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Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 24, 2014

Taiwan says weather not seen as cause of plane crash that killed 48

Taiwan authorities said on Thursday that it was unlikely bad weather was the cause of the crash of a TransAsia Airways turboprop plane the previous day in which 48 people, including two French nationals, were killed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2014

Aging Yokotas pine for daughter's return from North Korea as abductee talks begin

Shigeru and Sakie Yokota may have their best chance yet of being reunited with their daughter, Megumi, 37 years after she was abducted by North Korean agents at age 13.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 18, 2014

Abductee probe stirs thoughts of snap poll

As Tokyo presses North Korea for information on the fate of Japanese citizens abducted decades ago, speculation is simmering that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could use a possible breakthrough on the emotive issue to call a snap election.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2014

Identical twin clings to hope that sister is alive in North Korea

Misa Morimoto spoke to no one for 18 years about her identical twin sister who vanished when they were 20, not even to her own children. On the rare occasions when asked, she lied and said her sister was studying overseas.
EDITORIALS
Jul 4, 2014

Watch progress on abduction issue

The government needs to watch North Korea to ensure that it follows through on a pledge to reinvestigate the fate of Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korean agents, now that Japan has decided to lift some economic sanctions on the country.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 2, 2014

Southeast Asia fears fallout of Mideast chaos

Four gun-wielding rebel fighters sit relaxing on a wall, their faces concealed by scarves and ski masks. All are Indonesians who came to Syria to join the Islamist insurgency, the cameraman says, speaking Indonesian peppered with Arabic phrases.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2014

Timeline of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement

July 1997: Hong Kong is handed back to Chinese authorities after more than 150 years of British control. Tung Chee-hwa, a Shanghai-born former shipping tycoon with no political experience, is hand-picked by Beijing to rule the territory following the takeover.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2014

Chinese World Cup woes provoke self-doubt

China's long-suffering soccer fans keep looking for proxies at World Cup time, all the while grumbling under their breaths about the government's control-freak approach to choosing athletes for the national team and a lack of youth developmental leagues outside of the official system.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Jun 12, 2014

We are the World Cup: anthems from pitches past

Japan plays its first match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, against Côte d’Ivoire this weekend. Although the tournament kicks off two days earlier in São Paulo, for many the Samurai Blue’s opening game ushers in the event, along with the activities that would normally raise eyebrows but get a pass...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 6, 2014

Top General Motors executives spared in internal report on safety failure

General Motors Co. on Thursday issued a report detailing how for 11 years it turned a blind eye to an ignition-switch problem that has been linked to at least 13 deaths but it largely pinned the blame on incompetent lower-level employees, leaving top brass untouched.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
May 31, 2014

When industry works in step with nature

It was about 15 years ago when an old friend, Yoshito Umezaki, invited me to dinner in Tokyo to meet a friend of his named Masayoshi "Mike" Ushikubo — "a really great guy who loves mountains, travels all over the world and is a company president who has a little problem."
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2014

Modi's foreign policy agenda

When Shinzo Abe led his party to a landslide victory in Japan's 2012 general election, he broke from protocol by taking a congratulatory call from Narendra Modi, then a state leader in India. The mutual respect between the two strongly nationalist prime ministers could pay handsome dividends.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 17, 2014

For China's Xi, purging corruption a means to install loyalists

Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to use a purge of high-ranking officials suspected of corruption to instal people close to him and reform-minded bureaucrats into critical positions across the Communist Party, the government and the military, sources say.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 24, 2014

Lawson COO Tamatsuka to become chain's next president

Major convenience store chain Lawson Inc. announced Monday that it will appoint Chief Operating Officer Genichi Tamatsuka president on May 1 and that CEO Takeshi Niinami will assume the post of chairman.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Mar 21, 2014

Tokyo Excellence shooting for NBDL championship

The Tokyo Excellence, who are in their first season in the National Basketball Development League (formerly the JBL2), have posted a splendid 29-3 record to date. The club is aiming to win the championship in the four-team playoffs this weekend.
EDITORIALS
Mar 19, 2014

A sign from North Korea

Last week's meeting in Ulan Bator between the parents of 1977 Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota and Megumi's North Korean daughter could be a sign that Pyongyang wants to resolve the abduction issue and end its diplomatic isolation.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Mar 7, 2014

'Pitbull' Davids thinks Japan has potential for World Cup upsets

Dutch legend Edgar Davids believes Japan can spring a surprise at this summer's World Cup in Brazil, calling on the likes of Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa to inspire a future generation of players watching at home.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 5, 2014

Centre Pompidou picks the fruits of its curatorial success

Fruits of Passion' displays contemporary works that were acquired during the last decade by the Musu00e9e National d'Art Moderne (MNAM), Centre Pompidou. The exhibition begins, though, with the final threads of modernism.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / ICE TIME
Feb 12, 2014

Questions follow high scores for Plushenko, Lipnitskaia

In the wake of the judging scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, figure skating has done its best to revamp its scoring system. It's not perfect by any means, but seems much fairer than before.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji