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Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 24, 2016

How the World Health Organization's cancer agency confuses consumers

Thanks to scientists working under the auspices of the World Health Organization, you can be fairly sure your toothbrush won't give you cancer. Over four decades, a WHO research agency has assessed 989 substances and activities, ranging from arsenic to hair dressing. It found only one that was "probably...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 21, 2016

Pain pays off for Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro G. Inarritu in 'The Revenant'

Norwegian painter Edvard Munch once said, "Art comes from joy and pain ... but mostly from pain." It's a sentiment that Leonardo DiCaprio knows well.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2016

A Trump presidency would make China great again

China's ambitions to forge a Beijing Consensus will be easier under an isolationist Trump administration.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2016

Trump and Clinton gain more than delegates

Hillary Clinton has the Democratic nomination all but locked up, and Donald Trump is back on track.
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 21, 2016

Monkey mariners made monumental migration 21 million years ago

Monkeys resembling today's capuchins accomplished the astonishing feat of crossing at least 100 miles (160 km) of open ocean 21 million years ago to get from South America to North America eons before the two continents joined together.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2016

Japan Inc. believes Trump presidency would hurt ties, tarnish U.S. as investment target: poll

Most Japanese firms think a Donald Trump presidency would harm the Japan-U.S. security alliance and make the United States a less attractive place to invest, a Reuters poll showed, in a further sign of international angst about his candidacy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2016

Yellen's done 'serviceable job' but Trump hints he would replace her, wants weaker Fed, backpedals on debt

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would be inclined to replace Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen if he wins the White House despite supporting the U.S. central bank's efforts to keep interest rates low, he told Fortune magazine.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2016

Animal hospital in Kumamoto was prepared to house people, pets after a disaster

As evacuees with pets in quake-hit Kumamoto Prefecture shy away or are even banned from moving into evacuation shelters following last week's deadly earthquakes, Ryunosuke Animal Hospital in the city of Kumamoto has opened its doors to pets and their owners.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 20, 2016

China suspends G-20 anti-corruption task force, members say

China suspended an international anti-corruption task force after taking over the presidency of the Group of 20 earlier this year, according to six individuals in the group, who called it a setback to efforts to crack down on shell companies used to conceal assets.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 19, 2016

Mitsubishi CEO Kakiuchi seeks 'urgent' shift after commodities collapse

Mitsubishi Corp. is shifting growth away from its energy and mining-related businesses after being stung by the metals and oil collapse that led it to forecast its first-ever annual loss on a group basis.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2016

Electric cars take a back seat to SUVs in China

The Chinese government is determined to make the smog-choked country a leader in eco-friendly electric cars, but consumers prefer big gas guzzlers.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 18, 2016

Looking at migration as an opportunity to be managed

Japan's demographic trend can't be cured quickly. It has to be managed creatively.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2016

The China-Pakistan axis gathers momentum

With India ascending in the global hierarchy and strengthening its ties with the United States, China's relationship with Pakistan will likely grow.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 18, 2016

Kyushu quakes spark 3% Nikkei plunge, shutter factories; survivors line up for food

The Japanese share market plunged more than 3 percent on Monday after a series of earthquakes measuring up to 7.3-magnitude struck a southern manufacturing hub, killing at least 42 people and forcing major companies to close factories.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 17, 2016

Time to teach ethics to artificial intelligence

With driverless cars already on California roads, it is not too soon to ask whether we can program a machine to act ethically.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2016

Contamination: The human cost of dioxin, PCBs and pollution at Kadena Air Base

Documents recently obtained under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act highlight the American base's struggles to manage hazardous waste.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 16, 2016

Donald Richie: The legacy of an entrenched view

The late Donald Richie lived at apartment number 804 in a block directly facing Shinobazu Pond in Tokyo's Ueno Park. The writer would lead visitors through his home's dimly lit entrance area — crammed with bookshelves — and his minuscule living room to the balcony, beneath which a vast lotus pond...
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 15, 2016

El Salvador declares a drought emergency for the first time ever

El Salvador declared a water shortage emergency for the first time in its history on Thursday, citing the effects of climate change and the El Nino phenomenon, the country's president said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2016

Chinese economy posts weakest growth since 2009, but signs of recovery emerge

China's economy grew at its slowest pace in seven years in the first quarter, but indicators from the consumer, investment and factory sectors point to nascent signs that the slowdown in the world's second-largest economy may be bottoming out.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 13, 2016

LDP subcommittee recommends expansion of 'working population' to people 18 to 74 years of age

The government should revise its definition of "the working population" and aim to have working environments where people of all ages, especially the elderly, can work flexibly, a policy subcommittee of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party proposed Wednesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 13, 2016

Japan's Taiwanese residents thrive in a state of 'hidden inbetweenness'

Ethnic minority exists under the radar yet civic groups have top-level political pull in both Japan and Taiwan.
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2016

Yen bruises Hong Kong retailers that sell Japanese products

Times are tough for Hong Kong retailers. And even worse for those with links to Japan.

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