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LIFE
Feb 4, 2015

'Setsubun no hi' in Japan — a day full of beans

'Setsubun,' literally meaning 'season time,' is a celebration of the coming spring. Traditionally, on 'setsubun no hi,' held on Feb. 3, people throw beans to ward off bad spirits and then eat beans to bring them good luck. Here's a selection of scenes from setsubun no hi.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 4, 2015

Malware targets users seeking info on Islamic State group

Sophisticated computer malware has been infecting computers when users visit certain blogs that discuss the Islamic State militant group.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2015

Toyota raises profit forecast as weak yen lifts earnings on SUVs

Toyota Motor Corp. raised its fiscal year profit forecast Wednesday as surging overseas sales of SUVs and the carmaker's production base in Japan make it one of the biggest beneficiaries of a weaker yen.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2015

JX Holdings forecasts first full-year loss after crude oil slump

JX Holdings Inc., which gets about 85 percent of its revenue from refining, is forecasting that it will swing to an annual loss of ¥275 billion, after the slump in crude oil led to lower prices for gasoline and other petroleum products.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 4, 2015

In shrinking villages, abandoned graves are a sign of generational flight

In the nation's declining provinces, it is not only the living who are neglected.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2015

Farming reforms set to test Abe's resolve

After December's landslide re-election, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's program to revive the nation's economy is set to meet perhaps its stiffest challenge, the nation's sclerotic farming industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Feb 4, 2015

Japan execs leaving Citigroup, EG Capital flags wider loan retreat

The departures of Tokyo-based loan executives from Citigroup Inc. and General Electric Capital Corp. highlight the retreat of foreign banks from the nation's lending market.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 4, 2015

Grenades cheaper than Coca-Cola menace the Central African Republic

As Capt. Victor leads a team of Spanish special forces on a night patrol in the capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui, one thing worries him most: Chinese-made hand grenades that sell for less than a soft drink.
BUSINESS
Feb 4, 2015

Israel ramps up Asia trade ties as government urges shift from EU amid anti-Semitism

Israeli companies are increasingly turning to Asia to capture a boom in demand for their technology, as the government urges them to diversify export markets in response to Europe's rising anti-Semitism and potential trade sanctions.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 4, 2015

At 1994 Argentina bomb site, deja vu and fading hope for justice

Anita Weinstein was on the second floor of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994, when the ceiling and walls collapsed from the force of a truck bomb outside.
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 4, 2015

U.S. House leaders back inoculations as safety debate rages

Two leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Tuesday all children should be vaccinated, joining a debate that has become a national political flashpoint, as a measles outbreak rekindles a discussion on safety and the right of parents to forgo inoculation of their children.
BASKETBALL
Feb 3, 2015

Gunma guard Morrison arrested on suspicion of drug possession

Gunma Crane Thunders guard Marcus Morrison on Tuesday morning was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession, according to several published reports.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 3, 2015

U.N.'s highest court absolves Croatia, Serbia of genocide

The United Nations' highest court ruled Tuesday that neither Croatia nor Serbia had committed genocide against each other's populations during the wars that accompanied the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 3, 2015

JFA fires embattled manager Aguirre

Javier Aguirre was fired as Japan's national team manager on Tuesday after a match-fixing case naming him as a defendant was accepted by a Spanish court.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Feb 3, 2015

Opponents left in awe by Jordan's combination of talent, confidence

This is the sixth installment from Hall of Fame writer Sam Smith's new book "There Is No Next: NBA Legends on the Legacy of Michael Jordan."
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2015

Why is America at war with the Islamic State?

The Islamic State group doesn't pose a threat to the United States, so why is the U.S. waging a war against it?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2015

Defeating Nazism: a just war

On the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we should be mindful that the peace of Europe and of the world could be jeopardized by a return to rivalry between European states and the collapse of the European Union.
EDITORIALS
Feb 3, 2015

Abe's farm cooperative reforms

The Abe administration has yet to provide a convincing explanation on how its agricultural reform plan will strengthen Japan's farming sector and enhance consumer interests.
EDITORIALS
Feb 3, 2015

China's new economic reality

Economic reforms in China will be meaningless unless they are accompanied by political reforms.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2015

Alibaba scores a hollow victory over Beijing

Alibaba's success in its confrontation with the Chinese Communist Party is not a sign that life is generally improving for private business in China,
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2015

Experts urge caution after hostage crisis

Japanese companies are apparently keeping calm following the Islamic State hostage crisis that resulted in the brutal murder of two nationals, but crisis management experts say businesses should nonetheless take this opportunity to review how prepared they are for such potential dangers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 3, 2015

Negicco's new album turns the onion idols into Shibuya-kei's new hope

The crowd at the sold-out Liquidroom show furiously pumps glowsticks shaped like green onions in time with the beat coming out of the venue's sound system. They scream when three young women appear, and the energy only grows as the first song of the night gets rolling. It gets especially loud when they...

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building