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Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2017

Fuel shortage looms as Japan fires up biomass energy

As the sun sets on Japan's solar energy boom, companies and investors are rushing into wood-burning biomass projects to lock in still-high government subsidies.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2017

Trump boasts his team doing 'really good job' but hurricane-hit Puerto Rico begs to differ, feels slighted

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his administration was doing a "really good job" helping Puerto Rico recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria despite complaints that federal aid has been too slow to reach the U.S. territory.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2017

Football players who protest racism have right to free speech but not to disrespect nation: Jeff Sessions

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday denounced football players who have protested racism by kneeling or locking arms during the playing of the national anthem before games, saying that even though their speech is protected, they should be condemned for showing disrespect to the country.
BUSINESS
Sep 26, 2017

Abe trots out tax hike issue again before snap election to boost LDP chances

The controversy over increasing the consumption tax won't be unfamiliar to those who follow modern Japanese politics, as earlier proposals have proven unpopular with voters throughout the postwar years and have even doomed previous administrations.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 26, 2017

Japan can do more for the Rohingya

The intention was to rebuild a peaceful political society in Myanmar, but the Rohingya have been left out.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2017

Voters question Abe's decision to call snap election

Many voters on Tuesday appeared confounded at the timing of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision to dissolve the Lower House and call a snap election, questioning the need to set in motion a costly process without a clear need to secure a new national mandate.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 26, 2017

Iraqi Kurds cast independence vote in defiance of threats and opposition from Ankara, Baghdad, Tehran

Kurds voted in large numbers in an independence referendum in northern Iraq on Monday, ignoring pressure from Baghdad, threats from Turkey and Iran, and international warnings that the vote may ignite yet more regional conflict.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 25, 2017

Thai junta leader Prayuth, backers, fuel suspicions of his plans to stay in power

In his dark suit, Thai junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha cut an incongruous figure guiding a rice tractor across a muddy paddy field in front of cameras and watching villagers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 24, 2017

YouTube celeb's fly-by-night listing crashes Valu exchange's speculative party

On Japan's newest exchange, fame can pay off. That may not be so great for investors though.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 24, 2017

Parched nations tap cloud seeding

Threading through clouds, often with shaky turbulence and occasional thunder, 71-year-old pilot Gary Walker burns the flares on his plane's wings, releasing chemicals as he flies.
EDITORIALS
Sep 24, 2017

What's at stake in Chinese Communist Party convention

When the Chinese Communist Party holds its convention next month, President Xi Jinping, who has already been given the designation of "core" leader, is expected to make every effort to concentrate power with himself. Japan needs to work out its strategy toward China by carefully watching the developments...
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 24, 2017

Kyoto's pricey lodging tax plan spurs fierce debate over necessity, tourism impact

A necessity for improving Kyoto's tourism infrastructure or a bad decision that might convince tourists to go elsewhere?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 23, 2017

Mayuko Okada's last meal: Pancakes over nattō

Japanese cooking teacher on the joys of Bills' famous creation and fermented soybeans.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Sep 23, 2017

In Japan under Shinzo Abe, more power to the PM, but to what end?

In his final Counterpoint column, Jeff Kingston considers where Japan is heading under scandal-hit Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 23, 2017

'Devils in Daylight' and 'The Maids': The literary sleuthing of Junichiro Tanizaki

Question: Is it really the case that for a large part of the 20th century Japan enjoyed a golden age of literature? Or is this just misty-eyed nostalgia?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 23, 2017

'One Piece': Manga still popular, influential after two decades

Eiichiro Oda's long-running contemporary manga "One Piece" is the undisputed king of Japanese pop culture today.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 22, 2017

Amazon's Twitch ready to take on Japan's game-streaming market

Amazon's game-broadcasting and social-video company, Twitch, is stepping up efforts to expand its presence in the nation that invented Mario, Pokemon and the PlayStation.
Reader Mail
Sep 22, 2017

Belligerence won't resolve North Korean crisis

On the morning of Sept. 15 we were once again startled by the national alert system because North Korea had launched another large missile over Japan. I suppose the government wants everyone to believe that it is protecting them, and to have a sense of safety and security regarding this steadily worsening...
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 21, 2017

Opposition lawmakers slam timing of Abe's snap poll plans as abuse of power

Abe's plan to force a snap election by closing an extraordinary Diet session the same day it opens has opposition lawmakers crying foul.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 21, 2017

BMW calls Brexit an 'uncomfortable scenario' amid tariff concerns

BMW AG became the latest carmaker to weigh in on the Brexit debate as an executive warned that the introduction of any tariff would have repercussions for the German firm's business.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2017

Moving toward Kurdish independence?

The Kurds' quest for self-rule puts them in the crosshairs of Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Russia and the United States.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 21, 2017

Sharp rise in queried skilled foreigner visas under Trump administration is 'stealth campaign': attorneys

The Trump administration is making it more difficult for skilled foreigners to work in the United States, challenging visa applications more often than at nearly any point in the Obama era, according to data reviewed by Reuters.
EDITORIALS
Sep 20, 2017

Power and purpose in democratic politics

Could U.S. President Donald Trump's recent overtures to Democrats be a sign that he is embracing centrist politics?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Sep 20, 2017

With every new construction in Japan, fewer trees

When houses are demolished, there is a very bad habit here of cutting down all the trees on the plot, leaving the ground cleared and empty for new construction.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 20, 2017

Abe's snap election to cost taxpayers ¥60 billion to ¥70 billion

Some may question the decision to hold a costly election, but records show that the tenure of current members is actually longer than average.
EDITORIALS
Sep 19, 2017

Abe's partisan quest for a snap election

Should he decide to hold a snap election, Prime Minister Abe should make clear to voters exactly what new mandate he is seeking.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2017

Above the law on college campuses

America's institutions of higher education should follow the same standards of justice as the rest of the nation.

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