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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 23, 2017

Rohingya say Myanmar Buddhists are blockading them amid fresh fears of violence in Rakhine

Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims have been blockaded inside their area by their Buddhist neighbors in a western Myanmar village, residents say, as religious tensions in troubled Rakhine state spread to a more ethnically mixed part of the region.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 22, 2017

U.K. academic publisher reposts blocked China articles after outcry

A leading British academic publisher that bowed to pressure from Beijing to block online access to hundreds of scholarly articles in China reversed its position and reposted the material on Monday, following an outcry over academic freedom.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 21, 2017

In Japan's remote areas, banks may soon pay visits to customers with mobile ATM vans

An increasing number of regional banks in Japan are introducing automated teller machines mounted on vehicles to cater mainly to elderly people living in remote areas with no bank-run ATMs.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 20, 2017

Thousands join protest in Hong Kong over jailing of young democracy activists

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday to protest against the jailing of three young democracy activists, with many questioning the independence of the Chinese-ruled city's judiciary.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Aug 20, 2017

Educator calls for better understanding of black history in Japan

On occasion, I still get asked this question: Of what value is a column dedicated exclusively to black issues — particularly here in Japan?
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 20, 2017

On inheritance tax, net banking and retiring in Japan

This week, Lifelines plays catch-up with some useful tips that have come in from readers over the past few months. However, we start off with a follow-up question from reader S.S. in response to last month's column on recent changes in Japan's inheritance tax laws (bit.ly/jtinheritax) It seems S.S. spends...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 20, 2017

Ex-Obama adviser Ben Rhodes rips Trump's off-the-cuff diplomacy

U.S. President Donald Trump's recent attempt to look tough in his blistering war of words with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sowed divisions with Tokyo and Seoul — America's two key allies in Asia — risking a rift that could give the reclusive regime a strategic advantage, a former top White...
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 19, 2017

Finnish stabbings treated as terrorism; suspect targeted women

Finnish police said on Saturday that an 18-year-old Moroccan man arrested after knife attacks that killed two people in the city of Turku appeared to have specifically targeted women and that the spree was being treated as terrorism-related.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 19, 2017

Why Timor-Leste deserves to join ASEAN

Asia's newest country has what it takes to be a cooperative and responsible member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 17, 2017

Critics cry foul as Joshua Wong and other young Hong Kong democracy leaders get jail

A Hong Kong appeals court jailed three leaders of the Chinese-ruled city's democracy movement for six to eight months on Thursday, dealing a blow to the youth-led push for universal suffrage and prompting accusations of political interference.
JAPAN
Aug 17, 2017

New U.S. ambassador William Hagerty arrives in Japan, vows strong economic and security ties

William Hagerty, new U.S. envoy, arrives in Tokyo emphasizing U.S. commitment to “ironclad” bilateral security ties in the face of North Korea's escalating nuclear threats.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Aug 17, 2017

Little-known ferry tragedy recalled 72 years after war

Even though 72 years have passed since the end of World War II, for Minoru Kawaida, 85, a little known event that happened on the morning of Feb. 6, 1944, remains at the forefront of his mind.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Aug 17, 2017

Philippine war on drugs and crime intensifies, with at least 58 killed in three days

At least 26 people died Wednesday night in police operations in the Philippines capital Manila, authorities said on Thursday, a second night of heavy bloodshed this week in an intensification of President Rodrigo Duterte's fierce war on drugs and crime.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2017

Drawn to North Korea's culture, Japanese internet star looks beyond the saber-rattling

Japanese internet celebrity Chunhun starts her day by listening to a band whose songs few other 20-something women in the nation are likely to have on their playlists: North Korea's all-female ensemble Moranbong Band.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Aug 16, 2017

Japanese researchers tap AI to parse regional dialects, work toward early dementia diagnosis

People in Aomori Prefecture, especially in the western Tsugaru area, are known for their strong dialect, often leading outsiders to joke about needing a translator.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 15, 2017

Time to dial down tensions on the Korean Peninsula

Despite the heightened tentions on the Korean Peninsula, the window for a political solution through dialogue has not been closed entirely.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 15, 2017

China's 'double-freeze' con

By raising the double-freeze solution, China put the ball in America's court, and placed the onus for resolving the crisis squarely on Trump's shoulders.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2017

Over 6,100 offer prayers for war dead at event marking 72nd anniversary of Japan's WWII surrender

Attendees observed a moment of silence for the 3.1 million Japanese war dead at noon, when the late Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender in a radio address.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 15, 2017

Abe and Trump reaffirm importance of halting North Korean missile launches

After a 30-minute phone call, Abe expresses appreciation for Trump's pledge to defend U.S. allies amid threat of missiles launches.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 14, 2017

Four governors urge Tokyo to protect their prefectures from latest North Korean missile threat

Leaders of Shimane, Hiroshima, Kochi and Ehime call for efforts to ensure residents' safety following Pyongyang's threat to launch missiles over Japan to waters near Guam.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Aug 14, 2017

Let's discuss children with disabilities in schools

Takashi Ono, who has cerebral palsy, can hardly move his body or speak.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 13, 2017

Mexican president embraces rule change paving way for anointment of next leader

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Saturday endorsed a change to the Institutional Revolutionary Party's rules that allows outsiders to run for president, a move that gives the embattled leader greater power to anoint his successor.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 12, 2017

Building project threatens Beatles statue in Mongolian capital

A statue of the Beatles erected in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar could be at risk amid an alleged land grab, protesters say, as rapid development turns a city once famed for wide open spaces into a cluttered metropolis.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 10, 2017

China's ethnic Yi struggle against poverty

For Jisi Lazuo, the torch festival in her village in southwest China should be a celebration involving colorful ethnic clothes and eating freshly slaughtered pig.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 10, 2017

Yazidis rebuild Islamic State-razed Bashiqa shrine during long wait for female abductees' return

Yazidi men and boys in the town of Bashiqa north east of Mosul are rebuilding a shrine destroyed by Islamic State as they wait for the return of women from their community taken captive years ago by the jihadis.

Longform

Construction equipment sits idle in a park near Shiba Toshogu shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward. While Japan has a history of treating its trees with reverence, green coverage is said to be lacking in most of the major cities.
Do Japan's trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?