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Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jan 6, 2020

When American country meets Japanese anime

The lineup of artists onstage at the Tokyo premiere of 'Sturgill Simpson Presents: Sound & Fury' was as eclectic as the film they'd all made: a 41-minute anime music video set to an entire album by the Grammy-winning Simpson.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 6, 2020

After Indonesia's deadly floods, few hear climate 'wake-up call'

Floods that killed more than 60 people in Indonesia's capital after the biggest rainfall since records began should be a wake-up call to climate change in one of the world's biggest carbon emitters, environmental groups said.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2020

For the 2020s, it's time to go back to the drawing board

Like W.H. Auden in 1939, we must accept the possibility that things could become far worse than they already are.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 5, 2020

Get ready for Japan's backcountry with an avalanche safety course

Black Diamond Tours has been offering Avalanche Skills Training courses in English since 2009 to educate skiers and snowboarders on the risks when riding in Japan's backcountry.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 4, 2020

Japan's bureaucrats take top news honors in 2019

A year ago, the big news story in Japan was former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn languishing in a jail cell while the media discussed whether he should be there, thus sparking an overdue discussion about the country's so-called hostage justice system. It was a nice discussion while it lasted. 
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 4, 2020

From hangover cures to prairie dogs, tabloids end 2019 with a bang

For their final issues of December, the weeklies — their covers trimmed in gold color (except for the Sunday Mainichi, which came out in yellow-orange) — typically publish two-week bumper issues with extra pages. This gives many of them leeway to write about lots of timely topics. For instance, journalist...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jan 4, 2020

Motoki Hirai: Spreading the power of music

As an 'artistic emissary for the Japanese government, pianist and composer Motoki Hirai travels the world to promote Japanese culture and heal hearts with music.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 4, 2020

The books and translations about Japan to watch out for in 2020

A new decade brings a whole host of translations from prize-winning Japanese authors and books about Japan, from detective fiction to geopolitical studies.
WORLD
Jan 4, 2020

Singular 'they' chosen as word of the decade in U.S.

American linguists on Friday chose "they" as their word of the decade, recognizing the growing use of third-person plural pronouns as a singular form to refer to people who identify their sex as neither entirely male nor entirely female.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 3, 2020

Aoyama Gakuin sets meet record in decisive victory

His final-leg runner Keigo Yuhara was still on the road running. But Aoyama Gakuin head coach Susumu Hara was already high-fiving his other athletes at the finish line in Tokyo's Otemachi district, being certain his team would be back on top.
Reader Mail
Jan 3, 2020

Abe's misdeeds continue apace

While 2019 should have been a year to celebrate the sincere efforts of rugby's bravest blossoms, it ended instead in yet another of the serial scandals of its leader's blushing blossoms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 3, 2020

Wall Street starts 2020 at record levels on China stimulus and trade hopes

U.S. stocks extended their rally into the new year, with all three major indexes hitting record highs on Thursday, as fresh stimulus from Beijing to prop up its economy added to optimism fueled by easing trade tensions and an improving global outlook.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / Outlook 2020
Jan 2, 2020

What will Abe do to cement his legacy?

If you look at Japan's 2020 political calendar now, it will look like it is going to be a relatively quiet one.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 2, 2020

North Korean missiles again flying over Japan 'only a matter of time,' experts say

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's declaration that his country is no longer bound by its self-imposed nuclear and missile moratorium drastically raises the chances of longer-range weapons overflying Japan once again, experts say.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jan 2, 2020

Justin Burrell says Diamond Dolphins must step up their game

The Nagoya Diamond Dolphins endured a difficult December, winning just two of 10 games. They have lost six consecutive games, and veteran forward Justin Burrell challenged his team to improve its level of play when it returns to action against the visiting Kyoto Hannaryz on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 2, 2020

Aoyama Gakuin moves out to big lead

Aoyama Gakuin University got off to a good start toward recapturing the Hakone ekiden title as it finished first on the opening day of the New Year's traditional event on Thursday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 2, 2020

Indian coal-fired plants miss emissions deadline but still running

Coal-fired utilities around New Delhi were still operating on Wednesday despite threats from the Indian authorities to close them down if they had not installed equipment to cut emissions of sulfur oxides by the end of the year.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 2, 2020

India to take another shot at moon landing after crash last year

India will attempt a second moon landing, after a previous try last year failed just minutes before a scheduled touchdown on the lunar surface, in a bid to restore its credentials as an ambitious space power.
JAPAN / Politics / Outlook 2020
Jan 2, 2020

Japan faces a diplomatic balancing act in 2020 as it seeks to manage ties with the U.S. and China

In the spring, President Xi Jinping is set to come to Japan, the first visit by a Chinese president in nine years.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2020

Japan-U.S. pact takes effect to promote goods, digital trade

Japan lowered its import duty on U.S. beef from 38.5 percent to 26.6 percent and will cut it down to 9 percent in fiscal 2033.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 2, 2020

With coal under fire, 2020 could be a big year for wind power in Japan

One day, resource-deprived Japan may no longer have to import its energy, nor rely on nuclear power or coal, thanks to a renewable source with vast potential: offshore wind power.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 2, 2020

Lopez Obrador says drug lord 'El Chapo' had same power as president

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador closed out 2019 with a parting shot at his predecessors, saying imprisoned drug kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera had had the same power as the country's president.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 2, 2020

U.S. chief justice who will preside over Trump's trial prefers to fly under the radar

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts will be a central figure in the ongoing drama of the Donald Trump presidency in the coming months. He is due to preside over a Senate impeachment trial, while the Supreme Court he leads will rule on a titanic clash over the president's attempts to keep his financial records...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 1, 2020

North Korea's Kim warns of 'new strategic weapon' as nuclear freeze falters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that his country is no longer bound by its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, while also warning of a "new strategic weapon" that he vowed to soon reveal to the world, state-run media reported Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / New Year's Special
Jan 1, 2020

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike looks ahead to 2020 Games and end of her term

With a little over half a year to go until the start of the Summer Games, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike says the host city is all set for the sporting extravaganza and is focusing on ensuring the games will have a long-lasting legacy.
WORLD / Society
Jan 1, 2020

Transgender Germans demand compensation for sterilization

When German authorities insisted Tsepo Bollwinkel get sterilized in order to be legally considered a man 25 years ago, he was "eager to follow the rules, even if they sounded insane.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Jan 1, 2020

[VIDEO] A look back at 2019 in Japan

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan