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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2020

In China, big tech isn't the enemy. It's the strategy.

China is redoubling efforts to wean itself off foreign companies, with the result likely to be a cohort of domestic giants and a slow freeze-out of overseas competitors.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 4, 2020

Sumo stables housed in older structures becoming rare sight

The demolition of the Izutsu Beya stable building, one of the more run-down in the sport, got underway Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 4, 2020

At the end of a chaotic campaign, an Election Day that defied the worst fears

There were glitches and partisan skirmishes as voters went to the polls, but for the most part the system held up.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 4, 2020

China’s race for COVID-19 vaccine raises safety questions

Process has been unhindered by common scientific setbacks being reported by Western rivals, raising questions about how stringently they are vetting potential issues.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 4, 2020

China envisions a new Hong Kong, firmly under its control

Hainan province, an island the size of Maryland in the South China Sea, has been envisioned as a free-trade port and international commercial hub.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 3, 2020

North Korea building two submarines, one capable of firing ballistic missiles, lawmaker says

North Korea is building two new submarines, including one capable of firing ballistic missiles, a South Korean lawmaker said Tuesday, following a closed-door briefing by the South's National Intelligence Service.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 3, 2020

K-pop's social media power spurs Thailand's youth protests

From raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Thai protesters to inspiring the youths who join demonstrations through dances and social media, K-pop fans have emerged as a potent political force in Thailand's anti-government movement.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 3, 2020

As Election Day arrives, Trump shifts between combativeness and grievance

President Donald Trump arrives at Election Day on Tuesday toggling between confidence and exasperation, bravado and grievance, and marinating in frustration that he is trailing Joe Biden, whom he considers an unworthy opponent.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 2, 2020

Johnny Depp loses 'wife beater' libel case against The Sun

Hollywood star Johnny Depp on Monday lost his libel battle with a British tabloid that labelled him a “wife beater,” after a London High Court judge ruled he had repeatedly assaulted his former partner and put her in fear for her life.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2020

Why emerging markets are wary of a modern monetary fix

For countries that pass the threshold conditions, MMT says the only real constraint on government spending is inflation.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 2, 2020

Osaka referendum defeat raises questions about future of city's politics

The focus for many in local political party Osaka Ishin no Kai is now on how — or even if — they can continue under a new generation of leadership.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 2, 2020

These are the airlines teetering on the brink of COVID-19 ruin

Having a home government with deep — and open — pockets is emerging as key in terms of whether an airline will make it through the coronavirus pandemic.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 2, 2020

Last trains to leave earlier in Tokyo as JR East cuts costs to stem red ink

Weeknight passenger numbers between midnight and 1 a.m. on the Yamanote Line plunged 66% in August compared to the previous year, the firm said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 2, 2020

In dash to finish, Biden and Trump set up showdown in Pennsylvania

The president now appears more competitive in the state than in Michigan and Wisconsin, and Biden's clearest electoral path to the White House runs through it.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 1, 2020

Osaka voters say no to merger. Again.

The referendum defeat dealt a heavy blow to the Osaka Ishin no Kai local political group, with Mayor Ichiro Matsui vowing to retire at the end of his term.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2020

Airlines suffer blow as England bans overseas leisure travel

According to restrictions, overnight stays and holidays away from primary residences will not be allowed.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 1, 2020

England virus lockdown may be extended beyond December

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced that England would go into a second, partial lockdown, as virus cases have spiked.
Ahmad Habibi and his younger brother Mahmood Habibi pose for the camera in Canada in 2014.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 11, 2025

How a CIA hit on al-Qaida ensnared a U.S. citizen in Afghanistan

Interviews reveal that the Taliban likely detained Mahmood Habibi because the CIA had penetrated the company where he worked.
Dalton Henry Stout, a member of the white nationalist group Aryan Freedom Network, conceals his identity during a portrait session in southern Oklahoma on May 5.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 11, 2025

American Nazis: The Aryan Freedom Network is riding high in Trump era

American neo-Nazis point to Trump’s rhetoric as driving a surge in interest and recruitment.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's government, which took office in June, has sought to show as much flexibility as possible when it comes to the U.S.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 11, 2025

South Korea’s winning strategy for Trump faces moment of truth

So far, South Korea has largely flown under the diplomatic radar, working mostly behind the scenes with the U.S. without some of the grand gestures seen from other leaders.
Flags from the Pacific Islands countries wave on the breeze in Yaren, Nauru, on the last day of the 2018 Pacific Islands Forum.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 12, 2025

China, U.S. pledge funds for Pacific Islands ahead of meet they are barred from

The Solomon Islands, which hosts an annual leaders meeting for the region blocked 21 donor countries from attending after pressure from Beijing to exclude Taiwan.
Kimi Ozawa, who lost her husband in the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet, prays in front of his memorial marker on Tuesday in the village of Ueno, Gunma Prefecture.
JAPAN / History / FOCUS
Aug 12, 2025

Controversial theories continue to swirl around 1985 JAL jet crash

Some bereaved family members and critics who subscribe to the idea of possible SDF involvement say the initial probe left too many loose ends untied.
Former first lady of South Korea Kim Keon Hee arrives at court to attend a hearing to review her arrest warrant at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 13, 2025

South Korea prosecutors raid party HQ after ex-first lady arrested

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee was arrested late Tuesday on a range of charges including stock manipulation and corruption.
Palestinians wait to collect food from a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Aug. 4.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 13, 2025

Palestinian mother 'destroyed' after image used to deny Gaza starvation

For Faiza Najjar, the fact that her family's reunion got caught up in a misinformation campaign was devastating.
Tokyo stocks rallied to a new high on Wednesday even as trade tensions and economic concerns remain.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 13, 2025

Japan's Nikkei 225 breaches 43,000 for first time ever

The benchmark stock index surged to a new high for a second consecutive day.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past