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Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2019

Namahage demon festival of northern Japan grapples with blessing and curse of UNESCO listing

As a child, Tatsuo Sato was terrified when the Namahage demons roared into his house every year, but in adulthood he mourned as the centuries-old tradition faded away.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 6, 2019

India's Kerala to give workers a siesta to help beat the heat

Workers in India's Kerala state are now getting a three-hour afternoon siesta as part of a series of benefits aimed at combating soaring temperatures and improving labor conditions, government officials said on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 6, 2019

Clean-shaven reliever Ryan Cook excited for new challenge with Giants

Ryan Cook's former Seattle Mariners teammates will have be forgiven if they don't immediately recognize him when they arrive in Japan later this month.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Mar 6, 2019

Robot rights: From Asimov to Tezuka

Asimov's 'Three Laws of Robotics' are fictional rules, so why do we keep looking to them for guidance? The closest thing to real-world robot law we could have more seems likely to develop around the question of when autonomous military drones can make 'kill' decisions without human intervention.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 6, 2019

Airlines stall in tackling climate change but ANA, United and Delta rated best at managing risks in study

Airlines are doing too little in the fight against global warming, a study funded by investors with $13 trillion in assets under management said on Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2019

How the terrorist threat from Pakistan can be quelled

The Pakistani military needs to be brought to heel so that Pakistan becomes a stable, prospering country in the interest of its people and the wider region.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 5, 2019

As second Canadian minister quits over handling of scandal, Trudeau says he's taking it 'seriously'

In a serious blow to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a second member of his Cabinet resigned on Monday, saying she had lost confidence in how the government had dealt with an escalating political scandal.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2019

As pool of candidates in rural Japan dwindles, Kochi village to allow councilors to retain side jobs

Faced with a rapidly shrinking population of elderly residents reluctant to run for seats on the local council, the village of Okawa, Kochi Prefecture, passed a referendum Monday designed to make it easier serve on the council while concurrently holding side jobs.
WORLD
Mar 3, 2019

Saudi Cabinet gives green light for electronic tourism visas for foreign travelers

Saudi Arabia's Cabinet has approved electronic visas for foreign visitors to attend sporting events and concerts, local media reported, as the world's top oil exporter tries to diversify its economy and open up its society.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 2, 2019

Rakuten's Hiroshi Mikitani set to be big winner in Lyft's impending initial public offering

A Japanese retail billionaire, rather than a Silicon Valley wunderkind, is the biggest beneficiary of Lyft Inc.'s impending initial public offering.
EDITORIALS
Mar 2, 2019

Revamping the law school system

The government is reviewing the education system for the legal profession. It needs to do a better job this time around then it did a couple of decades ago.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2019

U.S. wins WTO ruling on Chinese grain price support in ruling also seen affecting India

The United States won a World Trade Organization ruling on China's price support for grains, successfully challenging a calculation methodology that is also used by India.
Rugby / ADDING THE EXTRAS
Feb 28, 2019

With ban lifted, Christian Loamanu hopes for return to Top League

Former Brave Blossoms wing Christian Loamanu is hoping for a shot at redemption and the opportunity to finish his rugby career in Japan. But he will have to get past some longstanding animosity and overcome some new challenges if his wish is to come true.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 28, 2019

Gang of Four's fluctuating degrees of animosity, 40 years on

British post-punk pioneers Gang of Four didn't come to Japan until 2005, nearly 30 years after the band formed. If guitarist Andy Gill had his way, it would have happened a lot sooner. "I clearly remember a conversation in the '80s about going to Japan," Gill says, sitting among an array of equipment...
Feb 28, 2019

UCDI Obtains Patent on World’s First Method of Producing
Bio-Jet Fuel from CO2 Using Hydrogen Bacteria (UCDI strain)

Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 2019—The Utilization of Carbon Dioxide Institute Co., Ltd. (UCDI; Head Office: Minato, Tokyo / CEO: Dr. Hideaki Yukawa), a venture of The University of Tokyo, today announced that it obtained a patent on December 21, 2018 for its invention of the world’s first method of...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Feb 28, 2019

Focus on North Korea's nuclear arsenal obscures threat posed by chemical and biological weapons

As U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held their summit in Vietnam, the narrow focus on nuclear weapons obscured a major danger: Kim holds the whip in a three-ring circus of weapons of mass destruction. The other two rings, adjacent and in many ways more frightening, feature...
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 28, 2019

Scientists warn global warming could decimate fish supplies and fuel migration

Millions of people could lose their livelihoods, food source, and be forced from their homes if the world does not meet the Paris goal to curb global warming which is endangering fish numbers, Canadian researchers said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2019

Huawei wages charm offensive in the battle for hearts and minds amid U.S. pressure

Huawei Technologies Co. has turned to a blend of wit, sarcasm and defiance to publicly fight allegations that the world's largest maker of telecommunications equipment is spying for China. It's a remarkable shift for a giant whose founder, Ren Zhengfei, spurned the media and avoided overt displays of...
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 28, 2019

Russia's military parades hardware seized in Syria

A train packed with war trophies from Syria including a tank and carriages of weapons arrived to loud fanfare at a southern Russian city on Wednesday, part of a nationwide tour organized by the military to whip up patriotic sentiment.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 27, 2019

Half of North Korean defectors suffered violence, but rights is not a top summit issue

About half of 451 North Korean defectors questioned in a survey endured physical violence at the hands of North Korean authorities, a rights group has said as leader Kim Jong Un prepared to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for a summit.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years