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ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 17, 2016

Strength of North Korea's military waning as Kim turns to nuclear weapons and cyberwarfare

Like many of the 1.2 million people serving in the army in North Korea, Eom Yeong Nam spent more time holding the wooden handle of a shovel than a Kalashnikov rifle during his years in the 501 Construction Brigade.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 17, 2016

Turkey rounds up plot suspects after thwarting coup against Erdogan

Turkish authorities rounded up nearly 3,000 suspected military plotters on Saturday and ordered thousands of judges detained after thwarting a coup by rebels using tanks and attack helicopters to try to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 16, 2016

Why Japanese media still kowtow to Ken Takakura

"Ken San" is a new documentary about late actor Ken Takakura opening in local theaters next month. Described as Japan's "greatest" and "last" movie star, Takakura was respected by both the Japanese people who worked with him and international film giants such as Martin Scorsese, John Woo and Paul Schrader....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 16, 2016

China: more hegemon than bogeyman?

Jeffrey Wasserstrom's perceptive new book, "Eight Juxtapositions: China Through Imperfect Analogies," presents some unlikely comparisons that are designed to challenge perceptions about China. Wasserstrom, a professor of history at the University of California, Irvine, acknowledges flaws in his analogies...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 16, 2016

Rethinking the age-old question of youth

Japan used to follow a wonderful practice to mark old age: Everyone who reached their 100th birthday received a silver sake cup called a sakazuki. It's certainly better than the tradition in Britain, where centenarians simply get a letter from the queen.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 15, 2016

Banks would be turned off by BOJ paying them to borrow, experts say

Japan's major lenders wouldn't want the central bank to pay them to borrow even if policymakers seeking to kill off deflation made such an offer, according to people familiar with the matter.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 14, 2016

Fate of stats from former leagues uncertain

Should statistical records from the bj-league, the JBL and its successor (NBL), the JBL2 and its successor (NBDL) be kept handy and recited frequently for the B. League?
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2016

Tokyo voters seek out corruption-free governor

As the Tokyo gubernatorial election kicked off Thursday, voters said they were looking for a clean, corruption-free governor after the last two — Naoki Inose and Yoichi Masuzoe — resigned over money scandals.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2016

Sun no longer shines on Japan's solar boom as subsidies wane

Japan's solar boom is beginning to falter.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 13, 2016

Utsunomiya withdraws from Tokyo gubernatorial race to boost opposition-supported Torigoe

One day before campaigning kicks off in Tokyo's gubernatorial election, major contender Kenji Utsunomiya withdraws to give the opposition a better chance.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 13, 2016

Table tennis 'sisters' hoping to grab gold for Japan

“The three sisters” are all different in terms of age and personality. What they have in common, however, are places on the strongest women's table tennis squad Japan has ever dispatched.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 12, 2016

Tribunal rejects Beijing's claims to South China Sea; Japan braces for reaction

In a ruling likely to have a dramatic effect on territorial disputes in the South China Sea — and the world's relationship with Beijing — an international arbitration court ruled Tuesday that there was no "legal basis" for China to claim "historic rights" in the waters.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 12, 2016

Time to embrace strong yen

Here's three reasons why the yen's 16 percent rise this year provides a chance for a major reboot of Abenomics.
Japan Times
SPORTS / NOTES ON A SCORECARD
Jul 12, 2016

Nishikori's body giving him biggest challenge

Kei Nishikori's withdrawal from Wimbledon during his fourth-round match with Marin Cilic due to a rib injury was unfortunate. It marked the second year in a row the world No. 6 was forced to pull out of the classic at the All-England Club due to a physical problem.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Jul 12, 2016

How can I help? Chatbots offer full customer support with no call waiting

Just as text messaging has become a mainstream form of communication, attention is shifting to the chatbot as the next big thing for information management and customer service.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 11, 2016

Russia stalls China's $1 billion hydropower loan for Mongolia

Russia's concern about water rights is holding up a $1 billion loan package Mongolia is seeking from China to build a hydroelectric dam that would help the landlocked central Asian nation ensure independent supplies of energy.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 11, 2016

Democrat and retired general, a possible Trump running mate, backs abortion rights

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, under consideration by Republican Donald Trump as a possible vice presidential choice, said on Sunday he favors a woman's right to choose whether to have an abortion.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 10, 2016

Okinawan minister Shimajiri ousted from Upper House by former Ginowan mayor

In a setback for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, state minister for Okinawa affairs Aiko Shimajiri lost her Upper House seat to a challenger backed by the prefectural governor and a coalition of activists opposed to U.S. bases there.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 10, 2016

Former interior minister Masuda to run for Tokyo governor on LDP ticket

Former internal affairs minister Hiroya Masuda on Sunday said in a statement sent to media outlets that he will run for Tokyo governor in the July 31 election.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 10, 2016

Bo Ningen: 'We're Japanese, but a London band'

Though seasoned music festival veterans overseas, the four members of British rock band Bo Ningen had never been to a Japanese event until Fuji Rock in 2013.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 2016

Thanks to U.S., U.K., Iraq mired in endless war

Looking back now at the Iraq War, what shines through is the sheer arrogance and ignorance of those who brought this calamity down on the Iraqis, who must now live out their lives in misery and terror.
EDITORIALS
Jul 10, 2016

SOFA-related change falls short

Japan should renegotiate the Status of Forces Agreement it has with the U.S. so it can have greater jurisdiction over crimes committed by Americans with U.S. military ties.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 10, 2016

Black boys, men ponder avoiding becoming the next one killed

AP
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 10, 2016

Voting kicks off in Japan as Abe seeks Upper House supermajority

Voting began Sunday in an Upper House election that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has billed as a chance to pass judgment on his economic policies. Opposition parties, however, are focused on preventing a resounding victory for the prime minister that would allow him to take the next step toward revising...

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami