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Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 19, 2016

SMAP fans relieved but perplexed by apology over rumored breakup

Exceptional TV ratings, the apparent overloading of Twitter's servers and even a comment by the prime minister show the importance that Japan placed on the announcement that SMAP isn't breaking up.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2016

A wake-up call for Widodo

Indonesian President Joko Widodo must show the same leadership on the economy as he has in response to the Jakarta attacks.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2016

Japan approved 85,550 MW of renewable energy projects since 2012

Japan has given the go-ahead to 85,550 megawatts of clean-energy projects since the introduction of an incentive program in July 2012, with solar comprising the vast bulk of the new capacity.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 19, 2016

Radicals seen easily spreading jihadi word in Indonesia's poorly run prisons

Afif was an inmate in a high-security Indonesian jail when he transformed from aspiring radical Islamist to soldier for Islamic State, ready to sacrifice his life for a group based thousands of miles away in the Middle East.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 18, 2016

Another year of living precariously in 21st-century Japan

2015 was a pretty gloomy year worldwide. And the same could be said for life on the archipelago.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jan 18, 2016

Let's discuss My Number

My Number, the new personal identification system for social security and taxation matters, kicks off amid data security fears.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 18, 2016

Indonesia's Jokowi under pressure to revamp terrorism laws following Jakarta attack

The first Islamic State-linked attack on the world's most populous Muslim nation puts more pressure on Indonesian President Joko Widodo to give the military a bigger role and add legal heft to anti-terrorism efforts.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 18, 2016

South China Sea? For Beijing, Taiwan is the No. 1 security issue

For China, whose President Xi Jinping is already taking an increasingly muscular approach to claims in the East and South China seas, the question of Taiwan trumps any other of its territorial assertions in terms of sensitivity and importance.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 18, 2016

Vietnam to pick new leaders as nation balances ties with China, U.S.

When Vietnam starts the process of picking its new leadership this month, the Communist Party is set for a tense behind-the-scenes debate: Opt for officials who want to preserve ties with neighbor China, or for those who would steer the country closer to the United States.
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Jan 17, 2016

Foreign tourism emerges as bright spot amid Japan's dim economic prospects

With few positive signs of recovery for Japan's slumping economy, foreign tourism remains a sole ray of hope, and tourism authorities, local governments, industry players as well as retailers are eagerly awaiting another possibly record-breaking surge in Chinese tourists during next month's Chinese New...
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jan 16, 2016

Online streaming keeps anime afloat

Last week in California, I caught up with some of the chief purveyors of Japanese popular culture in the United States and elsewhere in the world. It became rapidly clear that 2016 won't be at all like 2015 — or any other year before it.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Jan 16, 2016

Close ... but no cigar

Which part of the United States are you from?
EDITORIALS
Jan 16, 2016

Is Japan using the right data?

If the government is going to help the economy, it needs to improve the quality of its statistics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 15, 2016

Fans gather online to pay tribute to the many faces of David Bowie

Only days after David Bowie had released his 25th studio album and celebrated his 69th birthday, one of rock's most enduring icons had passed away after a long battle with cancer. The loss was immediately felt around the world as fans expressed their grief and tributes on social media.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 15, 2016

China's richest man eyes global film empire with purchase of Hollywood blockbuster studio

Flanked by models in white sequin dresses amid booming music and dazzling lights, China's richest man savored his latest entertainment triumph this week: the announcement of a $3.5 billion deal to take over a Hollywood blockbuster movie studio.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 14, 2016

Islamic State fight to keep 40-year-old U.S. Air Force A-10 Warthog out of mothballs

The U.S. Air Force is shelving plans to retire the aging A-10 Warthog aircraft, a heavily armored tank killer, because of its role in the fight against Islamic State, online publication Defense One reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed Pentagon officials.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 13, 2016

SMAP may split as boy band bolts from management feud

It looks like it may be splitsville for the princes of Japanese showbiz.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jan 13, 2016

A golden year for aging stars in film

A while back we heard that 50 is the new 30, but Hollywood has gone beyond that, as a whole new reserve corps of talent is emerging to tell us that 70 is the new 35, and that at 60 you're a mere baby.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2016

The business of being Bowie

David Bowie could see the future more clearly than most people.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2016

America's struggle with gun violence

More than 100,000 people have been killed as a result of gun violence over the past decade in America, and millions more have been the victim of assaults, robberies and other crimes involving a gun.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 12, 2016

Japan sticks with Internet Explorer as Microsoft ends support for old versions

Four out of five companies and municipalities in Japan face a deadline of sorts Wednesday, the day Microsoft Corp. ends technical support for older versions of its Internet Explorer (IE) browser. About 30 percent of them use versions that may now be at risk.
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2016

Reforming mobile phone rate plans

The nation's three big mobile phone providers are finally coming under pressure to make their rate plans more fair and easier to understand.
COMMUNITY / Voices / OVERHEARD
Jan 9, 2016

Bavarian slip

This white sausage is our local cuisine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 9, 2016

Low wages at the heart of foreign labor shortage woes

There has been a lot of discussion recently about allowing more foreign workers into Japan to make up for severe labor shortages in some fields. As of the end of 2014, the labor ministry estimated there were 790,000 foreign nationals working in Japan legally, which is more than the number of national...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 9, 2016

Critics assail Abe after middle-class income gaffe highlights wealthy upbringing

The prime minister draws public criticism over comments Friday that some claimed as evidence he lacks real knowledge about the plight of the middle class.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 7, 2016

Vietnam protests China's second test flight in South China Sea

Vietnam on Thursday accused China of violating its sovereignty by landing two more test flights on an island in the busy South China Sea waterway, four days after China landed a plane on the same runway in the disputed territory.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear