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JAPAN
May 20, 2014

Government silent on report Fukushima No. 1 workers fled during crisis

The government is refusing to comment on a media report that Masao Yoshida, the now-deceased chief of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant at the time of the meltdowns, was quoted as saying most of the plant's workers evacuated the site despite of his order to remain.
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2014

Why censoring search engines is a good idea

The European Court of Justice deserves praise for ruling recently that a Spanish national should not suffer shame or embarrassment for his former financial difficulties every time an acquaintance or potential employer types his name into a brower.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
May 20, 2014

Washington mixes signals about aims toward China

Even while reconfirming its 'pivot to Asia,' Washington tries to construct multifaceted bilateral ties with Beijing, raising questions about the ultimate fate of longtime alliances between the U.S. and a number of Asia-Pacific countries.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
May 18, 2014

Hiroshima's Maru has learned a walk is as good as a hit

Yoshihiro Maru is getting on base more by swinging his bat less.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 18, 2014

World Cup 2014 views from Ishikawa: USA and Australia

A Team USA fan and a Socceroo follower in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, discuss their teams' prospects in next month's FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / EMBASSY PRESENTS ECO-FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE
May 18, 2014

Swedish tradition of outdoor activities

Children living in the city were able to enjoy nature's wonders during a Sunday event earlier this month at Arisugawa-no-miya Memorial Park in the Hiroo district of Tokyo.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 17, 2014

Xinjiang attack suspects arrested

Chinese police have arrested seven people suspected of involvement in an attack and bombing at a train station last month in the western city of Urumqi, the Global Times newspaper reported Saturday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 15, 2014

Time to get over the 'shock' of aging actresses

"Americans can be strange about aging," said French actress Jeanne Moreau, in a brief interview she gave me back in 2005. She was then at the tail end of her 70s and had just co-starred with French heartthrob Melvil Poupaud in "Le Temps Qui Reste," as his sympathetic but alluring grandmother. As the...
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2014

Nigeria's kidnapped girls and Iran's brave women

Both Turkey and Iran have seen a big expansion in the number of women going to university in recent years. The demand by women to decide their own cloethes and fates will surely grow in tandem.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 13, 2014

Activist seeks to tap power of youth for political change

The world's top economies and financial watchdogs have repeatedly warned Japan to take action against its snowballing debt, but it's the younger generations of Japanese who stand to be most affected by the repercussions as a shrinking and rapidly aging population bleeds social security dry.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2014

Perils of financial freedom

Chinese officials should be under no illusion that free markets are a panacea for the financial sector.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
May 11, 2014

Toyama, Akita advance to Final Four for first time; Ryukyu, Kyoto also earn spots

Maybe 13 is a lucky number after all.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 10, 2014

Takachiho: Gods and gorges in divine Miyazaki

The already cloudy sky darkens perceptibly as our car descends into Takachiho Gorge. This area of extreme scenic beauty — carved out of the earth by lava flow from Kyushu's volatile Mount Aso and further eroded by local rivers such as the Gokase — is already fairly hidden, in an untrampled corner...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 9, 2014

Families of S. Korea ferry victims march on presidential palace

Parents of children killed when a passenger ferry sank last month led a somber march on South Korea's presidential palace in the early hours of Friday morning, where they demanded to meet with President Park Geun-hye.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 5, 2014

Fukuoka coach Duncan reflects on team's eventful season

Canadian coach James Duncan's arrival in Kyushu signaled the start of the Rizing Fukuoka's revival in the second half of the season.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
May 5, 2014

Caroline Kennedy, dive with me in Okinawa and it'll change your mind

I entreat you, Ambassador Kennedy, to help protect the marvelous coral reef ecosystem at Oura Bay in northeast Okinawa from certain destruction under the U.S.-Japan plan for military expansion.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 3, 2014

Japan's solitary ode to ink

Exhibits on display at the Yokohama Tattoo Museum suggest the goverment's view of body ink is out of touch with reality
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 3, 2014

Obama's pivot to Asia: Rebalance and reassure

Summits are all about symbolism and optics and on that score U.S. President Barack Obama's swing through Asia was a qualified success. Another few nails were hammered into the coffin of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with officials now edging toward a face saving TPP-Lite, but Americans paid little...
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
May 3, 2014

Empress-Dowager Shoken laid to rest; crackdown in Shanghai's foreign quarters; Olympic preparations; Lebanese businessman Japan's top tax-payer

One of the notable landmarks in the modern history of Japan was the funeral ceremony held Saturday night for Her Majesty, the late Empress-Dowager (Shoken, empress consort of Emperor Meiji), who passed away on April 9.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 3, 2014

German documentaries explore WWI history; Yukie Nakama stars in Mitsuko Mori biopic; CM of the week: Merry Maids

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, a conflagration whose causes most people probably don't understand. This week, NHK will present a series of German documentaries, "Doomsday World War I," on its BS1 channel that attempt to explain the so-called war to end all wars, with...
JAPAN
May 2, 2014

Viewers target NHK chief Momii

A citizens' group launches a campaign against right-leaning NHK Chairman Katsuto Momii, demanding his immediate resignation and calling on viewers to stop paying their NHK subscription fees.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 2, 2014

Chinese man seeks smog-based divorce

A Beijing man is seeking to divorce his wife after she took their son to a tropical province to escape the capital's notorious smog, saying the long-distance relationship had destroyed their marriage.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 1, 2014

Toyama's Joho named league MVP

Shooting guard Masashi Joho and forward Ira Brown form a dynamic one-two punch for the Toyama Grouses, a partnership that has helped the Hokuriku-based team make significant improvements — notably a steady increase in wins — in each of their three seasons together.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2014

Manga about work at Fukushima No. 1 stirs locals' ire

Cartoon characters who suffered nosebleeds after a visit to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant are turning into a headache for manga publisher Shogakukan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 30, 2014

Fast lane awaits kabuki actor's bold lead debut

Some roles demand quick changes of clothes or character, but in the whole wide world of theater, "Haji Momiji Ase no Kaomise" ("A Blushing Maple Perspires in Public") — aka "Date no Juyaku" ("The 10 Roles of the Date House") — is probably the only play in which a single actor plays 10 roles, both...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 28, 2014

Five activists win court fight but battle against Tokyo university is not over

The Tokyo High Court recently upheld the acquittal of the 'Hosei Five' on charges under the Law for the Punishment of Acts of Violence in a case that became a rallying point for students across Japan.
BASKETBALL
Apr 27, 2014

Golden Kings finish regular season in style

The Ryukyu Golden Kings shattered their own league record for victories in the regular season, and the Toyama Grouses tied the old mark on an action-packed Sunday, the final day of the bj-league's ninth season.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 27, 2014

The exodus from Everest

The Everest circus is leaving town. With the decision to cancel climbing this year, Sherpas from the 39 expeditions camped at the foot of the mountain are dropping tents and packing gear. Helicopters fly over the Icefall that leads into the Western Cwm, recovering equipment stashed there before the tragic...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 26, 2014

Mini-revolutions may add up to a change

1949. The war was over. Slowly, a numbed populace rose from the dead. That year, 2.7 million babies were born — a record high, never surpassed.

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