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JAPAN
Oct 3, 2014

North Korea envoy says door is open on nuclear issues, rights, abductees

North Korea is ready to resume six-party talks on its nuclear program but must maintain its readiness in the face of joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, a senior envoy in Geneva said on Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 2, 2014

'Masterpieces of Kosan-ji Temple'

The Kyoto National Museum recently opened its new Heisei Chishinkan wing with the special exhibition "Kyoto: Splendors of the Ancient Capital," and it is now continuing the celebration with "Masterpieces of Kosan-ji Temple" in its main Meiji Kotokan building.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Oct 2, 2014

Westin marks 20 years in Tokyo; unique accommodation offer; celebrating exquisite French cuisine

Westin marks 20 years in Tokyo
WORLD
Oct 2, 2014

Nazi hunters seek German probe of WWII death squad suspects

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has sent the German government a list of 80 people it believes murdered Jews while serving in Nazi death squads in World War II and who may be still alive, the head of the Israel office of the organization said.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 30, 2014

North Korea asks Japanese to go to Pyongyang for abduction briefing

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday that North Korea has asked Japanese officials to visit Pyongyang to receive the latest information on its probe into the fate of Japanese abductees.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 30, 2014

Sumitomo shares plunge over huge investment losses

Sumitomo shares post their biggest fall in almost two decades after the trading house said it lost $2.2 billion on investments, including Texas shale oil and Australian coal mining.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 30, 2014

Turtle Island's bringing the whole gang to Asagiri Jam

Organized each fall by Fuji Rock promoter Smash, Asagiri Jam is a much more laidback affair than its famed older sister. It features two stages and the music wraps up early each night. And while Fuji Rock has some 200 plus bands, Asagiri Jam only invites two dozen, which means a lot less running around...
COMMENTARY / World / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Sep 29, 2014

Condemnation attributed to 'utter nonsense'

Were 'comfort women' sex slaves for Japanese soldiers in World War II? If you recognize that prostitution is largely a form of physical bondage, they were. But forcibly rounding up women for the work would be a different matter. Recently the testimony of a man who claimed to have helped with the roundups was judged to be false, after causing Japan consternation for three decades.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AMBASSADOR VISIT
Sep 29, 2014

Arab ambassadors say Japan's media covers region poorly

Members of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Tokyo said Monday they plan to help Japanese media give a more accurate picture of the region, with a special focus on life in the Arab world and on Arab nations' exchanges with Japan.
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2014

Is the Asahi a scapegoat of nationalist media or victim of own missteps?

One of the nation's leading newspapers has been in crisis mode of late — a situation that may bode ill for liberal journalism at a time when nationalism appears to be making public inroads.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Sep 29, 2014

Ukraine leader clings to goal of joining EU despite Putin

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has secured a temporary peace in the troubled east which he says gives him a chance to move Ukraine toward its dream of a place in Europe, but Russia's Vladimir Putin still holds cards that could thwart him.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 28, 2014

Abe to shift gears as Diet session kicks off

After drawing a storm of criticism and causing controversy with his Cabinet's reinterpretation of the Constitution earlier this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party now look ready to avoid contentious security issues and refocus on revitalizing rural economies during the extraordinary...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 28, 2014

Iran has its dissenters on intervention in Iraq

Iran — already struggling to manage a decrepit economy and tricky nuclear negotiations with the international community — now worries about getting in over its head by intervening in Iraq.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 27, 2014

Read up on books about books about Japan

Revving up the metabolism of culture with the pulse of new artistic voices, a good literary journal doesn't usually have much to do with profit — it's all about circulation. Japanese literary journals enjoy a healthy transmission here, thanks to the financial backing of big publishing firms. How do...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 26, 2014

Kojima's terrifying world of the unknown

Hideo Kojima's "P.T." isn't even a full game, and it still might be the scariest video game experience of the year. It is atmospheric, unfailingly creepy, and in future years might be looked back on as the first step in the reimagining of the horror genre.
EDITORIALS
Sep 26, 2014

Ebola's challenge to the world

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has prompted the U.N. Security Council, for the first time, to declare a disease 'a threat to international peace and security.' Governments are now pitching in to help, but health experts lament that national contributions were so stingy a month ago.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 26, 2014

Hong Kong students take democracy fight to home of city's leader

Thousands of students and protesters marched to the official residence of Hong Kong's leader on Thursday to demand a meeting, defying police warnings as tensions simmer over the financial hub's democratic future.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 25, 2014

Murata unveils cheerleader robots that really are team players

Murata Manufacturing Co. unveiled a group of "next-generation" robots Thursday that are shaped like miniature cheerleaders, can communicate with one another and move in a swarm.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 25, 2014

Maestro Taijiro Iimori will mark his NNTT debut with Wagner's 'Parsifal'

The New National Theatre, Tokyo, will open its 2014-15 season with "Parsifal," the last completed opera by German composer Richard Wagner (1813-83). While opera fans will no doubt be thrilled at the long-awaited performance of this piece at the theater, they can expect an additional treat as Taijiro...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 25, 2014

Transforming the splendor of Japanese art

Every culture treasures its arts, and art museums are at the forefront of art preservation, engaging curators and specialists to ensure works remain as faithful to the originals as possible.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Sep 25, 2014

Getting a taste of design, fashion; burritos for the working woman

Getting a taste of design, fashion
EDITORIALS
Sep 25, 2014

Electronics makers clawing back

The earnings turnaround for Japan's major electronics makers — many of which are moving to cut back on consumer product lines to focus on corporate business — has been helped this year by the steep fall in the value of the yen against the dollar.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 25, 2014

China's anti-graft drive puts the squeeze on Macau's casino junkets

Macau's casino junket operators are feeling the squeeze as China's anti-corruption drive has blown a hole in the world's biggest gambling hub. Some are shifting players elsewhere, like the Philippines and Vietnam; others are quitting the business.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2014

Doctor calls for blood donations to treat Liberian Ebola victims

The head of a treatment center in Liberia, the country worst-hit by West Africa's deadly Ebola outbreak, has urged survivors of the disease to donate their blood for use in treating infected patients.

Longform

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