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Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 31, 2016

New Myanmar government brings challenges for Tokyo

With Wednesday's installation of a new government in Myanmar that will effectively be led by pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, the Southeast Asian nation has arrived at a crossroads in its relationship with Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2016

Japan's 'SWAT' team hones terror attack response after Brussels

Police armed with guns tackled a grenade-throwing man and his accomplice in a bus hijack enactment in Tokyo on Wednesday after the Brussels airport and subway bomb attacks that killed 32 people.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2016

Japan doubles overseas tourist target for 2020

The government boldly raises its goal for annual inbound tourists by 2020 to 40 million.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 30, 2016

Evidence mounts of missed red flags in case of former Tokyo teacher facing U.S. child rape charges

Fugitive 'Mr. Wonder' returned to Tokyo in the 1980s and visited St. Mary's International School, witness says.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2016

'Bitter Honey': Fishing for the love of a writer

Films about elderly men falling for elusive young women (and utimately regretting it) go back to "The Blue Angel" (1930). One Japanese example is Kaneto Shindo's 1992 "Bokuto Kidan" ("The Strange Tale of Oyuki"), a biopic about writer Kafu Nagai and the prostitute he came to love. Unlike the deluded...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2016

Those 'free rider' allies are finally paying up

There are signs that U.S. allies in Asia, Europe and the Middle East are starting to understand that the bill for the Pax Americana has come due.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2016

Abe offers ¥600 million grant to Zimbabwe in bid to counter Chinese economic offensive

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe a ¥600 million welcome to Japan in the form of an aid pledge intended to lure more Japanese companies back to the former agricultural powerhouse and counter an aggressive foray by China. But the move could also raise eyebrows in the West....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2016

'Womenomics' has to wait in line as tenure obstructs Abe's goal

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought to have women hold 30 percent of supervisory positions in all fields by the time Tokyo hosts the Olympics in 2020. But as of now, his own government is at least 15 years behind schedule.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / YOKOSUKA SPECIAL
Mar 28, 2016

Ships, shops and sightseeing await visitors to historic port

For older generation Japanese, the mention of Yokosuka probably conjures images of the U.S. naval base, classic J-Pop depicting Yokosuka, and the shiny suka-jan (abbreviation for Yokosuka jumper) stadium jackets with the image of huge dragons and Mt. Fuji embroidered on their backs. Though still claiming...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 26, 2016

Tokyo fashion week: Womenswear's mixed messages

The 2016 fall/winter womenswear collections that were unveiled on the catwalk during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo offered a wealth of cozy clothing that will likely appear in stores later this year. As has been the case in recent seasons, the designs were as varied as the selections presented on...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 26, 2016

Pundit didn't need an actual Harvard degree to get top marks in gaming the system

On Feb. 29 a group of veteran journalists held a press conference to protest communications minister Sanae Takaichi's comment that the government could shut down broadcasters if their news programming was deemed to be politically biased. Former Mainichi Shimbun reporter Shuntaro Torigoe said that Takaichi's...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 26, 2016

In Japan, all other fruits bow to the top banana

Everything you wanted to know about Japan's lingering love affair with bananas but were afraid to ask.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 26, 2016

Rolling Stones rock Cuba for free with 18-song show

The Rolling Stones rocked a massive crowd at a free outdoor concert in Havana on Friday, capping a week of engagement with the West for the communist country, which once censored the veteran British band's music.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 25, 2016

Giants treat new skipper Takahashi to season-opening victory over Swallows

So far, so good for Yoshinobu Takahashi and the Yomiuri Giants.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 25, 2016

Tokyo hotels turn pink for 'hanami' season

The cherry trees are beginning to bloom across Japan, and it is time to prepare for hanami (cherry-blossom viewing), which has been an annual custom since the Heian Period (794-1185).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 24, 2016

'Stranger'; 'The World's Most Astonishing News'; CM of the week: Rohto

The TV Asahi drama special "Stranger" (Sun., 9 p.m.) is based loosely on "The Poe Family," the award-winning 1970s girl's comic by Moto Hagio, which is about vampires.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 24, 2016

North Korea claims successful test of new rocket engine; South goes on high alert

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BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / 2016 JAPANESE BASEBALL PREVIEW
Mar 23, 2016

Giants lead pack trying to dethrone Swallows

The following is the first of a two-part NPB preview beginning with the 2016 Central League:
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Mar 22, 2016

Former Olympian Hopkins, long jumper at 1964 Tokyo Games, dies at 74

Gayle Hopkins, who advanced to the final round in the men’s long jump at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, died in his sleep on Sunday night or early Monday morning in Tucson, Arizona, according to sources close to the matter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 22, 2016

Strindberg's surrealistic 'Dream' heralds a pivotal era for KAAT

He doesn't officially become Kanagawa Arts Theatre's artistic director until April 1, but Akira Shirai wasn't fooling when he declared, "I aim to make KAAT (the official acronym of his Yokohama base) a place where we take a whole fresh look at theater's role in today's Japan."
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2016

The big news is how little will change in Cuba

The Castro regime will likely survive unless the U.S. finally ends its economic embargo and exposes Cuba to the full force of international capitalism.
WORLD
Mar 21, 2016

China to consider Nepal rail link, free trade deal

China agreed on Monday to consider building a railway into Nepal and to start a feasibility study for a free trade agreement with the impoverished, landlocked country, which has been trying to lessen its dependence on its big neighbor to the south, India.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 21, 2016

Why managing the politics of water matters

The availability of fresh water is increasingly a defining strategic factor in regional and global affairs.

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