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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 4, 2019

Full pullout from Afghanistan could ignite 'total civil war,' say nine U.S. ex-envoys

Nine former U.S. ambassadors on Tuesday warned that Afghanistan could collapse in a "total civil war" if President Donald Trump withdraws all U.S. forces before the Kabul government and the Taliban conclude a peace settlement.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 3, 2019

Letter threatening to hunt Koreans sent to South Korean Embassy in Japan

A letter threatening to hunt Koreans and containing what appeared to be a bullet has been sent to the South Korean Embassy in Japan, police said Tuesday, amid worsening ties between the Asian neighbors
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2019

Japan grants long-term resident status to transgender foreign national for first time

Woman expresses hope that the decision will pave the way for improving international LGBT couples' rights in Japan.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Sep 2, 2019

Swallows slugger Wladimir Balentien looks back on long career in Japan

Wladimir Balentien still remembers all the running.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2019

Japan plans police unit to help defend Senkakus and far-off islets, NHK reports

Ties between Beijing and Tokyo deteriorated after Japan purchased part of the disputed Senkakus from a private owner in 2012, though relations have since improved.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 31, 2019

Sendai Dango Ichifuku: Sushi rice gives classic sweets a twist

Sendai Dango Ichifuku, a sushi shop-turned-sweets purveyor, has been making its dango dumplings with Sasanishiki sushi rice since the 1980s, but recently its online presence has been attracting new fans to the small Tohoku shop.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Cultivating Craft
Aug 31, 2019

An ongoing evolution: 25 years of craft beer in Japan

In its first 25 years, Japanese craft beer has faced its share of challenges. Cultivating Craft wraps up with a look at how far the craft beer boom has come, but also what industry experts say needs to improve.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 31, 2019

In Trump's team, misgivings emerge over any deal with Taliban in Afghanistan

As negotiators work to nail down an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, misgivings have grown among some Trump administration officials and lawmakers that it will erode the United States' ability to thwart attacks from there, U.S. officials said.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / Commentary
Aug 29, 2019

U.S. leader's chaotic diplomacy offers chance with Kim

Two months after the dramatic Trump-Kim meeting at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, the world's most heavily fortified border is back to its perpetual state of tension, as if nothing happened.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2019

Japan budget requests for fiscal 2020 on way to record-high ¥105 trillion

General-account budget requests from government agencies and ministries for fiscal 2020 are expected to set a new record near ¥105 trillion, it has been learned.
Japan Times
GLOBAL INSIGHT / Mauritius report 2019
Aug 29, 2019

Cultural charms create memories to last a lifetime

As a dream vacation destination popular for decades, Mauritius was once as famous for its high-profile guests as its incredible scenery and hospitality. That has changed in recent years, and rising tourist figures will thrill investors chasing big returns on tourism projects
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 28, 2019

Syrian rebels push back against Russia-backed regime forces' advances in Idlib

Syrian rebels on Tuesday launched a wide-scale attack against a five-month Russia-backed Syrian army campaign aiming to take back the opposition's last major bastion, opposition officials, rebels and residents said.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2019

Is peace in Afghanistan possible?

A pact with the Taliban is unlikely to bring any respite from the ongoing violence.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2019

Trial run in Japan of anti-groping UV stamps sells out within an hour

Following a heated online debate on ways to combat groping and similar behaviors on trains, a name stamp-maker on Tuesday released a new product that can be applied to the offender's hand — leaving the seal mark of an open palm to identify an assailant.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Aug 27, 2019

Ex-NBA big man Nick Fazekas targets round of 16, offers advice to Rui Hachimura

That the Japan men's national team won eight games in a row after a 0-4 start in the Asian Qualifiers to secure a spot in the FIBA World Cup was one of the best things that have ever happened to the country's hoop scene.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / TICAD 7 Special
Aug 27, 2019

Businesses encouraged to invest in key future market

The Japan Times recently interviewed Shigeru Ushio, who heads the African Affairs Department of Japan's Foreign Ministry and is a key senior bureaucrat managing The Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) to be held in Yokohama from Aug. 28 through 30.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2019

Why the Mideast is betting on China

Chinese foreign policy in the Middle East is highly transactional, focusing on energy and economics, and avoiding sensitive geopolitical issues.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 26, 2019

Hong Kong police arrest 36 — youngest aged 12 — after running battles with protesters

Hong Kong police said on Monday they arrested 36 people, the youngest aged 12, after violence during anti-government demonstrations escalated as protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at security forces who responded with water cannon and tear gas.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Aug 25, 2019

The changing face of fashion in Japan

Collaborations, ethical statements and flashback trends — is Japanese fashion going through an identity crisis?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Aug 25, 2019

The subtleties that bedeviled St. Francis

There's a certain script that you need to follow when interacting in Japanese. It's a shame nobody told St. Francis Xavier.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 25, 2019

Beijing-backed Ho Iat Seng approved as Macao's next chief executive

The Chinese territory of Macao on Sunday elected former legislature head Ho Iat Seng as its leader — the sole approved candidate.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 25, 2019

The U.S. wants Japan's help to close its 'missile gap' with China. Is Tokyo up for it?

After formally withdrawing from a landmark arms-control treaty earlier this month, the United States now hopes it can better counter its geopolitical rival China by closing what experts characterize as a yawning "missile gap" with Beijing — and it may look to Japan for help.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2019

Squabbles erupt as G7 leaders open summit in French resort

Squabbles erupted among G7 nations Saturday as their leaders gathered for an annual summit, exposing sharp differences on global trade tensions, Britain's exit from the EU and how to respond to the fires raging in the Amazon rainforest.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Aug 24, 2019

Atsuko Kuwana: Jumping in at the deep end

Disability, Kuwana says, is no barrier to achieving goals in life
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 24, 2019

Double bubble, tapioca tea and garbage trouble

Food and beverage fads come and go. On frequent occasions, "Gatten," NHK's health-oriented Wednesday evening program, used to present evidence that eating this food or drinking that beverage achieved seemingly miraculous results, including weight loss, lower blood pressure or relief from constipation....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 24, 2019

'Perfume: In Search of Your Signature Scent': Up the distinguished nose of an olfactory detective

Neil Chapman's passion for scents has taken him all over the world and incited him to write 'Perfume,' a 'scent atlas' that takes the form of a gorgeous 288-page guidebook.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2019

How can we trust the state when its enemies keep dying before trial?

Jeffrey Epstein died because the U.S. government let him.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 23, 2019

In one-man race, Macao to elect Beijing-backed former legislator Ho Iat Seng as chief executive

The Chinese territory of Macao is set to elect as leader the only candidate for which it is allowed to vote: a Beijing-backed former legislator who is expected to cement China's control over the special administrative region and distance it from escalating protests in neighboring Hong Kong.

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