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JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2017

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike quits as head of opposition Kibo no To

Surprise move following October election defeat likely to deal a fresh blow to a party facing tepid support.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 14, 2017

North Korea's winter training means fewer missile launches

North Korea hasn't fired a missile for 60 days, but that may have more to do with its own winter training cycle than with Pyongyang easing off on provocations.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 14, 2017

North Korea, caught in a 'time warp,' must send signs of change, Seoul top diplomat says

North Korea, an impoverished country in a "time warp" that feeds paranoia at home with propaganda about a hostile world, should secure its future by laying the groundwork for talks on its nuclear weapons program, according to South Korea's foreign minister.
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2017

Tokyo pushes back on 'bizarre' death tax that deters expats

Considering a work stint in Japan? You'd better make it short, and you'd better stay alive.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Nov 13, 2017

Aki Higuchi's mission: Giving Japan's young minds a global outlook and confidence to speak out

Aki Higuchi, 28, grew up in a multicultural home, where university students from different countries came five days a week to look after her and her younger sister up until she turned 18.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 12, 2017

Abe meets with Taiwan envoy at APEC summit despite warning from Xi

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met Sunday in Vietnam with a Taiwanese politician, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned him not to break with the past consensus on what Beijing regards as a renegade province.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 11, 2017

Shohei Otani speaks of desire to become world's best with move to MLB

After weeks of others speculating about his future, Shohei Otani, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters' captivating two-way superstar, finally had his say.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 11, 2017

Flynn lawyer denies reports of quid pro quo plan to deliver cleric to Turkey

The lawyer for former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn on Friday labeled as "outrageous" and "false" media reports suggesting his client may have been involved in an alleged plan to seize a Muslim cleric and deliver him to Turkey in exchange for millions of dollars.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 10, 2017

Political research firm behind Trump dossier also offered his campaign dirt on Clinton

The same political research firm that prepared a dossier on Trump campaign ties to Russia had unrelated information on Clinton Foundation donors that a Russian lawyer obtained and offered to President Donald Trump's eldest son last year, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 10, 2017

U.S. Air Force missed at least two chances to stop Texas shooter from buying guns

The U.S. Air Force missed at least two chances to block the shooter in last weekend's deadly church attack in Texas from buying guns after he was accused of a violent offense in 2012, according to current and former government officials and a review of military documents.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 9, 2017

South Korea unveils new policy focused on stronger ties with Southeast Asia

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday unveiled a new policy aimed at deepening ties with Southeast Asia, as the North Asian economic powerhouse seeks to curb its reliance on traditional trading partners like China and the United States.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Nov 9, 2017

Trump's tone during visit to Seoul largely reassures South Koreans

By the time U.S. President Donald Trump departed Seoul on Wednesday, the sometimes bellicose leader seemed to have mollified South Koreans, who had been bracing for more confrontational rhetoric over North Korea, trade, and defense spending.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 9, 2017

U.S. curbs travel and trade with Cuba in move seen as hypocritical as communist China fetes Trump

The U.S. government made it tougher on Wednesday for Americans to book trips to and do business with Cuba, making good on a pledge by President Donald Trump to roll back his Democratic predecessor's move toward warmer ties with Havana.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 8, 2017

Texas gunman escaped mental facility in 2012, caught smuggling arms into U.S. Air Force base

The man who carried out one of the deadliest U.S. mass shootings escaped from a mental health facility in 2012, the same year he was convicted by a U.S. Air Force court-martial of domestic abuse, according to a police report.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2017

Trump's opportunity in Asia

U.S. President Donald Trump should raise his ambitions for his Asia tour.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 7, 2017

'10th Anniversary Special Exhibition: Okinawa — Keystone of the Sea'

Nov. 1-Jan. 14
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2017

'Giving December' campaign tries to foster culture of private giving in Japan

Donate more. Invest in the future of society.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Nov 5, 2017

A gut feeling that you need an extra toilet

Everybody knows that Japan produces the most technologically advanced toilets in the world. They pretty much do everything except pull up your pants when you're finished. And one of the more pleasant surprises greeting foreign visitors to Japan is the ubiquity and accessibility of public toilets.
EDITORIALS
Nov 5, 2017

Anticipating a major Nankai Trough quake

While improving seismic observation systems is important, it is more important to assume a large earthquake can hit at any time and place.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 5, 2017

Neither George Bush voted for Trump, book author tells New York Times

George Bush and his son George W. Bush did not vote for fellow Republican Donald Trump last year, says the author of a new book on the 41st and 43rd U.S. presidents in which they open up about their disapproval of the man now occupying the White House.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Nov 4, 2017

Video game makers find a marketing recipe for success

Sega's popular video game character Sonic the Hedgehog is famous for running fast, but now it's slowing down to grab a bite to eat with some extra friendly company.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 4, 2017

Hokkaido chef Shinichi Maeda adds a modern touch to traditional techniques

An Dining chef goes out of his way to source his ingredients personally.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Nov 4, 2017

Japan's crime syndicates are shooting themselves in the foot

Japan's organized crime syndicates appear to be embroiled in something of a power struggle.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 4, 2017

Trump says he recalls little about meeting where aide spoke of arranging meeting with Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he does not remember much about a meeting last year with a former campaign aide who pleaded guilty last month as part of a federal probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 3, 2017

Hawks, BayStars get ready for pivotal Game 6

One day after a win that made the Japan Series an actual, well, series, the Yokohama BayStars were back on the field in Fukuoka on Friday night.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 3, 2017

BayStars skipper Alex Ramirez motivated players by keeping quiet

With the clock threatening to strike midnight on the Yokohama BayStars' inspired run to the Japan Series, Alex Ramirez backed off.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2017

Tokyo International Film Festival closes with social issues in the spotlight

The Tokyo International Film Festival has always struggled to distinguish itself from other big film events. It doesn't have the cultural cachet of Venice, Cannes or Toronto, and even within Asia it falls behind Busan and Hong Kong in terms of the caliber of works it sometimes attracts. But it always...
EDITORIALS
Nov 3, 2017

What's behind manufacturers' compliance lapses?

The government must determine how to prevent the compliance and quality problems that have surfaced at Japanese manufacturers.

Longform

Construction equipment sits idle in a park near Shiba Toshogu shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward. While Japan has a history of treating its trees with reverence, green coverage is said to be lacking in most of the major cities.
Do Japan's trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?