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JAPAN
Apr 6, 2018

Sanriku Railway approaches major turning point on railroad to recovery

A railway line in Iwate Prefecture will reach a crucial turning point next year, returning to service after sustaining heavy damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2018

U.S. Congress panels probe whether Russia got Facebook data: sources

Investigators on two congressional panels are looking into whether Russia acquired the data of millions of Facebook users and if companies with ties to then-2016 Republican election candidate Donald Trump's campaign played any role in providing it, three sources familiar with the inquiries said.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 5, 2018

Disclosure that GSDF hid discovery of Iraq logs reignites doubts over civilian control of Japan's armed forces

The ministry acknowledged the activity logs, from an Iraq mission, had been kept hidden from top officials for more than a year ,despite an earlier claim that they didn't exist.
EDITORIALS
Apr 5, 2018

Local consent for nuclear plant restarts

The dissatisfaction of many municipalities that are denied any say in restarting nuclear power plants — even though they face the same risk from possible accidents and the duty of ensuring safe evacuation of their residents — should not be left unaddressed.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2018

Wanted: A British Ministry for Asian Affairs

If post-Brexit Britain's future lies in Asia, that is where its hard resources and its soft diplomatic power must be redeployed.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Apr 5, 2018

Ryumo Ono playing pivotal role in Chiba's success this season

Ryumo Ono doesn't receive the same recognition as talented teammates Yuki Togashi, Michael Parker and Gavin Edwards. But the veteran forward is an integral part of the Chiba Jets Funabashi's success, including back-to-back Emperor's Cup titles, since the league's inception.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2018

Kyoto turns to crowdfunding to maintain lesser known cultural assets

In an effort to get younger people more involved with preserving Kyoto's traditional culture, a local heritage association has begun a crowdfunding campaign that seeks small, individual donations for the repair of temples, shrines and cultural assets.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 5, 2018

Cherry blossom-themed fare sweeps hotel dining

The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka is offering a seasonal accommodation plan featuring sakura cherry blossoms until April 30.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 5, 2018

French strike brings second day of rail chaos

Millions of French commuters suffered a second day of travel chaos on Wednesday as striking rail workers locked horns with President Emmanuel Macron's government in a dispute over reforming the state-owned SNCF railways.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 5, 2018

Russia short of foreign policy options if bet on Trump fails

Russia long saw Donald Trump as the wild card in its strategy to improve relations with the United States.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 5, 2018

Riga alarmed as Russian missile tests force partial closing of Baltic Sea and airspace

Russia began testing missiles with live munitions in the Baltic Sea on Wednesday, alarming Latvia, a member of NATO, which says the drills have forced it partly to shut down Baltic commercial airspace.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 4, 2018

South Korea has a sting in the tail for drinkers who mix wasps and soju

South Koreans who enjoy a rare flavor of soju, the country's most beloved alcohol, have been discouraged from mixing wasps into their drinks as a tonic after a health warning from the food ministry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2018

CEO Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook deleting posts linked to Russian 'troll factory'

Facebook is expanding its response to what it sees as malicious actors using the platform improperly and on Tuesday said it had deleted hundreds of Russian accounts and pages associated with a "troll factory" indicted by U.S. prosecutors for fake activist and political posts in the 2016 U.S. election...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 3, 2018

Japan's Indo-Pacific strategy falls short

The government must demonstrate that its commitment to international law and democratic values is more than just a fig leaf.
EDITORIALS
Apr 2, 2018

Trump taking a dangerous approach to trade

The international trade order is not perfect and must be fixed. U.S. President Donald Trump's approach, however, is misguided and dangerous.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 2, 2018

Making Japan a major force in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

The government must do more to cope with the major wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Apr 2, 2018

UCLA's Gyo Shojima striving to realize NFL dream

All eyes were on quarterback Josh Rosen, a potential top-three pick in this month's NFL Draft, during UCLA's pro day on a mild, sunny day in Los Angeles last month.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Apr 1, 2018

New minpaku law will alter Japan's rental and hospitality landscape

A new law will go into effect in June to regulate minpaku, private residences rented out by their owners as short-term lodgings. To most, the new law will address changes that have occurred in recent years due to the rise of Airbnb, the worldwide online service that allows travelers to book rooms in...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Apr 1, 2018

Japan's Supreme Court orders a child be sent home in a Hague parental abduction case. Maybe.

Defanged habeas corpus grew some teeth in last month's Nagoya international custody ruling, but the problem of toothless enforcement remains.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Apr 1, 2018

Zozotown founder Yusaku Maezawa follows eclectic path

Andy Warhol's iconic Campbell's Soup cans, a painting by Takashi Murakami and a word sculpture by Jack Pierson are some of the pieces decorating the head office of Start Today Co., operator of Japan's largest online fashion mall, Zozotown.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 31, 2018

Will Japan ever join the great Easter egg hunt?

A year ago, J-pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu released a song with lyrics and a promotional video that were as saccharine as a chocolate bunny. The song was titled "Easta" — a play on Easter and "a good start" in Japanese — and the video had dancing eggs, capybaras and fried-egg UFOs shooting laser beams....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 31, 2018

Otafuku: Temporary home preserves 100-year tradition

April in Japan isn't cruel so much as capricious. It brings unexpected chills and sudden rain as readily as it does blossom and sunshine. There's still plenty of need for warming, restorative fare — and nothing fits that description better than oden.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 31, 2018

A new generation of Japanese chefs comes to the fore at Asia's Best 50

Just as surely as spring brings blossom and fresh foliage, it also heralds the announcement of the annual Asia's 50 Best Restaurants rankings. And this year there was intense celebration by many of Japan's top chefs to match the festivities going on underneath the billowing sakura (cherry trees) back...

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb