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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2017

Trump's tough talk on Iran doomed to backfire

Donald Trump's antagonism against Iran will ultimately hamper his ability to confront Islamic State and other jihadis — his No. 1 enemy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 10, 2017

Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton bring their unique talents to the characters of 'Doctor Strange'

Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth — all of them look like naturals when it comes to playing superheroes. Benedict Cumberbatch? Not as much. Though audiences love him as the new Sherlock Holmes, that iconic role has never been described as a superhero.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Feb 9, 2017

Nagoya's Bachynski stepping up with Burrell injured

The absence of the injured Justin Burrell, one of the elite stars in Japan pro basketball over the past decade, has forced the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins to make some adjustments.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 6, 2017

State-backed scholarship program to open doors to university

The government will soon launch the first state-backed scholarships in an effort to make universities more accessible as more students face financial difficulties to pursue higher education.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Feb 1, 2017

LGBT advocates leery despite Trump vow to protect their workplace rights

Advocates said on Tuesday they were bracing for a Trump administration rollback of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, despite a White House statement vowing to uphold protection for LGBT people in the workplace.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2017

How dangerous is Putin?

Sooner rather than later, Russian President Vladimir Putin's economic incompetence will catch up with him.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 25, 2017

Hosting U.S. automakers, Trump pushes for new American plants

U.S. President Donald Trump urged the chief executives of the Big Three U.S. automakers on Tuesday to build more cars in the country, pressing his pledge to bring jobs to America and discourage the car industry from investing in Mexico.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 25, 2017

Thai junta gives go-ahead to buy Chinese submarine and tanks

Thailand's military government has approved 13.5 billion baht ($380 million) to buy a submarine from China after putting the purchase on hold last year, Thai officials said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2017

Yahoo Japan defies calls to halt ivory sales as poaching soars

Yahoo Japan, the country's biggest online auction site, is rebuffing calls to end online ivory trading despite Yahoo Inc. CEO Marissa Mayer's misgivings over facilitating a business blamed for the illegal slaughter of African elephants.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2017

Facebook's Zuckerberg suing to gain rights to Kauai hideaway over undocumented heirs

Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has launched a raft of lawsuits that could see the U.S. billionaire secure full ownership of his island hideaway from local Hawaiian families who retain rights over the land dating back generations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 19, 2017

Sion Sono swan dives into Shinjuku's chaos

Celebrated abroad for films that mash up everything from extreme sex and gore to Christian imagery and classical music, Sion Sono has emerged as one of the most distinctive directors in Japanese cinema this century.
Japan Times
Uncategorized
Jan 19, 2017

AJC: Sole agent in Japan to boost Visit ASEAN@50

The year 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2017

Lithuania to build fence along Kaliningrad border, fearful of Russian 'little green men'

Lithuania plans to build a 2-meter-high wire fence along its border with the Russian region of Kaliningrad, its interior minister said on Tuesday, amid continued tensions between Moscow and the Baltic states, which are members of NATO.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2017

Australia disappointed by Japan's whale hunt in Southern Ocean

Australia said Monday it is "deeply disappointed" that Japan has continued whaling in the Southern Ocean after anti-whaling activists published a photograph of a dead whale two days after Australian and Japanese leaders discussed the issue.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 14, 2017

Mishima and the maze of sexuality in modern Japan

In June 1948, novelist Osamu Dazai committed suicide. The 38-year-old, who had just completed his masterpiece, "No Longer Human," and whose fame was peaking, jumped into Tokyo's Tamagawa Canal with his mistress, Tomie Yamazaki, and drowned.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2017

Learning to bow: Japan reluctantly opens door to foreign housemaids

In a Japanese-style apartment, Maria Del Bago learns how to properly bow, clean traditional tatami floor-matting and decipher instructions for a high-tech toilet.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 10, 2017

Smoking costs $1 trillion and soon will kill 8 million a year, study says

Smoking costs the global economy more than $1 trillion a year, and will kill one third more people by 2030 than it does now, according to a study by the World Health Organization and the U.S. National Cancer Institute published on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2017

China shouldn't burn its 40-ton ivory stockpile

Despite the visceral appeal, 30 years of burning hasn't appreciably reduced elephant kills or ivory consumption. In fact, it likely raises its value on the black market.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 8, 2017

Japan's human rights issues fared better in 2016

Welcome back to JBC's annual countdown of the top issues as they affected Non-Japanese (NJ) residents of Japan. We had some brighter spots this year than in previous years, because Japan's government has been so embarrassed by hate speech toward Japan's minorities that they did something about it. Read...
JAPAN / Society
Jan 4, 2017

Children in Japan struggle to break out of poverty cycle

The relative poverty rate — the percentage of children living under the poverty line — has increased from 10.9 percent in 1985 to 16.3 percent in 2012. The figure translates into roughly 1 in 6 children.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 3, 2017

Experts warn Japan's language schools are becoming a front for importing cheap labor

A 29-year-old Nepalese student in Tokyo has found herself stuck in limbo with her dreams derailed, and the state of Japan's language schools is to blame.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 30, 2016

Ukraine hit by 6,500 hack attacks, sees Russian 'cyberwar'

Hackers have targeted Ukrainian state institutions about 6,500 times in the past two months, including incidents that showed Russian security services were waging a cyberwar against the country, President Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami