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Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 18, 2018

U.S. envoy hopes for peace deal with Taliban in 2019: reports

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, hopes to cement a peace deal with Taliban insurgents by April, local media reported Sunday.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 17, 2018

Mariya Takeuchi: The pop genius behind 2018's surprise online smash hit from Japan

On the 40th anniversary of singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi's debut, The Japan Times sits down with the musician responsible for such classics as 'Sutekina Holiday,' 'September' and the track that has taken the internet by storm, 'Plastic Love.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 17, 2018

A comforting udon noodle recipe for the winter season

Two of the most popular everyday hot udon soups are named after animals that have a special place in Japanese folklore and the Shinto religion: the kitsune (fox) and the tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog).
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 17, 2018

Ibrew Shinbashi: Craft beer fits fine in salaryman territory

The cheap, cheerful, crowded, smoke-patinated dives that populate the lower floors of Shinbashi's Ekimae Building are an enduring time capsule of old-school, after-work salaryman drinking culture. Ibrew's craft beer pub has only been open there for a year, but its no-frills, low-budget approach makes...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 16, 2018

The high price of a two-island deal

The most basic condition for the return of Shikotan and Habomai would be for Japan to accept that the territorial dispute has been permanently resolved.
SUMO
Nov 16, 2018

Sumo 101: Kensho

One of the defining sights of a sumo tournament is the parade of brightly colored kensho banners around the ring before the highest- ranked wrestlers fight.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 16, 2018

Saudis implicate ex-royal aide, top spy in Jamal Khashoggi killing, plan to execute five

A former Saudi royal adviser and ex-senior intelligence official played key roles in the mission that ultimately led to the killing of government critic Jamal Khashoggi, and authorities will seek the death penalty for five people who confessed to the murder, according to a top official in the kingdom....
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 16, 2018

May vows to carry on as Brexit's hard-liners try to topple her

British Prime Minister Theresa May is defying demands to quit as she battles to keep control of her fractious government long enough to deliver a Brexit deal that has drawn ire from across the political spectrum.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 15, 2018

The queen of kawaii: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu reflects on her reign

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's trip to the Museum of Death in Hollywood proved to be a 2018 highlight for the 25-year-old J-pop star.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 15, 2018

Mitch McConnell blocks Senate bill protecting Robert Mueller's Russia probe

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked two senators from bringing up legislation to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation from any efforts by the Trump administration to thwart it.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 15, 2018

Thousands of Shiites flee as Taliban attack Afghanistan's 'safe' districts

Thousands of members of Afghanistan's mainly Shiite Hazara ethnic minority have fled their homes in the central province of Ghazni as the Taliban have pressed into two previously safe districts, officials and witnesses said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 15, 2018

Safari park gutted but Stanley the giraffe, other exotic animals survive Malibu wildfire

Stanley the giraffe and about 140 other creatures were safe after their small California exotic animal park was largely destroyed by the fierce wildfire that swept through the mountains above Malibu, the park's owners said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2018

More than 345,000 foreign workers predicted to come to Japan under new visas: government

Some 345,000 blue-collar foreign workers may join the workforce through the first five years of a new working visa system set to be introduced in April — if it wins Diet approval.
EDITORIALS
Nov 14, 2018

Which China will prevail?

Whether China embraces economic globalism or self-reliance is a matter of grave consequence for the world.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 14, 2018

The impact of accepting unskilled foreign labor

The new visa system will lack durability unless the needs of employers, local communities and foreigners are balanced.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 14, 2018

Nobel Prize winner Tasuku Honjo calls for better-funded and more imaginative pharma industry in Japan

On the evening of Oct. 1, Dr. Tasuku Honjo was in his office at Kyoto University discussing a manuscript with two of his colleagues when a secretary came dashing in to announce there was a call from Sweden. Could he take it?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2018

1922 Einstein letter fearing German anti-Semitism fetches $32,000 at Israeli auction

A 1922 letter in which Albert Einstein confided his fears of the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany, more than a decade before the Nazis took power, sold at an Israeli auction on Tuesday for $32,000.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 14, 2018

Chemical arms team to assign blame for Syrian attacks despite Russia, Iran opposition

The global chemical weapons watchdog will in February begin to assign blame for attacks with banned munitions in Syria's war, using new powers approved by member states but opposed by Damascus and its key allies Russia and Iran.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 13, 2018

Deaf filmmaker Emilio Insolera flexes his superpowers with 'Sign Gene'

Emilio Insolera's "Sign Gene" gave the world its first deaf superheroes. But after writing, directing, producing and starring in the film himself, you might argue that Insolera is the one with the superpowers.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Nov 13, 2018

Kihira's star soaring after great debut

Rika Kihira made a great first impression on a great many people with her performance at the NHK Trophy last weekend.
BASEBALL
Nov 12, 2018

Yuki Yanagita makes major impression on MLB All-Stars

If there was one standout talent from the first half of the six-game Japan All-Star Series, it was without a doubt Yuki Yanagita.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 12, 2018

How Tokyo saw the U.S. midterm elections

Japan remains concerned about what U.S. President Donald Trump will do or not do next.
Japan Times
SUMO
Nov 11, 2018

Sumo 101: Shonichi

The first day of the basho brings plenty of optimism — and ceremony — for competing wrestlers.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 10, 2018

U.S. ends refueling support for Saudi coalition aircraft in Yemen conflict

Saudi Arabia and the United States have agreed to end U.S. refueling of aircraft from the Saudi-led coalition battling Houthi insurgents in Yemen, ending a divisive aspect of U.S. support to a war that has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / A Weekend In
Nov 10, 2018

A weekend in Sapporo: Fresh crab, craft beer and sculpture gardens

For more than a third of the year, Sapporo is buried beneath thick snow. During its warmer months, however, the city shrugs off its winter coat and bursts into life.

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