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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 22, 2018

U.S. to scale back major joint military exercise in bid to keep North Korean nuclear diplomacy on track

In a bid to keep Washington's ongoing denuclearization talks with North Korea from faltering, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Wednesday that a major joint military exercise with South Korea would be scaled back.
WORLD
Nov 22, 2018

Former Guatemalan soldier sentenced to over 5,000 years for taking part in 1982 massacre of 171

A Guatemalan court Wednesday sentenced a former soldier to 5,160 years in prison for the massacre of 171 people in what is considered one of the worst atrocities in that country's 36-year-long civil war.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Nov 22, 2018

Over 80,000 Yemeni children may have died from hunger, aid group says

An estimated 85,000 children under five may have died from extreme hunger in Yemen since a Saudi-led coalition intervened in the civil war in 2015, an aid agency said on Wednesday, as the U.N. special envoy arrived in Yemen to pursue peace talks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2018

After Chinese leader's visit, Philippine ministers meet Japan PM's aide to advance infrastructure plans

Philippine government ministers met with a top adviser of Japan's prime minister on Wednesday, in a effort to move forward major infrastructure projects, just hours after a visit by the Chinese president pledging to do the same.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2018

Now the U.S. Congress can push Saudi Arabia on Yemen

Control of the House will enable Democratic lawmakers to exercise greater oversight of U.S. military involvement in the Saudi-led war.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 20, 2018

As foreign labor system evolves, education has to play catch-up

Japanese-language education is becoming more important for children of foreign residents in Japan at a time when the government is planning to introduce a new visa system to increase the number of foreign workers.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 20, 2018

Fierce fighting resumes in Yemen's Hodeida after Houthis say they're open to truce

Intense fighting broke out in Yemen's port city of Hodeida late on Monday, shattering a lull in violence that had raised hopes for a ceasefire between a Saudi-led coalition and Houthi insurgents as the United Nations tried to resume peace talks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Nov 19, 2018

'The Year Book of the Contemporary Society' celebrates the Japanese buzzwords that will lead us into the new year

What's that word, the one for when you like a person but are too shy to say so? Or how about the one you use when you visit Tokyo Disney? Well, one book has all the answers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / japan since the Meiji Restoration
Nov 19, 2018

Reconjuring the vision of the Meiji Centennial

Japan has thus far succeeded in preserving its national character while fulfilling its growing responsibility toward the international community.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 19, 2018

Cambodian leader Hun Sen says he won't allow any foreign military bases in his country

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday there would never be a foreign military base in his country, following a news report that China was lobbying for a naval base in southwest Koh Kong province.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 19, 2018

North Korea's new 'tactical' weapon test highlights military modernization

North Korea's claim last week that it had tested an unidentified "ultramodern tactical weapon" highlighted its desire to upgrade its conventional arms and reassure its military even as talks are underway to end its nuclear program, analysts said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 19, 2018

Yemen's Houthis halt missile attacks on Saudi coalition after foes put brakes on offensive

Yemen's Houthi movement said on Monday it was halting drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their Yemeni allies, responding to a demand from the United Nations.
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.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years