestinian teen killed in possible revenge attack

The discovery of a body in a Jerusalem forest on Wednesday raised suspicions that a missing Palestinian youth had been killed by Israelis avenging the deaths of three abducted Jewish teens.
EDITORIALS
Jul 2, 2014

Abe guts Article 9

With its Cabinet decision to allow Japan to exercise collective self-defense, the Abe administration has effectively gutted Article 9.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2014

Japan's status quo crumbles with an apology to a woman

When Tokyo city assemblyman Akihiro Suzuki bowed to assemblywoman Ayaka Shiomura and apologized for publicly heckling her over her unmarried status, some people caught their breath, convinced that they were witnessing something epochal in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2014

GM is no transformer and that's the problem

General Motors' inability to look outside of itself for talent, relying on company lifers even in the face of undeniable evidence of deep cultural rot, is what you'd expect from a corporation for which sponsoring a movie about car-robots from outer space seems to count as a meaningful step toward actual transformation.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2014

Why are 6,000 reporters keeping a U.S. nonsecret?

Why would thousands of journalists representing hundreds of press and broadcast media outlets agree to keep a CIA secret that wasn't much of a secret in the first place and that ceased being secret the second they learned about it?
EDITORIALS
Jun 29, 2014

Rushing on collective self-defense

The Abe administration may adopt a Cabinet decision as early as this week to change the government's long-standing interpretation of the Constitution so that Japan can participate in 'collective self-defense.' Opinions from the public do not seem welcome.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 28, 2014

EU, Ukraine ink trade pact; cease-fire extended by 72 hours

The European Union signed a historic free trade pact with Ukraine on Friday and warned it could impose more sanctions on Moscow unless pro-Russian rebels act to wind down the crisis in the east of the country by Monday.
BASKETBALL
Jun 27, 2014

Upcoming bj-league season set for Oct. 4 start

The 2014-15 bj-league season, the league's 10th, is set to tip off on Oct. 4.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 26, 2014

Ishihara's party name goes after youth vote

Former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara and his allies decide to name their new party Jisedai no To, or 'party for new generations,' to reach out to younger voters.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jun 26, 2014

Isa to lead champion Ryukyu again next season

As expected, the defending champion Ryukyu Golden Kings have decided to renew coach Tsutomu Isa's contract for the 2014-15 season.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 24, 2014

Humanoid robot exhibit opens in Tokyo

The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) on Tuesday unveiled three humanoid robots that are to be put on display so visitors can interact with them.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Jun 24, 2014

Baan Suki: Relishing the spice of Thai cuisine

One of the most memorable, cheapest and spiciest dishes I've ever had was also the first bite I ate in Thailand. It was a few years back, on an island south of Bangkok. We had just arrived at our hotel and bolted to the beach. A cook had a cart set up (it was more or less a wok) on the sand and the aroma...
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2014

Lawmaker apologizes for sexist jibe

A Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker apologized on Monday for shouting a sexist remark last week at a female colleague from Your Party during a plenary session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb